w me out of camp!"

"But none of the Kakisas could speak English," said Clare.

"I don't know," muttered Stonor, in an agony of indecision. "My first
duty is here. Look at Mary. She thinks it's a trick."

Mary was lying on the ground, muttering a Kakisa word over and over.

"What is it?" Stonor harshly demanded.

"Spirits!" she gasped.

Stonor turned away, flinging his arms up. "Good God! Ghosts again!" he
cried, in exasperation.

The dreadful cries were raised again. "Help! Help! He's killing me!"

"I can't stand it!" cried Clare. "I must go myself!"

"Stay where you are!" commanded Stonor. "It is too strange a thing to
happen so close to our camp if it was not staged for our benefit!"

Just the same, it was not easy for him to hold himself. When the cries
were raised again a deep groan was forced from him:

"If I only had another man!"

"Go! Mary and I will be all right!" said Clare.

"Don' go! Don' go!" wailed Mary from the ground.

Stonor shouted into the darkness. "Come this way! Help is here!"

The cries were redoubled.

Imbrie suddenly awoke, and rolled clear of his blanket. "What's that?"
he cried, with an admirable assumption of surprise. "A woman's voice! A
white woman! Why don't you go to her?"

It was a little too well done; Stonor felt partly reassured.

Imbrie appeared to be struggling desperately in his bonds. "For God's
sake, man!" he cried. "If you won't go, cut me loose! I can't stand it!"

"I am sure now," said Stonor, in a voice of relief. "This was what he
fixed up with Myengeen this morning. I ought to have been prepared for
it. Mary, help me make up the fire. A blaze will help chase the
horrors."

"Oh, you coward!" taunted Imbrie. "If I had my hands free! This is the
famous nerve of the police!"

Stonor could afford to laugh at this. His courage was tried.

The voice came with a fresh note of despair. "He's taking me away! He's
taking me away! Oh, come! come!" Sure enough the sounds began to recede.

But the spell was broken now. They were only conscious of relief at the
prospect of an end to the grim farce.

"Damn clever work here," said Stonor. "She says the very things that
ought to pull the hardest."

"Where could they have got the English words?" said Clare.

"Search me! It's another mystery to add to what's facing us."

Meanwhile the flames were beginning to lick the twigs that Mary placed
with trembling hands.

"If we make a big fire won't it reveal us to t