Meantime the little child had forgot her loss in her interest in the
bullock cart with its grotesque lure; and she climbed into the cart
just as Kathlyn appeared, followed by the excited leopard. She saw the
child and snatched her instinctively from the cart. The leopard leaped
into the cart at the rear, while Kathlyn ran toward the chief's hut,
into which she staggered without the formality of announcing her advent.
The father of the child had no need to question, though he marveled at
the white skin and dress of this visitor, who had doubtless saved his
child from death. He flung the door shut and dropped the bar. Next he
sought his gun and fired through a crack in the door. He missed; but
the noise and smoke frightened the leopard away.
And later, Bruce, wild with the anxiety over the disappearance of
Kathlyn, came across the chief battling for his life. He had gone
forth to hunt the leopard, and the leopard had hunted him. Bruce dared
not fire, for fear of killing the man; so without hesitance or fear he
caught the leopard by the back of the neck and by a hind leg and swung
her into the sea.
The chief was severely mauled, but he was able to get to his feet and
walk. The white woman had saved his child and the white man had saved
him. He would remember.
Thus the leopard quite innocently served a purpose, for all her deadly
intentions; the chief was filled with gratitude.
When the colonel and the others came into view the former seized
Kathlyn by the shoulders and shook her hysterically.
"In God's name, Kit, don't you know any better than to wander off
alone? Do you want to drive me mad?"
"Why, father, I wasn't afraid!"
"Afraid? Who said anything about your being afraid? Didn't you know
that we were being followed? It is Umballa! Ah! that gives you a
start!"
"Colonel!" said Bruce gently.
"I know, Bruce, I sound harsh. But you were tearing your hair, too."
"Forgive me," cried Kathlyn, penitent, for she knew she had done wrong.
"I did not think. But Umballa?"
"Yes, Umballa. One of the keepers found a knife by that bridge, and
Ramabai identified it as belonging to Umballa. Whether he is alone or
with many, I do not know; but this I do know: we must under no
circumstances become separated again. Now, I'm going to quiz the
chief."
But the chief said that no person described had passed or been seen.
No one but a holy man had come that morning, and he had gone to the
island in the sloop.
"For what?"
The chief smiled, but shook his head.
"Was it not a basket of gold and precious stones?" demanded the colonel.