left me homesick and spiritless. Never
have I felt more hopeless and alone. It seemed useless to keep up the
struggle; with every league we penetrated deeper into the desolate
wilderness, and now I retained not even one friend on whom I could
rely.

As Cassion evidenced his sense of victory--as I read it in his
laughing words, and the bold glance of his eyes--there came to me a
knowledge of defeat, which seemed to rob me of all strength and
purpose. I was not ready to yield yet; the man only angered me, and
yet I began dimly to comprehend that the end was inevitable--my
courage was oozing away, and somewhere in this lonely, friendless
wilderness the moment I dreaded would come, and I would have no power
to resist. More than once in my solitude, hidden beneath the blankets,
I wiped tears from my eyes as I sensed the truth; yet he never knew,
nor did I mean he should.

I had no knowledge of the date, nor a very clear conception of where
we were, although it must have been either the fourth or fifth day
since we left Port du Morts. The night before, we had camped at the
mouth of a small stream, the surrounding forest growing down close to
the shore, and so thick as to be almost impenetrable. The men had set
up my tent so close to the water the waves broke scarcely a foot away,
and the fire about which the others clustered for warmth was but a few
yards distant.

Wrapped in my blankets I saw De Artigny emerge from the darkness, and
approach Cassion, who drew a map from his belt pocket, and spread it
open on the ground in the glare of the fire. The two men bent over it,
tracing the lines with finger tips, evidently determining their course
for the morrow. Then De Artigny made a few notes on a scrap of paper,
arose to his feet, and disappeared.

They had scarcely exchanged a word, and the feeling of enmity between
them was apparent. Cassion sat quiet, the map still open, and stared
after the younger man until he vanished in the darkness. The look upon
his face was not a pleasant one.

Impelled by a sudden impulse I arose to my feet, the blanket still
draped about my shoulders, and crossed the open space to the fire.
Cassion, hearing the sound of my approach, glanced around, his frown
changing instantly into a smile.

"Ah, quite an adventure this," he said, adopting a tone of pleasantry.
"The first time you have left your tent, Madame?"

"The first time I have felt desire to do so," I retorted. "I feel
curiosity to