the Frenchman.

"Not a ting, and at daylight we'll most likely have a scrap on our hands
from below," and the mucker jerked his thumb in the direction of the
cove.

"I think," said Theriere, "that we had better spend an hour arming
ourselves with sticks and stones. We've a mighty good position up here.
One that we can defend splendidly from an assault from below, and if we
are prepared for them we can stave 'em off for a while if we need the
time to search about up here for clews to Miss Harding's whereabouts."

And so the party set to work to cut stout bludgeons from the trees about
them, and pile loose fragments of rock in handy places near the cliff
top. Theriere even went so far as to throw up a low breastwork across
the top of the trail up which the enemy must climb to reach the summit
of the cliff. When they had completed their preparations three men could
have held the place against ten times their own number.

Then they lay down to sleep, leaving Blanco and Divine on guard, for it
had been decided that these two, with Bony Sawyer, should be left behind
on the morrow to hold the cliff top while the others were searching for
clews to the whereabouts of Barbara Harding. They were to relieve each
other at guard duty during the balance of the night.

Scarce had the first suggestion of dawn lightened the eastern sky than
Divine, who was again on guard, awakened Theriere. In a moment the
others were aroused, and a hasty raid on the cached provisions made. The
lack of water was keenly felt by all, but it was too far to the spring
to chance taking the time necessary to fetch the much-craved fluid and
those who were to forge into the jungle in search of Barbara Harding
hoped to find water farther inland, while it was decided to dispatch
Bony Sawyer to the spring for water for those who were to remain on
guard at the cliff top.

A hurried breakfast was made on water-soaked ship's biscuit. Theriere
and his searching party stuffed their pockets full of them, and a moment
later the search was on. First the men traversed the trail toward the
spring, looking for indications of the spot where Barbara Harding had
ceased to follow them. The girl had worn heelless buckskin shoes at the
time she was taken from the Lotus, and these left little or no spoor
in the well-tramped earth of the narrow path; but a careful and minute
examination on the part of Theriere finally resulted in the detection of
a single small footprint a hund