eath--after that excitement--but
please--leave me--the remains!"

CHAPTER XIV

THE UNEXPECTED HAPPENS

"You are a dear unreasonable little girl," he said. "Have you breath
enough to tell me why you came down the ladder?"

"When I discovered you were gone, I became wild with fright. Don't you
see, I imagined you were wounded and had fallen from the ledge. What
else could I do but follow, either to help you, or, if that were not
possible--"

He found her hand and pressed it to his lips.

"I humbly crave your pardon," he said. "That explanation is more than
ample. It was I who behaved unreasonably. Of course I should have
warned you. Yet, sweetheart, I ran no risk. The real danger passed a
week ago."

"How can that be?"

"I might have been blown to pieces whilst adjusting the heavy stone in
front of the caps. I assure you I was glad to leave the place that day
with a whole skin. If the stone had wobbled, or slipped, well--it was a
case of determined _felo-de-se_."

"May I ask how many more wild adventures you undertook without my
knowledge?"

"One other, of great magnitude. I fell in love with you."

"Nonsense!" she retorted. "I knew that long before you admitted it to
yourself."

"Date, please?"

"Well, to begin at the very beginning, you thought I was nice on board
the _Sirdar_. Now, didn't you?"

And they were safely embarked on a conversation of no interest to any
other person in the wide world, but which provided them with the most
delightful topic imaginable.

Thus the time sped until the rising moon silhouetted the cliff on the
white carpet of coral-strewn sand. The black shadow-line traveled
slowly closer to the base of the cliff, and Jenks, guided also by the
stars, told Iris that midnight was at hand.

They knelt on the parapet of the ledge, alert to catch any unusual
sound, and watching for any indication of human movement. But Rainbow
Island was now still as the grave. The wounded Dyaks had seemingly been
removed from hut and beach; the dead lay where they had fallen. The sea
sang a lullaby to the reef, and the fresh breeze whispered among the
palm fronds--that was all.

"Perhaps they have gone!" murmured Iris.

The sailor put his arm round her neck and gently pressed her lips
together. Anything would serve as an excuse for that sort of thing, but
he really did want absolute silence at that moment. If the Mussulman
kept his compact, the hour was at hand.

An unlooked-for intr