ment now," said Van der Kemp, quietly; "we must
paddle for life. If you have occasion to use your weapons, Nigel, take
no life needlessly. Moses knows my mind on this point and needs no
warning. Any fool can take away life. Only God can give it."

"I will be careful," replied Nigel, as he dipped his paddle with all the
muscular power at his command. His comrades did the same, and the canoe
shot up the river like an arrow.

A yell from the Dyaks, and the noise of jumping into and pushing off
their boats told that there was no time to lose.

"They are strong men, and plenty of them to relieve each other," said
the hermit, who now spoke in his ordinary tones, "so they have some
chance of overhauling us in the smooth water; but a few miles further up
there is a rapid which will stop them and will only check us. If we can
reach it we shall be safe."

While he was speaking every muscle in his broad back and arms was
strained to the uttermost; so also were the muscles of his companions,
and the canoe seemed to advance by a series of rapid leaps and bounds.
Yet the sound of the pursuers' oars seemed to increase, and soon the
proverb "it is the pace that kills" received illustration, for the speed
of the canoe began to decrease a little--very little at first--while the
pursuers, with fresh hands at the oars, gradually overhauled the
fugitives.

"Put on a spurt!" said the hermit, setting the example.

The pirates heard the words and understood either them or the action
that followed, for they also "put on a spurt," and encouraged each other
with a cheer.

Moses heard the cheer, and at the same time heard the sound of the rapid
to which they were by that time drawing near. He glanced over his
shoulder and could make out the dim form of the leading boat, with a
tall figure standing up in the bow, not thirty yards behind.

"Shall we manage it, Moses?" asked Van der Kemp, in that calm steady
voice which seemed to be unchangeable either by anxiety or peril.

"No, massa. Unpossable--widout _dis_."

The negro drew the revolver from his belt, slewed round, took rapid aim
and fired.

The tall figure in the bow of the boat fell back with a crash and a
hideous yell. Great shouting and confusion followed, and the boat
dropped behind. A few minutes later and the canoe was leaping over the
surges of a shallow rapid. They dashed from eddy to eddy, taking
advantage of every stone that formed a tail of backwater below it,