ght you skipped with the cook."

Bela raised an innocent-seeming face.

"What you mean, skip?" she asked.

"Lit out, eloped, ran away," said Jack grimly.

"I never did!" she cried indignantly. "He carry me off."

They stared at her open-mouthed again.

"What I want wit' a cook?" she went on quickly. "I want marry a man
wit' something. He is a bad man. He tak' me away. Now he say he done
wit' me!" Tears threatened again.

They were only half convinced.

"How did it happen?" Jack demanded.

"In the afternoon he find my cache where I stay by the little creek,"
she said. "Talk to me lak a friend. I think all right. But in the
night he come back when I sleepin' and tie my hands and my feet and my
mouth, and throw me in my boat and tak' away! I hate him!"

"Then it was you we heard cry out?" exclaimed Joe.

"Sure!" she assented readily. "The handkerchief come loose. But soon
he stop me."

"He did it just to spite us!" cried Joe furiously. "He didn't want her
himself! I always said he had too proud a stomach for a cook. Worked
against us at night like a rat! I warned you often enough!"

"Hold on!" said Big Jack, scowling. "There's more to this." He turned
to Bela accusingly. "You were paddling the dugout when you came to the
river yesterday. I saw you plain."

"Soon as the wind begin to blow he cut me loose," she said. "He can't
mak' the boat go. He tak' my gun and point to me and mak' me paddle."

"The damned blackguard!" muttered Shand.

Jack was still unconvinced. "But to-day," he said, "when my oar busted
you laughed. I was lookin' at you."

Bela hung her head. "He tak' me away," she murmured. "I t'ink he marry
me then. I good girl. I think got marry him."

This convinced them all. They burst out in angry exclamations. It was
not, however, for what they thought Bela had suffered. Each man was
thinking of the wrong Sam had done him. Toward Bela their attitude
had subtly changed. She was now a damaged article, though still
desirable. Their awe of her was gone.

"I'll grind my heel in his face for this," snarled Joe. "I'll kill him
slow!"

"Come on!" cried Shand. "We're losing time. He can't have got far."

Bela scrambled out of the dugout. "I tak' you where he is," she said
eagerly. "I can track him in the grass. I can't catch him myself. But
you got give him to me for punish."

"We'll attend to that for you, my girl," said Jack grimly.

"No blood!" she cried. "If he is kill for cause of me I get