"Say: 'What you want, _Master_!'" he yelled at her.

"Why I say that?" she asked, a dull fire of hatred kindling in her eyes.

"Because it's so," he thundered, stamping the ground in fury while his
palsied head shook more noticeably.

"You lie," she replied. "You no master of my Lady or me, any more. We go
to Great Spirit any time now."

A chill ran over me. What, in God's name, did she mean? Was Sylvia
dying? Again Smilax touched my arm to caution prudence.

Efaw Kotee was, I think, trying to control himself, yet his long arms
and veiny hands were swinging, pendulum-like, to and fro across his
body. It was an uncanny indication of anger, suggesting rather a beast
than a human being. The captain was standing silent, with his arms
folded.

"Echochee," said the chief, "bring us that punt. We must see your Lady."

"My Lady see no one."

"I want that punt," he bellowed at her.

"You got plenty punt; me go in house," she replied stoically.

There were, indeed, three or four punts tied to the shore near by.

"Hold on, there," he commanded, "or it'll go bad for you! I want that
punt, there, understand?"

"Then get that punt there," she said indifferently.

"You damned old hag," he screamed, now quite beside himself, "one of
your rotten tribe's in that lookout tower, d'you understand? If you
don't bring that punt across I'll have him crucified before your eyes!
Hear me, hag?"

"All right," she said quietly. "Him no 'count; do him good."

She turned back to pass through the door, but was stopped by some one
coming out. Sylvia! Never more beautiful than now! Echochee put up both
arms to stop her and I noticed--for in tense moments one's eyes retain
some of the most insignificant details--how incongruously her brown old
bony fingers sank into the dainty folds of her lady's morning gown. But
Sylvia would not be stopped. She placed a hand on the woman's shoulder
and spoke a few hurried words, then raised her head and looked
imperiously at the men, saying:

"You shan't hurt any one because Echochee obeys me. Is the punt all you
want?"

Jess moved uneasily, but there was no trace of embarrassment in the
bearing of Efaw Kotee.

"No, it's not! We want to cross to you!"

"No one comes on this island," she said.

"I've had enough of your nonsense," the old fellow cried. "I believe yet
you steered that bunch of pups after us, in spite of hell I believe it;
but, whether you did or didn't, I've had enough of bowing a