knew more about him, and that he would talk to her.

The night was growing on, but Stella did not feel like sleeping.

Occasionally Silver Face arose and replenished the fire with resinous
pine logs, and for a while the flames leaped high, filling the woods
with strange shadows and ghostly, wavering spots of light.

Then afar, it seemed, there sounded the night cries of wild animals,
timber wolves, those dreaded monsters of the lupus tribe, and
occasionally the scream of the cougar, like a woman in agony. Then,
close behind her shelter, there sounded a horrible, snarling shriek. It
was the night cry of a bobcat close at hand, attracted to the camp by
the scent of the meat which had been cooked for supper.

It was so near and clear that for a moment Stella's heart seemed to stop
beating altogether, and she felt as if she would suffocate, and buried
her face in her hands, expecting every moment to feel the claws of the
terrible animal sink into the flesh of her back.

But at the sound Silver Face leaped to his feet, and was coming swiftly
around the fire.

Through the silver mask his eyes were gleaming wickedly.

Stella heard him, and looked up. He was standing before her at the
corner of her shelter, his blank face turned toward the place from which
the cat's cry had come.

Suddenly a strange thing happened. From the breast of the black garment
worn by Silver Face leaped a flame, followed by the crash of a revolver.
This was succeeded by another, and a third.

The sleeping men had been aroused, and were sitting up in their
blankets, blinking stupidly.

Behind her shelter Stella heard a thrashing among the frozen underbrush,
while Silver Face stood immovable, the blazing eyes in the mask staring
in that direction.

Meanwhile, Stella was marveling at those shots which had seemed to
spring from his very body, and without the apparent use of his hands.

But soon the noise in the brush ceased, and Silver Face stepped out of
sight.

In a moment he was back, and threw into the circle of light about the
fire the body of an enormous mountain cat.

The men had fallen back into their blankets and were sleeping again,
while Silver Face resumed his place before the fire.

Soon Stella, began to yawn, and her eyes grew heavy with sleep.

But she did not want to sleep. She had a foreboding that if she slept
she would be in danger.

However, the dancing flames and the soft, comfortable heat which came
from the fire w