Through the trees, coming up now, were two more of the ill-featured party, a swart, squat Italian, and just at his heels a ragged scarecrow of a man named Brail.

It was Brail who came close enough to stoop over the fallen man.

By Benny stood that scarecrow of a man, Brail.

The Italian caught an arm, and as they dragged him half-fainting toward the fire, Brail struck at him with a heavy boot.

Brail, the Italian, Steve Jarroldall rushed forward and snatched up bits of the ore that had rolled from the sack; one of them shouted in wonder; another seized the nugget from his hands; they all talked at once; Benny squealed in high rage as Jarrold shoved him backward; the Italian trod in the fire and cursed and kicked at it savagely, sending burning brands in all directions.

" "And you, Brail?

" Brail and Tony, like the others before them, were quick to excuse Brodie's act.

Brodie and Benny had given over their whispering and came back to the fire, where Brail and the Italian looked up at them sharply.

Only Brail still clung to his gun; if he should set it asideif there should come a moment when she could slip to the cave's mouthin the outside dark, despite the deep snow, she would at least have a chance to escape from them.

Brail and the Italian said little; they were men to follow where other men led.

Beyond him she saw Jarrold squatting by the fire; Brail leaning on his rifle, guarding the entrance; Benny and the Italian lounging in the shadows.

It was Brail who first understood, Brail the one man with a gun in his hands.

It was Brail who first understood, Brail the one man with a gun in his hands.

Brail sagged where he stood, crumpled and pitched forward, his rifle clattering loudly against the rocks.

They were upon him before Brail's head had struck the ground.

She sought the wound Brail's bullet had made and found it in his side.

Brail up the mainsail, and let her go As the winds will and Saint Antonio!

His hardest duty was supposed to be shinning up the ratlin to "reef," or "brail up," or "splice the mainbrace," or do some other of those mysterious things that caused him to look so mythical to the minds of land-lubbers and the simple-hearted kind of women that used to be, but now no longer are.

In her present situation, too, the jigger, which was brailed, and hung festooned from its light yard, ready for use, should occasion suddenly demand it, added singularly to the smart air which everything wore about this craft, giving her, in the seaman's eyes, that particularly knowing and suspicious look which had awakened 'Maso's distrust.

There, indeed, was the lugger, under her foresail and mainsail, with the jigger brailed, coming down wing-and-wing, and glancing along the glittering sea like the duck sailing toward her nest.

Half an hour later he directed the foresail to be brailed, brought his jigger-sheet in flat, put his helm hard down, and hauled the jib-sheet to windward.

Her jib and jigger were both brailed at that instant.

The frigate, too, seemed to be aware that it was the moment for the siesta of vessels as well as of men; for she clewed up her royals and topgallant-sails, brailed her jib and spanker, hauled up her courses, and lay on the water as motionless as if sticking on a shoal.

This compartment contained six Norcross-Brail engines, each capable of developing 1,150 H.P.

For a few moments he lay there, half dreamily listening to the deep bass hum of the propellers, the slight give and play of the air-liner as she shuddered under the powerful drive of her Norcross-Brail engines.