go
with you, or undergo the tortures that were destined for you."

"But surely,"--I protested, and was about to argue that, she being her
father's favourite daughter, he would never be so inhuman as to
sacrifice her to his anger, when a sound of distant shouting came
faintly to our ears.

"Hark!" exclaimed Ama, "do you hear that, Dick? It means that your
absence has been discovered, and that the hunt for you has already
begun. We must not waste another moment. Will you take me with you; or
must I go back to face a cruel and lingering death?"

"Not the last, certainly," answered I. "Jump in, little one, and let us
be off without further parley."

Giving her my hand to steady her in entering the crank little craft, I
waited until she had seated herself aft and taken the steering paddle in
her hand, then, with a powerful push that sent the canoe, stern-first,
far out into the rapidly flowing stream, I sprang in over the bows,
seized a paddle, and proceeded to force the craft off-shore into the
strength of the current.

CHAPTER NINETEEN.

THE TRAGIC DEATH OF AMA.

We now had leisure to observe that the storm had so far passed away that
there were big breaks in the canopy of cloud overhead and away to the
eastward, through which the stars were beginning to show themselves,
affording enough light just to enable us to discern the two banks of the
stream, but not sufficient to betray our presence to an observer at a
greater distance than, say, a quarter of a mile. There was therefore
not much fear of our immediate discovery, since I now learned from Ama
that our starting-point was at least three-quarters of a mile below the
town, while, apart from our own exertions, the swollen current was
sweeping us along at a speed of about six knots. In little more than
ten minutes from the moment of starting we swept out of the tributary
stream into the main river, the current of which was also flowing pretty
rapidly, though not, of course, so swiftly as that of the lesser stream;
and now, as we pushed off into mid-channel, we found time to exchange a
few remarks. For my own part I was anxious to know what had first
suggested to my companion the idea of effecting my rescue, and by what
means, after she had conceived the idea, she had contrived to carry her
plans to a successful issue. I put the question to her; and by way of
reply she related to me the following story:

"From the moment when I first became aware of m