Show s r 1 c c cf f Edison Marshall r W NU NU S E. E r Cr eef i CHAPTER VII VII Continued Continued 10 10 rm Tm going too I wont won't slow you up and up-and and Im I'm afraid to stay alone A moment later they were strIdIng striding ing lug across the moors Nan seemed fired by the flint of his will nothIng nothing noth noth- ing lag mattered In the world but to arrIve arrive arrive ar ar- ar- ar rive In time Her HerO little feet flew At I last st they saw the cliff cUll In grim silhouette against the moonlit sea sen On Its crest was a n minute black form form It It might be no more than an shaped odd-shaped stone As they hurried nigh It grew Incredibly In stature It was rising from his knees to lift both arms in In supplication tion to the gods of at the w winds There was no hope of or seizing him unawares He stood on the very summit an nn 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 handI hand I am no not asleep asleep I I am not dead I I am alive they heard him chant Then there followed an earnest Invocation 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 tako this humble falling life of his In the stead of the new-given new life denied them today The two Intruders had now crept to the base of the rock on which the patriarch stood Eric called quIetly His ills chanting stopped in the middle middle middle mid mid- dle of a note He grunted an Inquiry In In- Eric thanked his stars for his few Aleut leut words and Idioms Stay where you are We would make parl parley y The reply was an excited outburst outburst outburst out out- burst 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 sockets eye like black fissures In his drawn face I Go on up slowly Eric muttered muttered muttered mut mut- to Nan Its our only hope now Maybe I can keep him talking till we get our hands on him But spirit was already I running to meet his gods Stronger I hands than Erics Eric's seemed to clasp his big own As the two palefaces peered over the rim he backed toward toward toward to to- ward the void I Nans Nan's heart was suffocating so soshe soshe soshe she clung to the ledge but Eric sprang for the crest She he saw him risk his own neck as he be wrenched over the rim his hand snatching for parka He was too late Kou Iou the old man walled wailed Invoking Invoking In In- ol ing his heathen gods I Then with a trIumphant triumphant triumphant shout that echoed and trembled trembled trembled trem trem- bled among the crags he sprang Into the sea sea Dark water leaped high and drifted down In a nebulous cloud Eric stood peering over the brink everything went black before Nans Nan's eyes as she expected him to attempt attempt attempt at at- tempt a rescue But It would only be suicide suicide and and the old Island gods godshall had hall their due already Poor old chap he hc murmured Then ho he turned back and reaching a hand to Nan drew her up beside him Long moments passed before they remembered words They listened to the tho sullen suIlen roar of the surf the thelong thelong thelong long of the waves against the rock they watched the shimmering path of ot the tho moon across the sea Ren They were Infinitely Infinite InfinIte- ly alone Im almost glad we didn't win Eric whispered at last You saw It from tho the first didn't you Tour Your sensibilities are arc far finer than mine mineI I 1 I could see seo only my own side time was almost up any any- way Next winter would probably finish him slow decay at last a rattle In his throat and his old bones thrust In the sea caVes As AsIt AsIt Asit It Is he went with hand handon on his shoulder and the flush of glory on his face Better Detter than that He lIe died for his tribe trIbe trIbe-a a heros hero's death It was an Illusion of course but a fools fool's faith Is better than no faith at all I didn't use uso to understand that but I do now Eric gazed far tar off oft And a n fools fool's love love love-Is Is better than no love at all aU Isn't It Ho He re reached ched for her hand His touch seemed to complete an electric elec trio circuit His head bent and she saw his hair flair blowing In the wIndas' wIndas wind windas as as' as he lie slowly gently kissed her fin fingers ers it was o a J. J token of ot surrender his second tonight A A few minutes before before be be- fore for hR h had bowed down to the stern destiny that exacted an old oldmans oldmans oldmans I mans man's life lito In payment for a moments moment's moments moment's moments moment's mo mo- ments ment's exultation of his soul Now he bent his head again again to to his own hard bargaining fate as It moved through Nan Ho He would no longer haggle over oyer the tho price He lIe would risk all give all for one ono deep breath of mountain air one rocket- rocket rush to the stars Ive tried to deny It until now he said gravely I was afraid I could never win you rou so I didn't dare love you ou I knew how v It would be with me you me-you you did too If It once took hold bold of me It would never let mo me go It would follow me always Nan smiled dimly This was so Steadfastness loyalty unfaltering idealism sm were the watch-cries watch of this strong mans man's life Ilfe To one one woman only could he surrender a and d' d to her her he lie must give everything every every- thing No Now Ive I've got to love you whether er I win you or not he went on Youve made me with your jour beauty beau beau- ty and ty-and and your bravery bravery and and Just you ou Nans Nan's hand clutched his Are you sure Eric He smiled dimly Do you think I could be mistaken now nov now I want want to hear you say It In plain words Maybe then Ill I'll know my own heart He drew both her hands aga against his breast I love 10 Nan you he told her quietly I will always love you She Sho looked long Into his eyes At last she shook her head baffled It hasn't come to me Its It's all so strange this strange this place the place the moon the moon the theold old mans man's body rolling In the water you you and I 1 standing here mud to our knees our knees our hands grimy grIm wear grimy wear wearIng wear wearing ing parkas of seal Its It's glorious and terrible and Impossible ble all at once It cant can't last Ive I've got to go back backs I You mean mean mean-go go back again to your own world orld Its certain In the end This Is all just a dream that well we'll wake up from sometime on the deck of another another an an- other yacht yacht yacht-or or ao no ocean liner Then well we'll have to part You wouldn't share my life would you I wouldn't want you to to Id I'd d feel teel that I was keeping a polar hear bear In a n fountain Youve You've got to stay In your element the element the sea the sea the snow Yes but you could share my life Ufe You could come with me She shook her head doubtfully Im afraid I couldn't I 1 I dont don't think Ive I've got It In me the fighting heart henrt I dont don't think I have the will power to take a rough road Just for the sake of the thrill when theres there's n a smooth one open Im I'm a great hand for synthetic thrills Her tone grew bitter The real thing scares me out Is this the real thing ills His arm stole about her shoulders pressed her her close and his lips mastered mastered mas mas- hers The sea seemed to rise over the crags and sweep her gently away but It was warm as blood and the swing of Its wave was ecstasy Her arms b began an to steal about him her lips Ups clung then with a spasm In her breast she wrenched free It was too real she told him gasping And Im I'm more afraid than ever You must never be afraid of life sweetheart Or of love She mused a long time then shook her head I wont won't be afraid of love when love when It comes she said staunchly But It hasn't come to me yet and I Ido do dont don't t think It ever er will come on this Island Were you near It just It-just Just now It all came from your heart not mine Perhaps Im I'm too fond of ot Roy And Eric Im I'm Im I'm afraid Ill I'll never know for certain until were we're back In Its now or never for me He Ho Hodrew drew a deep breath and his voice resounded like a low gong among the crags Well Ill I'll keep on try- try Ing Her iler eyes lighted her lips curled dimly After all Ive I've said 1 What youve you've said only makes me spread a little more canvas He Ho caught both her hands In a strong grip Nan do you think Im I'm going to take down the flag and run back to port Im I'm sailing on 1 Im I'm going round the horn I Ill I'll not stop till Im I'm sunk I And by G ti G-d d If the breeze holds Im I'm going to win through CHAPTER VIII IT T WAS September still and summer sum mer on Forlorn Island The fur seals had finished their rut and hauled back to the tho deep the hunters hunters hunt hunt- ers speared an occasional straggler as the herd wheeled southward The sea birds circled endlessly over the cliffs uttering troubled cries Roys Roy's deep mind conceived how to tomake tomake make practical use of their swift wings By careful work with the traps and nets some twenty birds of different species were taken alive unhurt For each Eric provided a water tight tube of quill to be bound to the flyers flyer's leg And now at last Hortons Horton's checkbook and fountain pen might come Into their own The Ink In the pen had dried but by adding water he achieved a pale legible script On the basks backs of twenty twenty ty checks he wrote finely Survivors of the Intrepid are marooned marooned ma ma- In Davy Jones shoals north of Island There Is a pass pass- passIn In from the North Notify authorities Felix Horton A nervous light flowed Into the millionaires millionaire's dazed Im eyes goI goi go- go i 1 IS Ii 1 Ii 1 I i CL 4 f k i i I Am Not Asleep Asleep I I Am Not Dead I I Am Alive lug ing to write something on the thc face of the checks too he said His daughter smiled kindly better save saye your inkWell ink Well eke It t out with berry Juice Im I'm going to fill In every one for fora a hundred dollars payable to the I bearer His voice lost Its dull sound and regained some som of Its old power At least the man who finds It wont won't throw It away and when he takes It to a bank and Its It's paid as It will be paid paid- It'll attract atten atten- tion It seemed a fantastic Idea Idea here here hereon on this lost reef so far from the marts marts- yet marts yet et when they looked deeper deep deep- er they found It shrewd and sound Horton prepared the tho checks and carefully tore them out one b by one His face glowed It was the happiest happiest hap hap- hour of his exile and as Nan watched him she did not know why her tear ducts smarted and burned He was like a child playing with toys Finally ho he had only three checks left He tie counted and fingered them then returned the book to his pocket He could not part with these They were the symbol of his lost eminence emi emi- nence I 1 may need these to buy our way out of here he said husk husk- ily Uy His friends nodded but made no comment Each message was sealed In its tube tied with whalebone to the carriers carrier's leg and the bird freed From now on the venture lay with the gods Of the twenty messengers some would never live to reach the mainland But the tho chance remained that at least one of the missives would go home At best we cant can't e expect to hear from It till next spring Roy said Even If f one of the messages could be found next month there'd be long delays before our friends could be convinced that It wasn't a hoax hoar and anda a rescue expedition organized There'd be handwriting experts legal difficulties and then the long search for the pass So we wo may as ns well resign ourselves ourselves ourselves our our- selves to a winter on Forlorn Is Island Island island Is- Is land Nan said quietly Theres no help for that now Eric told her The girls girl's look grew dreamy as she sho glanced from Eric to Roy and back jack again a e a e Beyond the northern horizon there were wars and rumors of wars but Forlorn Island could expect expect expect ex ex- peace until tho end of ot Septem Septem- ber jer ber The smoke from tho the cooking fire made a straight round pillar to the blue Even the seabirds darted darted darted dart dart- ed and screamed no more but flew flewIn flewIn flewin In slow circles like vultures high over ocr the cliffs I dont don't like It It and I dont don't know wh why Eric told her as they stood on the silent beach bench The Old North hasn't quit us you can bet on that and I believe she has something up her sleeve Nan pointed to the billowing e edge ge of a n green cloud just emerging above tho the northern sky line Is uIs that the sign Almost before Eric could turn his head the cloud was noticeably larger It seemed to grow and swell with magic swiftness There was not yet a breath of air yet the dark sea was wrinkled all over like an old Aleuts Aleut's face tace The air began to crackle The Tho boorga Eric told her Ho He did lid not know why he used tho the mystical native word word implying ord Implying not merely a wind approaching hurricane hurricane hurricane hur hur- force but an on evil god riding Its wings A second later tho the gale struck As though on their own volition the waves leaped to meet It Instantly all aU Nans Nan's and Erics Eric's world passed away In a roaring chaos of ol blown sand spindrift and foam Eric took Nans Nan's hand and bendIng bendIng bending bend- bend Ing low plowed through the wall of wind to the village row rov By a common Impulse the whole populace populace populace lace of the Isle began to assemble before the Eric found and spoke In his ear car All AU here glanced from face to face Think so so No can tell teU No men men out fishing Men here Squaws vs here too No can count children Tell families to get together take count moved from man to toman toman toman man shouting Erics Eric's order but they only stared In dull terror Yet the tho command sunk in at last the squaws began to mill mm through the crowd yelling gesticulating and collecting their own Erics Eric's fears tears had began to pass when an Inert figure at the outskirts outskirts outskirts out out- skirts suddenly came to life Ilfe with witha a guttural agonized cry It was a squaw named Good Fur mother of a considerable brood Eric sped toward her but at first she was Incoherent with terror He cou could 1 catch only one word word word- This was the name of year ten daughter listened to the wom wom- womans woman's woman's womans ans an's cries with a look of doom she she gone he Interpreted dully Where Eric demanded almost almos shaking the man Know little Islet 01 off West cape Eric knew It well It was lIttlemore littlemore lIttle more than a big sand spit partly grown to sedge Good G G-d G d man manNot 1 Not there 1 l She take little kayak paddle out In bay around cape dig clams In sand No come conic back This was Just the kind of accIdent accident accI- accI dent Eric had feared The Aleut Aleu children were always playing In the little one-hatch one canoes on calm days daj's exploring the rocks and sand sand- Islets on both sides of the harbor He Ho turned and raised his arm In a sweeping gesture and with the whole populace at his heels sped d down the high narrow headland In Ina a moment he stood where the waves pounced roaring and drew back gazing with narrow narrowed d strained eyes Into the storm The low sandy ridge still sUIl stood well out of the waves Occasionally Occasional Occasional- ly billows broke over It but they had already spent their power on the shelving sands and only white foam leaped across On the ithe hIghest highest highest high hIgh- est point stood a small smaIl da dark k figure figure figure fig |