"Hold hard, Harding, or you are a dead man!"
Not a soul was visible among the rocks or in the trees, and Harding had it flash through his mind to make a dash, when quickly the hand of the young girl was laid upon his arm and she said firmly:
"Obey!"
"I must do so," was the low reply, for the young man realized that it would bring a volley upon them to attempt to dash through.
So his foot went hard down upon the brake, as he pulled his horses up and the stage came to a halt.
"Make your lines fast around the brake and hands up now!" came the order from the unseen foe.
"You must obey," said Celeste Seldon, as the driver hesitated.
With a muttered imprecation Harding obeyed, and then out from the thicket came a horseman. His horse was enveloped in a black blanket, and the rider wore a black robe like a domino, shielding his form completely. His face was covered by a red, close-fitting mask, while a cowl covered his head.
"The devil on horseback," muttered Harding, as he beheld the man, and right there he made up his mind that if he was the sole one who held up the coach, he would watch his chance, if he could get Celeste Seldon away from his side, and try a duel with him for mastery.
But this hope died away when, as though suspecting the intention of Harding, the horseman called out: