Baldos smiled as he bared his arm. "Your aim was good," he

admitted. "Had not my knife already been in the lion's heart, your

bullet would have gone there. It is my misfortune that my arm was in the

way. Besides, your highness, it has only cut through the skin--and a

little below, perhaps. It will be well in a day or two, I am sure you

will find your bullet in the carcass of our lamented friend, the

probable owner of this place."

Ravone, a hungry-looking youth, took charge of the wounded leader, while

her highness retreated to the farthest corner of the cavern. There she

sat and trembled while the wounds were being dressed. Aunt Fanny bustled

back and forth, first unceremoniously pushing her way through the circle

of men to take observations, and then reporting to the impatient

girl. The storm had passed and the night was still, except for the rush

of the river; raindrops fell now and then from the trees, glistening

like diamonds as they touched the light from the cavern's mouth. It was

all very dreary, uncanny and oppressive to poor Beverly. Now and then

she caught herself sobbing, more out of shame and humiliation than in

sadness, for had she not shot the man who stepped between her and death?

What must he think of her?

"He says yo' all 'd betteh go to baid, Miss Bev--yo' highness," said

Aunt Fanny after one of her trips.

"Oh, he does, does he?" sniffed Beverly. "I'll go to bed when I

please. Tell him so. No, no--don't do it, Aunt Fanny! Tell him I'll go

to bed when I'm sure he is quite comfortable, not before."

"But he's jes' a goat puncheh er a--"

"He's a man, if there ever was one. Don't let me hear you call him a

goat puncher again. How are his legs?" Aunt Fanny was almost stunned by

this amazing question from her ever-decorous mistress. "Why don't you

answer? Will they have to be cut off? Didn't you see them?"

"Fo' de Lawd's sake, missy, co'se Ah did, but yo' all kindeh susprise

me. Dey's p'etty bad skun up, missy; de hide's peeled up consid'ble. But

hit ain' dang'ous,--no, ma'am. Jes' skun, 'at's all."

"And his arm--where I shot him?"

"Puffec'ly triflin', ma'am,--yo' highness. Cobwebs 'd stop de bleedin'

an' Ah tole 'em so, but 'at felleh couldn' un'stan' me. Misteh

what's-his-names he says something to de docteh, an' den dey goes afteh

de cobwebs, suah 'nough. 'Tain' bleedin' no mo', missy. He's mostes'

neah doin' we'y fine. Co'se, he cain' walk fo' sev'l days wiv dem laigs

o' his'n, but--"

"Then, in heaven's name, how are we to get to Edelweiss?"

"He c'n ride, cain't he? Wha's to hindeh him?"

"Quite right. He shall ride inside the coach. Go and see if I can do

anything for him."




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