I scarcely know what I hoped to accomplish by such a move, yet helpful circumstances are apt to develop when one attempts boldly to do his own part the best he may.  It was in blind faith I crept forward through the dry grass, drawing ever closer toward that beckoning light.  It was a long journey and a slow one, as the tribe would guard vigilantly the dwelling-place of their Queen.  At every rustle in the grass, every flap of wing overhead, I paused, listening to the pounding of my heart.

I clasped closely in one hand the knife, my sole weapon of defence, and, as my eyes became accustomed to the gloom and could distinguish some things more clearly, I paused often, with uplifted head, to study some indistinct object in the darkness.  Thus advancing inch by inch, avoiding with care the least rustling of dry grass, I wriggled snake-like forward, until I began breasting the steeper incline of the mound, its summit now outlined against the lighter space of overarching sky.

All my rage deserted me when again in the open, actually attempting to achieve a purpose.  My brain cleared as by magic, every nerve steadying itself to meet whatsoever peril might be lurking along the path.  Half-way up the mound I lay close to the earth, peering steadily through the gloom.  There was no cover to crouch behind, the slope being totally bare of vegetation except for the short, dry grass, yet I felt reasonably secure from observation unless I entered that bar of light.  Unable to do more than guess, I concluded that the single flame, splitting the night like the shining blade of a sword, came from the northern compartment, while the southern half remained wrapped in silent darkness.  Outwardly this Queen’s residence was constructed much like the building used by the priests as a temple.  In the latter I recalled two entrances opening respectively toward east and west.  Were a partition run between, as in this private dwelling, the eastern door would open into the southern apartment.  It was the west door through which the light streamed, and, daring approach it no closer, my only recourse lay in trying my fortune on the opposite side.

I began a winding advance along the sloping side of the hill, but sank suddenly to earth as a spectral figure moved forth from the darkness, stood a moment in the bright glare, and then strode past, vanishing within the gloom like a shadow.  It was an Indian, spear in hand, one of the body-guard of the Queen.  With renewed caution, my imminent danger being manifest, I barely lifted my head from the level of the grass, and began to work onward, reaching out until I got firm grasp on a bunch of grass, then drawing my body forward the full extent of my arms.  The progress was slow, involving much labor, and it required a full half-hour to attain the other side of the mound.  I could now look above, perceiving nothing except the black shadow of the house.  If Eloise was within, and if this door led to her prison, it was