b
was an ugly bruise, scratched deeply by the coral.

He exhibited due surgical interest. His manner, his words, became
professional.

"We will soon put that right," he said. "A strip off your muslin dress,
soaked in brandy, will----"

"Brandy!" she exclaimed.

"Yes; we have some, you know. Brandy is a great tip for bruised wounds.
It can be applied both ways, inside and out."

This was better. They were steadily drifting back to the commonplace.
Whilst she stitched together some muslin strips he knocked the head off
a bottle of brandy. They each drank a small quantity, and the generous
spirit brought color to their wan cheeks. The sailor showed Iris how to
fasten a bandage by twisting the muslin round the upper part of his
boot. For the first time she saw the cut made by the axe.

"Did--the thing--grip you there?" she nervously inquired.

"There, and elsewhere. All over at once, it felt like. The beast
attacked me with five arms."

She shuddered. "I don't know how you could fight it," she said. "How
strong, how brave you must be."

This amused him. "The veriest coward will try to save his own life," he
answered. "If you use such adjectives to me, what words can I find to
do justice to you, who dared to come close to such a vile-looking
creature and kill it. I must thank my stars that you carried the
revolver."

"Ah!" she said, "that reminds me. You do not practice what you preach.
I found your pistol lying on the stone in the cave. That is one reason
why I followed you."

It was quite true. He laid the weapon aside when delving at the rock,
and forgot to replace it in his belt.

"It was stupid of me," he admitted; "but I am not sorry."

"Why?"

"Because, as it is, I owe you my life."

"You owe me nothing," she snapped. "It is very thoughtless of you to
run such risks. What will become of me if anything happens to you? My
point of view is purely selfish, you see."

"Quite so. Purely selfish." He smiled sadly. "Selfish people of your
type are somewhat rare, Miss Deane."

Not a conversation worth noting, perhaps, save in so far as it is
typical of the trite utterances of people striving to recover from some
tremendous ordeal. Epigrams delivered at the foot of the scaffold have
always been carefully prepared beforehand.

The bandage was ready; one end was well soaked in brandy. She moved
towards the cave, but he cried--

"Wait one minute. I want to get a couple of crowbars."

"What for?"

"I m