Covering Morgan, who could whirl on him at any turn in the descent, de Spain could not look at her in answering. "Looks pretty rocky, doesn't it?" "He will start the whole Gap as soon as he gets to his horse." He looked at the darkening sky. "They won't be very active on the job before morning." Morgan was at a safe distance. De Spain turned to Nan. He tried to speak out to her, but she sternly smothered his every effort. Her cheeks were on fire, she breathed fast, her eyes burned. "It looks," muttered de Spain, "as if I should have to climb Music Mountain to make a get-away." "There is no good place to hide anywhere above here," said Nan, regarding him intently. "Why look so hard at me, then?" he asked. "If this is the last of it, I can take it here with our one lone cartridge." Her eyes were bent on him as if they would pierce him through. "If I save your life--" still breathing fast, she hesitated for words--"you won't trick me--ever--will you?" Steadily returning her appealing gaze, de Spain answered with deliberation. "Don't ever give me a chance to trick you, Nan." "What do you mean?" she demanded, fear and distrust burning in her tone. "My life," he said slowly, "isn't worth it." "You know--" He could see her resolute underlip, pink with fresh young blood, quiver with intensity of feeling as she faltered. "You know what every man says of every girl--foolish, trusting, easy to deceive--everything like that." "May God wither my tongue before ever it speaks to deceive _you_, Nan." "A while ago you frightened me so----" "Frightened you! Great God!" He stepped closer and looked straight down into her eyes. "If you had raised just one finger when I was bluffing that fellow, I'd have calmed down and eaten out of your little hand, by the hour!" "There's not a moment to lose," she said swiftly. "Listen: a trail around this mountain leads out of the Gap, straight across the face of El Capitan." "I can make it." "Listen! It is terribly dangerous----" "Whatever it is it's a concrete boulevard to a man in my fix." "It is half a mile--only inches wide in places--up and down--loose rock----" "Some trail!" "If you slip it's a thousand feet----" "A hundred would be more than plenty." "A good climber can do it--I have done it. I'd even go with you, if I could." "Why?" She shook her head angrily at what he dared show in his eyes. "Oh, keep still, listen!" "I know you'd go, Nan," he declared unperturbed. "But believe me, I never would let you." "I can't go, because to do any good I must meet you with a horse outside." He only looked silently at her, and she turned her eyes from his gaze. "See," she said, taking him eagerly to the back of the ledge and pointing, "follow that trail, the one to the east--you can't get lost; you can reach El Capitan before dark--it's very close. Creep carefully across El Capitan on that narrow trail, and on the other side there is a wide one clear down to the road--oh, do be careful on El Capitan."