Show n djini 00 my amr i v AW no w cw SYNOPSIS the story lory opens with the shipwreck of the steamer on which b alaa ad genevieve Genev leve leslie leslie an american heiress lord winthrope an anil and tom blake a brusque american were passengers ra the three were tossed upon sit an un AT lied d island and were tho the only ones not d drowned tr owned blake recovered from a dru drunken k dupor blake shunned Tinned nh on the boat bec because use of hla his roughness became a hero as a preserver ot of the helpless pair air the il nw lishman was ausnit for tile the hand of leslie blake started to swim back to the whip ship to recover what was left blake returned safely lately winthrope wasted wanted his lat last match on a cigarette for which he we was m scored by blake their first farst weal meal was wan a dead fish the trio started a ten mile hike for I 1 lilg her land thirst attacked them them blake was compelled to carry miss bealle on account of weariness lie he taunted winthrope rop e they entered the jungle that I 1 ight w was an passed ro high in a tree the next morn ins they h descended deac ended to the open again alii all IT ahr three const constructed meted mats flats to shield thema ema selves from theann the un they then feasted on it cocoanuts cocoa nuts the only procurable food miss icille showed a liking for blake but detested his roughness tied led by 13 blake lake they ea established a home in some dome cliffs make found a fresh water spring alias al 11 leslie faced an unpleasant situation they planned their campaign blake recovered covers hla his surveyors survey orB magnifying glass thus insuring fire ile he started a jungle tire fire k killing filing a large leopard and emoth erl erane g several cubs cub in the leopards covern they built a small mall home they gained the cliffs by burning the bottom of a tree re until it fell against the li tights the t trio e secured eggli from the 11 Ms miss lesliea Le white skirt was decided upon as am a signal Ws nilso leslie made a dress from the aln skin blakes te s pf af forts forta to kill antelopes antei r h ear I 1 n s ie conversation r gallon between blake and W winthrope nh r miss leslie b become oame frightened winthrope og t drope became ill with fever CHAPTER XIV continued at noon having learned that win thrones th tb ropes condition showed little change blake ate a hearty meal and at once set off down the cleft ile he did not reappear until nightfall though at intervals miss bliss leslie had heard his step as he be came up op the ravine with his loads of thorn brush this course of action became the routine for the following ten days it was broken only by three incidents all relating to the important matter of food supply winthrope had soon tired of broth and showed such an insatiable craving for cocoanut coco anut milk that the stock on hand had become exhausted within the week the day after blake took the rope ladder as he called the tangle of knotted creepers and went off towards the north end of 0 the cleft when he it a little before dark the lower part of af hla his trob trousers sers was torn to shreds and the palms of his hands bands were blistered and raw but he carried a 2 heavy load of cocoanuts cocoa nuts after a vain attempt to climb tho the giant palms on the far side of the river he had found another grove near at hand in the little plain and had succeeded in re reaching 1 l c hing the tops ot of two of the ain ani a iler aller palms under his directions miss leslie clarified a bowl of bird tat fat goo goose 3 e grease blake called it and dress dressed e d his bis hands yet even with the bandages which she made of soft inner bark and the handkerchiefs he was unable to handle the thorn thern brush the following day unfortunately for him blin he be was not content to sit idle during the night he be had bad exit cut a bamboo fishing pole and lengthened miss bliss lesliea Le line of plaited cocoanut ilber with a long catgut leader lit in the afternoon he be completed his outfit with a hairpin hook book and a piece of half balf diled meat ile he was back an hour earlier than us usual ual and lie he brought with him a dozen or more fair sized lish illis hla mouth was wan watering ov over erthe the pros prospective pec feast and miss leslie showed herself hardly less eager tor for a change from belr monotonous diet As the flah fish were already dressed she raked up the coals and quickly contrived a grill of green bamboos when the odor of the tha br broiling fish sp spread read about in the still air even winthrope sniffed and turned over while blake watched the crisping delicacies with a ravenous look unable to retrain restrain himself he caught up t the he smallest m blest flab half cooked and bolted it down with such haste that he be burnt his mouth ile he ran over to the spring for a drink and winthrope cackled derisively miss leslie was too loo absorbed in her cooking to observe the result ut or blakes greediness she had turned the fish for the last time and was i about to lift them off the fire when blake came running back and sent cent grill and all flying with a violent kick 1 salt he be gasped wheres the salt im poisoned i poisoned aoi poisoned poison fishl dont cat god wheres the salt the girl stared blared at him ills agony was waa so BO great that thai loads of 01 sweat were rolling down his face ile he writhed and s stretched tr etched out a quivering hand salt warm water baitt but theres therea none lione left you kemem her bar yesterday god groan sd id wake and for a moment he sank down overcome by a racking convulsion then his bis jaw closed like a bulldogs anil and gritting britting grit ting his teeth with the effort he staggered up and rushed oft off down the clett cleft stop mr baake where are you going med the girl she started to run after him but y jia halted by an outburst of delirious laughter winthrope was sitting up waving his hia fever blotched hands hand HI hl hi look itt la brunt ba 0 60 44 00 ev 1 P 0 av 6 44 44 4 re ahw girl was now frantic got wasll do for biml run you swine you P there followed a torrent of cockney abuse so BO foul that miss leslie blushed blu sheil scarlet with shamo shame as she sought to quiet him but the tha excitement bait bail so BO heightened his fever that he be was wa a na a raving delirium it was close upon midnight before his temperature fell and he sank into a deathlike death like ilke torpor in a her ignorance she supposed that ho be had fallen asleep her relief w was as short lived for soon she ehe remembered blake she could see sec him lying beside the pool or out on the bare plain his resolute eyes cold and glassy Ms Is powerful body contorted in the death agony the vision filled her with di dismay sinay with all his coarseness the man had showed himself so eo re so indomitable that when she sought to dwell upon her bar reasons reasi fins to fear him she found herself admiring his virile manliness lie he might be b a brute but he be did not belong among the jackals jackala and hycnar hyenas indeed as she called to mind its his strong face and frank blunt speech she all but disbelieved what her own ears had bad heard and anyway without hla his aid what should she do dot winthrope had bad already become as weak as a child the emaciation of at his jaundiced features was waa a mockery of 0 their former plumpness blake had said paid that the fever might run on for another week and that even if winthrope recovered lie he would p probably be helpless for several days besides what was no less serious though she ehe had bad concealed the fact from blake herself had been troubled tiou bled the past w week eek with the depress fori and lassitude which had preceded ropes attack if blake was dead and she should fall ill before winthrope recovered they would both die from lack of rare care and it if they did not ile die of the fever what of their future here on this desolate savage coast hut but the very keenness keen nesa of her mental anguish so exhausted aud numbed the girls brain that she at last fell into a heavy sleep the fire burned low and shadowy forms began to creep from behind the bamboos and the trees and rocks rocke down the gorge there was no sound but greedy breedy wolfish eyes gleamed in the starlight only the day before blake had bad told miss leslie to store the fact rack of cured meat inside the baobab the two sleepers toy lay between the ire fire and the entrance to the tha hollow slowly the embers of tho the fire died away into gray ashes and slowly the night prowlers draw di pw flear nearer er the boldest of the tha pack crept close to miss leslie and with teeth bared and back bacaj bristling sniffed at the edge of her skirt whether because of her heavy breathing or the odor of the leopard skin shin the beast drew away with an uneasy whine there was a pause then backed by three others the leader approached winthrope ile he was still lying in the deathlike death like torpor and he be lacked the protection which in all it likelihood the leopard skin had given leslie the rhe cowardly brutes took him for dead or dying they sniffed at him row rom head bead to toot oot and iten then with a fe ma ferocious outburst of c snarls and yells flung upon him had it not chanced that winthrope was lying upon hla his side bide with one arm thrown up be would hive have been fatally wounded by the first slashing bites ot of i his the two which sought bought to tear him wre olds folds ot of 11 lakel coat while their leaders slash at the victims throat was waa barred by the cpr upraised alsed arm with a savage snap the beasts jaws closed on the arm biting through to the bone at tile the same instant the fourth jackal tore ravenously at one of the outstretched legs with a shriek of agony winthrope started up tip from hla his torpor and struck out frantically in a fury fifty of pain and terror startled by the violence of this unexpected resistance the tha jack als aid leaped back only to spring in again as th the remainder of the pack made a rush to fores forestall tali them winthrope was staggering to lite his feet when the foremost brute leaped upon him lie fell heavily against Ha liHt onn one of the ha main supports of his bamboo canopy and the entire structure came down with a crash two of tho the jackals jackala jac kals caught beneath the roof howled with fear nn an they sought to free themselves the others with brute dread of an unknown danger drew away snarling and gnashing their teeth wakened by the first drat ferocious yelps of assal assailants lanta miss leslie had started up and stared about in the darkness on all sides she could see pairs of fiery eyes and dint dim forms forma like the phantom creatures of a nightmare shriek instead of spurring her to action only confused her the more and benumbed her faculties she thought it was ills his death cry and stood trembling transfixed with horror then came the fall of tile the canopy ills his cries as lie sought to throw it off showed that he was still alive in a hash flash hr her bewilderment vanished the stagnant blood surged again through her arteries in it a fiery stimulating torrent with a cry to which primeval instinct lent a menacing note she groped tier her way to the fallen canopy and stooped to lift up tip one side quick into the tree treat I 1 she called still frantic with terror Wili winthrope struggled to bio bin feet she thrust him towards the baobab and followed dragging the mass of interwoven bamboos emboldened by the retreat ot of their quarry the r barling pack instantly began to close in fortunately they were too cowardly to rush at once and fear spurred their Inter intended ded victims to the utmost haste groping and stumbling the two felt their way to the baobab and miss misa leslie pushed winthrope headlong through the en an aranco tranco As ho be fell she sha turned to face the pack the foremost beasts beast a were sit t tho the rr ara edge of the bamboo frolA ork their eyes cypa close to the ground in told her that they were crouching in to leap with desperate strength abo caught up the canopy before her tike a great shield and drew tt it in biter her until the ends of the cross crosa hirs wre were wedged fast against the sides aldea ot of the opening though it aafred 0 10 o firm she clung to it with a con rt T cub V grasp as she ah felt the pack leaders fling them themselves solves against tho the outer side hut but blake had lashed the bamboos securely together and none 0 of tho the beasts was heavy enough to snag snap tho the stipple bars finding that they could not break down the barrier they began to scratch add tear at tho the thatch which covered tho the frame soon a pair of letin lean jaws thrust la in and snapped at the girls skirt she sprang back with a cry help quick mr air win breaking th rought winthrope mailo mado no response she stooped and found him lying inert where he had fallen she had only herself to depend upon A screen of sharp sticks which she alia had made for tho the antra entra entrance nce was waa leaning against the tha inner wall within easy reach to grasp it and thrust it against the other framework was the work of an jn instant still she trembled tor for the eager beasts had bad ripped the thatch from tho tit canopy and their lu thrust jaws made short work of oc tho the few leaves on her screen unaware that even a lion or P tiger Is quickly discouraged by the knifelike knife like splinters of broken bamboo she expected every moment that the jackals jackala would bite bile their way through her trail frail barrier she remembered the sharpened stakes of it her er screen hidden under tinder the leaves and gross grass of liar her bed she groped her way across the hollow and uncovered one of the stakes ira ia her haste she out aft her hand on its razor like edge all unheeding she sha sprang back towards the entrance sho she was waa none too soon one of the smaller jackala jackals had forced its head and one leg between the bars and was struggling to enlarge the tha opening fearful fea ful that the whole pack wu was about to burst in upon liar her the girie grasped the bamboo stake in both hands bands and began stabbing and lung ing at the beast with all tier her strength the jackal squirmed and snarled and snapped viciously but the girl wan now frantic sho she pressed nearer and though the white teeth grazed liar her wrist she drove items hoisie a thrust that changed the beasts snarls into a bowl of pain llenore she could strike again it had baek back out of the hole beyond roach ranch tense tenpo and panting with excitement ifie he leaned fori forward ard ready to tab stab at the next beast none appeared and presently sho she became aware that the pack had been daunted by the experience peri ence of their unlucky fellow their snarls and yells had subsided to whines which seemed to be coming from a greater distance still she waited with the bamboo stake upraised ready to strike every nerve and muscle of tier her body tense with the strain so great was the stress 0 of her fear and excitement that she had hadnot not heed bead ed ad the first arst gray bray lessening of this tha night tint but now the glorious glor toua tropical dawn came streaming out of the east in all its red led effulgence above and through the bamboo barrier glowed a light as might have come from a great ire fire on the cliff top still tense and immovable the girl stared out up the cleft there was wan not a jackal in sight she leaned forward and nd peered around unable to juleve Jl leve it su such good fortune alit the night prowlers had slunk ott off in the first gray bray dawn the girl drew in a deep shuddering sigh and sank back her hand band struck against toot foot she sha burned about quickly unit and looked at him ile he was lying upon his face she hastened to turn him upon his side anti and to feel his bin forehead it was coot cool and moist lie was waa fast asle asleep elland and drenched |