he promenade deck. She was binding Joey's foot,
and he knew then why the dog had scampered off on three legs as soon as
the cabin door was opened.

The girl colored very prettily the moment she set eyes on her lover.
Memories of the previous night became exceedingly vivid. She was
adorably shy, Courtenay thought. As he approached, he debated the
manner of his greeting; being a sailor, he did not hesitate.

Lifting his cap with a smile and a general "Good morning," he bent over
Elsie.

"Well," he said, "surely you owe me at least one kiss?"

If her cheeks were red before they became scarlet now. But his
kindling glance had warned her that he would adopt no pretence, so she
lifted her face to his, though she did not dare to look at her amazed
companions. Courtenay explained matters quite coolly.

"If Elsie has not told you already, it is my privilege to announce that
she and I have signed articles," he said with a smile. "That is, we
intend to get married as soon as the ship reaches England."

"Indeed, I congratulate you both most heartily," said the missionary's
wife.

"Events have marched, then, while we were stranded on that wretched
island?" tittered Isobel. Her voice was rather shrill. She, too, was
excited, not quite mistress of herself. She did not know how far
Gray's statements might have prejudiced her with the captain; she had
already sent de Poincilit a note urging him to deny absolutely all
knowledge of the plot to steal the boat, and attribute the American's
summary action to his mistaken rendering of the Spanish patois used by
the Chilean sailors.

"Yes," laughed Courtenay, ready to put her at ease. "One crowds the
events of a month into a day under some conditions. Last night, for
instance, I had five minutes' amusement with a steampipe and a
double-barrelled gun which will serve all my requirements in the way of
physical exercise for a long time to come."

"You feel sure that we shall see no more of the Indians?" asked Isobel,
quickly.

"I think so. One never can tell, but if they have the grit to attack
us again I shall regard them as first-class fighters."

"Dr. Christobal says they have an astonishing power of bearing pain
without flinching," said Elsie, plunging into the talk with a hot
eagerness. "The Alaculofs in the fore cabin were afraid of him,
thinking he meant to kill them, but, when they found that he wished
only to dress their wounds, they followed his actions with a