hter of Haffgo, was his other self. He could
never rest, he could not really live until it should be his lot to
carry her from this lonely wilderness to his own home thousands of
miles away.

To the young lover, aglow and happy in his new passion, all things are
possible. It is he who can appreciate even the days of chivalry, when
the valiant knight went forth, with lance and buckler to win his lady
against all comers, counting it his highest happiness to face the
perils of flood and field if perchance he could but win her smile.

And yet, amid all the roseate dreams which fairly lifted Fred Ashman
from the gross earth, he could not entirely lose sight of his peculiar
situation and the formidable difficulties which environed his path. He
would not admit they were insurmountable, but they were hard to climb.

To come down to facts, he felt that the first, and, indeed, the
indispensable step was to secure a meeting with the princess that had
taken such complete possession of his heart.

Guarded as she was by her father, who was sure to resent with instant
death any such presumption on his part, he might well shrink from the
appalling attempt; but love has many ways of picking the locks that may
be fastened to keep hearts apart.

"Ziffak!"

That was the name which came to his tongue again and again, with the
question whether his friendship could not be enlisted on the side of
the youth, who had come so strangely to the Murhapa village. He was a
shrewd fellow who must suspect the truth of those stolen glances. He
had shown a sudden and strong affection for the explorers, and
especially for Ashman to whom he surrendered. Was what friendship
strong enough to lead him to a step that would insure a rupture with
his royal brother and probably bring about war in his little kingdom?

"I wonder what revelation he was on the point of making when he sat
down with us in his mother's home," Ashman muttered, as he slowly
walked along the bank of the Upper Xingu, unmindful of the creeping
shadow behind him.

That it bore upon that interview and related to the angry quarrel he
did not doubt, but he could only conjecture its nature which was not
encouraging when he recalled that Ziffak had told him and his friends,
without protest on his part, that they were likely to be compelled to
leave the village that night.

Ashman ceased in his walk, for he saw, in spite of his absorbing
reverie, that he had passed above the uppermo