"My God!" I cried again, and I rose and felt my way
into the woods with the step of a blind man.
CHAPTER XI
MARY STARLING
I do not know how long I walked, nor where, but the sun dropped some
space. When I returned to the camp, I found the men before me. They
had returned early, empty-handed, and were in an ill humor because the
Englishman was away, and there was nothing done. I commanded Pierre to
build a larger fire than usual, and keep it piled high till I returned.
Then I began a search for footprints.
They were easily found. The young grass crushed at a touch, and it was
child's work to pick out the moccasin track across the meadow. When
the steps reached the beach they were harder to follow. I lost them
for a while, though there were scattered pebbles that would have led me
straight as a homing pigeon, had I been cool enough in mind to have my
eyes and wits as sharp as usual. As it was, I doubled, and squandered
time, until the sun began to loom red near the horizon. And all the
time I was saying to myself, "It is not true. It is not true."
The windings of the track puzzled me. It would go straight into the
forest for a space, then double sharply, and come back to the beach.
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