It was a different voice, and he recognized it as Waggaman's, who was leading the advance.
The fugitive glanced backward, while toiling up the slope, and saw that the white man in his eagerness was fully a rod ahead of the herculean Ziffak, while the rest were stringing along behind him.
He might have wondered how the chieftain contrived to lose so much ground had he not seen him clambering to his feet.

It followed that he must have fallen in his hurry to get forward.
"We have them!" shouted the exultant convict; "there is no escape; they are cornered!" The words were yet ringing in his mouth, when he came to a stop.
He had reached the edge of the abyss and might well pause before trying to leap across.
The fierce king called to him to make the jump.

It had been done not only by the man, but by the girl who preceded him; why should he hesitate?
Spurred by the taunt, the white man withdrew a few paces, and, like Ashman, ran swiftly, the next instant his body rising in air, as he made the fatal effort.
The American stood coolly watching the result.

If the miscreant succeeded, where it looked impossible, he meant to shoot him.

Thus the prospect before the convict could not have been worse.
It was a tremendous leap indeed, and the fellow struck the opposite ledge with his chest, his feet dropping below.
In his furious efforts to save himself, he let go of his weapon, which went ringing down the chasm, and seized the ledge with both hands.
Even then, had the ground been firm, he might have succeeded, but it gave way like rotten ice, and, with a shriek of agony, he vanished forever from the sight of men.
The frightful occurrence brought the pursuers to a halt and gave the fugitives a minute or two in which to prepare for the end.
Ariel, by command of her lover, placed herself behind the rocks and bowlders, where she was secure against any of the missiles, that were sure to be soon flying through the air.