CHAPTER XII.
SEVEN BURGLARS IN A SCRAPE.
The scene that followed beggars description. Mark had leaped forward to seize the Texan’s hand, shouting aloud:
“Stop! stop! It’s Grace Fuller!”
Texas started back in surprise; at the same moment came the shot, which was from the girl’s revolver. It was accidental, as she afterward declared, though the plebes did not know it then. The result frightened Grace even more than it did them, the bullet buried itself in the wall, but the sound of the report was followed by a wail of agony from the terrified Indian, which echoed down the hall. And Grace heard shouts from various parts of the hotel, doors opening, people running about, and she knew that her friends were in deadly peril.
A much more hopeless situation it would be hard to imagine; the girl was horrified. But her first thought was had she wounded Indian, and she dashed wildly down the hallway to them.
One glance at the huddled group of figures sufficed to answer that question. Before she could make another sound there came a bounding step upon the stairway.
“We’ll be discovered!” cried Mark. “Quick!”
He turned to the window; but a single glance outside showed him two figures running across the lawn. There was no hope of escape there. They were gone!
An instant later Grace Fuller’s clear tones rang in his ear.