never
look away.

He gazed steadily into the depths for some minutes, when he became
aware that down in the darkness was a bright spark, which got rapidly
bigger and brighter. Again that feeling of awful fear took possession
of him, and he tried to turn his eyes from the pool. But it was no
use; something stronger than himself compelled him to keep them there.

At last the waters parted softly, and floating on the surface he saw
the beautiful woman whom he had fled from only a few nights before. He
turned to run, but his feet were glued to the spot.

She smiled at him and held out her arms, but as she did so there came
over him the remembrance of Julia, as he had seen her a few hours
earlier, and her warnings and fears for the very danger in which he
now found himself.

Meanwhile the figure was always drawing nearer, nearer; but, with a
violent effort, Alonzo shook off his stupor, and taking aim at her
shoulder he pulled the trigger. The report awoke the sleeping echoes,
and was repeated all through the forest, but the figure smiled still,
and went on advancing. Again Alonzo fired, and a second time the
bullet whistled through the air, and the figure advanced nearer. A
moment more, and she would be at his side.

Then, his pistol being empty, he grasped the barrel with both hands,
and stood ready to use it as a club should the Yara approach any
closer. But now it seemed her turn to feel afraid, for she paused for
an instant while he pressed forward, still holding the pistol above
his head, prepared to strike.

In his excitement he had forgotten the river, and it was not till the
cold water touched his feet that he stood still by instinct. The Yara
saw that he was wavering, and suffering herself to sway gently
backwards and forwards on the surface of the river, she began to sing.
The song floated through the trees, now far and now near; no one could
tell whence it came, the whole air seemed full of it. Alonzo felt his
senses going and his will failing. His arms dropped heavily to his
side, but in falling struck against the sea shell, which, as he had
promised Julia, he had always carried in his coat.

His dimmed mind was just clear enough to remember what she had said,
and with trembling fingers, that were almost powerless to grasp, he
drew it out. As he did so the song grew sweeter and more tender than
before, but he shut his ears to it and bent his head over the shell.
Out of its depths arose the voice of Julia