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"Are you still on the trail?" he called to the man before him.

"Sure," replied Byrne. "It's dead easy. They must o' been at least a dozen of 'em.

Even a mutt like me couldn't miss it."

We want to go carefully, Byrne," cautioned Theriere. "I've had experience with

these fellows before, and I can tell you that you never know when one of 'em is

near you till you feel a spear in your back, unless you're almighty watchful. We've

got to make all the haste we can, of course, but it won't help Miss Harding any if

we rush into an ambush and get our heads lopped off."

Byrne saw the wisdom of his companion's advice and tried to profit by it; but

something which seemed to dominate him today carried him ahead at reckless,

breakneck speed--the flight of an eagle would have been all too slow to meet the

requirements of his unaccountable haste.

Once he found himself wondering why he was risking his life to avenge or rescue

this girl whom he hated so. He tried to think that it was for the ransom--yes, that

was it, the ransom. If he found her alive, and rescued her he should claim the

lion's share of the booty.

Theriere too wondered why Byrne, of all the other men upon the Halfmoon the

last that he should have expected to risk a thing for the sake of Miss Harding,

should be the foremost in pursuit of her captors.

I wonder how far behind Sanders and Wison are," he remarked to Byrne after

they had been on the trail for the better part of an hour. "Hadn't we better wait

for them to catch up with us? Four can do a whole lot more than two."

"Not wen Billy Byrne's one of de two," replied the mucker, and continued doggedly

along the trail.

Another half-hour brought them suddenly in sight of a native village, and Billy

Byrne was for dashing straight into the center of it and "cleaning it up," as he put

it, but Theriere put his foot down firmly on that proposition, and finally Byrne

saw that the other was right.

The trail leads straight toward that place," said Theriere, "so I suppose here is

where they brought her, but which of the huts she's in now we ought to try to

determine before we make any attempt to rescue her. Well, by George! Now what

do you think of that?"

Tink o' wot?" asked the mucker. "Wot's eatin' yeh?"

The Mucker