were followed. Ziffak had vanished, and no one was in
sight. It was well that such was the fact; for he would not have
hesitated to shoot down any that might appear.

The extraordinary flight continued for a furlong, and then Ariel paused
on the edge of the Xingu. Her lover saw the reason: a small canoe lay
against the shore.

"Is this to be used?" he asked, glancing in her pale face.

She nodded her head, and, lifting her skirts, stepped daintily within,
and sat down near the stern. He shoved the boat clear, sprang in and
sat down near the middle, as he seized the broad thin paddle.

Although considerably above the rapids, which had been the cause of all
his difficulty, Ashman noticed that the current was not so swift as
that encountered at many places leagues below; and, since the width was
no greater, it followed that that portion of the Upper Xingu was of
unusual depth.

In the strange excitement of the occasion, the lovers spoke few words.
They had said much, and, when the opportunity should again come, they
would say a great deal more; but they were fleeing for their lives, and
any distraction of their whole interest and effort was likely to be
fatal.

Ariel realized this as fully as did Ashman. She continually glanced in
every direction, especially toward the village which was fast receding
behind them. Fred swung the paddle powerfully, but with as little
noise as possible.

In such crises of a man's life he thinks rapidly. While the young
man's heart was aglow with the ecstacy of a promised fulfillment of his
love--a more glorious fulfillment than he had dared to dream of--he saw
that a desperate struggle was not only certain but close at hand.

Very soon the flight of Ariel must be discovered, and her infuriated
father would stop at nothing to punish the elopers. He could command
hundreds of the most valiant warriors of the Matto Grosso, and any one,
except such a lover as Fred Ashman, would have shrunk from the
prodigious task before him.

When the flight of the canoe had continued for several minutes, and he
could breathe a little more freely, he asked of his companion, whether
she was familiar with the region they expected to visit.

The reply was singular. King Haffgo was accustomed to make regular
excursions to the wonderful place, and he rarely did so without Ariel
as his companion. He had guards stationed night and day to watch for
the approach of strangers, for there was wealth eno