"You've got a way about you," said Helen, "that gives a person courage."
"A fellow would be a pretty poor stick," returned Matt, "who couldn't keep his nerve with a girl like you to help him."
Helen's dress was torn by the bushes, and her hands and face were scratched and bleeding; but she seemed to mind her physical discomforts very little, so eager was she to have Matt's escape prove successful.
Listening intently for any sounds made by Brady and Grove, Matt and the girl started back over the course they had recently covered.
They had not gone far when the sounds they feared came to them. As they stood together and listened, they could hear Brady and Grove talking back and forth. Their voices, and the crashing of the bushes, were growing rapidly in volume, and proved that they were coming closer.
The girl began to tremble. Matt pressed her hand reassuringly. Off to the right of the course they had been following his quick eye detected a foothold among the matted bushes. He pointed it out to his companion.
"Get there, quick!" he whispered.
She leaped for the spot at once, and he was not slow in following her. Then, crouching down, they peered through the thicket.
Brady came jumping into sight, clutching a revolver in his hand.
"I'm positive I heard something ahead, Grove!" he cried.