Over all a heavy silence had settled down, so that in all the woods there was no sound of living thing.

Lashing his pony into a gallop, heedless of the obstacles on the trail, or of the trees overhead, Brown crashed through scrub and sleugh, with old Portnoff following as best he could.

Mile after mile they rode, now and then in the gathering darkness losing the trail, and with frantic furious haste searching it again, till at length, with their ponies foaming and trembling, and their own faces torn and bleeding with the brush, they emerged into the clearing above the ravine.
Meantime, the ghastly tragedy was being enacted.

Impatiently at the cave mouth French and Kalman waited the coming of those they were to meet.

At length, in the gathering gloom, Rosenblatt appeared, coming up the ravine.