Holman fired immediately, and Leith staggered.  For a moment we thought that he was down, but he picked himself up and ran on.  I snatched a blazing pine limb from the fire as I rushed by, and with the light flickering upon the walls of the place, we sped madly after the flying figure that was barely discernible when the blazing branch flung a splinter of light into the gloom.

Holman emptied the revolver, but the pounding of Leith’s feet that came back to us proved that he was still running.  Maru and Kaipi were hallooing far behind, but Holman and I ran side by side, our minds unable to think of anything but the capture of the human tiger in front.

We were gaining on him.  We could hear his laboured breathing, and I remembered with a thrill of satisfaction the wound that he had received the night before.  It was only a question of time when we would have our fingers on his throat.  “Keep it up!” gasped Holman.  “We’ve got him, Verslun!  We’ve got him!”

It looked like it.  The red glow from the torch enabled us to catch an occasional glimpse of shoes moving up and down at such a rate that the limbs to which they were attached always remained outside the area that was faintly illuminated.  The momentary view of the footgear, together with the maddening plop plop it made upon the rock, raised an insane idea within my brain that we were chasing a pair of bewitched shoes that were enticing us into the very heart of the mountain.  The scanty diet and the happenings of the two preceding days had left me light-headed.  The race was unreal.  I had an idea that the shoes would run on forever, and that every yard they covered took me farther away from Edith Herndon.

The flame of the pine branch went out, and we were left in utter darkness.  But the sound of the flying feet still came back to us.  At times we were so near that Holman thrust out his hands as he ran, and cursed softly as the sounds seemed to draw away from him.

“I’ll have you yet!” he cried.  “I’ll choke you, you devil!”

A chuckle came out of the darkness and at that instant I made a discovery.  Leith was not alone.  Keeping time with the clatter of the shoes was a softer tattoo that told me that a barefooted runner was racing beside the man we were pursuing.

Holman made the discovery at the same moment.  “Soma,” he breathed, and he ran faster.  From some place that seemed to be leagues in the rear came the shouts of Maru and Kaipi, but their yells died away, and we were convinced that they had given up the chase.

The plop plop of the shoes ceased suddenly, and we slackened speed.  Our brains suggested that Leith had stopped abruptly on the chance of doubling back before we could pull up, and a sweat of terror broke out upon us.  If he doubled successfully he would reach the stone door through which we had got the first glimpse of him.

“He’s turned!” cried Holman.  “We’ll get him, Verslun!  After the—­O God! Look out!”