Show goom jilb mom G amrell LD by ELLERY H blaik Copy rient ll 1929 11 by dobbs co 60 CHAPTER VII continued 12 then was my opportunity but whether it be to my credit or my shame bhame I 1 confess that I 1 have never been by instinct InsUn ct what la is called a n fI gIlting man often enough god knows knowls I 1 have fought and fought to kill but bu never gave eave where there seemed to ile 1 no other choice and so now with tny my enemy helpless rny my irm arm was pow erless to strike it was too much alk like murder and as I 1 saw him film staring ui tit at me with a half dazed glance I 1 tool took a findsen resolution johnson I 1 1 cried 1 I dont want to kill you say sas that you cheated promise you wont again agnan unit and leave town tomorrow II if bouli do tilts this your lifes your own I 1 shall never forget the look that thai came over his face nt lit my words tin the look of a man reprieved in ili the very ver shadow of death on the instant t george Ck I 1 said bald weakly ive had enough got get me home tie he seemed to summon till all tits his remaining energy find and whispered so fall faintly itly that I 1 could scarcely hear bin 11 1 promise tilbe at once I 1 struggled to my feet and taking care to possess Illy myself self of ills weapon I 1 shouted with what little strength was left to me to C george corge nit and renfrew Iten frew to conic come ashore I 1 started I 1 remember re to walk valk toward the bouts boats and tile the next that I 1 recall with any distinctness was aint georges Georgc 9 arin aria was around tile me and that ills his voice was asking me how badly I 1 was hurt I 1 answered stupidly enough till that it 1 I was not hurt in tile the least to which lie ho ro re joined impatiently look nt at your sleeve I 1 and when I 1 tilt did so I 1 saw there a spreading of listening glistening gi red george I 1 said weakly ive had enough get me home 11 CHAPTER VIII I 1 meet jack shively vely georges first act after getting gettin 9 me to bed be was to flud find a physician up hatli ed and bandaged my illy wound and to my relief assured me that it wit was not serious when morning came I 1 wits vas not only ready but eager to bave tile the port tw tiled tile me I 1 breakfasted though wl without ill appetite then anade my way to georges i torges room and tried to per persuade sunde idin him to keep heep tile me company colli pany luit in ill aln alli file pleasures of the palace still beguiled gulled lio him and so I 1 bade him goodby good by eliga engaged ell a light vehicle cle mill was vas e soon boon on my lily way toward mcallis I 1 urs plantation plant atio n an ali hours leisurely jog trot brought us is to tile lie estate no signs of life were isible evidently it wits tile the hour for luncheon aad temporary relaxation from roro toll near ear tit at hand stood it a large white house doubt tit the dwelling of oc shively vely dismissing my driver I 1 made my iny way through the scorching heat bent to the ilie house to find on inquiry that shively hively s had just finished ills his luncheon lie he camo forth to meet lar me a tall sul sal diw hii man with a bali bald licad head H whooped hooked lose and lit in ills his pale little eyes un expression of perpetual distrust Y aich increased I 1 thought thou glit rather r than diminished when I 1 showed him my lily credentials als and told him that hut my illy name le n as robert mcallister altogether lie was nas n as a man inan for whom I 1 experienced lit at once nce a hearty antipathy anti more and nd wore more I 1 felt that captain ita relay taud ud told me lu in every particular noth mg but the truth shively was clearly in ill an ugly mood lari 11 greeted tile mo with scant civility then apparently dismissing tile me for tile the from lili ili I 1 mind he from nn fill adjoining room one of ills his named 11 kvan anns it a callow I 1 I 1 I 1 I 1 e possess ing youth 1 for whom I 1 fone elved no greater liking than I 1 had tor for shively Sh luly look here bere evans lie enar i enabled led that watch was stolen and that light fingered sally tool took alit watch now you yoli get her here and in iett tt latr say saly so ill in man answered mildly elou enough I hitt S sally illy lind had alre already ad y been questioned question ed bild i lid law liu il 1 tiled au all of the whereabouts of tile the watch at which shively broke forth into a torrent of vain bod id blasphemous cursing and wound up lip by exclaiming trice tier her up the black liar trice her u up till she saya buys she took it and if she wont own up set kit tier her on tile the picket ril ill show these black trash chos master here I 1 listened with a n sensation of helplessness to this callous command at once evans took himself off ehric shively sat in silence yet with what lemed to me tin an expression of sensuous anticipation upon his face until presently evans reappeared followed by it a comely colored col orcil girl whose quivering lip and tear stained cheeks checks bore witness to tile the treatment she lind had undergone der gone began upon tier lier venomously so you took the watch did you the girl fell upon tier her knees before ill him with hands finds clasped in entreaty so help licup me ine she cried piteously 1 I never see I 1 say I 1 taku take it cause I 1 no bear pain gods goda truth I 1 no take it you lie ile d n you roared shively vely but it wont RO go down with me and to avans lie ile commanded trice tier her up again agnin well see bee shots master here at tins tills tile lie poor girl completely lost control of herself forns foras I 1 could plain ly see she would tiny any anything rather than endure it second pricing up tip no no ow hw cried 1 I lie I 1 take watch no trice up again 1 I thought so said bald shively grimly then added threateningly when have you hidden it no lying now where inhere Is it you black thief it was pitiful to perceive tile girls ile thrown into confusion since ce ns its anyone could see slip she had never stolen tile watch naturally she could not confess where slie site hall had hidden it hut shively vely like a god upon ills th throne rolle was after it her r again where cheim cant you understand english where Is it I 1 say whereupon ill the girl clearly snatching tit at tile the first thought that cattle caine into tier head answered wildly 1 I throw watch in ili river shively exploded explode ti in another torrent of of course I 1 to do not suppose that lie he was stupid enough to belle believe for nit an instant that tile tie girl was guilty I 1 I 1 11 all ll lit hu wished wao till an excuse for punishing tier her a cruel smile curling tile tho corners of tits his mouth lie said so to evans avans which I 1 could not catch but the woman heard and tier her frantic pleas for mercy told ine 1110 that site she must ile be facing sonic some further ordeal more terrible than anything slip she had find yet undergone hut shively hado bade tier lier lie be silent in it tone so niena vIng that lint tier her cries subsided into frightened sobs that fairly wrung my iny heart and when tile assistant let led tier lier away slip followed submissively is as if realizing the fu futility tillY of resistance at once though knowing that hut my illy efforts would by be vain I 1 attempted to intercede in ili thy the girls behalf lut but tile look that shively gave tile me and tile alie contemptuous manner in which he heard tile 1110 made it evident that our dislike was thoroughly mil mutual moreover I 1 knew only to too well that bhoj men were wf re within legal rights and that ShI action would doubtless have been approve approved by half tit the overseers on oil the island therefore sorry as I 1 felt for the poor girl I 1 subsided on bonfy inquiring how soon lie he could provide pr ovidii me with it boat to take tile me to tilt island isad to which doubtless scenting a chance to ronke make nie me s suffer ins as well its as the girl he replied that lie first wished tile to see tier lier punished so that I 1 might assure my uncle that discipline wit on the plantation was being maintained then reaching for tits his lint hat lie bade me ille follow I 1 answered curtly enough that I 1 would stay 1 I was whereupon with it scowl and a shrug of his shoulders lie departed leaving tile me upon tilt veranda veran gazing forth sick lit at heart into tilt blazing blazin ili little 0 of f t lie tropic afternoon presently after the lie lupe lapse of if what inight have been pvn t n I 1 was startled by tile tha heartrending shrieks of it a woman lit in mortal agony it wits was enough spurred to instant action I 1 had traversed in a twinkling the space between the house and the lie spot in ili the woods when the cries had conic come there in a little clearing I 1 belfeld pour poor sally bound hand and foot to a cotton cottonwood wool I 1 tier her face pressed close to tilt the trun it of tile the tree tier her brown bad back bared to the gnip impact net or of tile the last lash while 1 evans and I 1 two I 1 vo other assistants asi si stood by tint and shively vely whip in ili hand was measuring ills his distance for another blow A second more and I 1 would have been on oil him was ivas 1 indeed tili ini tit in the very net act of leaping for lils ills arm arin 1 when I lien suddenly and without warning it gigantic legro burba from tile alie of if tile the woods and I 1 hurled himself full upon vely I 1 saw a knife art and hoped hope for onu olle exultant luon moment lent that it gouid find a resting place in the over overseers aers heart but luck wils against tile lie avenger shively I 1 to parry the thrust the two men gimp grappling pling rolled over and over on the ground and then the fortune of war wits was decisive altered lis as three assistants rushed to abe t he rescue of f tula chief yet even then the mogro whose strength must have been enormous succeeded in wrenching himself free and with one final stall stab which slashed arm rio no bounded off like a deer in tile the direction itt 1 I the river catch film I 1 roared shively Sh liely and with the blood running from his bared arm he dashed clashed after the fugitive with tile others at ills fuels making the most of my opportunity I 1 cut the thongs which bound the woman to the tha tree itald tier her unconscious form on the ground und and the then n knowing that I 1 would do more harm harin than good by trying to help hell tier her further fu ither I 1 hastened after these chivalrous rulers of the plantation I 1 found them grouped groupe 4 or on the margin of the river pistols in hand tile the negro must murt have been a remarkable swimmer for I 1 could see no sign of ill him but shively explained savagely we lye saw illin him live dle in iles hes swimming under tinder water but liea hes no lish fish got to come up tl TI words had hardly left ills his lips when at sonie some distance from the etione the negros head appeared above tile the surface almost instantly three pistol shots rang out but the alm or of the marksmen was hurried their hands unsteady front from running anil and though tho thred bullets splashed close to the Swi swimmers miners lead head no one of then them took effect and lie ho disappeared again like ft a shil shadow dOW shively alone had held tits his lire fire and running out on a projecting point to lose no foot of his distance lie cried exultantly ho cant stay under so long tills time watch me settle him when lie comes cupl the hie seconds passed then suddenly still farther out in the stream and Is as though the protracted effort of staying staging so fco long submerged had slipped sapped his energies the head and anil shoulders of the fugitive burst front from the water presenting a mark too good to miss I 1 saw Shi shiver B right arm extended and prayed to myself that the lie bullet night might go astray then camo came tilt sharp crack ciack of the pistol but this time there was no splash to mark it a miss I 1 saw the negros head snap back sharply and tits his arnis arms clutch con on hlll at the nit alt then as it if re ing ills faculties to the end nd his blurred eyes sought tilt the short shore lie shouted some words I 1 could not catch and then lils ills muscles relaxed and ills his lifeless body flouted quietly away awa toward the sen sea shively Sh lely with perfect calmness turned tinned to ills subordinates what IN did tic siy say enns elvans lie queried quelled you know their lingo better than I 1 do if he exactly wishing visiting mo me luck was lie ile he spoke in grim grilii pleasantry but there wits was nothing of pleasantry in fit the bookkeepers reply he was wag an all obi man mail their chief magician and t the 11 Ills husband hId of tile the woman you flogged lie ile curses you iou and yours through life ilfe and death and lie he will come ciolll t back from tile the grave lie ho buys to haunt you OU shively grinned well vell see about that lie answered lightly enough ive ie never neer been bothered with ghosts yet iet then added set get back now boys bos and keep those swine well under at any ally sign of till an excuse bear down of on elu sweat cm till they trot drop if that man inan was an obi ina man n Us as y sou ou S sai a y there may be some grumbling iut by b G d well show em ell who ru runs US t tills I 1 i plantation I 1 sickened at him my one desire wa was to get away its as shiou as possible and as civilly chilli its as I 1 could I 1 asked bilm when lie he could ferry tile inc over oer to the island he answered with what aliat I 1 imagined to be irony that lie would be delighted to row tile me across lit at once and led the way to it a land landing flig stage where a number of boats were madr fast can call you ou pull nit nil oar lip ho asked anith a disparaging glanie glance a if liv frit felt that such midi n balut hearted youth anth could do 10 little in tile the way or of manly exercise 1 I can I 1 responded with equal brevity and lie he selected L a light skiff and seated on the after rowing teat seat I 1 should as as si a ter of fact have enjoyed pulling stroke myself ni self tor lor I 1 think I 1 might havill hav been able to net iset a pace that would have made litin him gasp before we reached the island bland but as it was there waa nothing for tile me to do but slip blip into the forward sent seat and adjust myself to hla his leisurely stroke which sent us skimming at u good rote rate across the placid water of the lagoon CHAPTER IX calm and storm from a jetty on tile the easterly co sterly side ol 01 tile the island where a dozen boats lay moored it wizened untidy looking man peered down at us its I 1 knew of course that tills must be mcallister McAll lster even be fore shively greeted him film by name yet ct as I 1 stepped ashore and shook litland it was hard to realize that tills little ninn man with bowed shoulders all and sidelong eld olony glance had ever eer been a gen tiernan of fortune tint and a ranger of ahr sen hoa there tire ore those however win rule by b craft alone leaving leading the actual lighting fighting to their followers and such a 11 leader I 1 reasoned rei must have been lie he now inquired anxious ly iv as to tilt the disturbance on the shore and shiver seemed to take mall clou delight in recounting tile the incident and in repenting with emphasis the curse which the lie obi rilan find culled called town down on oil his slayer an and I 1 on till all connected with him mcallister was clearly both nn noyed and man man I 1 im m belling ell lri ye e lie he complained that youre oure too forth putting by far peace and quietness the he bonny way to the live at those these words shively who did not appear to be nt at all in awe of ills chief threw hack back its his ugly head and laughed long and heartily thinking I 1 dare are say sav of the old lays days on the caribbean and of the lonely islet in the ant antlee 11 le where they had shot down their allies front from behind pence and quietness surely came oddly from |