es of the watercourse, careless of the
noise they made.

"What is it?" they heard Grylls shout below.

A sentence in Cree explained.

"Watch the raft!" he shouted. "I'll bring her back!"

They heard him run heavily toward them. Hastily unslinging his gun,
Garth sent a shot at random through the darkness. They heard the bullet
spring off a stone. The steps ceased.

"By God! _he's_ up there!" cried Grylls thickly. "Come back, Mabyn!
We'll get 'em easy in the morning!"

There was no further sound of pursuit.

As they climbed, Garth searched from side to side, as well as he could
in the darkness, for a suitable spot to make a stand. High above the
level of the river, a huge cube of rock resting squarely in the bottom
of the ravine, and forcing the stream to travel around it, offered what
he wanted. One side of the boulder lay against a steep rocky wall; and
in the angle was a secure niche for Natalie.

Her courage failed a little when she saw he meant to stop. "Not here!
Not here!" she protested nervously. "We must put miles between us before
morning!"

"The way home lies back across the river," Garth said gently.

"Then why did you come up here?" she said a little wildly. "They'll
never let us back!"

His heart ached for her, at the thought of what she must still go
through. "Courage! for one more day, my Natalie!" he urged, drawing her
to him. "We can't start without horses and food, and those I have to win
for you!"

"You make me ashamed!" she whispered.

He heard no more whimpering.

Garth, appreciating the vital necessity of sleep, if he was to keep his
wits about him next day, lay down in his blankets while Natalie kept
watch. With the first tinge of gray overhead, she woke him, as he had
bidden her.

"If we only had a good breakfast to begin on!" were his waking words;
"and there's nothing but raw flour and water."

Natalie, in answer to this prayer, produced a flat package from her
dress which proved to contain bread and meat. "I always kept something,
in case I should be able to get away," she explained.

They ate, sitting quietly side by side in the darkness--they could even
laugh a little together now--and they arose vastly refreshed.

Garth climbed the big rock to wait for daylight to reveal the strength
and the weakness of the position he had chosen. The top of the rock
formed a flat plane slightly inclined toward their rear; and, lying at
full length upon it, he could shoot over the edg