s, his heart broke; and he collapsed in a heap, ploughing
up the snow, and flinging his rider over his head. When Garth returned
to him, he was stone dead. In the midst of his chagrin the man could
spare a glance of pity for the shaggy, misshapen beast. One of the
vulgar equine tribe, at his best neither beautiful nor courageous, he
had nevertheless given his life to the journey.

Beside the stony watercourse that traversed this little plain, he made a
cache of saddle, bridle and what food he could not carry on his back.
Over the spot he piled a cairn of stones to mark it, and protect the
little store from marauding animals. In addition to blankets, rifle and
ammunition, he carried with him food sufficient for about five days. In
an hour he was on his way again.

During the rest of the day, and the following day, the character of the
country changed only in degree. The trail never carried him directly into
the mountains, but skirted among the foothills, which raised strange,
abrupt, detached cones on either hand--steep, naked, unreasonable shapes
of earth, like nightmare forms. Each day Garth plodded to the limit of his
strength, reckless of what lay before him, regarding only the beaten trail
which led the way. From various signs it was clear those ahead ever gained
on him; but he kept himself up with the thought that they must sooner or
later make an extended stop to recuperate their horses. Each night he made
his tea with snow-water; and, rolling up in his blankets beside the fire,
slept under the stars; and at dawn he was astir again. Hard work was his
beneficent sedative.

On the second night as he lay down he heard, or fancied he heard in the
stillness, the breath of a far-off, heavy sound. He ascribed it to the
roar of the great falls Rina had told him of; and the thought lent new
vigour to his limbs next morning. He had another reason to hurry his
steps; for each day had waxed a little warmer; and to-day the snow
melted fast, threatening at last to obliterate the track he followed.

In the afternoon the going became harder, for the mountains reached down
long spurs athwart his path, over which he had to toil. Like the conical
hills they were bare of all timber; only the valleys and gulches were
wooded. On the first of these ascents, burdened as he was, over-exertion
and insufficient sleep began to tell on Garth; and he became conscious,
for the first, of a terrible weariness in his back. He crushed it down;
h