rse face it?" he asked. "If not,
we'd better blindfold him."

"I'll try him," she said. "He was all right this afternoon, but he was
reckless then with a hard gallop."

Zen's horse trotted forward at her urging to within a dozen yards of the
circle of fire. Then he stopped, snorting and shivering. She rode back
up the hill.

"Better blindfold him," Grant advised, pulling off his leather coat. "A
sleeve of my shirt should be about right. Will you cut it off?"

She protested.

"There's no time to lose," he reminded her, as he placed his knife in
her hand. "My horse will go through it all right."

So urged she deftly cut off his sleeve above the elbow and drew it
through the bridle of her horse across his eyes.

"Now keep your head down close to his neck. You'll go through all right.
Give him the spurs, and good luck!" he shouted.

She was already careering down the hillside. A few paces from the fire
the horse plunged into a badger hole and fell headlong. She went over
his head, down, with a terrific shock, almost in the very teeth of the
fire.

CHAPTER VII

When Zen came to herself it was with a sense of a strange swimming in
her head. Gradually it resolved itself into a sound of water about her
head; a splashing, fighting water; two heads in the water; two heads in
the water; a lash floating in the water--

"Oh!" She was sure she felt water on her face....

"Where am I?"

"You're all right--you'll be all right in a little while."

"But where am I? What has happened?" She tried to sit up. All was dark.
"Where am I?" she demanded.

"Don't be alarmed, Zen--I think your name is Zen," she heard a man's
voice saying. "You've been hurt, but you'll be all right presently."

Then the curtain lifted. "You are Dennison Grant," she said. "I remember
you now. But what has happened? Why am I here--with you?"

"Well, so far, you've been enjoying about three hours' unconsciousness,"
he told her. "At a distance which seems about a mile from here--although
it may be less--is a little pond. I've carried water in the sleeve of my
coat--fortunately it is leather--and poured it somewhat generously upon
your brow. And at last I've been rewarded by a conscious word."

She tried to sit up, but desisted when a sudden twitch of pain held her
fast.

"Let me help you," he said, gently. "We have camped, as you may notice,
on a big, flat rock. I found it not far from the scene of the accident,
so I carried you over to i