oment to prepare himself for the sight before looking over. His eye
was caught by some ends of string fluttering from the branches of a bush
beside him. He was at a loss to account for their presence until he
remembered Etzooah and his humble offerings to the Old Man. Here Etzooah
had tied his tobacco-bags.

Approaching the brink, the river smoothed itself a little as if
gathering its forces for the leap, and over the edge itself it slipped
smoothly. It was true to a certain extent that the cataract muffled its
own voice, but the earth trembled. The gorge below offered a superb
prospect. After the invariable flatness and tameness of the shores
above, the sudden cleft in the world impressed the beholder stunningly.

Then Stonor went to the extreme edge and looked over. A deep, dull roar
smote upon his ears; he was bewildered and satisfied. Knowing the Indian
propensity to exaggerate, he had half expected to find merely a cascade
wilder than anything above; or perhaps a wide straggling series of
falls. It was neither. The entire river gathered itself up, and plunged
sheer into deep water below. The river narrowed down at the brink, and
the volume of water was stupendous. The drop was over one hundred feet.
The water was of the colour of strong tea, and as it fell it drew over
its brown sheen a lovely, creamy fleece of foam. Tight little curls of
spray puffed out of the falling water like jets of smoke, and, spreading
and descending, merged into the white cloud that rolled about the foot
of the falls. This cloud itself billowed up in successive undulations
like full draperies, only to spread out and vanish in the sunshine.

Stonor had the solemn feeling that comes to the man who knows himself to
be among the first of his race to gaze on a great natural wonder. He
and Imbrie alone had seen this sight. What of the riddle of Imbrie?
Doctor, magician, skulker in the night, madman perhaps--and Clare's
husband! Must he be haunted by him all his life? But the noble spectacle
before Stonor's eyes calmed his nerves. All will be clear in the end, he
told himself. And nothing could destroy his thought of Clare.

* * * * *

He would liked to have remained for hours, but everything drew him back
to the shack. He started back along the beach. On the whole it was
easier going than by the encumbered trail. There were no obstacles
except the low precipice that has been mentioned, and that proved to be
no