cked up the ring-master's whip and
sent it curling after "Briza," a harmless, fat, white mare on which
pretty Mrs. Grigg was sitting expectantly. Round and round the ring
she cantered, now astride two horses, now guiding a "spike,"
practising assiduously her acrobatics. At intervals, far up in the
rigging overhead, I caught glimpses of Miss Crystal swinging on her
trapeze, watching the ring below.

Byram came in to rehearse the opening processional and to rebuke his
dearest foe, the unspeakable "camuel," bestridden by Mrs. Horan as
Fatima, Queen of the Desert. Speed followed, squatted on the head of
the elephant, ankus on thigh, shouting, "Hout! Mail! Djebe Noain!
Mail the hezar! Mail!" he thundered, triumphantly, saluting Byram with
lifted ankus as the elephant ambled past in a cloud of dust.

"Clear the ring!" cried Byram.

Miss Delany, who was outlining Jacqueline with juggler's knives, began
to pull her stock of cutlery from the soft pine backing; elephant,
camel, horses trampled out; Miss Crystal caught a dangling rope and
slid earthward, and I turned and walked towards the outer door with
Byram.

As I looked back for an instant I saw Jacqueline, in her glittering
diving-skin, calmly step out of her discarded skirt and walk towards
the sunken tank in the middle of the ring, which three workmen were
uncovering.

She was to rehearse her perilous leap for the first time to-day, and I
told Speed frankly that I was too nervous to be present, and so left
him staring across the dusky tent at the slim child in spangles.

I had an appointment to meet Robert the Lizard at noon, and I was
rather curious to find out how much his promises were worth when the
novelty of his new gun had grown stale. So I started towards the
cliffs, nibbling a crust of bread for luncheon, though the incident of
the morning had left me small appetite for food.

The poacher was sunning himself on his doorsill when I came into view
over the black basalt rocks. To my surprise, he touched his cap as I
approached, and rose civilly, replying to my greeting with a brief,
"Salute, m'sieu!"

"You are prompt to the minute," I said, pleasantly.

"You also," he observed. "We are quits, m'sieu--so far."

I told him of the progress that Jacqueline was making; he listened in
silence, and whether or not he was interested I could not determine.

There was a pause; I looked out across the sun-lit ocean, taking time
to arrange the order of the few quest