these hungry dogs to the gullet. Rest here. I'll
soon be with thee." She leaned down, laid her lips lightly on his face,
and whispered: "And be of good cheer; the end is in sight for thee and
me."

She left him sitting there, wrapped in his confused thoughts. Then she
flew to help Milo with his new engine of war which was to decide the
day. From a corner of the apartment the giant dragged a brass culverin,
mounted on a swivel, stolen from the poop-rail of some tall Indiaman in
years gone by. This was charged with powder, and Milo searched for
effective missiles for it. He brought a handful of musket balls to
Dolores; she shook her head decidedly after a moment's thought and
objected: "Those round pellets are too merciful for such cattle. What do
they want? Treasure! Give them treasure, good Milo--their fill of it."
As she spoke she ran swiftly into the treasure chamber and seized
handfuls of gold chains, while at her command Milo followed her with
great gold coins in his huge hands. These they rammed into the cannon,
until links of gold fell from the muzzle; then Dolores regarded the
terrible thing with a mirthless laugh and bade Milo get to work with it.

"Bid thy men fall back into the gallery as if beaten," she said. "And
when the vile bodies of those howling wolves fill the opening, deliver
the treasure to them, and may their souls be shattered with their
bodies! And that none may remain to repeat this day's mischief, when
they break and fly loose, Stumpy and his dogs shall harry them and
pursue them into the depths of the forest. Let the maroons finish what
we so well begin. See thy gun does not harm the-- Wait," she cried,
"hold thy artillery until ye see me across the Grove! I shall give thee
a sign, then loose thy hell-blast."

Leaving Milo, she ran again through the great chamber and out by the
rock door, which was rolled aside and standing open. Then around the
mass of the mountain and skirting the grove, past the prostrate
Pascherette she sped, casting a glance of bitter hate at the sorely
wounded octoroon, but never halting until she reached a point of the
underbrush immediately behind the spot where Venner and Tomlin still
ranged back and forth uneasily watching the fight.

She rustled the foliage noisily, and the two men swung around in alarm.
She thrust her head through the leafy screen, and showed them her face
full of tender solicitude. Her great dark eyes were very soft; her
scarlet lips were parte