Harmon drew a slight rein upon his horse and wavered a moment.
The vigilants naturally were inclined to go to the rescue of their comrade, but Frank Reade, Jr., comprehending the folly of this, cried:
“The girl first. We can rescue the man later.”
“Yes!” cried Harmon, in a voice of thunder; “that is our duty! The girl first, boys; then we will try and save Barrows.”
The vigilants cheered, and away thundered the troop toward the defile.
A few moments later they reached it and entered it.
High walls of black, forbidding rock arose on either side to a mighty height. The bed of the defile was rough and strewn with bowlders.
It was harder for the horses of the vigilants to pick their way through here than the fleet-footed ponies of the savages.
Accordingly the Indians gained quite a lead. But after a quarter of a mile of the defile had been traversed the vigilants were brought to a halt in an unceremonious manner.
The defile seemed suddenly to take an upward trend here, and high piles of bowlders made a barrier of some height.