seen when following the
English hounds, regretted that the ravine with its fringe of
undergrowth and litter of netted branches must apparently put a stop to
the pursuit. Though the width was not great, no horse, she fancied,
would be expected to face it, and she watched the two figures flitting
amidst the trunks to see when they would pull up.

There was, however, no sign that they intended to do so, and Miss
Deringham gasped a little when Alton glanced for a moment over his
shoulder.

"Pull him!" his voice reached her hoarsely, and she held her breath as
she saw the man's hand move on the bridle and his heels pressed home.
The horse swung clear of the thicket, plunged with head down, flung it
up, and straightened itself again; there was a drumming of hoofs, and
man and beast had shot forward from the bank. It seemed an appreciable
time before they came down amidst the fern, and then Miss Deringham
drew in her breath with a little sibilant sigh.

"Oh!" she said softly, and there was a great smashing as man and beast
reeled through a brake on the other side.

"Yes," said Seaforth, "it was a tolerably risky thing, but it takes a
good deal to turn Harry. Where's Nellie Townshead now?"

"There," said Miss Deringham, instinctively clenching her bridle.
"Surely the girl cannot be going to try it."

"Good Lord!" said Seaforth under his breath, and the second figure
rushed with streaming skirt and hair at the gap cleared by Alton's
passage.

Then the man turned his head, and it was a moment before he looked
round again, very white in face. "Thank Heaven!" he said hoarsely.
"She's over."

Miss Deringham glanced at him curiously, and then laughed a little.
"Miss Townshead is evidently a determined young woman," she said, with
something in her manner which led Seaforth to fancy that this was not
intended as a compliment. "But what is Mr. Alton doing?"

"Getting the rope ready," said Seaforth. "It's scarcely used in this
country, but Harry once did some stock-riding on the prairie. We'll
push on a little."

It became evident as they did so that the position favoured the
pursuers now. A rock it was apparently incapable of climbing prevented
the flight of the steer in one direction, and Miss Townshead had ridden
forward ready to turn the beast if it attempted escape in another. It
stopped with lowered head as though meditating an onslaught upon her,
then wheeled again and came back towards Alton, who rose a tri