and children seemed yet wrapped in slumber. It was
evident that the man's scream had not disturbed them.

Barbara gained her feet and moved softly to the doorway. She wondered
if she could cross the intervening space to the outer exit without
detection. Once in the open she could flee to the jungle, and then
there was a chance at least that she might find her way to the coast and
Theriere.

She gripped the short sword which she still held, and took a step into
the larger room. One of the women turned and half roused from sleep. The
girl shrank back into the darkness of the chamber she had just quitted.
The woman sat up and looked around. Then she rose and threw some sticks
upon the fire that burned at one side of the dwelling. She crossed to a
shelf and took down a cooking utensil. Barbara saw that she was about to
commence the preparation of breakfast.

All hope of escape was thus ended, and the girl cautiously closed the
door between the two rooms. Then she felt about the smaller apartment
for some heavy object with which to barricade herself; but her search
was fruitless. Finally she bethought herself of the corpse. That would
hold the door against the accident of a child or dog pushing it open--it
would be better than nothing, but could she bring herself to touch the
loathsome thing?

The instinct of self-preservation will work wonders even with a frail
and delicate woman. Barbara Harding steeled herself to the task, and
after several moments of effort she succeeded in rolling the dead man
against the door. The scraping sound of the body as she dragged it into
position had sent cold shivers running up her spine.

She had removed the man's long sword and armor before attempting to move
him, and now she crouched beside the corpse with both the swords beside
her--she would sell her life dearly. Theriere's words came back to her
now as they had when she was struggling in the water after the wreck of
the Halfmoon: "but, by George, I intend to go down fighting." Well, she
could do no less.

She could hear the movement of several persons in the next room now. The
voices of women and children came to her distinctly. Many of the words
were Japanese, but others were of a tongue with which she was not
familiar.

Presently her own chamber began to lighten. She looked over her shoulder
and saw the first faint rays of dawn showing through a small aperture
near the roof and at the opposite end of the room. She rose and mo