| Show I1 1rc I t JlY O t 1 ROBERT 0 l F JlfrJJ i j B NNLJr 1 LfifAff tjflffU I SYNOPSIS The story opens wllji ilio ililpirrork or tho HteiurHT Dii vvlilrll Minn CJonovlov 1 JxMIe nn Amerloiin liclutHH Ixml Win tlirope iiti KiiKllHliiimn aiul Tom Ulnke a IIrUIII1I1 American wore pniuimiKprfi Tin tlireii were tanned upon nn unlnhal tin Inland anil wero tlm only oncn not drowned Illnko recovered fnitn u drunk en ntuimr lllnkr Bliiinncd on the tioa bpcaiidu of IH roiiKhnoMH Imcamn a IIIT nn prenervcr of Ilio lidplmi pair fho KiiKlllinmii wan niilng for tho Inind oC Minx Icnlli1 Illukn Hlarlcil to swlrn Mac In the nlilp to recover what wan Icf Ulnke rclnrnod iinfely Wlntlirojia wHstn hlH hint niiitrh on a cltfureUe for wlilc he wns ncnrcil hy niakc Their Ural mca WIIH n dead llsli Tho trio nlurlcd n tOil I mile lilko fur lilulier lurid Thlrxt at tucked them Illiilto WIIH couiinllccl I II curry MlnH Ixflllp nn nccniinl of xvcarl nesH llu taunted Wlnthropc Thoy on tcrcd tho junRlc Thnt nlirht WII pime roosting lUKli In a tree Thn next ninrn Inc they descended In Ilio oiiiii HKiili All tlircn onHlriictcil Mntii lo shield them Helves from the nun They then foiiHtci on cocnamitB thu only proriinililo food Hiss Leslie nhoived n IlkliiK for Ulake lint deinstall hl rotiKlincHH Ixd hy Illak tlicy established a homo In nomu cliffs Illnko found a frenh water spring Mil Ijcsllo faeed nn tmplpananl situation Thny planned their oampalKii Illakii re covered hlH surveyors miKiilfylnj slftfH thus InnurliiR nru Ho Hlarted n JutiKl fire killing n laree loopanl nnd Hinoth rlni nuvernl cuhx Tn tno leopardH rav o ern they hullt a Hinall homo Thoy iilrim < l the clirfn hy burning thn hnllotn 1 of < i i tree until It fell iiKnlnftl tlm iclihtH The trio Hcenred PKK from ho cliffs d Miss Leslies white sllrt WIIH derldo upon IIH a filKtiiil MHN Lesllo Hindu n < IrA from the leopard nkln lllakoH ef Tortn to kill nntelopcs failed Overhear Ing a conversation between Itlakn nn < Wlnlhropo Miss Leallo heeamn fright rued wlnthropo hneamo III with frver Illaka wan polNoncd hy a Mali Jackala nttnckcd tho camp hat night lint were 1 driven off by Genevlevo Illnhrf returned nfler nearly dying niako constructed an Jj I ainUntU trap It killed n liyonii On a tour J I I tllo i Irlo discovered honoy nnd oysters 1 I Miss Ijcsllu was attacked hy n poisonous nmikit Illako killed It nnd saved Us pol t I non to kill gnme Kor Oil neeond lime Wlnthropo was attacked by fover Ho i and Itlnka disagreed I CHAPTER XVIII Continued Thats Ildo tho baby not Jeorcc Illnko Hut say I dont know Just liovv much eavesdropping you did so theres ono thing Ill repeat for the special benefit of yur ludshlp Itll bo good for your dullcalo hoolth to pnj attention From now on the cliff tot belong 10 < Miss LoHllw QontR utu book agents not allowed Understand You dont go up thoro without her SIll cial Invite If you do Ill twist your Ininiiid nockl Ho turned on his heel and left the KngllHhnmn cowering 1i it I CHAPTER XIX U iI i I t t An Omlnous Lull I I I i 1 I > JJ 1 f Wi lj r I Il UK three saw nothing more I of cncn otllor that day nj j I Jt1 l Miss Leslie had withdrawn lli j into tho bnohnb nnd Illako hud gone off l r f I down the cleft for 1 tnoio salt Ho did not j return until after tho others woro l 1 I asleep Miss Leslie bad gono without t t 1 ber supper or bail eaten some of the rI j J 1 I fobd stored within tho tree I When Into uiu next morning sue finally left her seclusionniako was nowhere t f no-where In sight Igiiorlng Vlnthropos nttcmirts to start n conversation shoo hurried through her hrcahfnsCjmcl having gathered n supply of foodaAl l water went to spend the dny on tho bcadland I v Evening forced her to return to I t tho cleft Sho had emptied tho water llask by noon and was thirsty Win tin ope was dozing beneath Ills canopy can-opy Which Blako had moved iwmo yaul down towards the banlcadu Illako was cooking supper He did not look up nnd mot her at tempt nt n pleasant greeting with an Inarticulate grunt When she turned to enter tho baobab she found tho opening littered with bamboos and rcon copers and pieces of largo branches with charrcrf ends On either side midway through the entrance a vertical row of holes had beon sunk through the bark of tho tree Into tho soft wood What is this sho asked Aro 011 plnnnlng n porch Maybe ho replied nut wuy siioum you mai < o tno notes so far In I Know BO little about theso matters but I sltould have fancied tho boles would como on tho front of tho tree Youll see In u day or two How did you mako the holes Thoy i look black as though Burnt em of course hot stones t That was so clover of you JHt yindo no response SItlfCr was oaten In slknco Even t Wlntbropos prosenco would havo been 1 a relief to the girl yet sho could not l 1 go to waken him or even suggest that j her companion do so Illako Sat LI throughout 1 l tho meal I sullen nnd stolid UUU IJIiUillllJ U > U1UITU IIIUCUIIH 11CI azo Before they had finished twilight twi-light had como nnd gone nnd night wns upon them Yet sho lingered for a last attempt j Goodnight friend I sho whispered Ho sprang up ns though sho had struck him and blundered away into tho darkness 1 In the moinlng It was as before Ho bud gono off beforo sho wnkened Sho lingered over bieakfiMt i hut ho did not nppenr and she could not oudufo Wlnthropos suave drawl She went for another day on tho head land She returned somewhat earlier than i 4111 tho previous day As before Win Jhopp was dnzlns In tho shado Hut Satisfied Himself That Miss Leslie Was Well Out Toward the Signal niako wns undqr the baobab rnklng together n heap of rubbish Ills hands were scratched nnd blooding To tho girls surprise ho mot her with n cheerful grIn mid n clonr direct glance Look hero ho called She stopped nrouud tho baobab nnd stood staring Tho ontiance from tho ground to the height of 12 feet was walled up with n 1 moss of thorny tranches Interwoven with yet thoin or creepers Hows that for a front door ho demanded Door Yes llut Its so big I could never move It A child could Look Ho giaspcd a projecting handle near tho bottom of pho thorny mass The lower half of iJ lfo door swung up and outward tho upper half tu and dovvnwaul See fts balanced on a crossbar In the middle Come on In She walked after him In under the low horizontal door Ho gave the In nor end a light upward thrust and the door swung hack In Its vertical circle intll It again stood upright In the opening From tho Inside tho girl could see tho strong framework to which was lashed the facing of tho thorns U was made of bamboo and stiong pieces of branches bound together to-gether with tough creepers Pretty good giatlng oh temarked Blnko When those green creepers dry theyll shrink and hold tight as ron clumps Even now nothing short of n rhinoceros could walk through when the bars are Cast See hero He stepped up to the novel door and slid several socketed crossbars I mtll their outer ends were deep In the holes In the tree tiunk three on each t1 side Howl that for a set of bolts ho I lemnnded Wonderful Ilenlly you are very very clover Dut why should you goo go-o all this trouble when the barricade barri-cade Well you see Its best to be on the stifo hide Hut Its absurd for you to go to nil his needless work Not that I do not ipprociato your kind thought for my afoty Yet look at your hands niako hastened to put his bleeding lands behind him Go and wash them at once und Ill mt on n dressing Xo thank you Miss Jenny You neednt bother Theyll do nil right You must It would please me Why then of course llut llrst I want to mnko sure you undoistnnd listening the door Try the bars your elfShe She obeyed sliding tho bars In nnd out until he nodded his satisfaction Good he said Now promise mo oull slide em fast every night If you ask It llut why 1 I want to make you perfectly safe Safe llut am I not secure with Ixjolc here Miss Leslie Im not go Ing to say anything about anybody Perhaps you hud better say no morn Mr IIIl1kll Thats right But whatever hap pens youll believe Ive done my best wont YOUoven If Im not a Prom Iso mo straight youll lock up tight every night Very well I promIse responded tho girl not n little troubled by the strangeness of his expression I Thnt night Miss Leslie dutifully fastened herself in with nil six bars She wakened at dawn and hastened out to prepare Blakes breakfast but she found herself too late There wero evidences that he had eaten and u u gone off before dawn The stretching fiame of one of the antelope skins had been moved nrouud by tho fire nnd on the smooth Inner surface of tho hide was u laconic note written with chnrconl In n firm bold hand Exploring inland Back by night If can She bit her lip I In her disappointment disappoint-ment for she had planned to show him how much she appreciated his absurd but wallmeant concern for her safety As It was ho had gone off without a word nnd left her to the questionable pleasure of n tetontete with Win tin ope Hoping to avoid this she hurried hur-ried her preparations for a day on the cliff But before she could got off Wlnthropo sauntered up hiding his yawns behind n hand which had regained re-gained most of Its not mal plumpness His eyo was nt once caught by the charcoal note Ah ho drawled really now this Is too kind of him to glvo us the pleasure pleas-ure of his absence nil day Yoes murmured Miss Leslie Permit me to add that you will also have the pleasure of my absence I nm going now Inthropo looked down and begnn to speak very rapidly Mlbs Oon cvlove II wish to apologize Ive thought it over Ive made a mistake 11 mean my conduct the other day was vile utterly vile Permit me to appeal to jour considerateness for n man who has been unfortunate who I mean has been or wns carried away by his feelings Your favoring of that bloom er that or bounder so angered me that IIhnl I Mr Wlnthropo Interrupted the girl I will have you to understand that you do not advance yourself In my esteem by such references to Mr Illnko Aye aye that Blako panted Win thrope Dont you see s Its im an1 that blobsom Wen n mans daffy vvVn Vs In love Miss Leslie burst Into a nervous laugh but cheeked herself on the Instant In-stant Really Mr Wlnthiope she exclaimed ex-claimed you must pardon me I I never know that cultured Englishmen over dropped their hs As It happens yon know I never saw one ovcitcd bo foro this Ah yes to bo Bureto ho sure murmured Wlnthropo In an odd tone Tho girl threw out her hand in a lit 116 gesture of protest Ileally Im sorry to hnvo hurtto have been so thoughtless Wliithrouo stood silent Sho suoke again Ill do what you asU III make allowances for Jourfor YOllr feellnEi towards me and try to forget I day Iet mo all jou said the other begin by asking a favor of you Ah Miss Genevlevc anything to be RUre that T may do Ills that I wish our opinion When Mr Blako finished hat absurd door last evening he would not tell mo why ho had built Itonly u vague statement state-ment about my safety Ah He did not go Into partlcu larn drawled Wlnthropo No not even a hint and he looked soodd Vlntliropo slowly rubbed his soft palms ono upon the other Do oucrTlallY desire to know hlBlhe motive which actuated him he murmured I should not have mentioned It w you If I did not she answered VeIler Ho hesitated and paused for a full minute You see It Is a rather difficult undertaking to Intimate such n matter to a lady Just the right touch of delicacy you know But I will begin by explaining that I have known It since the first Known what Of that boundofernInkes trouble Trouble Ah Perhaps I should have said affliction yes that Is the better word To own tho truth the fellow has some good qualities It was no doubt because be-cause ho realized when In his better moments Hotter monents Mr Wlnthrope I nm not a child In Justice both to my self and to Mr Blake I must ask you I to speak out plainly My dear Miss Leslie may I first ask If you have not observed how strangely strange-ly at times the fellow acts looks odd as > ou put IIhow he falls Into melancholia mel-ancholia or senseless rages I may truthfully state that he has three times threatened my life IIthought his anger quite natural after I had so rudely and so many people are given to brooding But If he was violent to you My dear Miss GenevIeve I hold iintliliiir against the miserable fellow At such times ho Is not er responsible respon-sible you know Let us glvo the fellow fel-low full credit that Is why he himself built your door Oh but I cant believe It I cant believe III crIed the girl Its not possible Hes so strong so true and manly so kind for all his gruffness Ah my dear soothed Wlnthrope that la I the pity of It But when a man must needs bo his worst enemy when he must needs lead a certain kind of life he must take the conse nilmiPPS Tn nut It ne ilnllnnfnK no u possible yet explain all I need only say one word paranoia Miss Lesllo gathered up her days outfit with trembling fingers and went to mount the cliff After waiting a few minutes WIn thrope walked hurriedly through tho cleft nnd climbed the treeladder with an agility that would hau amazed his companions But he did not draw himself up on the cliff Having satis lied himself that Miss Leslie was well out toward the signal he returned to I the baobab and proceeded to examine Blakes do6r with minute scrutiny That evening shortly before dark Blako cnmo In almost exhausted by his journey Few men could have cov ered the same ground in twice the time It had been ono continuous round of grass jungle thorn ciuh s rocks and swamp And for all his pains he brought back with him noth III maIo Ihall Ihn 1IQn m u bb lnlOr matlon that the bacKcountr was worse than the shore Yet he betrayed no tiace of depression over the bad news and for all his fatigue main tained a tono of hearty cheerfulness until having eaten his nil he sudden ly observed Miss Leslies frigid liteness po Whats up now ho demanded Youre not mad causi I hiked jfl this morning without notice No of course not Mr Blake Noth ing of tho kind But I Well what ho broke In as hho hesitated I cant for the world think of anything else Ive done Youve done Perhaps I might suggest that It Is a question of what you havent done The girl was trem bling on tho verge of b > stories Yes what jouve not done All theso weeks and not a single attempt to get us away from here except that miser able signal and I as good as put that up You call jourself a man But I 1 Sho stonnn1 ann u u a > l4ttU with a smlden overpowering fear Wlnthropo looked from her to Blake with a sidelong glance his lips drawn ulI In nn odd twist There followed several tense moments 01 silence then Blako mumbled apologetically Wen j might anplow I have done more I was bo dead anxious to make sure of food and tel But this trip to day shol TO si COXTINUCD > |
