As for the effort entailed by his forlorn burden he
did not give a thought to it until Marcel indicated that he must stand
fast. The Brazilian went on, leaving Hozier breathless. Evidently he
went to warn the inhabitants of a wretched hut, suddenly visible in the
midst of a patch of maize and cassava, that there were those at hand
who needed shelter.
A dog barked--Marcel whistled softly, and the animal began to whimper.
The Brazilian vanished. Hozier still held Iris in his arms; his heart
was beating tumultuously; his throat ached with the labor of his lungs.
His straining ears caught rustlings among the grass and roots, but
otherwise a solemn peace brooded over the scene. Just beyond the hut,
which was shielded from the arid hill by a grove of curiously contorted
trees, the inner heights of the island rose abruptly. Something that
resembled a column of cloud showed behind the rugged sky-line of the
land. Even while he waited there, he saw a glint of light on its
eastern side. He fancied that under stress of emotion and physical
weakness his eyes were deceiving him; but the line of golden fire grew
brighter and more definite. It was broken but unwavering, and black
shadows began to take form as part of this phenomenon. Then he
remembered the giant peak of Fernando Noronha, that mis-shapen mass
which thrusts its amazing beacon a thousand feet into the air.
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