us
together."

Then she rose, walked quickly to the open door, glanced outside to see
if any one was about, and returned to me and placed her hand on mine.

"This man Krause is a devil. He seeks his wife's death because of
another woman in his own country. He hath tried to poison her, and the
poison still rankles in her blood. That is why she is so white of face
and frail of body. And now she will neither eat nor drink aught but that
of which I first eat or drink myself."

"How know you of this?"

"I know it well," she answered impressively, "and the man would kill me
if he could by poison, as he hath tried to kill his wife. But poison
can do me no harm. And he hateth but yet is afraid of me, for he knoweth
that I long since saw the murder in his heart."

"These are strange things to say, Niabon. Beware of an unjust accusation
when it comes to the too ready tongue."

She laughed scornfully. "No lie hath ever fouled mine. I tell thee
again, this man is a devil, and has waited for a year past to see his
wife die, for he married her according to the laws of England, and
cannot put her away as he could do had he married her according to the
native custom."

"Who hath told thee of these marriage laws of England?" I asked.

"What does it matter who hath told me?" she asked sharply. "Is not what
I say true?"

"It is true," I said.

"Ay, it is true. And it is true also that she and thee and the man
Tematau and I shall together look death in the face upon the wide sea.
And is not thy boat ready?"

Her strange, mysterious eyes as she spoke seemed to me--a physically
weak but still mentally strong man at the moment--to have in them
something weird, something that one could not affect either to ignore or
despise. What could this woman know of my desire to leave the island in
my boat? What could the man Tematau know of it? Never had I spoken
of such an intention to any person, and I knew that, even in my worst
attacks of fever and ague, I had never been delirious in the slightest
degree. A sudden resentment for the moment took possession of me, and I
spoke angrily.

"What is all this silly talk? What have I to do with thee, and for what
should my boat be ready?"

"Be not angry with them, Simi, for there is nought but goodwill toward
thee in my heart. See, wouldst have me cure the hot fever that makes the
blood in thy veins to boil even now?"

"No," I said sullenly, "I want none of thy foolish charms or medicines.