daylight."

Kennedy stood up and stared about us at the desolate scene, the
expression of his face proving his dissatisfaction with the prospect.

"O' course, I'm a goin' 'long with yer, Cap," he acknowledged, dryly.
"I never wus no quitter, but this yere trip don't look so damned easy
ter me, fer all thet. Howsumever I reckon we'll pull through som'how,
on fut, er hossback. I'll wake up thet dark gurl an' then saddle the
hosses."

I watched him round the corner of the cabin, not wholly at ease in my
own mind, then gathered up the map and replaced it in my pocket, aware
that Eloise had not moved from her position on the grass.

"Is he right?" she questioned, looking up at me. "Is there any real
danger of Indians?"

"Some, perhaps; it is all Indian country, north and east of here--or
has been. I am not denying that, but this danger does not compare, in
my mind, with the peril which confronts us in every other direction. I
am trying to choose the least. Our greatest difficulty will be the
lack of food--we possess no guns with which to kill game, only pistols,
and an exceedingly small stock of ammunition. That is what troubles
Tim; that, and his eagerness to get back down the river. He fails to
realize what it would mean to you to fall again into Kirby's hands."

"Do you realize?"

"Do I? It is the one memory which controls me. Tell me, am I not
right? No, not about the route, but about the man. You despise the
fellow; you are willing to face any hardship so as to escape him?"

"I would rather die than have him touch me. I never knew the meaning
of hate before. Surely you cannot deem it possible that I could ever
forgive?"

"No; that would be hard to conceive; and yet, I wished to hear the
words from your own lips. Will you answer me one thing more--why did
you first assume the character of Rene, and why did you repose such
instant trust in me?"

She smiled rather wistfully, her long lashes concealing her eyes.

"I think I myself hardly knew," she admitted timidly. "It all
happened, was born of impulse, rather than through any plan. Perhaps
it was just the woman in me. After my father died, Delia thought it
best to tell us the story of Rene's birth. This--this was such a
terrible tale, and later we sought all through his private papers,
hoping he had taken some action to set those two free. There was no
proof that he had, no mention, indeed, except a memorandum of intention
to refer the m