ty
yards, and Otter began to search for stones suitable to his purpose.

As for Juanna, she turned her back to the ice-bridge, at which she
scarcely dared to look, and sat herself upon a rock. In doing so the
jewels in the bag struck against her knee and jingled, and the thought
came into her mind that she would examine them while she waited, partly
because she desired to distract her thoughts from the vision of this new
and terrible ordeal which lay before her, and partly to gratify a not
unnatural curiosity.

Opening the mouth of the bag, she thrust her fingers into it, and one by
one drew out the biggest gems which were jumbled together there, placing
them on the rock beside her. In less than a minute she was feasting
her eyes upon such a collection of priceless jewels as had never before
gladdened the sight of any white woman, even in her wildest dreams;
indeed, till now Juanna had not thought it possible that stones so
splendid could exist on the hither side of the walls of heaven.

First there were great sapphires roughly squared, and two enormous
round star rubies: these had formed the eyes of the colossus, which were
removed on the morrow of their arrival, the star rubies representing the
blood-red pupils. Then there was a heart-shaped ruby of perfect colour
and without flaw, almost as large as a jackdaw's egg, which on the days
of sacrifice had adorned the breasts of the chief priests of the People
of the Mist for many generations. Next came the greatest wonders of
this treasure, two marvellous stones, one a sapphire and one a ruby,
fashioned respectively into models of the statue of the Dwarf and of the
hideous shape of the Water-Dweller. Then there were others--dozens
of them--some rudely cut and polished, and some as they came from the
earth, but every one of them singled out for its remarkable size and
flawlessness, or its perfect fire and beauty.

Juanna arranged them in rows and stared at them with ecstasy--where is
the woman who would not have done so?--till in contemplating them she
even forgot the present terrors of her position--forgot everything
except the gorgeous loveliness and infinite value of the wealth of gems,
which she had been the means of winning for Leonard.

Among other things that passed from her mind at this moment was the
presence of Nam, who, overcome by rage and exhaustion, lay in a seeming
faint upon the snow within twelve paces of her. She never saw him lift
his head and look