r arm,--"we must retreat! It will
soon be too late! We can get out of the woods where we came in, if we go
at once!"

"Beg pardon, sar," said Cudjo, stamping out fire in the leaves by the
end of the log,--and he looked up through the smoke at Penn, with the
old malignant grin on his apish face.

"What do you mean, Cudjo?" said Penn, in an agony of doubt.

"Can't get back dat way, sar!"

"Then you have led us here to destroy us!"

"You's no longer trust Cudjo!" was the negro's only reply.

"Didn't we trust you? Haven't we come through fire, following you? O
Cudjo! more than once you have helped to save my life! You have helped
to save this life, dearer than mine! Why do you desert us now?"

"'Sert you? Cudjo no 'sert you." But the negro spoke sullenly, and there
was still a sparkle of malignancy in his look.

"Then why do you stop here?"

"Hugh! tink we's go trough dat fire like we done trough tudder?"

"What then are we to do?"

"You's no longer trust Cudjo!" was once more the sullen response.

Virginia, with her quick perceptions, saw at once what Penn was either
too dull or too much excited to see. Cudjo felt himself aggrieved; but
he was not unfaithful.

"_I_ trust you, Cudjo!"--and she laid her hand frankly and confidingly
on his shoulder. "Did I tremble, did I shrink when you carried me
through the fire? I shall never forget how brave, how good you are! He
trusts you too,--only he is so afraid for me! You can forgive that,
Cudjo."

"She is right," said Penn, though still in doubt. "If you know a way to
save her, don't lose a moment!"

"He knows; on'y let him take his time," said Pepperill, whose firm faith
in the negro's good will shamed Penn for his distrust. And yet Pepperill
did not love, as Penn loved, the girl whose life was in danger; and he
had not seen the evidences of Cudjo's fire-worshipping fanaticism which
Penn had seen.

Under the influence of Virginia's gentle and soothing words, the glitter
of resentment died out of the negro's face. But his aspect was still
morose.

"De fire take his time to burn out; so we's take our time too," said he.
"You try your chance wid Cudjo agin, miss?"

"Certainly! for I am sure you will take us safely through yet!" said
Virginia, without a shadow of doubt or hesitation on her face, however
dark may have been the shadow on her heart.

The negro was evidently well pleased. He examined carefully the line of
fire in the undergrowth. And now Penn dis