sfied. With her eyes upon the
chain necklet and its glittering attachments, she nods towards it, as
much as to say, "That too." And it, also, is detached; and handed over
to her. Then her greedy eyes go to the fillet around the girl's
temples, and an embroidered belt which encircles her waist. But these,
though pretty ornaments, are not of great intrinsic value; and as
Shebotha has in view a further levy of blackmail at a future time, she
can then take them too.

For the present she appears content, all the more as she gloats over the
treasure, which for a while she feasts her eyes upon without speaking.
Then slipping the various articles, one after another, into the bosom of
her dress, she resumes speech, saying--

"Shebotha has other spells besides that spoken of; one powerful above
all, which puts to sleep--ah! a sleep from which the sleeper never
awakes. If the other should fail to act, and Aguara--"

"But you said it could not fail," breaks in the girl, her countenance
again clouding over. "Is there a doubt, Mam Shebotha?"

"There's always uncertainty in these things," rejoins the sorceress;
"and in the _love-spell_ more than any other. As you know, love is the
strongest passion, and therefore the most difficult to control."

All this, by way of making safe her bargain, for well knows she her
spell will not bring back Aguara's love, lost to Nacena; and as the bulk
of the reward promised will depend upon this, she has yet another
proposal to make that may ensure its payment. She acts as one who would
hedge a bet, and drawing closer to the victim of her delusion, she
says--

"If Nacena should ever want the paleface put to sleep by that other
spell, Shebotha will administer it."

As the fiendish suggestion is spoken in a whisper, the three listeners
do not hear what it is. They can only guess by the behaviour of the
young girl that some offer has been made which she indignantly rejects.
This can be told by her rejoinder, and the air in which she delivers it.

"No!" she exclaims, starting back with an expression of horror upon her
countenance. "Never, never! If Aguara be untrue to me, it is no fault
of the paleface. I know that; and have no vengeance for her. But for
him--ah! if he have deceived me, it is not she, but he should suffer
punishment. And punished he shall be--by my brother."

"Oh! your brother!" returns the sorceress with a sneer, evidently in
anger at having her offer so rejected.