the Halfway stables.

"We haven't far now," said I shortly. "And it doesn't matter why you
came; you've been useful enough! I couldn't have held the horses and
patched the wagon too." I omitted to say I could have tied them to a
wheel. "But if you're nervous now, there's one thing we could do. Can
you ride?"

"_Ride?_" I thought she laughed. "Yes! Why?"

"We could cut the horses loose and ride them in to the Halfway."

"What? And leave the gold out here, as we were m----" I knew she cut off
"meant to." "I won't do it!"

"Wolves wouldn't eat it--and there's no one to steal it," I returned
matter-of-factly--because if Collins had meant to, the sinister flurry
behind us had decided me his career was closed. "However, it would be
wasting trouble to leave the stuff; there's no sign of any pack after us
now." And a ravening yell cut the words off my tongue.

The brutes must have scoured after us in silence, hunting us in the dark
for the last mile. For as we stood out, a black blot on the hilltop
against the night sky, they broke out in chorus just behind us, for all
the world like a pack of hounds who had treed a wildcat; and too close
for any fool lying to occur to me.

"Paulette," I blurted, "there's not a cartridge in my gun! Yours is so
little I'm afraid of it. But it may scare them. Take these reins!"

But she turned in her seat and knelt there, looking behind us. If I
could have got her on Danny's back and let her run clear five minutes
ago it was impossible now. No human being could have pulled up Bob or
him.

"See them?" I snapped. "By heaven, I wish the brutes would stop that
yelling; they're driving the horses crazy! See them?"

"No. But--yes, yes," her voice flashed out sharp as a knife. "They're on
us! Give me the revolver, quick! I can shoot; and I've cartridges. You
couldn't do any good with it: it throws low--and it's too small for your
hand. And I wouldn't dare drive. I might get off the road, and we'd be
done."

It was so true that I did not even turn my head as I shoved over her
little gun. I had no particular faith in her shooting; my trust was in
the horses' speed. We were getting down the hill like a Niagara of
galloping hoofs and wheels over a road I had all I could do to see; with
that crazy pole I dared not check the horses to put an ounce on. I stood
up and drove for all I was worth, and the girl beside me shot,--and hit!
For a yell and a screaming flurry rose with every report of her
r