stamped her booted foot and swore.

"Why won't men let me live a man's life?"

"That's obvious!" Again his eager eyes devoured her. "But you were wise
to run away. The Stygians would have had you skinned. That officer's
brother followed you; faster than you thought, I don't doubt. He wasn't
far behind you when I caught up with him. His horse was better than
yours. He'd have caught you and cut your throat within a few more
miles."

"Well?" she demanded.

"Well what?" He seemed puzzled.

"What of the Stygian?"

"Why, what do you suppose?" he returned impatiently. "I killed him, of
course, and left his carcass for the vultures. That delayed me, though,
and I almost lost your trail when you crossed the rocky spurs of the
hills. Otherwise I'd have caught up with you long ago."

"And now you think you'll drag me back to Zarallo's camp?" she sneered.

"Don't talk like a fool," he grunted. "Come, girl, don't be such a
spitfire. I'm not like that Stygian you knifed, and you know it."

"A penniless vagabond," she taunted.

He laughed at her.

"What do you call yourself? You haven't enough money to buy a new seat
for your breeches. Your disdain doesn't deceive me. You know I've
commanded bigger ships and more men than you ever did in your life. As
for being penniless--what rover isn't, most of the time? I've squandered
enough gold in the sea-ports of the world to fill a galleon. You know
that, too."

"Where are the fine ships and the bold lads you commanded, now?" she
sneered.

"At the bottom of the sea, mostly," he replied cheerfully. "The
Zingarans sank my last ship off the Shemite shore--that's why I joined
Zarallo's Free Companions. But I saw I'd been stung when we marched to
the Darfar border. The pay was poor and the wine was sour, and I don't
like black women. And that's the only kind that came to our camp at
Sukhmet--rings in their noses and their teeth filed--bah! Why did you
join Zarallo? Sukhmet's a long way from salt water."

"Red Ortho wanted to make me his mistress," she answered sullenly. "I
jumped overboard one night and swam ashore when we were anchored off the
Kushite coast. Off Zabhela, it was. There a Shemite trader told me that
Zarallo had brought his Free Companies south to guard the Darfar border.
No better employment offered. I joined an east-bound caravan and
eventually came to Sukhmet."

* * * * *

"It was madness to plunge southward as you did," commen