minds of those poltroons, and so from the danger behind us we fled, and
courted a more deadly and certain peril in the fleeing. At first I sought
to remonstrate with Giacopo; but he was deaf to the wisdom that I spoke.
He turned upon me a face which terror had rendered whiter than its natural
habit, white as the egg of a duck, with a hint of blue or green behind it.
I had, besides, an ugly impression of teeth and eyeballs.

"Death is behind us, sir," he snarled. "Let us get on."

"Death is more assuredly before you," I answered grimly. "If you will
court it, go your way. As for me, I am over-young to break my neck and be
left on the mountain-side to fatten crows. I shall follow at my leisure."

"Gesu!" he cried, through chattering teeth. "Are you a coward, then?"

The taunt would have angered me had his condition been other than it was;
but coming from one so possessed of the devil of terror, it did no more
than provoke my mirth.

"Come on, then, valiant runagate," I laughed at him.

And on we went, our horses now plunging, now sliding down yard upon yard
of moving snow, snorting and trembling, more reasoning far than these
rational animals that bestrode them. Twice did it chance that a man was
flung from his saddle, yet I know not what prayers Madonna may have been
uttering in her litter, to obtain for us the miracle of reaching the plain
with never so much as a broken bone.

Thus far had we come, but no farther, it seemed, was it possible to go.
The horses, which by dint of slipping and sliding had encompassed the