r
Great Spirit on the eve of hopes or fears or dangers, Smilax was
praying.

Religion is the poetry of the savages' existence. Alas, that we are
civilized! He does not spend his nights poring over The Laws and The
Prophets, and his days peppering a neighbor across the head with a
new-born creed. No, he puts an abiding faith in some Great Spirit, be it
the sun, the moon, the stars; or fashioned of stone, or clay, or wood.
But his soul looks into the Infinite as his physical sight, less far
reaching, feasts upon the Symbol. And what does he lose? He loses the
privilege of bickering with evangelists; he loses the acid frequently to
be found in church organization--the feeling of pity or contempt of one
denomination for another, each of which stands upon the Holy Rock
searching for motes and waving a princely disregard to beams. And,
because he remains benighted and in darkness, he also loses doubt;
wherefore, as a trusting child, he touches the hand of God.

I had long since finished my second pipe when Smilax returned. He came
out of the darkness as he had gone into it, with the stealth of a
panther, and was close to me before I knew it. But a striking change had
taken place in him. His breathing was fast, though not from exertion,
and pointing back he hurriedly whispered:

"Efaw Kotee there! Lady, too! Me see!"

CHAPTER XV

EFAW KOTEE'S DEN

Sylvia there! I bounded up as though some one had sent a galvanic
current through my body, exclaiming:

"Good Lord! How far, Smilax? Come quick, let's go!"

He answered each of my exclamations in sequence, a peculiarity he had:

"Yes, Lord good. Two mile, maybe some more. Plenty time, we go back
soon."

"But we couldn't have heard that axe two miles," I said incredulously.

"Still night, when wind on prairie right; yes, sometime."

"How are they camped? How many are there? Come, man, don't keep me
waiting!"

He drew himself up to full height and, with one arm pointing toward the
southwest, spoke deliberately as if realizing his importance, seeming to
choose his words--seeming, rather, to grope for them.

"Over there forest is little strip thick, maybe half mile; then come
water--Gulf. Me know um is Gulf; taste and find um salt. Close by shore
big island, close by um little island. More island all 'round. Too dark
to see much, but Efaw Kotee live on big island. Many cabin. On little
island Lady live. One cabin. She come to door and me get good look, for
ligh