I wish I could tell you how much he has done for
me, how much I love him, how I know him! He can be made worthy of
any woman. He will outgrow this fiery, daring spirit, and
then--won't you help him?"
"I will, if he will let me," softly whispered Nell, irresistibly
drawn by the strong, earnest love thrilling in his voice.
Chapter X.
Once more out under the blue-black vault of heaven, with its myriads
of twinkling stars, the voyagers resumed their westward journey.
Whispered farewells of new but sincere friends lingered in their
ears. Now the great looming bulk of the fort above them faded into
the obscure darkness, leaving a feeling as if a protector had
gone--perhaps forever. Admonished to absolute silence by the stern
guides, who seemed indeed to have embarked upon a dark and deadly
mission, the voyagers lay back in the canoes and thought and
listened. The water eddied with soft gurgles in the wake of the
racing canoes; but that musical sound was all they heard. The
paddles might have been shadows, for all the splash they made; they
cut the water swiftly and noiselessly. Onward the frail barks glided
into black space, side by side, close under the overhanging willows.
Long moments passed into long hours, as the guides paddled
tirelessly as if their sinews were cords of steel.
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