Her eyes were riveted upon the wood behind. Presently a man
emerged. He called to them in a loud and threatening tone.
Barney redoubled his Herculean efforts to gain the opposite bank.
He was in midstream now and the water had risen to his waist. The
girl saw Maenck and the other trooper emerge from the underbrush
beside the first. Maenck was crazed with anger. He shook his fist
and screamed aloud his threatening commands to halt, and then, of a
sudden, gave an order to one of the men at his side. Immediately the
fellow raised his carbine and fired at the escaping couple.
The bullet struck the water behind them. At the sound of the report
the girl raised the gun she held and leveled it at the group behind
her. She pulled the trigger. There was a sharp report, and one of
the troopers fell. Then she fired again, quickly, and again and
again. She did not score another hit, but she had the satisfaction
of seeing Maenck and the last of his troopers dodge back to the
safety of protecting trees.
"The cowards!" muttered Barney as the enemy's shot announced his
sinister intention; "they might have hit your highness."
The girl did not reply until she had ceased firing.
"Captain Maenck is notoriously a coward," she said. "He is hiding
behind a tree now with one of his men--I hit the other."
"You hit one of them!" exclaimed Barney enthusiastically.
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