Three times in the fitful dark and even more deceptive dancing light we almost had him.  But the first time he fought free, and his war-horse kicked a clear way for him for a few yards through the scrimmage.  Then Kagig closed in on him from the rear.  But three of the staff engaged Kagig alone, and twenty or thirty of Mahmoud’s infantry drove Kagig’s men back on the still advancing column.  Kagig went down, fighting and shouting like a Berserker, and Monty let Mahmoud go to run to Kagig’s rescue.

Monty did not go alone, for his men leapt after him like hounds.  But he fought his way in the lead with a clubbed rifle, and stood over Kagig’s body working the weapon like a flail.  That was all I saw of that encounter, for Mahmoud decided to attempt escape by the upper way again, and it was I who captured him.  I landed on him through the darkness with my clenched fist under the low hung angle of his jaw and, seizing his leg, threw him out of the saddle.  There Gloria helped me sit on him; and the greater part of what we had to do was to keep the women from tearing him to pieces.

At last Gloria and I, with a dozen of them, took Mahmoud up-hill and made him sit down in full firelight with his back against a rock.  He had nothing to say for himself, but stared at Gloria with eyes that explained the whole philosophy of all the Turks; and she, for sake of the decency that was her birthright, went and stood on the far side of the rock and kept the bulge of it between them.

Then I sent for Kagig, and Monty, and Will; And after they had seen to the barricading of the upper end of the road with fallen trees and a fairly wide ditch, Kagig and Will came, followed by half a dozen of the elders, who had been lending a stout hand during that part of the night’s work.  Kagig was out of breath, but apparently not hurt much.

They came so slowly that I wondered.  Gloria, who could see much farther through the dark than I, gave a little scream and ran forward.  I saw then by a sudden burst of flame from the castle that they were carrying something heavy, and I guessed what it was although my heart rebelled against belief; but I did not dare leave Mahmoud, who seemed inclined to take advantage of the first stray opportunity.  I stuck my pistol into his ear and dared him to move hand or foot.

Gloria came back in tears, and took Mahmoud’s cape and my jacket, and spread them on the ground.  On these they laid Monty very tenderly, Kagig looking on with cracking finger-joints that I could hear quite plainly in spite of the awful rage of battle that thundered and crashed and screamed among the woods.  It was as one sometimes hears the ticking of a watch beneath the pillow in a nightmare.

Monty was alive, but in spite of what Gloria could do the dark blood was welling out from a sword gash on his right side, and we had not a surgeon within miles of us.  From somewhere out of the darkness Maga appeared, bringing water, her face all black with the filth of fighting among trees, and her eyes on fire.