, she was in the mood to enter into its wildest
and gayest activities; she had expected to, and she had known in her own
mind that when she met Terabon she would be irresistible.

At last she shuddered. She seemed to hear a voice, the river's voice,
declare that this thing had happened to prevent her seeking to betray
herself and Terabon, not to mention that other matter which did not
affect her thought in the least, her husband's honour.

The idea of her husband's honour made the thing absurd to her. There was
no such thing as that honour. She had plotted to get Carline out of the
way now that she heard he was clear of the pirates. On second thought,
she was sorry that she had been so hasty in returning to the boat,
wishing that she had followed up Terabon.

She walked out onto the bow deck, and standing in the dark, with her
door closed, looked up and down the slough. A dozen boats were in sight.
She heard a number of men and women talking in near-by boats, and the
few words she heard indicated that the river people had a pretty morsel
of gossip in the killing of Palura.

She heard men rustling through the weeds and switch willows of the
boatmen's pathway, and she hailed; she was now a true river woman,
though she did not know it.

"Say, boys, do you know if Terabon and Carline landed here to-night?"

"We just landed in," one answered. "I don't know."

"Going up town?"

"Yes----"

"I want to know about them----"

"Hit's Nelia Crele!" one exclaimed.

"That's right. Hello, boys--Despard--Jet--Cope!"

"Sure! When'd you land?"

"Late this evening; I was up to Palura's when----"

"That ain't no place fo' a lady."

She laughed aloud, as she added, "I was there when Palura was killed by
the policeman."

"Palura killed a policeman!" Despard said. "He's killed----"

"No, Palura was killed by a policeman. Shot him dead right on the
dance-hall floor."

The pirates choked. The thing was unbelievable. They came down to the
boat and she described the affair briefly, and they demanded details.

They felt that it would vitally affect Mendova. They whispered among
themselves as to what it meant. They learned that a policeman had been
stationed in front of the notorious resort and that that policeman had
done the shooting during a fight with waiters and bouncers and with
Palura himself.

"We hadn't better get to go up town," Jet whimpered. "Hit don't sound
right!"

They argued and debated, and finally went o