the banks of thegreat queen of waters, Roland determined, with theaid of his compass, to strike at once into thebeast-trodden pathway by which they had come, and makeall haste homewards before the sun should set anddarkness envelop the gloomy forest.
"Keep up your heart, Peggy; if your courage andyour feet hold out we shall reach the river beforedusk."
"I'm not so frightened now," said Peggy; but herlips were very tremulous, and tears stood in her eyes.
"Come, come," she cried, "let us hurry on! Come,Brawn, good dog!"
Brawn leapt up to lick her ear, and taking nothought for the skin of the jaguar, which in morefavourable circumstances would have been borneaway as a trophy, and proof of Peggy's valour, theynow took to the bush in earnest.
Roland looked at his watch.
"Three hours of light and more. Ah! we can doit, if we do not lose our way."
So off they set.
Roland took the lead, rifle in hand, Peggy camenext, and brave Brawn brought up the rear.
They were compelled to walk in single file, for thepathways were so narrow in places that two couldnot have gone abreast.
Roland made constant reference to his littlecompass, always assuring his companion that they werestill heading directly for the river.
They had hurried on for nearly an hour, whenRoland suddenly paused.
A huge dark monster had leapt clear and cleanacross the pathway some distance ahead, and takenrefuge in a tree.
It was, no doubt, another jaguar, and to advanceunannounced might mean certain death to one of thethree.
"Are you all loaded, Peggy?" said Roland.
"Every chamber!" replied the girl.
There was no tremor about her now; and nobackwoods Indian could have acted more coolly andcourageously.
"Blaze away at that tree then, Peg."
Peggy opened fire, throwing in three or four shotsin rapid succession.
The beast, with a terrible cry, darted out of the treeand came rushing along to meet and fight the littleparty.
"Down, Brawn, down! To heel, sir!"
Next moment Roland fired, and with a terribleshriek the jaguar took to the bush, wounded andbleeding, and was seen no more.
But his yells had awakened the echoes of the forest, and for more than five minutes the din of roaring, growling, and shrieking was fearful.
Wild birds, no doubt, helped to swell the pandemonium.
After a time, however, all was still once more, andthe journey was continued in silence.
Even Peggy, usually the first to commence aconversation, felt in no mood for talking now.
She was very tired. Her feet ached, her brow washot, and her eyes felt as if boiling in their sockets.
Roland had filled his large flask at the littlewaterfall before leaving the glade, and he now made herdrink.
The draught seemed to renew her strength, and shestruggled on as bravely as ever.
Just two and a half hours after they had left theforest clearing, and when Roland was holding outhopes that they should soon reach the road by thebanks of the river, much to their astonishment theyfound themselves in a strange clearing which theyhad never seen before.
The very pathway ended here, and though the boywent round and round the circle, he could find noexit.
To retrace his steps and try to find out the rightpath was the first thought that occurred to Roland.
This plan was tried, but tried in vain, and so-wearyand hopeless now beyond measure-theyreturned to the centre of the glade and threwthemselves down on the soft green moss.
Lost! Lost!
The words kept repeating themselves in poorRoland's brain, but Peggy's fatigue was so completethat she preferred rest even in the midst of dangerto going farther.
Brawn, heaving a great sigh, laid himself downbeside them.
The warm day wore rapidly to a close, and at lastthe sun shimmered red through the forest trees.
Then it sank.
The briefest of twilight, and the stars shone out.
Two hours of starlight, then solemnly uprose theround moon and flooded all the glade, draping thewhispering trees in a blue glare, beautifullyetherealizing them.
Sorrow bringeth sleep.
"Good-night, Rolly! Say your prayers," murmured Peggy.
There were stars in the sky. There were stars toothat flitted from bush to bush, while the winds mademurmuring music among the lofty branches.
Peggy was repeating to herself lines that she hadread that very day:
…"the firefly Wah-wah-tay-see,
Flitting through the dusk of evening,
With the twinkle of its candle,
Lighting up the brakes and bushes.
Wah-wah-tay-see, little firefly,
Little, flitting, white-fire insect,
Little dancing, white-fire creature,
Light me with your little candle.
Ere upon my bed I lay me,
Ere in sleep I close my eyelids."
The forest was unusually silent to-night, but everand anon might be heard some distant growl showingthat the woods sheltered the wildest beasts. Oran owl with mournful cry would flap its silent wingsas it flew across the clearing.
But nothing waked those tired and weary sleepers.
So the night wore on and on. The moon hadreached the zenith, and was shining now with alustre that almost rivalled daylight itself.
It must have been well on towards two o'clock inthe morning when Brawn emitted a low and threatening growl.
This aroused both Roland and Peggy, and the formerat once seized his rifle.
Standing there in the pale moonlight, not twentyyards away, was a tall, dark-skinned, and powerful-lookingIndian. In his right hand he held a spear orsomething resembling one; in his left a huge catapultor sling. He was dressed for comfort-certainly notfor ornament. Leggings or galligaskins covered hislower extremities, while his body was wrapped in ablanket. He had no head-covering, save a mattedmass of hair, in which were stuck a few feathers.
Roland took all this in at a glance as he seized hisrifle and prepared for eventualities. According to thetraditional painter of Indian life and customs theproper thing for this savage to have said is "Ugh!"He said nothing of the sort. Nor did he give ventto a whoop and yell that would have awakened thewild birds and beasts of the forest and every echo farand near.
"Who goes there?" cried Roland, raising
