Part 40 (1/2)

”It was her Bible, John!”

He turned a little, and noticed that Donald had gone to thetoward the ; and then MacDonald turned toward thee and out of place in this home of his dead He went to hiain--was listening--and holding his breath Then he said, still with his face toward the mountain and the valley:

”I may be mistaken, Johnny, but I think I heard--a rifle-shot!”

For a full minute they listened

”It seeuess we'd better get back to camp, Johnny”

He started ahead of them, and Aldous followed as swiftly as he could with Joanne She was panting with excitean to spring more quickly froan to run He reached the edge of the plain four or five hundred yards in advance of theh his telescope when they came up

”They're not on this side,” he said ”They're coet to the lass with a snap and swung it over his shoulder Then he pointed toward the camp

”Take Joanne down there,” he coh, an' wait for oin' up on the mount'in an' take a look!”

The last words came back over his shoulder as he started on a trot down the slope Only once before had Aldous seen MacDonald eht of the attack on Joanne He was convinced there was no doubt in Donald's mind about the rifle-shot, and that the shot could h and Quade Why they should reveal their presence in that way he did not ask himself as he hurried down into the plain with Joanne By the time they reached the camp old Donald had covered two thirds of the distance to the mountain Aldous looked at his watch and a curious thrill shot through him Only a little more than an hour had passed since they had left the mountain to follow Joanne, and in that time it would have been impossible for their eneht-mile stretch of valley which they had found e scrutiny of the telescope! He was right--and MacDonald rong! The sound of the shot, if there had been a shot, must have come fro to MacDonald, but already too great a distance separated theer in that direction Their menace was to the north--beyond the chasm out of which came the rumble and roar of the stream When Donald had disappeared up the slope he looked ed walls of rock that shut them in on that side He could see no break in them His eyes followed the dark streak in the floor of the plain, which was the chas; and a hundred yards beyond the tepee he sahere it careat rent in thehi his look froate the chasm,” he said

She followed hirew in their ears as they advanced After a little solid rock replaced the earth under their feet, and twenty paces from the precipice Aldous took Joanne by the hand They went to the edge and looked over Fifty feet below theht in the narrow space between the two chasm walls, and above the rush and roar of it Aldous heard the startled cry that came froazed down The water, speeding like a h this foaethe torrent into greater fury, and bellowing forth thunderous voices Downstrearew less; from the rent in thethunder that they had heard on the other side of the range And then, as he looked, a sharper cry broke froe, and pointed toward the tepee

Out froure It was a wo wildly about her, and in the sun it was black as a croing She rushed to the tepee, opened the flap, and looked in Then she turned, and a cry that was al from her lips In anothertoward them

They advanced toto Joanne he threw his rifle half to his shoulder, and faced the rocks froure had conized her It was Marie, the woman who had ridden the bear at Tete Jaune, and hoered up to the sobs For a moment she could not speak Her dress was torn; her waist was ripped so that it exposed her throat and shoulder; and the front of the waist and her face were stained with blood Her black eyes shone like a et her breath, and all the ti to Joanne, and looked at Aldous She pointed toward the rocks--the chaotic upheaval that lay between the tepee and the chasly fro!” she cried ”They killed Joe----to kill you!” She clutched a hand to her breast, and then pointed with it to the o--and they sent two h the rocks!” She turned sobbingly to Joanne ”They killed Joe,” she --for _you!_”

The emphasis on that final word struck like a blow in the ears of John Aldous

”Run for the spruce!” he commanded ”Joanne, run!”

Marie had cru with her face in her hands

”They killed hi ”And it was my fault--my fault! I trapped him! I sold him! And, oh, my God, I loved him--I loved him!”

”Run, Joanne!” commanded Aldous a second ti hiain, but there ca that was like the cold touch of lead in his own heart From up on the mountain where the old mountaineer had walked into the face of death there ca report of a rifle; and in that same instant it was followed by another and still a third--quick, stinging, whiplike reports--and he knew that not one of theun of Donald MacDonald!

And then he saw that the rocks behind the tepee had become suddenly alive with men!