Show 00 0 Z pod sy CV SYNOPSIS na came leaping and tumbling down the path all singed and blinded blake the story atory opens with th shipwreck of the on which miss genevieve leslie tin an american heiress lord winthrope an 1 englishman and tom blake a brusque Arne american were pass passengers e n e ra nal tile three were tos tossed e upon sit an u uninhabited n 1 la 11 island and were the only ones onea no not drowned blake recovered front from a dru drunken stupor blake shunned on the tha boat because of his roughness roUKh became a hero bero as T pre preserver er v er of the helpless pair the al in a n was wag suing for or the hand of liss leslie jallo Js llo blake started to swim back to the ship to recover wha that t was left make returned safely winthrope wasted hla his last match on a cigarette for which he was scored by make blake their first meal was a dead fish the trio started a ten int mile hike lk e for higher land thirst attacked le 1 il them iem blake was compelled to to carry miss bliss leslie on account of aearl ness nesa pe he taunted winthrope they entered the jungle that night was pa passed a sed ro high in a tree the next morning they descended to the open aej again all ahr three constructed lints hats to shield themselves from the sun they then feasted on n ocoa nuts the only procurable food I 1 alsa I 1 iss leslie showed a liking tor for blake clake bu but t detested his roua roughness led by 13 blake ake I 1 they 11 f e established shed a home in n some cliffs 13 alake 1 a 1 ce found a f fresh r aali water spring bliss ailse l faced nn an unpleasant situation they planned their campaign CHAPTER IX continued blake and miss mis leslie turned to stare at the droves ot of animals moving about between them and the border of the tall grass miss leslie was the first to speak they cant be cattle mr ir Wili winthrope there are some with stripes I 1 do believe zebras zebra sl 1 get down commanded blake The all wild game those big fellows to the left of 0 the zebras are eland whee we be in it it if we owned that water hole ill bet id have one ona of 0 those fat at beeves inside three days ilow how I 1 should enjoy a juicy steak murmured miss leslie raw or jerked questioned blake what Is jerked dried oh no I 1 mean broiled just red inside 1 I prefer mine quite rare added winthrope the way get it damned rare raie beg your pardon miss alias jenny without lire well have the choice of raw or jerked horrors jerked meat Is all right you cut your game in strips p with a penknife laughed alias leslie blake stared at her glumly thava so youve got it back on me butcher a beef with a pen penknife knifel well have to take it raw and dog fashion at that ll avent I 1 heard of bamboo it knives ives said winthrope bamboo am boo ilin im sure cure I 1 cant say hut but as I 1 remember it seems to me that the var nish like glaze silica say that would cut meat but where in where in hades are the bamboos im sure I 1 cant say only I 1 remember that I 1 have seen them in other tropical places you know meantime I 1 prefer cocoanuts cocoa nuts until we have a fire to broil our steaks remarked miss bliss leslie ditto miss jenny longs we have the nuts and no meat im a vegetarian now but maybe my mouth aint watering for something else look at all those chops and roasts and stews run running 11 ing around out there they are making for the grass observed winthrope we better start N I 1 nuts tits wont weigh so BO much without the shells well eat right here there were only a few nuts left they were drained and cracked and scooped out one after another the last chanced to break evenly across the middle ll hello ello said blake the lower part of this will do for a bowl miss jenny when youve eaten the cream P put ut it in your pocket say win have you got the bottle and keys and all safe everything are you sure mr air winthrope asked miss alias leslie mens mena pockets seem so open twice ive had to pick up mr blakes locket locket echoed blake the ivory locket women may ha ba curious carious mr blake but I 1 assure you I 1 did not look inside though let me give it here quick gasped blake startled by his tone and look miss leslie caught aught nn an oval shaped object from the side pocket of the coat and thrust it into blakes nut outstretched stretched hand for a moment lie he stared at it unable to believe his eyes then lie bs leaped up with a yell that sent the droves of zebras and antelope hying flying into thy tall grass obi alil oh I 1 screamed miss alias leslie la Is li it a snake are you bitten bitten yes 8 by john barleycorn I 1 must havo have been fuzzy drunk to put it in my coat always carry it in my fob pocket what a blasted Itt internal fernal idiot ive been kick me win kick m me 0 hard 1 I 1 say blake what la is it I 1 dont quite take you if you would only fire alre cant you see weve got all he bell beahl lck lc k here ile he snapped the tha slide of the supposed locket and lievore either cither of lis companions could realize he be be ba about was focusing the I 1 tens lens of a surveyors magn magnifying ityl ng glass i epolt boit the back ot at hand band I 1 I 1 fc 0 o J C C bitten yes by john Barley earni the englishman jerked the hand band away owl that burns burnal blake shook the glass in their bewildered wil dered faces look therel there I 1 he shouted theres fire theres water theres birds eggs and beefsteak beef steaks st heres where wo we trek on the back trail well smoke out that leopard in short order you dont mean to say blake no I 1 mean to dol do I 1 dont worry you can hide with miss jenny on the point while I 1 engineer the deal fall in the day was still fresh when they found themselves yes back at the foot of the cliff here arose a heated debate between the men winthrope stung by blakes jeering words insisted upon sharing the attack though with no great enthusiasm much to blakes surprise miss leslie came to tile the support of the englishman dut mr make blake she argued you say it will be perfectly safe for us ua here it so it will bo be safe tor for myself alone 1 I can play this game without him no doubt yet if as aa you say you expect to keep heep off the leopard with a torch would it not be well to have mr air winthrope at hand with other torches should yours burn out yes it if I 1 thought hed be at hand after the first scare winthrope started off almost on a run at that moment he might have faced the leopard single handed blake chuckled as aa lie he swung away after his victim vic tink within ten paces however ho he paused to call back over his sho shoulder ulden get around the point miss jenny and it you want something to do try braiding the cocoanut coco anut fiber miss leslie made no response but she stood for some time gazing after ohp th wo raan therewa there thep waso much that wag waa characteristic even in this rear view for all his anger and his haste baste the englishman bore himself with an air of well bred beed nicety ills ilia trim erect figure needed only a fresh suit quit to be irreproachable on the other hand band ft a careless observer at first glance wight have mistaken blake with his flannel shirt and shouldered club for a hulking but there was nothing of the in his swinging stride or or in the resolute poise of at hla his head as aa he came up with win aln though the girt girl was not given to re flecion ilon the contrast between the two could not but impress her ilow how well her countryman coarse uncultured but full of brute strength and courage fitted in with these primitive surroundings roun dings whereas WI ethrope and herself she fell iio va a kind of disquieted brown study lier her eyes bad biad en odd look both startled and meditative such ft a look as aa might bo be expected of one who for tho the first time la Is peering beneath the surface oc things and sees the naked of life the real values bared of ln conventions it may have been that she was seeking to ponder the meaning of her own existence that she had caught a glimpse of at the vanity and wastefulness the utter futility of liar her life at I 1 the best it could only have been a 0 glimpse hut but was not that enough of what use tise are such people as IT I 1 she cried that roan man may bo rough and coarse even a brute but lie he at least does things ill show him that I 1 can do things toot tool she hastened out around the corner comer of the cliff to the spot where them the had spent the night here she gathered together tho the cocoanut coco anut husks and seat ins ing herself in the shade of the overhanging ledges began to pick at the coarse fiber it was cruel work for her soft fingers not yet fully healed from the thorn wounds at times imes the pain and an overpowering sense of 0 injury brought tears to her eyes still more often she dropped the work in despair of her awkwardness yet always she returned to the task with renewed energy after no little perseverance she found how bow to twist the fiber aber and plait it into cord at boat best it was slow work and she ehe did not see how she should ever make enough cord tor for a fish line yet as she caught the knack of the work and her fingers became more nimble she began to enjoy the novel pleasure of producing something she had quite forgotten to feel f injured and was learning to endure with patience the rasping of the fiber between betwee fi her fingers when winthrope obe came clambering around the corner of the cliff what Is it she exclaimed springing up and hurrying to meet him he was white and quivering and the I 1 ook look in his eyes oiled filled her with dread her voice shrilled to a scream hoa dead winthrope shook ills his head then hes hurt hes hurt by that savage creature and youve run off and left him no no miss genevieve Genev love I 1 must insist 81 3 tl the fellow Is not even scratched then why it was the horror of it all it actually made roe me ill you frightened me almost to death did tho the beast chase you that would have been better in a way really it ft was horrible im still sick over it miss allas genevieve Genev levo but tell me about it did you oil set fira to tho the bushes in the cleft as mr air alake P yes after wo we had fetched what wo we could carry of that long grass two big trusses it grows 10 or 12 feet tall and is now quite dry part of it blake made into torches and we WB tired the bush all across the toot foot 0 of the cleft rt really eally one would not have hava thought there was that much dry wood in BO 80 green a dell ort on either side of tho the rill the grass and brush flared like under tinder and the fir swept up tho the cleft tc ft i quicker ti than we had expected we could hear bear them crackling and roaring louder than ever after the smoke shut out our view surely there Is nothing so very horrible in that N no oh no it was not that but the beast tho the leopard leopar dl at first we heard beard one year roar then it ai was that dreadful snarling and most awful tho the wretched thing W fired the big truss of grass and the bruto brute rolled right into the flamos flames it was shocking dreadfully shocking the wi wretched etched creature writhed and leaped about till it plunged into the pool when it sought to crawl out nil all black and hideous disko amit up and killed it with his ala club crushed in ts skull shull ugh uehl I 1 aliss leslie gazed at the unnerved englishman with calm calin scrutiny but why should you ou feel so BO about it she asked was it not the beasts life against ours ouia but so horrible a death im sure mr make would havo have preferred to shoot tho the creature cro aturo had ho he a gun having noL nothing lillig else than fire alro r f think it was nil all very bravo 0 of f him now we are sure sura of water and food had wo we not nol best bo be going it was to fetch you that blake so bont nt roe me winthrope apoka with perceptible stiffness ile he was chagrined not only by liar her commendation of blake but by tha indifference with which she had met hla his agitation they started at once alas leslie in the ho lead As they rounded the point she caught sight of tho the smoke still rising from tile the cleft A little litter later she noticed the vultures which were streaming down out of tho the sky from all quarters other than seaward their focal point seemed to be ba tho the trees at tile the foot of tho the cleft A nearer view showed allowed that they were alighting in the tha thorn bushes on tile tho south border ot at tho the wood of blake there was nothing to be seen until miss leslie still in the lead pushed in among the trees thero ther they found him crouched beside B small laret alre near the edge of the pool ile he did not look up ills his eyes were w ore riveted in a hungry stare upon several pieces of flesh suspended over the flames on spits ot of green twigs hello he sang out as he heard their footsteps just in time miss alias jenny your broiled steak ll be ready in short order oil oh build up tho the lire im simply ravenous sho she exclaimed between lul patience and delight was hardly less keen yet his bis hunger did not altogether blunt hla his curiosity 1 ar I say blake he inquired v where here did you get the meat stow it win my hoy bay this aint P packing house the tha stuff may be ba tough but its notor the other thing alere you ion are arc miss alias jenny chew it off tile the stick though winthrope had hla his suspicions lie ho took the piece of half burned flesh which blake handed him in turn and fell to eating without further ques tion As blake had surmised the roast proved far other than tender however lent it a most ap pet peptizing izing flavor the repast ended when there them was nothing left to devour blake throw threw away ills empty spit and rose to stretch ile ho waited tor for leslie to swallow her last mouthful and then began to chuckle the joho asked win thropa blake looked at him solemnly well now that was downright mean of me he drawled after rob birg them to laugh at III it robbing who the buzzards youve led fed us on leopard meat its its disgusting 1 I found it filling ilow how about you miss jenny miss leslie did not know whether tc laugh or to give way to a feeling of nausea sho she did neither can we not find the spring of you spoke sho she asked 1 I am thirsty well I 1 guess the ire fire Is about burnt out assented blake come on WOT wol tee the cleft now had a far different as 1 hect from what tt it had presented on oil their arst visit tho the largest of th trees though scorched about the base still stood with foliage i little harmed by the fire but mani of their small compan companions lons had been killed and partly destroyed by the heat beat and flames from the burning brush Is ill places the ire fire waft yet shouldering ing TO DM BB CONTINUED |