Evening star., 1923-09-21

strength of muscles made hard as
steel through weary weeks of strenu-
GUS labor at the mine, he made one
mighty flop, keeping his vise-like
he did so, and hurled himself over the
edge OF the ridge. Then followed a
strange conglomeration of arms, legs
and bodies as the three rolled and slid
down the maintain side. Eariy In
the wild plunge, Pete knew he was
securely entangled with both of his
assailants and with deadly effect he
used every opportunity to shift his
grip from one place to another,
punching viciously into the rolling
a minute the three continued their
desperate struggle down the noun
tain side. piling up finally on rocks
full hundred yards below with
force that only snow prevented from
inhicting certain death. Down, down
into the drifted snow they sank, rest
ing finally in smothering heap of
nour-like whiteness. Somewhere along
the descent Pete had lost one of his
men; at least he had hold of but one
realization that he had no broken
bones-aNs was still in Montana, with
hired assassin, resting apparently
stunned, in his arms.
Badly shaken as he was, he COM
menced at once a frantic scramble
ment came singing blow on the
chin from the man in his arms. With
grunt OF rage, Pete retaliated, not
with one arm, but with both fists
mers on the body and face of the
breed. For fully half q minute the
two men fought, first one and then the
other landing short-arm, muff1ed
blows. Gradually they worked them
selves near the edge of the drift, and
increased in intensity. Even in the
midst of the battle Pete gloried in
the response of his muscles and lungs,
| as he called upon them for more and
more. He was first to emerge, and
still grasping his adversary by the
| neck. he jerked the face to the light
of day sand smashed into IL with a
powerful blow of his right fist. The
man sank Imply into the snow and
| Pete knew that Slim Eliot would be
| floating on fluffy clouds for a goodly
while.
with the lust of battle still grip
ping him tensely he took a long
| breath and looked about for Eliot's
| emerging from the snowdrift. but
| was wholly unprepared for the shock
| he received when. turning in his
/ tracks. he found himself looking into
| the muzzle OF a rife.
! Now IL eeS for you-my frien'-
Pierre weel now keel you-so"
i Pete. as though stupefied with hor-
| ror at the sudden turn of events
i looked helplessly into the muzzle OF
the rifle. By some miracle, the breed
| had became disentangled early in the
descent down the hill. and had had
sufficient time to recover his weapon
| AS he listened to the words Pete
| realized he would be dead already
/ save for the inherent craving of the
! Indian blood for torture. Pete looked
/ sullenly at the rife, as though &c
/ dare II to finish its work. AS he
! looked his eyes opened wide. Pierre
\ saw the expression.
You mean we will both die-tht
muzzle of your rife is packed with
| snow-it will eXplode" Pete shouted
The truth of the words were all toe
! obvious to the half-breed who knew
| full we'll the danger of firing a shell
into a plugged-up barrel. Yet he
tried desperately to maintain his
| supremacy.
| pierre Is better wiz ze knife: he
! weel keel you, my frien'm he snarled
| as he dropped the rife to the ground
and whipped out one of the long dag
| ger-like knives Pete had earlier re.
| moved from his belt.
With the slight turn of fortune ir
! his favor, Pete sprang into action
| Scraping a great double handful OF
snow he threw it full at the face o,
| the advancing breed. plunging of
sideways as he did so directly at