Show 4 I 3 Adventurers Adventurers' Club r V y e eTo To Be Eaten by Ants By FLOYD GIBBONS Famous Headline Hunter IF F ANY of you Adventurers know Dr Frederick S. S Macy o of New York the chances are you remember him as a kindly efficient medical man mat so devoted to his practice that he lie hasn't time tune for adventure But boys and girls you dont don't know from Doc Macy is first of all a retired colonel of the medical corps United States army and has enough adventure tucked away in his doctors doctor's bag to last him the rest of his successful life Doctor Macys Macy's epic goes back many years to the Philippine Insurrection in 1903 and It Is particularly Interesting at this time since we have given the Philippines their Independence Young Doc Macy Macy Macy-he he was Just twenty then was then was an army doctor stationed stationed stationed sta sta- on the Philippine Island of Le Leyte te and attached to a company of at volunteers who used the Island as their base From that base the boys In blue started on many a heartbreaking chase after the wily native leader teader The Gus Gu Were a Tough Bunch of Bandits Black with thirst and mad from the terrific tropical heat they marched through the hills lulls of at the Interior after the bandit who was always one step ahead of them avoiding a pitched battle but sniping at the column column column col col- with deadly effect from the bushes These Gus Gu were a tough bunch of babies They plundered plundered plundered dered the peaceful natives and actually ate the hearts of their enemies The fiendish tortures they applied to prisoners made our Apache Indians look like Sunday school pupils One particular torture was reserved for Americans It was this Any wounded or detached de soldier that had the misfortune to fall Into their hands was burled alive aUre up to his neck In an anthill 1 The voracious tropical ants took care of the rest and when the troops came on one of at their comrades burled buried In this manner only a grinning well-picked well skull was left to tell the mute mut story of at hours of slow agonizing death Tramp Steamer Brings a Strange Emissary to Camp Doc Macy being the surgeon of the outfit saw sav all this and many other unmentionable cruelties Some of at the men who had been captured by fly the bloodthirsty bandits lived but not one ever came back sane Their sufferings had destro destroyed ell their minds So naturally against an enemy of at this sort the one fear of every man In our army was the dread of at being captured alive Death was preferable to being taken prisoner and suicide in the last extremity was not unusual As I say Doc knew all this and In the face of this knowledge his subsequent actions take on all the elements of the heroic or of downright recklessness recklessness-In In any case of adventure One day Doc sa says s 's there glided gUlled Into the anchorage a dilapidated lopsided steamer manned by natives and 11 flying Ing a white flag of at truce A AI AThe t.- t. I 4 I III I I Ii I I I pd r II Q if 1 I III p I fr I I Ir r 6 f I The Rebel General Was Lying In n the Bamboo Shack small boat came ashore bearing a lone native waving the white flag We were astounded at this effrontery but even m-en more so when the half naked savage made known the reason for his visit The Doctor Leaves on His Mission of Mercy The native marched with sober dignity straight to where we waited His brown face under his straw hat wooden and unmovable immovable his bare feet thrust through the tattered remains of a Ii pair of at blue and andred andred andred red military trousers Well sir that brazen native astonished everybody there by his request General and his army he said lay some sixty miles away In a seacoast village The general and the Padre who always accompanied him were si sick k with beri berl-berl berl berl berland and the soldiers wished an American doctor to treat him The captain In charge of course refused the request but he hadn't counted on Doc Macy acy Doc Doe volunteered to go and on his promise to bring back Jack military Information the captain reluctantly allowed him to leave Doc leaving his weapons conspicuously behind him took only hIs bis doctors doctor's bag and and- climbed Into the boat Professional Zeal Laughs at Dangers But once on his way without a chance of turning back Doc Doe b began gan to realize what he had let himself Into Suppose It was was' all a ruse and they wanted him as a hostage Doc knew what that would mean It would mean that his ears would be sent back one by one or perhaps an eye now and then to convince the stubborn Americans Not a word was spoken n on the trip They arrived at a village crowded with soldados Thousands packed the narrow streets and glared at the hated Americano as he was led under guard to a bamboo shack In the shack lay the rebel leader and his beloved Pad Padre Both Doc saw at nt a glance were very low Suppose they died before he got away Doc Doe shuddered at the thought of or what would happen to him But when he lie started to work worle he be forgot everything In his professional zeal He lIe did nil all he could could all all any doctor could In those da days s 's and after hours of at work lay down on the dirt floor and slept till morning I I Back to the Boat Instead of the Ant Hill In the morning he be was relieved to see the general still alive Now the question was Would they allow him to leave Docs Doc's only Idea was to get away while the going was good He administered medicine and leaving some more told the women who were In attendance how hov to give the patients the rest Then Doc with his heart In his mouth but his face betraying Jetra no sign of at fear ordered the native guard to take him back po A breathless moment moment-a a moment In which Doc seemed to feel ants crossing his unprotected eyes eyes and and then an unintelligible order was growled by the sick general Doc was led out between four murderous murderous- looking Inscrutable natives lie De wondered whether he was going to the ant hill or the boat Well of course Jt was the boat or else those ants would have been telling our story toda today Doc was brought back to the base and welcomed by Jy the palest faces he lie hall had ever er seen In a sick ward His comrades had given ghen him up for lost I Would you ou do It again I asked askell Doc Doe Well ma maybe he said ma maybe be IF ll I WERE WEllE TW TWENTY i Ci I |