ified to
emulate her example."

She laughed merrily, so lightly did yesterday's adventure sit upon her.
The allusion to her disheveled state when they were thrown ashore by
the typhoon simply impressed her as amusing. Thus quickly had she
become inured to the strange circumstances of a new life.

"I withdraw the threat and substitute a more genuine plea--curiosity,"
she cried.

"Then you will be gratified promptly. These are our sentinels. Come
with me to allot his post to the most distant one."

He picked up a faggot with its queer attachment, shouldered a
Lee-Metford, and smiled when he saw the business-like air with which
Iris slung a revolver around her waist.

They walked rapidly to Smugglers' Cove, and the girl soon perceived the
ingenuity of his automatic signal. He securely bound the block of wood
to a tree where it was hidden by the undergrowth. Breaking the bullet
out of a cartridge, he placed the blank charge in position in front of
the striker, the case being firmly clasped by a bent nail. To the
trigger, the spring of which he had eased to a slight pressure, he
attached a piece of unraveled rope, and this he carefully trained among
the trees at a height of six inches from the ground, using as carriers
nails driven into the trunks. The ultimate result was that a mere swish
of Iris's dress against the taut cord exploded the cartridge.

"There!" he exclaimed, exultantly. "When I have driven stakes into the
sand to the water's edge on both sides of the cove, I will defy them to
land by night without giving us warning."

"Do you know," said Iris, in all seriousness, "I think you are the
cleverest man in the world."

"My dear Miss Deane, that is not at all a Trades Unionist sentiment.
Equality is the key-note of their propaganda."

Nevertheless he was manifestly pleased by the success of his ingenious
contrivance, and forthwith completed the cordon. To make doubly sure,
he set another snare further within the trees. He was certain the Dyaks
would not pass along Turtle Beach if they could help it. By this time
the light was failing.

"That will suffice for the present," he told the girl. "Tomorrow we
will place other sentries in position at strategic points. Then we can
sleep in the Castle with tolerable safety."

By the meager light of the tiny lamp they labored sedulously at the
rope-ladder until Iris's eyes were closing with sheer weariness.
Neither of them had slept much during the preceding nigh