ly after finishing his story, Mr. McDonald went to the stern of the
boat and lifted the anchor rope.

"It is possible," he said, "that the current will carry us to my island
with a little judicious management. Even though we miss it, we'll hardly
be worse off than we are."

It was surprising we had not thought of it before, for the plan
succeeded admirably. By moving a few feet at a time and then anchoring,
we made slow but safe progress, and at last touched shore. We got out,
and Mr. McDonald built a large fire, near which we put Aggie to steam.
His supper, which he had not had time to eat, he generously divided, and
we heated the tea. Hutchins, however, refused to eat.

Warmth and food restored Tish's mind to its usual keenness. I recall now
the admiration in Mr. McDonald's eyes when she suddenly put down the
sandwich she was eating and exclaimed:--

"The flags, of course! He told her to watch for a red flag as she came
up the river; so when the party saw ours they landed. Perhaps they still
think it is his camp and that he is away overnight."

"That's it, exactly," he said. "Think of the poor wretch's excitement
when he saw your flag!"

Still, on looking back, it seems curious that we overlooked the way the
red-headed man had followed Hutchins about. True, men are polygamous
animals, Tish says, and are quite capable of following one woman about
while they are sincerely in love with somebody else. But, when you think
of it, the detective had apparently followed Hutchins from the start,
and had gone into the wilderness to be near her, with only a suitcase
and a mackintosh coat; which looked like a mad infatuation.

[Tish says she thought of this at the time, and that; from what she had
seen of the P.T.S., Hutchins was much prettier. But she says she decided
that men often love one quality in one girl and another in another; that
he probably loved Hutchins's beauty and the amiability of the P.T.S.
Also, she says, she reflected that the polygamy of the Far East is
probably due to this tendency in the male more than to a preponderance
of women.]

Tish called me aside while Mr. McDonald was gathering firewood. "I'm a
fool and a guilty woman, Lizzie," she said. "Because of an unjust
suspicion I have possibly wrecked this poor boy's life."

I tried to soothe her. "They might have been wretchedly unhappy
together, Tish," I said; "and, anyhow, I doubt whether he is able to
support a wife. There's nothing much in keep