two she saw that the man she thought to be the king was not much in

the way of needing outside assistance. She could not but marvel at

the strength and dexterity of this poor fellow who had spent almost

half his life penned within the four walls of a prison. It must be,

she thought, the superhuman strength with which maniacs are always

credited.

Nevertheless, she hurried toward them with her weapon; but just

before she reached them the brigand made a last mad effort to free

himself from the fingers that had found his throat. He lunged

backward, dragging the other with him. His foot struck upon the root

of a tree, and together the two toppled over into the ravine.

As the girl hastened toward the spot where the two had disappeared,

she was startled to see three troopers of the palace cavalry headed

by an officer break through the trees at a short distance from where

the battle had waged. The four men ran rapidly toward her.

"What has happened here?" shouted the officer to Emma von der Tann;

and then, as he came closer: "Gott! Can it be possible that it is

your highness?"

The girl paid no attention to the officer. Instead, she hurried

down the steep embankment toward the underbrush into which the two

men had fallen. There was no sound from below, and no movement in

the bushes to indicate that a moment before two desperately battling

human beings had dropped among them.

The soldiers were close upon the girl's heels, but it was she who

first reached the two quiet figures that lay side by side upon the

stony ground halfway down the hillside.

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