face and head with the other.

His captive sank to the ground, too weak from the effects of nervous
shock to escape, and with horror-filled eyes watched the two who
battled over her. She saw that her would-be rescuer was young and
strong featured--all together a very fine specimen of manhood; and to
her great wonderment it was soon apparent that he was no unequal match
for the great mountain of muscle that he fought.

Both tore and struck and clawed and bit in the frenzy of mad, untutored
strife, rolling about on the soft carpet of the jungle almost
noiselessly except for their heavy breathing and an occasional
beast-like snarl from Number One. For several minutes they fought thus
until the younger man succeeded in getting both hands upon the throat
of his adversary, and then, choking relentlessly, he raised the brute
with him from the ground and rushed him fiercely backward against the
stem of a tree. Again and again he hurled the monstrous thing upon the
unyielding wood, until at last it hung helpless and inert in his
clutches, then he cast it from him, and without another glance at it
turned toward the girl.

Here was a problem indeed. Now that he had won her, what was he to do
with her? He was but an adult child, with the brain and brawn of a
man, and the ignorance and inexperience of the new-born. And so he
acted as a child acts, in imitation of what it has seen others do. The
brute had been carrying the lovely creature, therefore that must be the
thing for him to do, and so he stooped and gathered Virginia Maxon in
his great arms.

She tried to tell him that she could walk after a moment's rest, but it
was soon evident that he did not understand her, as a puzzled
expression came to his face and he did not put her down as she asked.
Instead he stood irresolute for a time, and then moved slowly through
the jungle. By chance his direction was toward the camp, and this fact
so relieved the girl's mind that presently she was far from loath to
remain quietly in his arms.

After a moment she gained courage to look up into his face. She
thought that she never had seen so marvellously clean cut features, or
a more high and noble countenance, and she wondered how it was that
this white man was upon the island and she not have known it. Possibly
he was a new arrival--his presence unguessed even by her father. That
he was neither English nor American was evident from the fact that he
could not understand her