time!" exclaimed Howard, wheeling round and
springing away. "Don't wait."

There was no waiting by either Tim or Elwood. The two boys were slim and
fleet-footed, and could easily distance their more awkward companion;
but they could not leave him alone, although he besought them to secure
their own safety, while he would attend to his.

There were several things in favor of the fugitives and several against
them. It was growing dark quite rapidly, and they had a good start; but
the pursuers ran over the rocks and bowlders with the facility of
mountain goats and gained very rapidly; they were also familiar with the
face of the country, while our friends were literally "going blind."

"But don't we make 'em run!" called out Tim, glancing over his shoulder.
"Them fellers was made to travel, and if they'd only throw down their
guns and take up a sprig of the shillaleh, like an ilegant gintleman
should do, I wouldn't ax better fun than to jine in wid 'em and tach 'em
a few scientific tricks, such as can be got in Tipperary and nowhere
ilse--Worrah!----"

Tim's exclamation was caused by catching his foot against a large stone
and falling flat upon his face with considerable violence. He quickly
scrambled up again, while Elwood anxiously inquired whether he was hurt
by the fall.

"Not by the fall, plase your honor, but by the stone that whacked me
betwaan the eyes."

"They are gaining!" whispered Howard, pausing a moment for his
companions to come up.

"Yes, but it will be so dark in a few minutes that they can't see us,
and then we will hide ourselves until the danger is past. Let us get
along an fast as possible while the danger lasts."

They did strain themselves to the utmost, and speedily reached a more
open country, where they could travel with greater safety. This, which
at first appeared sadly against their prospects, was really the means of
securing their escape. The moment they reached it they darted away at
almost double their rate of speed, and shortly reached another hilly
portion, into which they plunged, and running a short distance, at a
signal from Howard, they dropped flat upon their faces, and crawled
beneath thy sheltering projections of the rocks, Terror at the same time
nestling down by the prostrate form of Elwood.

In a few minutes they heard the tramp of their swift-footed pursuers,
who were running without exchanging words with each other, or uttering
those exultant whoops which the Indian