elves from the lovers, they still took pains
to allow enough to be disclosed to reveal the movements, which they
wished the couple to observe.

And here again, both Ashman and Ariel were in error.

Strange that a possibility which had once been thought of by the two
did not occur again to them.

King Haffgo, despite his confidence in Ziffak, began to feel some
distrust of him. His refusal to attempt the leap of the chasm, and his
former friendship for the explorers, might have been reasonably
explained, but his failure to drive his javelin through the white man,
who was so near and who never stirred from his position, could not be
an accident. He knew the marvellous skill of the head chieftain, who
could have had but one cause for missing Ashman: that was an
intentional deviation of his weapon, which, slight though it was,
proved as effective as if hurled in the opposite direction.

And yet, shrewd as was Ziffak; he really believed he had deceived his
royal brother. No suspicion of the distrust in the mind of the king
came to the chieftain, when he was directed to return to the village
and bring ten more warriors with him.

But this errand secured the absence of Ziffak for a couple of hours at
least, and that was the sole purpose of Haffgo in sending him out of
the cavern of diamonds.

When the chieftain was gone, the archer was directed to ascertain how
far he could steal around the cavern, by taking the opposite course.
Haffgo followed, directing the others to stay where they were until
further orders were given them.

The archer set out at once, ahead of the king, both doing their best to
avoid detection.

Fortune favored them in an unexpected manner. The ledge was found
easier of travel than they expected, and, by using great care, they
worked their way to a point less than two hundred feet from where the
fugitives were standing on guard. They had traversed the whole
distance, too, without detection.

When King Haffgo peered carefully over the shoulders of the crouching
bowman, he saw the couple standing with their backs toward him, as they
faced the chasm which had been found impassable for the Murhapas.

The slumbering anger in the parent's breast was kindled to a white
heat, when he observed the white man holding the hand of his daughter,
and he saw him lean over and touch his lips to hers. He whispered to
the warrior to lose no time.

The latter quickly examined his arrows, and picked out the