“Am I a trespasser?” she asked coldly.

“I beg your pardon,” he said quickly.  “I did not mean to offend.  Don’t you know that it is not safe for you to—­”

“Nonsense!” she exclaimed.  “I am not afraid of your shadows.  Why should they disturb me?”

“Look!” He pointed to the distant assemblage.  “Those are not shadows.  They are men and they are making ready to transform themselves into beasts.  Before long they will strike.  Von Blitz and Rasula have sunk my warships.  You must understand that it is dangerous to leave the chateau on such rides as this.  Come!  We will start back together—­at once.”

“I protest, Mr. Chase, that you have no right to say what I shall do or—­”

“It isn’t a question of right.  You are nearly ten miles from the chateau, in the most unfrequented part of the island.  Some day you will not return to your friends.  It will be too late to hunt for you then.”

“How very thrilling!” she said with a laugh.

“I beg of you, do not treat it so lightly,” he said, so sharply that she flushed.  He was looking intently in the direction of the men.  She was not slow to see that their position had been discovered by the miners.  “They have seen us,” he said briefly.  “It is quite possible that they do not mean to do anything desperate at this time, but you can readily see that they will resent this proof of spying on our part.  They mistake me for one of the men from the chateau.  Will you come with me now?”

“It seems so absurd—­but I will come, of course.  I have no desire to cause you any uneasiness.”

As they rode swiftly back to the tree-lined road, a faint chorus of yells came to them across the valley.  For some distance they rode without speaking a word to each other.  They had traversed two miles of the soft dirt road before Chase discovered that Selim was the only man following them.  The two men who had come out with the Princess were not in sight.  He mentioned the fact to her, with a peculiar smile on his lips.  They slackened the pace and Chase called Selim up from behind.  The little Arab’s face was a study in its display of unwonted emotion.

“Excellency,” he replied, in answer to Chase’s question, his voice trembling with excitement, “they left me at the bend, a mile back.  They will not return to the chateau.”

“The dogs!  So, you see, Princess, your escort was not to be trusted,” said Chase grimly.

“But they have stolen the horses,” she murmured irrelevantly.  “They belong to the chateau stables.”

“Which direction did they take, Selim?”

“They rode off by the Carter’s highway, Excellency, toward Aratat.”

“It may not appeal to your vanity, your Highness, but it is my duty to inform you that they have gone to report our clandestine meeting.”

“Clandestine!  What do you mean, sir?”

“The islanders are watching me like hawks.  Every time I am seen with any one from the chateau, they add a fresh nail to the coffin they are preparing for me.  It’s really more serious than you imagine.  I must, therefore, forbid you to ride outside of the park.”