“I am well, I am well,” he muttered hastily, with a troubled and half-ashamed look; “saved by the Queen, you say, Blancha, and at the risk of her life?”
“Did not Blancha say so?” she replied in a low voice, with just a shade of envy therein. It would have made her happy indeed to have acted as Aniwee had done.
Graviel hardly heeded her, however, for he had caught the distant sound of voices lower down, and started at once to gain the spot whence they came. But he had miscalculated his strength, for dizziness gathered across his eyes as he did so, and he tottered forward. He would assuredly have fallen with force to the ground, had not Blancha sprung forward and supported him.
“Lean on Blancha,” she said gently, “and we will walk slowly to where the Queen is. Graviel, you were hard hit, and the mists have not yet passed from your brain. Lean on Blancha.”
She put her arm round his waist, and he laid his right hand heavily on her shoulder, and in this wise they descended a steep slope, until they came upon the whole party standing on the edge of the cliffs which overlooked the river, just at the mouth of the great gold mine of Or. Then Graviel started forward and threw himself at Aniwee’s feet.
“Didst not thou, great Queen, risk thy life for Graviel?” he cried gratefully; “and shall Graviel ever forget it?”
“It was nothing,” answered Aniwee quietly, as she motioned him to rise. “I dared to save you; simply what you dared, in order to die beside your Queen. But the Great Gualichu was merciful, and we are both safe.”
At this moment the head and shoulders of Harry appeared on the ledge of the cliff. He had been let down its face to the raft, in order to send aloft the things packed thereon, and was now on the point of being safely drawn up himself. The heat was stifling, and his face was very red.
“I am hot, and no mistake!” he exclaimed, as he regained his feet.
As he spoke the earth began to tremble once more under the feet of every one, who, instinctively rushing back from the edge of the precipice, threw themselves upon the ground. Almost immediately afterwards a heavy fall of rock resounded, followed by a tremendous crash, a rush, and a dull thud. The ground rippled yet a while, and then grew still.