ing on the rocky floor of a cave, his arms being bound at his sides. The

with a murderous light gleaming in his eyes. Another man was Red Ben, who s

amation of satisfaction as

of a gringo, your time has come. I bear many wounds on my body and limbs made by the knife in your han

sweep it flashing in the torchlight b

ot shrink i

, but you shall not see her. She is guarded by one of my faithful ones. When I take her from here we'll leave your lifeless carcass behind. Have you st

us. Again he swept the knife before the eyes

e exclaimed-"beg for

not make me do that!" dec

we stood face to face in New York. You thought my opportunity to keep that oath would never come, did you? It has

he mad Mexican's companions. The white man stood looking on with an air of indif

"At last you begin to understand. You have triump

Indian knows it, for he saw it all. Porfias del Norte, of all vile things in human form you

d man flung himself on the spea

ll choke you till it protrudes from y

ollowed by the man who had been guarding her. She sprang at Del Norte with both hands outthrust and flung him from the prostr

ught it up, ready to stand over

his rifle and with the butt of the weapon struck down the man who had pursued Inza

rriwell him best man, but he no have fair play. Now Ben se

l Norte sat up, his pale

the redskin, turning the muzz

-"cut these ropes! Set me

d and obeyed. Frank ro

'll not lose by this act of

with a jerk of his head. "Git out of

n, and the roof came down. Crouching and feeling their way, they pressed on. Almost on hands and knees they

mured Inza, on the

ed Frank. "I cannot leave h

cave. "Him here. Back up, keep um odders front of gun all time. The

affled villains hurrying from the cave. A spout of flame leaped from Red Ben's rifle and the repo

e. If others were close behind him, they halted insta

found himself face to face with several men, and his heart bounded when the voice of H

you've rescued her!" burs

Belmont Bland. "W

med to see the mountain stirring slightly in the moonlight. The rushing murmur gr

d Frank, horrified. "

saw Red Ben come leaping li

s he passed them, and fled a

ined about him, while the rushing murmur grew louder and louder. Beneath his feet at one time the whole mountain side seemed sliding into the valley. A great bowlder,

et not one of them made greater speed in the effort to escape. His exertions were almost superhu

and stopped him. He foun

ountain him no ru

s, and timber was heaping itself on the tiny plateau and pouring over the brink of the cliff in a cascade that thundered into the valley below. All a

a single pebble that was the keystone. Recent rains had loosened that pebble. Others followed it, and a

silent. The bright moonlight revealed the change wrought by the landslide, and it told those who had escaped that the mouth of the cave t

en Bland running blindly toward the brink of the precipice, apparently having forgotten its existence. No human eye ever beheld him afterward. If he did not rush blin

Toole was also buried where Frank had left it wh