The man had forgotten his danger in his greater concern for Elaine. He reached her side before he confronted the jungle beast, who still remained undecided. Slowly then, deliberately, the malignant animal, superb not only in his strength and splendid proportions, but also in his arrogance, his indifference to man, the master butcher of the world, ran out his tongue to lick his chops, stretched his terrible mouth in a fang-revealing yawn, and trod his way into the thicket. The fruits she had gathered were scattered all about as Grenville lifted Elaine in his arms and carried her up the steep ascent. Not having actually swooned, she had fairly begun to revive once more before he reached the cave. When he placed her down on a heap of half-dried grass she had thrown together while awaiting his return, a faint tinge of color was returning to her face, and her eyes dimly focused upon him. "You've worked too much, that's what it means," he said. "You see you're tired." "I'm--sorry," she faltered, faintly. "I really--didn't mean to be--so weak." "Never mind," he said. "I'll kill the brute. His skin is certainly a beauty." With the utmost apparent indifference to Elaine's recovery, he went at once to the clearing for the bits of old junk he had dropped. When he returned, his mind was still on the tiger. "We've got to live--move about--and not be annoyed," he said. "If I had a single rifle! But I'll get him somehow, soon!" Elaine still remained upon the hay. "If he doesn't get us sooner," she replied, a little grimly, but not as one in fear. "I shall wall up the trail," mused Grenville, aloud, looking about at the quantity of rock so readily afforded. "That much I can do this afternoon." She sat up a bit more sturdily. "I dropped our luncheon, I suppose.... I hope to do better, later on, when I get more used to conditions." She was mortified to think he had been thus promptly obliged to carry her "home" in his arms. "You are doing fairly well," he said, in his off-hand manner. "We shall soon be all right. It's a fine and tight little island." Her one idea was to get away as soon as possible. "Shouldn't we put up a flag, or something, in case a steamer should happen to be passing?" "As soon as I can cut a long bamboo. I must have both tools and fire as promptly as possible." "You must be hungry," she remarked, arising rather weakly and going to the end of her cave, where all the water that remained in the half of the paw-paw shell had been carefully stored, in Grenville's absence. Then, emerging with her burden, she added, "I meant to have your luncheon ready, but we have almost nothing left." "All that you gathered was left by the tiger," he answered, cheerfully. "The beast prefers more solid diet." Once more descending the trail, he presently returned with the fruits that had fallen from her arms. They ate, as before, in the shade of her cave, for the sun on the rocks was becoming hot.