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Al banth, and fortunate it was that the girl had not been caught farther in the open As it was, hernimbly to the lower branches the creature in pursuit of her crashed a upward to seize her It was only a coility that saved her A stout branch deflected the raking talons of the carnivore, but so close was the call that a giant forearm brushed her flesh in the instant before she scraave vent to his rage and disappointround to tres and the s of his fellows as they approached fro from him whatever of his kill they could take by craft or prowess And now he turned snarling upon theirl, huddled in a crotch above the on noiseless feet in a restless circle about her She wondered now at the strange freak of fate that had perht unharmed, but even more she wondered how she was to return to the hills She knew that she would not dare venture it by night and she guessed, too, that by day she raver perils To depend upon this valley for sustenance she no to be beyond the pale of possibility because of the banths that would keep her froht, while the dwellers in the toould doubtless e by day There was but one solution of her difficulty and that was to return to her flier and pray that the ould waft her to soht she return to the flier? The banths gave little evidence of relinquishing hope of her, and even if they wandered out of sight would she dare risk the attempt? She doubted it

Hopeless indeed seemed her situation-hopeless it was