The sudden gloom helped to hide in his face the horror he felt of
what that "rescue" would mean to Mary Standish; and then a cold and
deadly definiteness possessed him, and every nerve in his body gathered
itself in readiness for whatever might happen.
If Graham's men had seen them, and were getting between them and
retreat, the neck of the trap lay ahead--and in this direction Alan
walked so swiftly that the girl was almost running at his side. He could
not hear her footsteps, so lightly they fell! her fingers were twined
about his own, and he could feel the silken caress of her loose hair.
For half a mile he kept on, watching for a moving shadow, listening for
a sound. Then he stopped. He drew Mary into his arms and held her
there, so that her head lay against his breast. She was panting, and he
could feel and hear her thumping heart. He found her parted lips and
kissed them.
"You are not afraid?" he asked again.
Her head made a fierce little negative movement against his breast.
"No!"
He laughed softly at the beautiful courage with which she lied. "Even if
they saw us, and are Graham's men, we have given them the slip," he
comforted her. "Now we will circle eastward back to the range. I am
sorry I hurried you so. We will go more slowly."
"We must travel faster," she insisted.
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