The events of the next hour were shadowy as the dawn to Elsie. She

knew that her lover placed men in each of the canoes, that the

life-boat itself was crowded, and that it began the seaward journey

after the others had started. She followed his explanation that if one

of the lighter craft got into difficulties at the Indian barrier, the

big, heavy boat would be able to extricate it. But she feared neither

Indians nor sea. Had Courtenay proposed to sail away into the Pacific

she would have listened with placid approval. She was by his side;

that sufficed. For the rest, they lived in the midst of adventures.

What did it matter if they were called on to run the gauntlet of one

more ambuscade--or a dozen, if it came to that?

But they sped out of the twilight into the morning glory of the open

bay, and never a savage hoot disturbed the echoes. Some of the

Alaculofs had dragged a couple of canoes from beneath the trees and

raced off toward the village; others had followed a coast path known

only to them, while, if there were watchers by the side of that

mysterious river which flowed both ways with the tide, they kept a

silent vigil, awed by the force arrayed against them.

As the life-boat emerged into the estuary under the vigorous sweep of

six ash blades, Elsie's wondering glance rested on the brown plumpness

of a three-quarters naked girl who was gazing at Suarez with wistful,

glistening eyes, much as Joey was regarding his master. In the

intense, penetrating light of sunrise, the bedaubed and skin-clothed

Argentine was the most unlovely object that ever captivated woman. Yet

he satisfied the soul of this Fuegian maid, so what more was there to

be said?

Courtenay caught the happy little sigh, half laugh, half sob, with

which Elsie announced her discovery of the idyl in the canoe.

"We owe a lot to that young person," he said. "None of us could make

out a word she uttered when first we saw her. She loses what small

amount of Spanish she can speak when she becomes excited, and it was

sheer good fortune that some of the crew were with her when she swung

herself down the side of the cliff to warn us of our danger; otherwise

she might have been shot. I suppose Suarez told you what to expect?"

"You might as well be talking Alaculof yourself for all I can follow

what you are saying," murmured Elsie happily.

"Then how did you know where to tie up? We went too far. We lost

the boat that way, and my gun as well. We had to jump for it, and it

was only the boat's stout timbers which enabled her to live through

that boiling pot in the volcano. The native girl said that no

Indian-built craft ever came back."




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