At the sound of the whirring thing behind him the animal cast an affrighted glance in its direction, and with a little squeal of terror redoubled its frantic efforts to escape.  The girl, too, looked back over her shoulder.  Her face was very white, but her eyes were steady and brave.

Barney Custer smiled up at her in encouragement, and the girl smiled back at him.

“She’s sure a game one,” thought Barney.

Now she was calling to him.  At first he could not catch her words above the pounding of the horse’s hoofs and the noise of his motor.  Presently he understood.

“Stop!” she cried.  “Stop or you will be killed.  The road turns to the left just ahead.  You’ll go into the ravine at that speed.”

The front wheel of the roadster was at the horse’s right flank.  Barney stepped upon the accelerator a little harder.  There was barely room between the horse and the edge of the road for the four wheels of the roadster, and Barney must be very careful not to touch the horse.  The thought of that and what it would mean to the girl sent a cold shudder through Barney Custer’s athletic frame.

The man cast a glance to his right.  His machine drove from the left side, and he could not see the road at all over the right hand door.  The sight of tree tops waving beneath him was all that was visible.  Just ahead the road’s edge rushed swiftly beneath the right-hand fender, the wheels on that side must have been on the very verge of the embankment.

Now he was abreast the girl.  Just ahead he could see where the road disappeared around a corner of the bluff at the dangerous curve the girl had warned him against.

Custer leaned far out over the side of his car.  The lunging of the horse in his stride, and the swaying of the leaping car carried him first close to the girl and then away again.  With his right hand he held the car between the frantic horse and the edge of the embankment.  His left hand, outstretched, was almost at the girl’s waist.  The turn was just before them.

“Jump!” cried Barney.

The girl fell backward from her mount, turning to grasp Custer’s arm as it closed about her.  At the same instant Barney closed the throttle, and threw all the weight of his body upon the foot brake.

The gray roadster swerved toward the embankment as the hind wheels skidded on the loose surface gravel.  They were at the turn.  The horse was just abreast the bumper.  There was one chance in a thousand of making the turn were the running beast out of the way.  There was still a chance if he turned ahead of them.  If he did not turn—­Barney hated to think of what must follow.

But it was all over in a second.  The horse bolted straight ahead.  Barney swerved the roadster to the turn.  It caught the animal full in the side.  There was a sickening lurch as the hind wheels slid over the embankment, and then the man shoved the girl from the running board to the road, and horse, man and roadster went over into the ravine.