Alfred Clarke lay between life and death.

Miller's knife-thrust, although it had made a deep and dangerous wound, had not pierced any vital part; the amount of blood lost made Alfred's condition precarious.

Indeed, he would not have lived through that first day but for a wonderful vitality.Col.

Zane's wife, to whom had been consigned the delicate task of dressing the wound, shook her head when she first saw the direction of the cut.

She found on a closer examination that the knife-blade had been deflected by a rib, and had just missed the lungs.