moment, in a panic of worldly terror, he had dropped his
paddle and besought wildly with his God for pity. And there were other
times. The recollection was not pleasant. It brought shame to him that
his spirit should be so weak and his flesh so strong. But the love of
life! the love of life! He could not strip it from him. Because of it
had his dim ancestors perpetuated their line; because of it was he
destined to perpetuate his. His courage, if courage it might be called,
was bred of fanaticism. The courage of Stockard and Bill was the
adherence to deep-rooted ideals. Not that the love of life was less, but
the love of race tradition more; not that they were unafraid to die, but
that they were brave enough not to live at the price of shame.

The missionary rose, for the moment swayed by the mood of sacrifice. He
half crawled over the barricade to proceed to the other camp, but sank
back, a trembling mass, wailing: "As the spirit moves! As the spirit
moves! Who am I that I should set aside the judgments of God? Before
the foundations of the world were all things written in the book of life.
Worm that I am, shall I erase the page or any portion thereof? As God
wills, so shall the spirit move!"

Bill reached over, plucked him to his feet, and shook him, fiercely,
silently. Then he dropped the bundle of quivering nerves and turned his
attention to the two converts. But they showed little fright and a
cheerful alacrity in preparing for the coming passage at arms.

Stockard, who had been talking in undertones with the Teslin woman, now
turned to the missionary.

"Fetch him over here," he commanded of Bill.

"Now," he ordered, when Sturges Owen had been duly deposited before him,
"make us man and wife, and be lively about it." Then he added
apologetically to Bill: "No telling how it's to end, so I just thought
I'd get my affairs straightened up."

The woman obeyed the behest of her white lord. To her the ceremony was
meaningless. By her lights she was his wife, and had been from the day
they first foregathered. The converts served as witnesses. Bill stood
over the missionary, prompting him when he stumbled. Stockard put the
responses in the woman's mouth, and when the time came, for want of
better, ringed her finger with thumb and forefinger of his own.

"Kiss the bride!" Bill thundered, and Sturges Owen was too weak to
disobey.

"Now baptize the child!"

"Neat and tidy," Bill commented.

"G