oath.

"I can't stand it!" he cried shakily. "I don't care about myself, but
I can't see a woman sacrificed--even if it's your own mulishness! I
don't care about you, either--but you're a woman. You needn't think
you're getting the best of me. I'll hate you for this--but I can't
stand it!"

Bela sprang up swiftly and resolutely.

"Come!" she exclaimed. "I don' care what mak' you come, if you come!"

She pointed to the longest way round the shore. "This way," she
directed. "I want them follow this way so I sail back ot'er side."

As they ran around the beach, a faint shout reached them from the
water. As soon as they had passed out of sight of the boat, Bela
pulled Sam into the bushes, and they worked back under cover to a
point whence they could watch their pursuers in comparative safety.

"Maybe they goin' land this side," she suggested. "If they land, run
lak hell and jomp in my boat."

Sam never thought of smiling.

Five minutes of breathless suspense succeeded. Suppose the men landed
and, dividing, went both ways around the beach, what would they do?
However, it appeared that they intended to row around the island and,
as they thought, cut off Bela's escape by water. But the watchers
could not be sure of this until the boat was almost upon them. Finally
Bela looked at Sam, and they dashed together for the dugout.

All was ready for the start, the boat pointing, bow first, into the
lake. In the excitement of the last few minutes they had forgotten
Sam's blankets. It was too late to think of them now.

Sam got in first and, obeying Bela's instructions, braced his feet
against the bottom of the mast. She pushed off and paddled like a
wild woman until she could weather the island under her square sail.
They succeeded in making the point before the rowboat appeared from
around the other side of the island. Finally the white blanket, with
its wide black bars, caught the wind, and Bela ceased paddling.

To Sam it seemed as if they stopped moving upon the stilling of that
vigorous arm. He looked anxiously over his shoulder. She was watching
their progress through the water with an experienced eye.

"Never catch us if the wind hold," she said calmly. "Johnny Gagnon's
boat ver' heavy boat."

They had a start of upward of a quarter of a mile when their perplexed
pursuers, having almost completed a circuit of the island, finally
caught sight of them sailing blithely down the lake. A great roar of
anger came do