a time at least, remain upon our original
footing as simple comrades and co-adventurers. But, say, Dick, now that
I have told you, are you agreeable to accept me as your brother-in-law?"

"My dear chap," exclaimed Dick, grasping Earle's outstretched hand with
a strength which made the latter wince--"of course I am. I have seen
enough of you and your character to convince me that you will be good to
Grace--if we survive long enough to return to her. And if she loves
you--and I know that she would never have encouraged you if she didn't--
why--that's all that really matters. But--poor girl, it will be worse
than ever for her if we should both be wiped out."

"It will," agreed Earle, gloomily. There was silence in the hut for a
few moments as the two friends faced the doom that seemed to be
impending; but neither of them was of a pessimistic nature, and
presently Earle turned to his companion and said:

"Look here, Dick, you and I have got to buck up, for Grace's sake as
well as for our own. We are not going to take it for granted that we're
down and out, just because we happen to have fallen into the hands of a
lot of savages. We're not going to take, lying down, anything and
everything that they choose to hand out to us. I guess I am going to
have a chance to make these ginks sit up and take notice before they
have done with me, and you bet I mean to do it. Give me a quarter of an
hour's talk with them, and I'll make them believe I'm the boss
medicine-man of South America. If only we could get into touch with
Inaguy and prompt him what to say, I would soon make it all right. But,
anyway, I'm some conjurer as well as a ventriloquist, and it will be
strange if I can't get a chance to astonish them before the end comes."

The two friends continued to chat far into the night, discussing various
schemes of escape; but the difficulty in every case was their Indian
servants, whom neither of them for a moment dreamed of deserting; and at
length, quite unable to hit upon any practicable plan, they composed
themselves to sleep in preparation for the possible ordeal of the
morrow.

Nine days passed, however, and nothing happened, except that--as the
prisoners discovered, by peeping through a small chink in the wail of
the hut, by way of beguiling the time--day after day the town became
more crowded with people, who seemed to be pouring into it from all
directions, as though mustering for some great event; while singi