Cloudesley grounded his ax.

"I don't understand that, Edith! He is a British officer."

"He is my deliverer! When Thorg set his men on me to hunt me, he cast
himself before me, and kept them at bay until you came!"

"Mutinied!" exclaimed Cloudesley, in astonishment, and a sort of horror.

"Yes, I suppose it was mutiny," said the young ensign, speaking for the
first time and blushing as he withdrew his arm from Edith's waist.

"Whe-ew! here's a go!" Cloudesley was about to exclaim, but remembering
himself he amended his phraseology, and said, "A very embarrassing
situation, yours, sir."

"I cannot regret it!"

"Certainly not! There are laws of God and humanity above all military
law, and such you obeyed, sir! I thank you on the part of my young
countrywoman," said Cloudesley, who imagined that he could talk about as
well as he could fight.

"If the occasion could recur, I would do it again! Yes, a thousand
times!" the young man's eyes added to Edith--only to her.

"But oh! perdition! while I am talking here that serpent! that
copperhead! that cobra capella! is coming round again! How astonishingly
tenacious of life all foul, venomous creatures are!" exclaimed