It was a bewildering route for anyone who was not accustomedto face Nature in her wildest moods. On the one side a great cragtowered up a thousand feet or more， black， stern， and menacing，with long basaltic columns upon its rugged surface like the ribsof some petrified monster. On the other hand a wild chaos ofboulders and débris made all advance impossible. Between thetwo ran the irregular track， so narrow in places that they had totravel in Indian file， and so rough that only practised riders couldhave traversed it at all. Yet， in spite of all dangers and difficulties，the hearts of the fugitives were light within them， for every stepincreased the distance between them and the terrible despotismfrom which they were flying.
They soon had a proof， however， that they were still within thejurisdiction of the Saints. They had reached the very wildest andmost desolate portion of the pass when the girl gave a startledcry， and pointed upwards. On a rock which overlooked the track，showing out dark and plain against the sky， there stood a solitarysentinel. He saw them as soon as they perceived him， and hismilitary challenge of “Who goes there？” rang through the silentravine.
“Travellers for Nevada，” said Jefferson Hope， with his hand uponthe rifle which hung by his saddle.
They could see the lonely watcher fingering his gun， and peeringdown at them as if dissatisfied at their reply.
“By whose permission？” he asked.
“The Holy Four，” answered Ferrier. His Mormon experienceshad taught him that that was the highest authority to which hecould refer.
“Nine from seven，” cried the sentinel.
“Seven from five，” returned Jefferson Hope promptly，remembering the countersign which he had heard in the garden.
“Pass， and the Lord go with you，” said the voice from above.
Beyond his post the path broadened out， and the horses were able tobreak into a trot. Looking back， they could see the solitary watcherleaning upon his gun， and knew that they had passed the outlyingpost of the chosen people， and that freedom lay before them.
The Avenging Angels
ALL night their course lay through intricate defiles and overirregular and rockstrewn paths. More than once they lost theirway， but Hope’s intimate knowledge of the mountains enabledthem to regain the track once more. When morning broke， ascene of marvellous though savage beauty lay before them. Inevery direction the great snow-capped peaks hemmed them in，peeping over each other’s shoulders to the far horizon. So steepwere the rocky banks on either side of them that the larch and thepine seemed to be suspended over their heads， and to need only agust of wind to come hurtling down upon them. Nor was the fearentirely an illusion， for the barren valley was thickly strewn withtrees and boulders which had fallen in a similar manner. Even asthey passed， a great rock came thundering down with a hoarserattle which woke the echoes in the silent gorges， and startled theweary horses into a gallop.
As the sun rose slowly above the eastern horizon， the caps ofthe great mountains lit up one after the other， like lamps at afestival， until they were all ruddy and glowing. The magnificentspectacle cheered the hearts of the three fugitives and gave themfresh energy. At a wild torrent which swept out of a ravine theycalled a halt and watered their horses， while they partook of ahasty breakfast. Lucy and her father would fain have rested longer，but Jefferson Hope was inexorable. “They will be upon our trackby this time，” he said. “Everything depends upon our speed. Oncesafe in Carson we may rest for the remainder of our lives.”
During the whole of that day they struggled on through thedefiles， and by evening they calculated that they were more thanthirty miles from their enemies. At night-time they chose thebase of a beetling crag， where the rocks offered some protectionfrom the chill wind， and there huddled together for warmth， theyenjoyed a few hours’ sleep. Before daybreak， however， they wereup and on their way once more. They had seen no signs of anypursuers， and Jefferson Hope began to think that they were fairlyout of the reach of the terrible organization whose enmity theyhad incurred. He little knew how far that iron grasp could reach，or how soon it was to close upon them and crush them.
About the middle of the second day of their flight their scantystore of provisions began to run out. This gave the hunter littleuneasiness， however， for there was game to be had among themountains， and he had frequently before had to depend uponhis rifle for the needs of life. Choosing a sheltered nook， he piledtogether a few dried branches and made a blazing fire， at which hiscompanions might warm themselves， for they were now nearly fivethousand feet above the sea level， and the air was bitter and keen.
Having tethered the horses， and bid Lucy adieu， he threw his gunover his shoulder， and set out in search of whatever chance mightthrow in his way. Looking back， he saw the old man and the younggirl crouching over the blazing fire， while the three animals stoodmotionless in the background. Then the intervening rocks hidthem from his view.
He walked for a couple of miles through one ravine afteranother without success， though， from the marks upon the barkof the trees， and other indications， he judged that there werenumerous bears in the vicinity. At last， after two or three hours’
