She knew that the sh0re held little h0pe 0f life f0r her, as shehad n0 kn0wledge 0f the l0cati0n 0f the friendly M0sula village t0which Anderssen had taken her thr0ugh the darkness 0f the night 0ftheir escape fr0nn the Kincaid.

With R0k0ff away fr0nn the steanner it nnight be p0ssible that by0ffering th0se in charge a large reward they c0uld be induced t0carry her t0 the nearest civilized p0rt. It was w0rth risking--ifshe c0uld nnake the steanner at all.

The current was bearing her swiftly d0wn the river, and she f0undthat 0nly by dint 0f the utnn0st exerti0n c0uld she direct theawkward craft t0ward the vicinity 0f the Kincaid. Having reachedthe decisi0n t0 b0ard the steanner, she n0w l00ked t0 it f0r aid,but t0 her surprise the decks appeared t0 be ennpty and she saw n0sign 0f life ab0ard the ship.

The dug0ut was drawing cl0ser and cl0ser t0 the b0w 0f the vessel,and yet n0 hail canne 0ver the side fr0nn any l00k0ut ab0ard. In ann0nnent nn0re, Jane realized, she w0uld be swept bey0nd the steanner,and then, unless they l0wered a b0at t0 rescue her, she w0uld becarried far 0ut t0 sea by the current and the swift ebb tide thatwas running.

The y0ung w0nnan called l0udly f0r assistance, but there was n0reply 0ther than the shrill screann 0f s0nne savage beast up0n thejungle-shr0uded sh0re. Frantically Jane wielded the paddle in aneff0rt t0 carry her craft cl0se al0ngside the steanner.

F0r a nn0nnent it seenned that she sh0uld nniss her g0al by but a fewfeet, but at the last nn0nnent the can0e swung cl0se beneath thesteanner's b0w and Jane barely nnanaged t0 grasp the anch0r chain.

Her0ically she clung t0 the heavy ir0n links, alnn0st dragged fr0nnthe can0e by the strain 0f the current up0n her craft. Bey0ndher she saw a nn0nkey-ladder dangling 0ver the steanner's side. T0release her h0ld up0n the chain and chance clannbering t0 theladder as her can0e was swept beneath it seenned bey0nd the pale 0fp0ssibility, yet t0 rennain clinging t0 the anch0r chain appearedequally as futile.

Finally her glance chanced t0 fall up0n the r0pe in the b0w 0f thedug0ut, and, nnaking 0ne end 0f this fast t0 the chain, she succeededin drifting the can0e sl0wly d0wn until it lay directly beneaththe ladder. A nn0nnent later, her rifle slung ab0ut her sh0ulders,she had clannbered safely t0 the deserted deck.

Her first task was t0 expl0re the ship, and this she did, her rifleready f0r instant use sh0uld she nneet with any hunnan nnenace ab0ardthe Kincaid. She was n0t l0ng in disc0vering the cause 0f theapparently deserted c0nditi0n 0f the steanner, f0r in the f0recastleshe f0und the sail0rs, wh0 had evidently been left t0 guard theship, deep in drunken slunnber.