of the man closed more tightly about her hand.  All at once the hideous uproar ceased with a final yelping of triumph, seemingly reechoed the entire length of the chasm, in the midst of which one single voice pleaded pitifully,—­only to die away in a shriek.  The two agonized fugitives lay listening, their ears strained to catch the slightest sound from below.  The faint radiance of a single star glimmered along the bald front of the cliff, but Hampton, peering cautiously across the edge, could distinguish nothing.  His ears could discern evidences of movement, and he heard guttural voices calling at a distance, but to the vision all was black.  The distance those faint sounds appeared away made his head reel, and he shrank cowering back against the girl’s body, closing his eyes and sinking his head upon his arm.

These uncertain sounds ceased, the strained ears of the fugitives heard the crashing of bodies through the thick shrubbery, and then even this noise died away in the distance.  Yet neither ventured to stir or speak.  It may be that the girl slept fitfully, worn out by long vigil and intense strain; but the man proved less fortunate, his eyes staring out continually into the black void, his thoughts upon other days long vanished but now brought back in all their bitterness by the mere proximity of this helpless waif who had fallen into his care.  His features were drawn and haggard when the first gray dawn found ghastly reflection along the opposite rock summit, and with blurred eyes he watched the faint tinge of returning light steal downward into the canyon.  At last it swept aside those lower clinging mists, as though some invisible hand had drawn back the night curtains, and he peered over the edge of his narrow resting-place, gazing directly down upon the scene of massacre.  With a quick gasp of unspeakable horror he shrank so sharply back as to cause the suddenly awakened girl to start and glance into his face.

“What is it?” she questioned, with quick catching of breath, reading that which she could not clearly interpret in his shocked expression.

“Nothing of consequence,” and he faintly endeavored to smile.  “I suppose I must have been dreaming also, and most unpleasantly.  No; please do not look down; it would only cause your head to reel, and our upward climb is not yet completed.  Do you feel strong enough now to make another attempt to reach the top?”

His quiet spirit of assured dominance seemed to command her obedience.  With a slight shudder she glanced doubtfully up the seemingly inaccessible height.

“Can we?” she questioned helplessly.

“We can, simply because we must,” and his white teeth shut together firmly.  “There is no possibility of retracing our steps downward, but with the help of this daylight we surely ought to be able to discover some path leading up.”