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It all happened in a irl's revolver crackled, there behind him Stern saw a little round bluish hole take shape in the obeah's ear, and red drops start

Then with a ghastly screaineer, with the rifle-barrel All the force of his splendid e But Stern had been too quick

Even as it sprang, with talons clutching for the man's throat, the steel barrel drove ho yell split the forest air Then Stern saw the obeah, his jaw hanging oddly awry, all loose and shattered, fall headlong in the path

But before he could strike again, could batter in the base of the tough skull, a moan from Beatrice sent him to her aid

"Oh, God!" he cried, and sank beside her on his knees

On her forehead, as she lay gasping aly welt

"A stone? They've hit her with a stone! Killed her, perhaps?"

Kneeling there, up he snatched the revolver, and in a deadly fire he poured out the last spitting shots, pointblank in the faces of the crowding rabble

Up he leaped The rifle barrel flashed and glittered as he whirled it Like a reaper, laying a clean swath behind hiineer runts, snarls,ape-face he flung the bloodstained barrel The face fell, faded, vanished, as hideous illusions fade in a dreaht up the fainting girl in his left ar the spear which pierced his right--his right that yet protected her a little--he ran

Stones, darts, spears, clattered in about hi of theh

Struck? Was he struck again?

He knew not, nor cared Only he thought of shielding Beatrice Nothing but that, just that!

"The gate--oh, let ate--"

And all of a sudden, though how he could not tell, there he seeate before him Could it be? Or was that, too, a dream? A cruel, vicious ate! It iant pine, in a ain, to quiver in the ered on Behind him, a little trail of blood-drops from his wounded arm fell on the trampled leaves