He stood up full in the starlight, shading his eyes in
an attempt to see. Somebody cried, "There he is, damn him!" A slender
figure swept flying across the open space like some dim night vision.
A red flame leaped forth from the blackness. The two stood silhouetted
against the glare, reeled backward as it faded, and went down together
in the dark.
CHAPTER XXVI
BENEATH THE DARKNESS
Running blindly through the darkness toward the sound of struggle came
Hicks and Winston. They caught no more than faint glimpses of
scattering, fleeing figures, but promptly opened fire, scarcely
comprehending as yet what it all meant. Hicks, dashing recklessly
forward, tripped over a recumbent figure in the darkness, and the two
paused irresolutely, perceiving no more of the enemy. Then it was that
Stutter Brown struggled slowly up upon his knees, still closely
clasping the slender figure of the stricken girl within his arms. She
neither moved nor moaned, but beneath the revealing starlight her eyes
were widely opened, gazing up into his face, appearing marvellously
brilliant against the unusual pallor of her cheeks.
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