"Kill!" said the cacique.
A dozen flung themselves upon Beltran, but there was no need, for he sat quite still with a steady face.

He had time to cry to Juan Lepe, who cried to him, "That's what I say! Good cheer and courage and meet again!" He had no long suffering.

The knife was driven quickly to his heart.
They drew the shell to the edge of the precipice and dropped it over.
It was early night, it was middle night, it was late night.

They had set no watch, for where and what was the danger here on this mountain top?
One side went down in a precipice, one sloping less steeply we had climbed from the pine trees and the well, one of a like descent we would take to-morrow down to the plain, but the fourth was mountain head hanging above us and thick wood,--dark, entangled, pathless.

And it chanced or it was that Juan Lepe lay upon the side toward the peak, close to forest.