was leaking so badly that she couldn't
keep afloat but a wee bit longer; and we
had a verra rough time until we were picked
up."

A rough time, indeed, typified by the
wildly driven little canoes--the most
primitive form of the boat--tossed upon
stiff water-hills, brooding above them the
quaint, corkscrew figure, with the eye in
its head, of Ta-te, the tempest.

Somehow, this eye--the spying wind's
eye--haunted Pemrose that night, curled
up in a previous suggestion of the Guardian's
which, momentarily, had twisted itself,
snake-like, around her heart.

Suppose Ta-te should prove cruel to her,
as to Jennie whom she had eventually
spared! Suppose, on the great night of
the first experiment with Toandoah's little
rocket, Ta-te, jealous of a rival in the small
Thunder Bird which could out-soar all the
winds of Earth--out-soar even the air,
their cradle--should meanly seize upon
the black, silk parachute, light as soot,
[[184]]

p183 _ -chap- _ toc-1 _ p184w _ toc-2 _ +chap+ _ p185

v?