, 1922-11-15
Copyright by Lite, Brown, and Co.

DTuCt SdZeu III aHluSSInent. Lie
dark and dreadful poetry of this mans
nature was coming tc, the fore. The
wind made a strange C to his
words-a long. wild shrek as 1t swept
over the heads of the pines.
"Then why are you waiting?r Bruce
asked.
$50 you can understand everything.
But / guess that time Is here. There
Is to be no mercy at the end of this
fight, Bruce; I ask none and will give
none. You have waged q war against
me, you have escaped me many times,
you have won the love of the woman
love-and this is to be my answer"
His voice dropped a note, and he
spoke more quietly. I'm going to kill
you, Bruce"
"Then try it." Bruce answered stead
lily. I'm in a hurry to go back to
Linda"
Simon's ~smoldering wrath blazed up
at the words. Both men seemed to
spring at the same time. Their arms
failed, then interlocked; and they
rocked a long time-back and forth
in the snow.
For the first time Bruce had full
realization of Simon's mighty strength.
With all the power of his body he
tried to wrench him off his feet, but
1t was like trying to tear a tree from
the ground.
But surprise at the others power
was not confined to Bruce alone.
Simon knew that he had an opponent
worthy of the iron of his own muscles,
II he put all his terrible might into
the battle. He tried 70 reach Bruce's
throat, but the mans strong shoulder
bald the arm against his side. 81
mons great hand reached to pin
Bruce's arm, and for the first time he
discovered the location of his weak
ness.
He saw the color sweep from
Bruce's face and water drops that
were not melted snow come upon it.
1t was all the advantage needed be-
tween such evenly matched contest
ants. And Simon forgot his spoken
word that he wished this fight to be
a test of superiority alone. His fury
swept over him like a flood and eff
faced all things else; and he CEN
tered his whole attack upon Bruce's
wound.
In a moment he had him down, md
he struck once into Bruce's white
face with his terrible knuckles. The
blow sent a strange sickness through
the younger mans frame; and he tried
vainly to struggle to his feet. Flight!
Fight on!" was the message his mind
dispatched along his nerves to his
tortured muscles, but for an instant
they wholly refused to respond. They
had endured too much. Total IN
consciousness lowered above him,
ready to descend.
Strangely, he seemed to know that
Simon had crept from his body and
was even o reaching some dread
full weapon that lay beside the lead
form of the horse. In an instant he
had 1t, and Bruce's eyes opened In
time to see him swinging it aloft. 1t
was his rifle, and Simon was aiming
a murderous blow at him with It's
stock.
There was no chance to ward 1t off.
No human skull could withstand its
SCATTERING impact.
But that war of life and death in
the far reaches of Trails End was
not to n so soon. At that instant
there was an amazing intervention.
A great gray form came lunging
out of the snow flurries. Their vision
was limited to a few feet, and so
fast the creature came, with such In
credible, smashing power, that he was
upon them in a breath. 1t was the
Killer in the full glory Of the charge;
and he had caught up with them at
last.
Bruce saw only his great figure
looming just over him. Simon, with
amazing agility, leaped to one side
just in time, then battered down the
rifle stock with all his strength. But
the blow vas not meant for Bruce.
1t struck where aimed-the great gray
shoulder of the grizzly.
Then, 6immed and half -obscured
by the snow f~lurries, there began as
strange a battle as the great pines
above them had ever beheld. The
Killers rage was upon him, and the
blow at the shoulder had arrested his
charge for a moment only. Then he
wheeled. a snarling, fighting monster,
with death for any living creature In
the blow of his forearm, and lunged
toward Simon again.
1t was the Killer at his grandest.
Simon had no chance to shoot his
rifle. In the instant that he would
raise 1t those great claws and fangs
would be upon him. He swung It as
a club, striking again and again,
lodging the sledge-hammer blows and
%springing aside in the second Of the
Killers lunges. he was fighting for
his life. and no eye could bemean that
effort.
Simon himself seemed exalted. and
for once it appeared that the grizzly