THE LONG PORTAGE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 15047, 17 July 1912, Page 12

THE LONG PORTAGE.

5 BY HAROLD BINDLOSS. . Author o: " For Love and Honour," " A. Wide f Dominion," .'" Bis Advcrimify's Daughter," B "Tha Kingdom of Courage," "The ntktress of Bonaveuture," etc ,'■' COPYRIGHT, I CHAPTER XXlX—(Continued). * " Ik a way the anxiety Lisle and the " rest have shown to ibid iDteenc-0 is flatter- } ing," sdie began, expressing part of her j thoughts. "I wonder if -Jim had got lost, t if they'd all have <goi:ie i off In such a r hurry?" . ' » '" Your brother knows the btißh," said J Millicent, hiding her lean's. I Bella did not respond to this. She had > decided that Miuiceut must not be allowed t to marry Gladwyne, but she could not I bring herself to denounce the man. If that ' must be done somebody else would have f to undertake the took. At the same time, i she felt it incumbent on her .to gi v « the * girl some warning, or, at least, to find out I. | how -far her confidence to the man werit, ; in order to determine how advice could ( best be offered. , " I wonder if you feel quite : aure you ►. will be happy with Clarence?" she ven--1 tured. " You have provoked the retort—were ' you convinced you would be happy with Arthur Carew when you made up your i mind to marry him so suddenly ? ' Bella's smile expressed forbearance. It '; was getting dark, but she con) I see the hot flush in her companion's checks and the sparkle in her eves. Neither wsfi encouraging, but Bella was not easily dannted, and. die felt that her pemsu-nce wM-'mljy. w« rHoriows. vnnsMwmg ih*t iU»W M«uj MiKicent had never been cordial to her. : " Perhaps id better answer,' she -<aid. "I was sure of Arthur, and that means a good deal more Lhaii Hint I know he was in lava with me—l don't suppose you heard that he'd proposed to me before?" : \ ' . ■ .' " Why didn't you take him then ? Mil-. licejnt asked, coldly. " Remember, .you have justified my being personal."* ; -. V Bella grew rather hot—-when Carew had made Ms first Offer she had been in eager pursuit of Gladwyne—but she sternly suppressed a desire to retaliate, ( "I don't think we need go jnto that,' she replied. " As I said, I wiw aure of Arthur—l knew his character, knew he was better than I am, that he could be depended on. He's the kind of man one ia safe with; I felt that the more I saw of, him the more I could trust him. Perhaps the feeling's a safer guide than passion-r----it stands longer wear—and now 1 1 know that every day I'm getting to like him better."'■ ' ' ■ ■•■■■■ Her voice dropped to a tendeE note, and Millicent felt a little; astonished and ashamed of her harshness. This was a new Bella., one in whose existence she could hardly have believed. ,',.. . "I haven't quite finished, though I don't often talk like this," the latter went on. "I feel that without the confidence I've tried to describe marriage must be a terrible risk-—one might find such ugly qualities in the man, even defects you could forgive beforehand would become so much worse when you had to suffer because of them. Of course,'one can't expect perfection, but I know now there ought to be something—call it what yo-»t will, honour, a good heart, a generous mind—that one call rely upon as a sure foundations When you have that you can" build, and even then the building mayn t be easy." She paused before she added.* **My dear, I'm happier than I dare say I deserve to be; I have chosen wisely." Nothing more was said. for * a few; minutes, but Bella, studying her companion's face, was moreor less content, Millicent's faith in Clarence was weak;, she was forcing herself to believe in hin% it might be possible to make her see heii lover in his true character, though Bella had not yet determined on the exact courser she would adopt. Then Carew called from the camp and she went back, while Milhcent sat still in the gathering dusk with grave doubts in her heaft. Bella's faith in her was warranted, and Millicent was enough of an optimist to believe that such men were not was Lisle, for example/ and Nasmyth. With them one would undoubtedly have somethinjg to buud a happy and profitable life upon—but what could be done with one in whom there was no foundation, only the shifting sands of impulses, or| perhaps, unsounded depths of weakness over which the painfully-raised edifice might crumble? Then she strove to convince herself that she was becoming wickedlv hypercritical, thinking treasonably of *her lover, particularly in contrasting him with her guide. There miist be no more of the latter, and by and by she rose and walked back to her tent with a resolution that cost her an effort. In the meanwhile Liale and Nasmyth were pushing on as fast.as possible along the stony summit of the ridge. There Was moonlight, which made it a little easier, but they stumbled ..every, now-and then, and more than once badly bruised their knees and shins. Here and there they were forced to descend ibs sides of a gully and on reaching the bottom plunge into water, and once they had to scramble some distance shut in by the rocks before they could find a means of .ascending. Still, they were hard and inured |o fatigue I and they never slackened the pace, while when striding along a stretch of smoother ground Nasmyth gathered breath to speak. "We were"easSy taken in, though the thing was cunningly planned," he said. '* Gladwyne took the packer With him and headed back at first, towards the country we had left, to divert suspicion,' It would be easy enough to lose the man and turn down stream again, and that he intended something of the kind "is proved by his taking so much Mood with him. No doubt, he'd sooner have avoided doing so/ in case it looked suspicious, but he's had one hungry march over - the. same .ground, and I expect it was quite enough. Besides, he could defy us once he'd emptied and obliterated the cache." " You understand the way your people's mbida wo'rk better than I do," Lisle-said drily. * Nasmyth broke into a smile. "Well," he said, "we're rather sldw to" admit anyI thing that tells against us as a class, more particularly to outsiders, whatever we may think of it individually. ' What's more to the point, I've, an idea that Millicent might believe < it her duty to stick closer to Clarence because of any merely damaging tale. She would never allow herself or anybody else to credit it, had absolutely convincing proof." * "Yes," said. Lisle, "I guess you're . right. That's precisely why we have got to reach the depot first." A thicket of thorny canes barred his way, but he went straight at the midst of it and struggled through, savagely smashing, and rending down the .brush. The ' clothes he had borrowed from Carew. looked considerably the worse for wear when he came out, and then he recklessly leaped across a dark cleft, the bottom of which he could not see. By .and by uiey left-the ridge and headed away from, the river, which flowed round a Wide curve, and towards dawn they were brought up , by a wide and apparently precipitous ravine. The roar of water rose up '• hoarsely from its depths, but the moon ' was getting low and the silvery light did i not reach far down the opposite side. It , however, revealed a sheer, smooth wall of ! rock that looked utterly unclimbable, and the width of the chasm rendered any at- « tempt to jump it out of the question. ! "No way: of getting, across here," said < Lisle. " I expect Gladwyne's held up on S the same side as we are. We'll follow the j canon; downstream, I think." The moonlight was getting dimmer, but, i at some risk of falling into the rift, he pushed on along the brink, looking, dowh. as he went. "He could see no means of descending, but at length, when rocks and trees were ■ getting blacker • and a, little more distinct in the chilly dawn, he made, out a fallen trunk with broken branches ' lying upon a tall fang of rock below. -'' : "It looks as if that log had fallen right • across," he said. " Have you got a ' match?" ' , .... < Nasmyth, who had brought a few care- t fully treasured! wax'matches with him, - 1 lighted one. It was very still, except for ( J.fio roar of the hidden, torrent* and jbh© i

pale flame burned steadilv in the motion's cold air. U slw>w«. a «npk of hoilow* w.l«re hwd J*«ric,l ."lose i> tho Biko flf the v'm, and oiu> of twe fvprfj » . ? i K Lrin of root Lisit storpeu down «ln»&> fw"; „ . ... . " Hold the light lower, 5 ' he said sharply. "It's as 1 suspected—this is where ' Gladwyne got across, though he has better nerves than I thought he had. The broken end of n branch oi two rested right here, and once he'd crawled over he was smart enough to heave the butt off the other bank^:.Jodks to rhe m if it had-broken off the stump yonder. Guess-there 11 be light enough to search for a way across m hall an hour." ; ... . . ; . , Sitting down ho, filled his pipe, and by and by raised one liaiid as-if listening.; For a while Nasmyth, who was shivering,;, could hear nothing except the roar of water. There was not a sound that he could catch in. the thin straggling bush behind them where a few trails of mist were stretched athwart the- trees. Then he started as a faint crackling and snapping' began somewhere iu the distance. By degrees it grew louder"Can it be a bear?" he asked. > " No," said Lisle shortly ; " it's a man." Nasmvlh was somewhat astonished. They had not seen a human being except hthose of their party for a long while, and | it seemed strange that they should come .across one now in the early dawn in- those remote wilds. He listened while the crackling drew nearer, and then eaid diffidently, "He's wearing boots.", "yes," said Lisle "he's making a good deal more noise than a boshman." The sound steadily approached them, and Nasmyth, who found something mysterious and rather efcrie in it, was on the whole relieved when a dark figure materialised among the v on* elosf I~\. He could barely sea.'jt; int Lirfe called out: "What has b'rouffbt vou n our trail, Bat ley f ■■ The man «-nif< tov/-irds them &nd *nx rh-.sMi with 'i bivdhksd lau;ih « VOUT,»,mil hot fll.idwju-'rt 1 woo niie.Mitorl in. uid ' win t .«ay I succeeded in lollow-h-.r, that," he replied. "I merely pushed on, roughly level with the river, until I struck tliis canon, and aa I couldn't get across I followed it up." _ , " You're-' ; not easily scai-ed," said Lisle. "You might have got lost. Guess you had some-motive that made you take the ■risk."., ■' .. ': : ' ; • ■' ' I

"I felt pretty- safe; I knew I could i strike the river, if it was necessary. At j the same time, you were right about the j motiVe-t-in fact, there's no use in trying to hide it. I may as well confess that I'd sooner keep Gladwyne in sight." "Out of regard for his welfare?" Nasmvth broke in. - . J Batley laughed. "Not altogether. 'Ihe fact -i'S his's carrying a good deal of my ;money;":;';, : . "One would have unagihed that you'd have had him well insured." "That's quite correct. If he cam© to grief in England, I Bhouldn't anticipate any trouble, but it might hp different if he met with a fatal accident here, and, everything considered, I'd sooner avoid complications with the insurance comBanies, The details of; the case are a little but of the usual.* Now I've been Candid do you feel inclined to reciproI rate?" " Not in the least," Lisle said shortly. ! "I'm hot sure I even sympathise, but 'Since you've turned up you'll have to stick \ : to us. I; don't want to waste , tiine in heading another eearch party, and 'this is the land of country a stranger is very likely to break his leg in. As soon ; ae there's a little more light we'll try to get across the canon." "Thanks for the permission," said Batley, lighting a cigar. "It seems to me there's a difficult climb in front of us." , CHAPTER XXX. 1 " THK -END' OK ,TBE ■I'tTRSPIT... ". '■'.'' By degrees the light got clearer; the scattered black, cedars grew into definite form, and a strip of foaming water showed in the depths oi tho chasm. Lisle walked some distance along the e;dge searching for an easier jilace to- cross, but the rocks were almost sntooth and .perpendicular..' except ; where they-overhung the torrent, and Re came ._baek to where the others were sitting. In the meanwhile they'had been joined by Crestwick, who briefly explaißed that having set out on theii* trail he had been stepped by tho canon, which he had, followed; up until it led him to ■■them. "It looks worse; farther along; we'll have to try it here/'" Lisle said' to Nasmyth. "'Can you get down?" ■ theiift. It ! Was, lie thought, nearly 60ft in depth, but part of the -bank oh which he stood had slipped dowii' into the etream, leaving an uneven. surface by mentis of which an agile mail might, descend. ' A tall" slab of rock, evidently part of the fallen mass, rose in a pinnacle fw>rh the water, and on the top Of* it rested the branches of the tree that Gladwyne had used as a bridge and had afterwards dislodged. The rock behind it on the opposite bank, was absolutely .smooth,, but the thicker end of the log, which had falleii against the face, reached to; within ■; about nine feet from the sutairiit. ' : ' ■•-".':■:■- "■'■'■'■ .; : : : ,:-: '' '■' ''' ' " Yes," he said, -answering Lisie's question, "but I'm very doubtful if I could get up the other side. The last bit looke particularly awkward; there's l an outward; bulge juet .beneath the top." ; .^ "Wo might manage it by giving the leader a lift, if we got bo far," Batley suggested, pointing to the sharp slab that rose .above the stream. "I think that rock—• I mean the pike yonder—-would go." "You think it would go?" said Nasmyth meaningly. "Aren't you mixing idioms? Pike's what We'd say round Wasdale, and the last expression's not uncommon about Xerniatt." ;_, ;'.-' : ;..:..V. : ;.'':' ; '■,-'■■.'..', '■::'.■ ' ';:"I'll own "that I've-done some rock work in both districts, though I was thinner then,," said Batley, smiling. "But I've anidea that time's precious to our leader." He .lowered himself over tho edge, and finding foothold, went down cautiously by crack and fissure, while the others followed With some trouble. Alighting waist-deep in a frothing rush of water, he was driven fpr a lew: yards; downstream, and it was .only by seeking, the support of the rock on the other side he slov/ly made head against the torrent. Lisle joined him when he reached the foot of the pinnacle, where they stopped to gather breath with a thin shower of spray whirling about them. The light was still dim down in the bottom of the rift, and the mass of rock ran up above them, shadowy, black, and on its face almost smooth.

Wasting no time in examination, Lisle flung himself upon it. Becking for a grip with elbows ant! knees, and he ascended a yard or two before he lost hold and ©lipping down fell with a splash into the stream;. "I didn't think you'd manage it that way," Batley remarked. "The edge appears a little more promising." He went up, with Lisle following, finding hold for knees and fingers, while Nas-, myth and Crestwick, panting heavily, encouraged one another, below. Oh reaching the top of the pinnacle, Batley, who lay upon it, gave Lisle his hand, and when he had drawn him up pointed to the tree. " I'll go first, for reason that will become apparent later," he remarked. " Hold on to the log; it doesn't seem firmly fixed." The tree was small and when Lisle shook it the butt moved against the rock face, which was divided, by a wide gap from the top of the fallen mass. The others, clinging to crevices below, felt a strong inward shrinking as they looked up at the very insecure ladder. Batley, who was heavy, ascended' cautiously while Lisle leaned upon the log to, steady it; and then, after calling-Nasmyth to take his place, he went up in turn. When he was .near the top, it looked as if their progress must abruptly cea.ee., The butt though split, was narrowj and the summit of the rock above ,it projected somewhat. There was not the smallest knob or crevice on which one could "grasp, and below them in the shadowy rift the torrent boiled imiously among massy stones. It was not a place to slip in. '. ' J

(To be continued on.Saturday next.)