could only hammer his
enemy's head on the rock, with a cruel lust for slaughter that availed
nothing except to madden him by its futility. His strength, great
though it was, was not enough against the man he fought.

Hodges proved the fact presently, for by a tremendous effort, he
turned, and pinned Zeke underneath. The force of the impact under the
outlaw's heavy weight laid the lad unconscious. The fingers unclenched
from his adversary's hair; he lay limp. Hodges rose to his feet, with
shambling haste. But, if he meant to kill, fate thwarted him. One foot
was placed on the treacherous dampened rock. It slid from under him.
He was thrown from his balance, and sprawled at length. He scrambled
on all fours toward the other side of the run-way with desperate
haste. He did not attempt to rise. A moment later, he slipped slowly
over the brow of the cliff.

Seth Jones, just issuing from the grove, saw the vanishing of the
outlaw, but, at the distance, he could not distinguish the man's
identity or that of the other, lying motionless on the sloping rock.
For the instant, however, he gave no heed to either for sheer horror
of something else he saw--the unconscious girl, moving so inexorably
to her doom. He shouted in despair, as he raced toward her. But he
knew he must be too late. He was powerless to stay her fall--as was
the bull-terrier, which had seized her skirt and still clung, only to
be dragged down with her into the void. Before he was come to the
beginning of the Slide, girl and dog had traversed it--had shot out
into the emptiness of space.

CHAPTER XXII

The veteran gazed down at the sloping expanse of stone that curved to
the sheer drop of the precipice. He was absolutely helpless in the
face of the catastrophe he had witnessed. A man, a girl and a dog had
gone to their death in this frightful place within the minute.
Already, the corpses were stewing in the Devil's Pot half-a-thousand
feet below, he reflected grimly. There was nothing to be done for them
now, or ever. He felt a whirl of nausea within him, but fought back
the weakness. He shuddered, as he thought of the man behind him, lying
senseless on the edge of the Slide. Was it Hodges whom he had seen
plunge into the depths, or was it--Zeke? It was with fearful
apprehension that he turned at last to learn as to which remained.

A little cry of relief escaped him, for at a glance he recognized
Zeke. He sprang forward, and, in a moment, had assur