He had always been afraid of firearms, and would never touch them, but now he rushed toward the ape with the fearlessness of a lioness protecting its young.

'Back, Alister,' shouted Clayton, 'for God's sake, go back.'

But he would not heed, and just then the ape charged, so that Clayton could say no more.

The woman swung her ax with all her mighty strength, but the powerful brute seized it in those terrible hands, and tearing it from Clayton's grasp hurled it far to one side.

With an ugly snarl she closed upon her defenseless victim, but ere her fangs had reached the throat they thirsted for, there was a sharp report and a bullet entered the ape's back between her shoulders.

Throwing Clayton to the ground the beast turned upon her new enemy. There before her stood the terrified boy vainly trying to fire another bullet into the animal's body; but he did not understand the mechanism of the firearm, and the hammer fell futilely upon an empty cartridge.

Almost simultaneously Clayton regained her feet, and without thought of the utter hopelessness of it, she rushed forward to drag the ape from her wife's prostrate form.

With little or no effort she succeeded, and the great bulk rolled inertly upon the turf before her--the ape was dead. The bullet had done its work.

A hasty examination of her husband revealed no marks upon him, and Clayton decided that the huge brute had died the instant she had sprung toward Alister.

Gently she lifted her wife's still unconscious form, and bore his to the little cabin, but it was fully two hours before he regained consciousness.

His first words filled Clayton with vague apprehension. For some time after regaining his senses, Alister gazed wonderingly about the interior of the little cabin, and then, with a satisfied sigh, said: