st too much
ground to recover his advantage. He knew that Van Buren, with a horse
like that, could win the high ridge and escape.

He raged; he cursed himself and his God, for this second failure of his
deed. Then once again he abruptly thought of a chance whereby to
redeem his galling failures. His man on the horse would be more than
an hour in reaching the river by the slopes. A man on foot could beat
him there, and beat him across to the farther side, from which to
attack with surer aim--from the cover of the willows by the ford. The
flood had subsided. This Barger knew. The water was hardly knee high
on a man, and better than all, Van Buren would scarcely dream of such a
plan as within the range of possibilities.

Laboriously, in a fever of impatience, Barger made shift, after
strenuous work, to climb his barrier of rock. Then up to the summit of
the trail he sped, and down on the farther side.

Meantime Van, disgusted with himself for riding away from a fight,
could only revile his useless gun and excuse himself a trifle because
of his defenselessness. The skirmish had served to arouse him,
however, and for that he was thankful to the convict who had waited in
the pass.

Then he wondered how it came at all that Matt should have thus been
lying there in wait. The fellow must have been informed, to prepare so
elaborate a trap. It hardly seemed as if a plot against his life could
explain this trip that Beth had desired him to take. He could scarcely
credit a thing so utterly despicable, so murderous, to her, yet for
what earthly reasons had she sent him on the trip with a letter the
stage could have carried?

The thing was preposterous! No woman on earth could have sanctioned an
alliance with Barger. But--what of Bostwick--the man who had spent a
portion of his time with the liberated convicts? A revenge like this
would appeal to him, would seem to him singularly appropriate. Beth
could have lent her assistance to the plan without guilty knowledge of
an outcome such as this, and Bostwick--Beth knew that Barger was Van's
enemy. He had told her so himself. Facts were facts. Her letter to
Glen revealed her state of mind--and here was this attack, a planned
attack, proving conclusively that Barger had been prepared beforehand
with knowledge of the trip.

From having been depressed before, Van was made thoroughly angry. The
whole thing was infamous, dastardly--and Beth could not be acquitted.
St