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Show FORLORN ISLAND By EDISON MARSHALL WNU Service Copyright by Edtson Marshall SYNOPSIS With his yacht, the Intrepid, abandoned aban-doned by Its crew, Felix Horton, millionaire, mil-lionaire, with his mother, his daughter daugh-ter Kan, and Roy Stuart, puts into Squaw Harbor, Alaska, to recruit. He engages a bunch of nondescripts stranded there. A gigantic Pole, San-domar, San-domar, is their leader. Captain Way-mire, Way-mire, the Intrepid's skipper, is an old friend of Eric Ericssen, unemployed sailor, and Eric engacres to sail as chief officer. Nan and Eric indulge in a moonlight flirtation. The Intrepid is wrecked, Eric leaving her in a small boat, with Horton and his party. Unable Un-able to help, they watch Sandomar kill Captain Way mi re and leave the ship with his crowd. On landing, they learn there is no communication with the outside world. Fireheart, priestess of the island, descended from a white man in the remote past, knowing a little English, welcomes the castaways. cast-aways. Sandomar declares there shall ee no law on the island, but Eric, having the only gun, cows him for the time, declaring he is the law. He lays out work for all. Eric's love for Nan swells, and he tells her he means to win her for his mate. She Is not unwilling. Fireheart claims Eric, and realizing the importance of her friendship friend-ship he Is forced to temporize. Defending De-fending himself from attack. Eric's revolver apparently misfires, but his assailants flee. Eric finds the re- ' volver, which had been Waymire's. is rim-flre. while five of its six cartridges are center-Are. Eric has one effective cartridge. "Swede," makes an attempt on his life. He ses his one cartridge, killing "Swede," but is left defenseless, defense-less, though master of the situation, since he alone knows his gun Is useless. use-less. Fireheart's threats culminate In an attempt on Nan's life. Eric ?aves her, but Fireheart refuses proffered forgiveness and friendship. CHAPTER VII Continued 12 For Nan, this was the beginning of revelation. She was swept Into a primal drama that rent her heart In the gloom of the turf-house, Chtirum kept her rendezvous with the Eternal. Save for a crippled ancient, Chigum's father, the two women were alone. The daylight began to fall. The old Aleut lighted the stone lamps, but he knew no way to help, and he did not understand N'an's frantic pleas to summon Mother Horton. Apparently the two women must fight It throueh unaided when Nan tried to break free and seek aid, the cold hand locked fast on her own. Presently the door flew open, someone some-one crouched to enter.and a tall fieure took the lamplight. A dry choking cry broke from her tense throat. Perhaps Per-haps this was Just thankfulness that help had come; but she was swept by some stranger, deeper emotion a kind of exultation, a sure sense of full-filraent full-filraent when she saw Eric's face In the gleam. . . . Sane, cool-headed Marie would be useful here wise Mother Horton a tower of strength but Eric was best of all. Victory was certain, now. Chieum would come up from the valley. Eric and Nan would be doctor and nurse. What teammates thpy were, comradfs In arms! Eric took In the situation with one sweep of his resolute eyes. Wheeling to the old native, he gave an order In sign language and a few words of Aleut. The old man hobbled out; Eric bent over the squaw. "She's all rlzht. I think." he said. "If she can Just last out a few minutes min-utes more " He spok9 to her In kindly, encouraging encour-aging tonffl. There was not the lenst horror for Mm or for Nan. nor the slightest shame. It was Mother Earth who gave according to her ancient wisdom, ten eh !ng lesson almost too poignant for mortal heart. While Eric was tossing the llltie brown newcomer In the air, Mother Horton burst In with dim eyes glittering. glitter-ing. Put the fight was won. The mother lay gasping, well out of the shadow, nod wilh fair luek and a few hours' rest could return to the drying rneks. And the first sound to meet Mother Horton's eager old ears was a thin wail In the silence. When three of the older squaws troop"! over to help with the nursing, nurs-ing, Eric noticed a sfnint'e thing. When they even looked nt the Infant, f'higurn'rt eyes grew wide with dread; and when they bent to take the baby from her arms, she snatehed It close with a moan. "Whit's frightened her so?" Nan demanded. "She's like n wild animal " "1 don't know, but I ran guess," Eric answered. lie listened briefly to what reerned n pitiful plen bubbling up from f'li'gurn's trembling Hps, then sent for bis Inter;. refer. Wlien i"heehartio rarne, he soen made the dltimtlon clear. "f'higiun. Blie afrild squaws will take baby out on beaeli, give lilrn to wind." be ix plained casually. "Too many people on Island. Too many mouths, riot noiK'b meat. Squaws do this long tltne when too Tn.'iriv h.'lMeS born." Nun went v.hlte v.-ith Indignation. "( lie h:iquo. tell tho e women Unit f they touefi one hair of Unit bahy'n bead Erie Mill I' I' them " llT even fairly bla.ed, "If lie doesn't, I will I Explnln to him, Eric," she begged, "l'ou won't let them carry out that horrible custom I" "No, but you mustn't blame them too much. It's the only way they know to keep down the Island population not uncommon In the North. After the first day, the baby would be perfectly safe. They'd starve themselves to keep It fat, make any sacrifice for It short of defying some of their heathen gods and taboos. You know how kind they are to children." "You say no let baby die?" Checha-quo Checha-quo asked. "Tell them thnt the baby must live. There will be plenty of meat for all. If anyone harms the baby, he'll be harmed the same." Chechaquo translated the command amid a poignant silence. The squaws nodded, glad to be spared the grim office, but the old Aleut rose from his corner, hobbled into the lamplight, and spoke In tremulous, excited tones. "He say, If baby live, whole tribe have bad luck," Chechaquo Interpreted. "When one too many born, one have to die. Old gods say so, long time ago; if people no obey, old gods get mighty mad, raise h 1, birds no fly, fish no run." "Tell him that the old gods are dead," Eric answered gravely. "I will take all the bad luck on my head. Tell him straight that the baby Is not to be harmed. It Is the New Law. And not to be afraid the God of ikon and the candlestick rules the island now, and forbids the killing of children." When the patriarch heard, he nodded and returned to his corner. Nan thought she saw a dull glow steal Into his deep-set eyes. After their belated supper by the beach-fire, Eric and Nan turned again toward Chigum's turf-hut. "I don't en- Mmr-i? i A '.Mif m mSMk "I Am Not Asleep 1 Am Not Dead I Am Alive." tirely trust those squawa and maybe not the old man, either," Nan said. "Anyway, I want to see If she's comfortable." com-fortable." They walked leisurely at first, but before they reached the door they were almost running. But the scene by the flickering oil lamp soon relieved their fears. Chigum lay with her baby at her breast, her broad face radiant, her long eyes darkly lustrous, her coarse Hps curled In a wistful half-smile. half-smile. Eric bent over her a full minute min-ute before he chanced to see that the old Aleut was no longer In his corner. "Where Is Anuiga (Cormorant) 7" Chigum shook her head with a fateful fate-ful air. Her eyes moved furtively In their almond slits. Suddenly Eric and Nan found themselves erect, each read Ing the truth In the other's blanching face. "You don't think " Nan began. "I know It. Life must pay for life, those were his Last words. Who can understand these people I I'll get Chechaquo we might snve him yet." Eric sprinted from the room, and Nan heard him shout as he ran up the village row. Cheehnquo. Jerked out of his fur-bed. was at first evn-tlvp. and only whon Eric clutehed his shotil-der shotil-der with Iron fingers, did he stutter out the truth. The old gods must be propitiated. It wits the ancient law of the Island, laid down by Tanaga. the first man who eatne from heaven, thai life must pay for life. White Chief did not permit Chigum's baby to be given to the winds, so Afiulgo took Its phiep. r.therwi-e birds would not fly, nor salmon run. "t'heehaquo not know. He gone, lie leave but while you eat meat, sav goodby to ofd men, go away to big cliff across island. You no catch him. He make medicine to gods, jump In sea by now." "He couldn't have reached there nl-rearly. nl-rearly. Put on your mukluks find come with me. We may cafeh him yet." Hut f'hcrhaqiin's Jaw net, and he stood like a stone. "I no go. White CUU-! bent me kill me I no go I Heap bad luek." There wns no time to waste, so Eric sped back to Chigum's but. "I'm going fo try to caleb him," he told Nun. "It's a long, dark trek, nnd you'd belter slay here." "I'm going too. I won't slow you iipnrtd I'm afraid to slay alone." A moment later they were striding across tiie moors. Nan seemed fired by the flint of bis will: nothing muttered mut-tered In I bo world but lo arrive In lime. Her little feet flew. Pitfall and slony mnnlnifi In the grass streaked Imiiotenlly behind. With Eric she fell n kinship, n kind of unlly of soul, that was at once solemn and exultant. At last I hey saw bn cliff In grim sllliouelle against flie uioonlll sen. on Its cro'-t was a minute blink form -It iiiii:bt bo no- more Hum an odd-shaped odd-shaped sioiie. As they hurried nlc.li It, grew Incredibly In stature. It was Anuiga, rising from his knees to lift both arms In supplication to the gods of the winds. Between the gusts, they heard him chanting in a thin, wavering waver-ing voice. There was no hope of seizing him unawares. He stood on the very summit, sum-mit, an immense granite crag whose hoary brow overhung the sea. It seemed best to advance silently until they could speak to him In quiet tones, then somehow distract his attention from his sacrificial rite until they could steal nearer and take his hand. "I am not asleep I am not dead I am alive," they heard him chant. Then there followed an earnest Invocation Invo-cation Eric could not translate; no doubt an entreaty to the old gods of the wind and sea, the spirits that made the birds fly and the salmon run, to take this humble falling life of his In the stead of the new-given life denied de-nied them today. The two Intruders had now crept to the base of the rock on which the patriarch stood. "Anuiga," Eric called quietly. His chanting stopped In the middle of a note. He grunted an Inquiry. Eric thanked his stars for his few Aleut words and Idioms. "Stay where you are. We would make parley." The reply was an excited outburst at the top of the thin voice. There was a kind of tragic dignity In his sweeping gestures and erect white head ; the moonlight showed his eye-sockets eye-sockets like black fissures In his drawn face. "Go on up slowly," Eric muttered to Nan. "It's our only hope now. Maybe I can keep him talking till we get our hands on him." j But Anulga's spirit was already run- ! nlng to meet his gods. Stronger handl I than Eric's seemed to clasp his own. ; As the two palefaces peered over the rim, he backed toward the void. I Nan's heart was suffocating, so she clung to the ledge, but Eric sprang for the crest. She saw him risk his own neck as he wrenched over the rim, his hand snatching for Anulga's parka. He was too late. "Kou-yudam Agou- j gou !" the old man walled. Invoking his heathen gods. "Achidan Agougou!" Then, with a triumphant shout that ' echoed and trembled among the crags, ! he sprang Into the sea. Dark water leaped high and drifted down In a nebulous cloud. Eric stood peering over the brink; everything went black before Nan's eyes as she expected him to attempt a rescue. But ! It would only be suicide and the old Island gods had their due already. "Poor old chap," he murmured. ! Then he turned hack, and reaching a ! hand to Nan, drew her up beside him. Long moments passed before they j remembered words. They listened to j the sullen roar of the surf, the long ' splashlnes of the waves against the rock; they watched the shimmering path of the moon across the sea. , , . ' They were Infinitely alone. It was ai j though they were the only living 1 things on a far planet, the first of man- kind to draw breath In some forlorn, lost universe, God-forgotten through . the eons. i "I'm almost glad we didn't win," : Eric whispered nt last. I The hushed sound did not break the 1 solitude, but harmonized with the . swish of the surf and the wind's breath. "I thought you'd come to that, before long." Nan answered. j "You saw It from the first, didn't I you? Your sensibilities are fnr finer J than mine I could see only my own , side. Anulga's time was almost up, ! anyway. Next winter would probably j finish him. slow d.-eav. nt last a rattle , In his throat, and his old bones thrust j In the sen enves. As It Is, he went with Agoognti's band on his shoulder, and the flush of glory on his fare." i "Better than that. Ho died for his j tribe a hero's death. It was an lllu- j slon. of course, hut a fool's faith Is bet- I tor than no ralth nt nil ... I didn't use to understand that, but I do now" Eric razed far off. "And n fool's love Is better than no love nt all, Isn't It?" Something In Ills tone made her throat ciitch. In the weird moonbeams, moon-beams, his eyes shone like glass. He reached for tier band. nis touch seemed to complete nn electric circuit. Ills bend bent, nnd she saw bis balr blowing In Hie wind ns he slov.lv, genfly kissed her fliv ". It was n token of surrender, bis second foniL'bf. A few nilnn'es before he bad bowed down to the s'ern destiny des-tiny that eracted an old man's life In payment for n moment's exultation of bis soul. Now bo bent bis bend acaln to bis own bard bargaining fate as It moved throueh Nan. lie would no longer hnt;:r'o over the price. Ho would risk nil. give all. for one deep breath of mountain air, (inn rockot-rub rockot-rub to the stars. Onco be bad said Hint be wns nfrald to sail the strait, but thnt fear had passed. If his ship struck the rocks and went down, at lensf ho would fleo, the distant gleam of Hie harbor lights. "I've tried to deny It until now," ho said gravely. "I wns nfrald T could never win you. so T didn't flare love you. I knew how It would bo wllb me you did lf". If It onco took hold of me. If would never lot me go. It would follow me nlwnys." Nan smiled dimly. This was so. Steadfastness, loyalty, unfaltering Idealism were Hie wali'b crb'S of this strong man's life; rnclallv and Individually Indi-vidually they were bis backbone. Ills mother was Hie old sea, bis father (ho new North. To one woman only could be surrender, and to her bo must give everything. "Now I've got to lovo you, whether I win you or not," bo went ou. "You've made me. with your beauty nnd your bravery and Just yon." (TO im tvNTINl:CII. |