The thrill of the pursuit possessed him; after weeks of patient labor, he felt the exhilaration of the wild night ride.

The trail, he knew, was riddled here and there with gopher holes and partly grown with brush that might bring his horse down, but this did not count.

He was glad, however, that the teamster was behind him, because he could see the dim gap ahead between the mass of trees, and he thought that it was rapidly becoming less shadowy.

The sound of hoofs and wheels was growing louder; they were coming up with the fugitives.
"Keep them on the run!" gasped the man behind.

"If one of us gets thrown, the other fellow will hold right on!" A few minutes later George's horse plunged with a crash through a break.
"We're off the trail!" his companion cried.