The remote blue eyes came back as it were out of the far distance and
found him. There came to Knight an odd, wholly unwonted, sensation of
smallness. He felt curiously like a pigmy disturbing the meditations of
a giant.

Rufus looked at him for several seconds of uninterrupted rowing before,
in his deep, resounding voice, he spoke. "They won't be taking up the
nets for a goodish while yet. We shall be back in time."

"The idea is to give me a run for my money first, eh?" inquired Knight
pleasantly.

He had not anticipated the sudden fall of the red brows that greeted his
words. He felt as if he had inadvertently trodden upon a match.

"No," said Rufus slowly, speaking with a strangely careful accent, as if
his mind were concentrated upon being absolutely intelligible to his
listener. "That was not my idea."

The spirit of adventure awoke in Knight. There was something behind this
granite calmness of demeanour then. He determined to draw it forth, even
though he struck further sparks in the process.

"No?" he said carelessly. "Then why this pleasure trip? Did you bring me
out here just to show me--the 'Pit of the Burning'?"

His eyes were upon the dazzling glory of the newly risen sun as he threw
the question. Rufus's massive head and shoulders were strongly outlined
against it. He had ceased to row, but the boat still shot forward,