Hampton took few chances of those spying eyes above, never uplifting his head the smallest fraction of an inch, but reaching forward with blindly groping hands, caught hold upon any projecting root or stone which enabled him to drag his body an inch farther.

Twice they fired directly down at him from the opposite summit, and once a fleck of sharp rock, chipped by a glancing bullet, embedded itself in his cheek, dyeing the whole side of his face crimson.

But not once did he pause or glance aside; nor did the girl look up from the imploring face of her dead.

As he crept silently in, sheltering himself next to the body of the dead man, she perceived his presence for the first time, and shrank back as if in dread.
"What are you doing?
Why--why did you come here ?" she questioned, a falter in her voice; and he noticed that her eyes were dark and large, yielding a marked impress of beauty to her face.
"I was unwilling to leave you here alone," he answered, quietly, "and hope to discover some means for getting you safely back beside the others." "But I didn't want you," and there was a look of positive dislike in her widely opened eyes.
"Did n't want me ?" He echoed these unexpected words in a tone of complete surprise.

"Surely you could not desire to be left here alone?
Why didn't you want me ?" "Because I know who you are!" Her voice seemed to catch in her throat.
"He told me.