"Sure he will," assented Devreaux. "No sense winding ourselves in hundred-yard dashes. We can trail comfortably behind, sure to land him before night." He nodded with satisfaction. "Bit of luck—what? Funny thing how I walked into him like this, after all these days of futile hunting. I was coming up the draw from the south, and as I stepped into the open, there was Crill staggering towards the cliff with a big rock in his arms. When he saw me he dropped it and ran—
"The rock was to be bounced off my head," interrupted Dexter. "You appeared at exactly the right second."
"Eh?" exclaimed the colonel.
"We've taken Crill's full measure," observed Dexter. "Runs from a man in the open, but is willing to do casual, cold-blooded murder when his victim is unable to defend himself. I was climbing up the cliffside, you know."
"It'll be a pleasure to lay hands on him," grunted the superintendent. "Luckily, we've got him."
"Unless his friends cut in ahead of us." The corporal gazed across the plateau, and saw the fugitive dart into the cover of a distant patch of trees. "I have a strong suspicion that he's not traveling alone."
Devreaux thrust his pistol back in the holster, and turned abruptly upon the departing trail. "Let's go," he said. He started to move forward, but with his first step he halted and whirled to look behind him.
An avalanche of stones rattled down the slope of the cliff, and as he faced the direction of the sound, a small, white-clad figure came suddenly into view above the brink of the precipice. His mouth dropped open, and stood motionless with peering, blinking eyes, his face ludicrous with amazement. "Alison!" he exploded at last. "Where did you come from?"
The girl did not answer. She lifted herself to her feet, crossed the top of the cliff, and stopped in front of Dexter. "Whatever you may do to me later," she said in a tremulous voice, "at least I owe my life to you."
"Miss Rayne and I happened to meet down below here," the corporal explained uncomfortably, turning to Devreaux. And then as he observed the superintendent's expression of bewilderment, he found his lips twitching at the corners. "She seemed to be lost from you, colonel."