Part 34 (1/2)

”I aratefully ”Let us go on”

And that the strength in iven her confidence, filled eoning in me, over-civilizeddays and forest nights of otten ancestry I had ht as ent along the path between the jostling harems

A quarter of abulls, living out the loneliness of their bachelorhood and gathering strength against the day when they would fight their way into the ranks of the Benedicts

Everything noent smoothly I see threatening gestures withthe lazy ones, I quickly cut out a score of the young bachelors from their companions Whenever one made an attempt to break back toward the water, I headed it off Maud took an active part in the drive, and with her cries and flourishi+ngs of the broken oar was of considerable assistance I noticed, though, that whenever one looked tired and lagged, she let it slip past But I noticed, also, whenever one, with a show of fight, tried to break past, that her eyes glinted and showed bright, and she rapped it s!” she cried, pausing from sheer weakness ”I think I'll sit down”

I drove the little herd (a dozen strong, nohat of the escapes she had permitted) a hundred yards farther on; and by the tiinning to skin An hour later ent proudly back along the path between the hareain we caht we had enough to roof the hut I set the sail, laid one tack out of the cove, and on the other tack made our own little inner cove

”It's just like ho,” Maud said, as I ran the boat ashore

I heard her words with a responsive thrill, it was all so dearly intih I have lived this life always The world of books and bookish folk is very vague, more like a dream memory than an actuality I surely have hunted and forayed and fought all the days of my life And you, too, see, ” the hardshi+p well”

But her ear had caught the flaw She recognized a flight that ave -?”

”That the Ae and living it quite successfully,” I said easily

”Oh,” was all she replied; but I could have sworn there was a note of disappoint in my head for the rest of the day and for ht, as I watched her draw back the blanket ofin me, for the old words, so bound up with the roots of the race, to grip rip and thrill they did, till I fell asleep, ain

CHAPTER xxxI

”It will smell,” I said, ”but it will keep in the heat and keep out the rain and snow”

We were surveying the completed seal-skin roof

”It is clu,” I went on, yearning for her praise

And she clapped her hands and declared that she was hugely pleased

”But it is dark in here,” she said the nextwith a little involuntary shi+ver

”Youup,” I said ”It was for you, and you should have seen the need of a ”

”But I never do see the obvious, you know,” she laughed back ”And besides, you can knock a hole in the wall at any tiht of it,” I replied, wagging lass? Just call up the firm,-Red, 4451, I think it is,-and tell thelass you wish”