h
the remaining Confederates behind him, the sharpshooters bringing up in
the rear.

The rocks were from six to ten feet in height, and were covered in spots
with sparse growths of brush. Back of them, at a distance of a hundred
feet or more, was a hill, leading up into a growth of cedars.

As the narrowest part of the trail was gained, Captain Vallingham
dropped behind, until fifteen or twenty feet separated him and Deck.
Then, of a sudden, he drew his horse around and spoke to the animal. The
intelligent equine understood, and with one marvellous leap, cleared the
edge of the rocks and stood on the flat surface above. Without a halt,
Captain Vallingham urged him forward, and away he went at a breakneck
speed for the cedars.

The two Confederates riding back of their leaders saw the movement the
instant it was made, but they said nothing. Deck heard the noise as the
horse landed on the rocks and turned as quickly as he could. From where
he sat nothing could be seen but the top of the escaping man's head, and
he fired at this, putting a hole through Captain Vallingham's hat and
giving the alarm.

[Illustration: CAPTAIN VALLINGHAM ATTEMPTING TO ESCAPE.

_Page 308._]

"Escaping, is he!" cried Life, and just then the rifle of the first of
the sharpshooters rang out, and another ballet increased the ventilation
in the daring man's head-covering. The second and the third
sharpshooters tried to urge their horses up the rocks, but this could
not be done, and they made the leaps alone, directly from their saddles.

"Stay back and watch these two!" cried Deck, to Life and the two
remaining sharpshooters, and leaped up the rocks. As he landed, he heard
a splash in the water, and glancing back saw that one of the other
prisoners had tried to escape by swimming the creek. The movement was a
foolish one, for the moment he reappeared, in midstream, both of the
sharpshooters still on the trail fired at him, killing him instantly.

By the time Deck had reached the top of the rocks, Vallingham had
covered half of the distance to the cedars. He was urging his horse
along among the tallest brush the plain of rocks afforded, and it was
difficult to get another shot at him. Deck fired once, and so did one of
the sharpshooters behind him, but the bullets whistled harmlessly among
the cedars beyond.

"He's got the bulge on us, Major, bein' mounted!" panted Clefton, who
now caught up to Deck. "How he got his hoss to take that jump i