"He maka small of my wife!

The Cliff-Maka Scheme XVI

"If the cramp in this leg had kept off five minutes longer," he said, "I would have reached that big hole, and then, if I could have climbed over the top of the rocks, I could have come down on the other side to the front door, and asked Maka to get me my clothes, so I would not have had to swim back at all."

It was late that afternoon when Captain Horn, with Ralph and the two ladies, were standing on the rocks in the inner apartment, trying to persuade themselves that they were having a cosey cup of tea together, when suddenly a scrambling sound of footsteps was heard, and Maka dashed through the two adjoining apartments and appeared before them.

Maka, who was in a state of great excitement, and seemed unable to speak, gasped out the one word, "Gone!" "What do you mean?" cried the captain.

Maka ran back toward the passage, and pointed inward.

Of course, it was of no use to go to look for him, and the captain had put down his gun, and was just about to turn to speak to the others, when Maka seized him by the coat.

Maka was about to climb over the rocky partition which divided the passage, but the captain stopped him.

And if Maka has come to his senses, perhaps he can tell us something.

But Maka had very little to tell.

Of course, during the darkness which would soon prevail there was no reason to expect a rear attack, and the captain satisfied himself with leaving Mok at his former post, with instructions to give the alarm if he heard the slightest sound, and put Maka, as before, in the outer passage.

" "It is too bad," said the captain, and then, listening for a moment, he said: "I truly believe that Maka is snoring, too, and as for that black fellow over there, I suspect that he sleeps all the time.

As soon as he was able to discern objects outside the opening on the plateau, he awoke Maka, and, leaving him on guard, he made his way to the lake cavern.

Instantly the captain turned and dashed into the passage, and, leaping over the barrier, found Maka standing near the entrance.

The captain, however, made them keep back, while he and Maka, on their hands and knees, crawled toward the outer opening.

From this point one could see over the plateau, and the uneven ground beyond, down to the beach and the sea; but there was still so little light upon this western slope that at first the captain could not see anything noticeable in the direction in which Maka was pointing.

"Sit here," said the captain to Maka, and then, with his gun in his hand, he rushed back to the rest of the party.

If I could trust Maka to load a gun, I would have a better chance, but if I could pick off two, or even one, that might stop the others and give me time to reload.

And then, as concisely as possible, he related to her Maka's anxiety in regard to the boss question, and his method of disposing of the difficulty, and afterwards Mrs. Cliff's anxiety about the property, in case of accident to himself, and her method of meeting the contingency.

"Now I will go talk to Maka and Cheditafa," he said.

" CHAPTER XVII "A FINE THING, NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS" After the noonday meal, on the day of Captain Horn's departure, Mrs. Cliff went apart with Maka and Cheditafa, and there endeavored to find out, as best she might, the ideas and methods of the latter in regard to the matrimonial service.

"I sick," said Maka.

And then, struck by a sudden thought, he asked, "Are you afraid that you have got to go into that cave?" "Yes, sir," said Maka, who had risen to his feet.

" The pupils of Maka's eyes, which had been turned up nearly out of sight, were now lowered.

With the exception of Maka, he was the most intelligent negro among the captain's crew, and he had picked up some words of English and some of Spanish.