mall boat," I asked,
"and escaped through the islands?"

"Then Efaw Kotee want to know why kill guard on mainland."

"That's so. But, Smilax, suppose we hide the guards?"

He thought a moment over this, but finally shook his head.

"No good. Then Efaw Kotee say guard run off with Lady, so he come back
'cross prairie same as up and down shore. That make our chance ve'y bad.
No. They find men dead, then hunt quick through forest up beach; maybe
down beach. After 'while, maybe they find sign where me and you camp in
L'il Cove; then they know small boat been there and gone. Then they come
home mad, and when all quiet we make big circle to _Whim_. Some day we
come back; maybe kill 'em all. Me want Jess; him crack Smilax head. That
good plan; you smoke."

I lay on the ground and smiled. Kill 'em all! Gods, but I was going back
into the primitive by leaps and bounds! I wondered if that girl would
trust herself to me, were she to know!

"Me big fool," Smilax suddenly cried, smashing a fist into the palm of
his hand.

"What's the matter?" I sat up, asking.

"Me ought to be in L'il Cove and make fresh signs. Me big fool!"

It would have been a cute move, but now too late, and I told him so.

"No too late," he sprang up. "Three hour more sun."

"But, Smilax, it took us the best part of a day to come here! You can't
do it!"

"Me go short way back, and fast." He pointed to the western sky, at an
angle of about twenty degrees above the horizon, asking: "When night
come you see big star there?"

I nodded. It was Jupiter or Venus, I didn't know which; but it was large
and beautiful, and I had seen it many evenings.

"When um touch top of trees you start. Me meet you on far side of
prairie."

Feeling to see if his weapons were securely holstered he was off without
another word to make signs in the sand at Little Cove that would look as
though this very afternoon a landing party had been there, and I
wondered if real Indians could possess the foresight of this big negro.
In amazement I watched him growing smaller and smaller across the sea of
grass; going north-by-northwest now, and not the way we came. The
prairie in this direction must have extended five miles before it met
the forest, and as long as my eyes could follow him he was jogging at a
good free trot. By this more direct route he had perhaps ten or twelve
miles to go each way; and his return would be at night, lighted by a
partial moon. I knew that he would