, there will come a day when you will not return and I
shall be left alone."

Granger was surprised at her display of passion--she had seemed to him
so cold. He had come to think of her as only a squaw-wife: but it was
the white woman in her who had spoken those words. He tried to comfort
her, denying her doubts and talking to her as though she had been a
frightened child. But throughout all that he said she kept on
whispering, "He is taking you away from me. One day he will see to it
that you do not return."

And had Granger stopped to think, he would have known that what she
said was true; for, when once his dream of El Dorado had become
capable of accomplishment, she would be to him as nothing. He heard
Spurling calling him by name. Lifting her to her feet, he kissed her
upon the mouth, and, amazed at his own kindness, as though he had done
something shameful, ran down the mound, stepped into the canoe, and
launched out.

Bending forward to Spurling, who was sitting in the bows, "It's El
Dorado or death this time," he whispered. Spurling did not answer him,
but he saw him crouch his shoulders as if to avoid a lash, and heard
his mutter, like the echo of his own voice, "_Or death_."

The canoe was travelling heavily, for Spurling had stopped paddling.
Granger was about to expostulate with him when, watching him more
attentively, he discovered that his eyes were fixed upon the bend. As
they drew nearer, and were passing by, his body trembled and he buried
his face in his hands. Not until the bend was behind him did he take
up his paddle--and then he flung himself into the work with frenzy, as
one who fled.

CHAPTER XVII

THE FORBIDDEN RIVER

"If we are to get back before the winter closes in upon us we must
start to-night."

Spurling looked up from the pan of dirt which he was washing. "You've
said that ten times a day in the last two weeks if you've said it
once," he snapped.

"Yes, but I mean it this time. We've got all the gold that we can
carry. If you won't come with me, I shall take the canoe and start
back by myself."

"Oh, you will, will you? And d'you think that I don't see through your
game?" Then noticing how Granger's hand had gone instinctively to his
hip-pocket, he added, "And if it comes to fighting, I go armed
myself."

In a flash both men had whipped out their revolvers, but Spurling was
the fraction of a second late; Granger had him covered.

"So you're going to murder me, af