Their Mariposa Legend | Page 9

thy trouble."
His companion smiled even while, with the trained servility of the
retainer, he doffed his cap.
"Aye, truly, my lord," he answered, "but, since it were an impossible
feat to get so much as a colt into the Zephir, methinks thou hast a gift
of thine own to bestow on yonder pretty Indian maid!"
The blood leaped to Sir Harry's cheek. With a quick gesture he placed
his hand upon his sword.
"Presume not upon my favor, Mortimer, or by heaven! - " he began
angrily, but stopped suddenly as, with a fearless laugh, the man beside
him pushed the half-drawn weapon back into its place.
"Nay then, not so fast, my lord," he chuckled gaily. "Hearkee, my
master. I did but use my eyes during their everlasting pow-wow. Surely
ye would not grudge me that! And the maid is comely, well worth a

trinket from thy store. Besides," he laughed slyly, "I saw e'en more to
thine interest, for methinks the princess is as much in love with thy
looks as art thou with hers."
"Silence, fool! Thou hast said more than enough already. Think'st thou
the son of a duke royal would look at a brown-skinned savage, an
unbelieving pagan, no matter how comely, as thou call'st it, she might
be!"
But the flush remained, nevertheless, on the dark cheek of the young
nobleman as he strode angrily from the deck.

The moonlight had laid a quivering path of light across the water before
Wildenai raised her bowed head from the ground. But, at length,
drawing her blanket more closely about her, for into the night air the
chill of the ocean had crept, she was about to leave the cave when a
sudden sound from the beach below arrested her. For a moment she
listened in silence while the shout was repeated, then stood dumb with
amazement. A third time it came to her, borne on the rising wind, the
terrified cry of a man in dire distress. Nor was it one of her own people
who thus called out of the darkness for help. Swiftly she ran to an
overhanging ledge of rock from which, by lying flat and peeping over,
she could, without exposing herself, command a wide view of the sea.
At the first glance there appeared to be nothing amiss. Far beneath her
the noisy breakers spilled in liquid silver on the beach. Above their
musical booming no other sound could be heard. Then suddenly she
saw him. A tiny boat it was, tossing dangerously close to the great
rounded boulder which, together with a still larger one from which it
had at some distant time been broken off, formed the outermost
boundary of the curving Beach of Moons. The dark figure standing
erect in the boat strove with the aid of an oar to keep it from being
dashed to pieces against the giant rock. Again there floated up to her
the desperate call for help. The voice was that of the English noble!
Instantly the girl sprang to her feet, and without the slightest hesitation

ran lightly down the perilous incline, leaping fearlessly from rock to
rock, until, within a few seconds, she stood poised above the seething
surf on the top of the larger boulder. Here, balancing herself as easily
and securely as a wild antelope, she raised her arms to dive. But now
from the shadows below the white man called once more.
"Attempt it not, oh Wildenai! 'Tis death to leap from there!"
But without waiting even to reply, the Indian girl sprang into the waves.
An instant later and he saw her arms gleam in the moonlight as, with
the strong slow strokes of an experienced swimmer, she struck out for
the boat. In spite of the perilous rocking of the little craft he rested on
his oar to watch her for a moment in sheer admiration of her skill. But
the maid knew well the danger of every instant's delay. In the very nick
of time she seemed almost to throw herself between him and the rocks
while, with a strength he would have believed impossible in one so
small, she pulled the boat around. Then, still swimming and without a
word to him, she began to push it ahead of her toward the shore. It was
but a few minutes before they stood together on the beach.
And now the young noble, overcome with gratitude, fell on his knees
before her and caught her hand between his own. He would have kissed
it in sheer joy at his escape, but the Indian girl drew sharply back.
"Quick!" she whispered, yet remembering to speak in Spanish, "You
must hide yourself at once. My father will kill you if he should find you
here!"
Swiftly she