Show 7 GULD by ELLERY H r CLARK copyright by dobbs dobb co ci CHAPTER X Conti continued nuee IS 15 tile the intervening space wits liia narrow and it took tile rno but a fow moments to traverse it in a small opening ahen I 1 I 1 of mo inc I 1 could seo see McAlli figure bent over find tumbling fumbling as it if for something hidden in n tho the ground in irresistibly desist I 1 thought of capt francis liar bar CIRY find ills bis cross bearings then hurriedly an it if in fear for lie he glanced constantly over tits his shoulder tho stooping figure beann to dig until pre j cantly I 1 heard tile grating sound of metal 14 evidently tl V like captain bar ar clay was a hider of treasure and then nil all tit nt once I 1 realized the lie tru truth h doubtless und ellid iny illy heart bent beat faster nt at tile thought tills this was tile the board itself tills this was tho the treasury treasure reddened with blood arid and for which andy had laid town down her life instantly I 1 saw that knowing tile the spot where it iny hidden I 1 might inight bo be in a position to drive n shrewd bargain might betray the treasure without betraying mcallister might oven even save ills his miserable life and of fur far more importuner importuned to tile mo might save helens life and anil my own hut but my thoughts wont went no further am aa I 1 have told you I 1 nm lint not it believer in the supernatural but I 1 declare to you that lint nt at this moment something I 1 know not what pos possessed sNed tile me nn an indefinable fear which shook nio me from head to toot foot n nameless dread of some terrible impending doom tit in alio lie next nex fraction of a second I 1 was wag that something ninn man or ghost concealed lit in tile ho man mangroves groves behind me ic allister Allt ster all was wag dark rind shadowy but from froin the fixed shadows one vint moved detached itself and crept noiselessly nearer and nearer INI cAllIster was on oil hill hh kneed lie he had tile the box for ucb such I 1 was suro sure that it was from its hiding place nil and was I 1 biting ined examining it to see aeo if its coti contents intact it nil flashed avei mo inc now ile ho was worried by the thought of the mysterious visitor in tile tho canic thinking perhaps that it was barclay blin himself self and hafid now crept forth to examine tits bis tren stille i there was something terribly fascinating in the picture tho the itil miser ser intent upon ills rold gold and jewels forgot fut ful of till nil else in the world arid liere here almost nt at tits bla shoulder tills vengeful shadow drawing nearer and nearer advancing stealthily on oil its prey A I 1 waited pistol half malsed suddenly sudden lt tile crisis catao I 1 tile the crouching figure rise to its ha full height the figure of a mail brond broad liend head set grotesquely low un on his hir shoulders and in that instant I 1 leveled my illy pistol and fired II 11 red for it moment nil all was confusion st sl I 1 heard it shriek from froidl arid a cry alint was almost a roar of pain and rage ond and instant ly some one whether it ivas McAll mcallis ls ter or tits bis I 1 could not tell crushed fly by mo ilia tit in the thicket heading lit in the lip direction of the house without loss of it ii second I 1 dashed in pursuit and emerging saw that it was not but the alie other evidently too my iny bullet hao had taken effect for the figure run ran curiously bent over ns its if badly hurt and still straight for the house then in a lash flash I 1 thought of tile rope leading to my room and cursed myself for leaving it there if this lend alend should see it should gain the alie house and pull tho lie rope up tit after him what might lie ho not to do before I 1 could gain admission through the door the thought of helen tilled rite mo apprehension yet in tile the uncertain light I 1 dared not ire alre my illy rifle I 1 prayed for a rny of moonlight for it moment tile tho figure the corner of the be house was lost to view arid and its as I 1 followed I 1 saw that my illy gravest fears were realized for tile fugitive witia a speed and agility which v incredible was swart nin up ul tile the rope ind even lit in this short space of time was nearly nt at the lie top on oil such slight flight chances cli ances does life or death depend even ns its I 1 had hoped and prayed nt at that hint instant the woon shone forth from behind a cloud arid iles with tile dread of the clit climber tiber gaining the shelter of tho the house I 1 gave it a ter rifle shout lit in the hie hope ol of arresting its ills progress the expedient was successful ile he stopped for nil an in unlit plant ns as it if surprised and turned to look down I 1 caught a momentary impression pres slon of n R horrible bestial face with lips drawn back and grinning teeth then threw my rifle ride to my illy shoulder aimed for the brain arid tired for it a second I 1 could not judge tile alie result of my shot the head beau seemed to collapse and sink but tile the hold on oil the lie rope did not loosen and there between earth arid sky that huge bilk aulk biting then nil all ot once it released its hold bold aind fame came crashing to the ground dead de nd lying motionless without sound found or movement yet such was still my illy dread of it that even now I 1 ran no risks but reloaded my rille before I 1 cautiously ventured near immensely inc large my victim loomed in the moonlight and soine how more and more inore unlike a mail yet it was ans vot fill I 1 stood by its side tint that the jhc full truth dawned on me inc for now in one lightning flush flash the whole mystery became clear us as day the fiend which ind ravager rava agert geI tho island and eluded our pursuit and which had been oto plied to in its n 01 of nr destruct destruction lon only lie i most moat fortunate chance clin was not a human being but a huge bull ape possessing according to the natura naturalists lists seven times tile the strength of a man mall the far famed orangutan orang utan of sumatra und and borneo CHAPTER xa tho crisis the events of that night ne henrly my nn in implied Al cAllister luckily however for its his secret tile the maroons marcons were so BO terrified by tile he uproar and tho the sound of shots that not lot ono of them ventured forth und and it was I 1 who going buck back to the mangroves man groves found him stretched prostrate on tho the ground apparently load A hasty examination showed that tila ills heart wits still hen boating ting I 1 dared not waste time therefore in examining tho the chest although one hur ried glance disclosed got gold and jeweld in magn incent abundance and closing tile tho lid ild I 1 lowered it into its ita resting place replacing thu the dirt above it its aa 8 skillfully fitfully I 1 am aa I 1 could then lifting IlI cAllister in my arms I 1 made nii my way back to the house and with tile tho aid of tile key hey which I 1 found in lila film pocket I 1 got him indoors and summoning helen to help me we worked until daylight over the unconscious man inan lie he till had a constitution of iron arid and rallying from the shock appeared next day to be almost as well as ever As to tho the mystery of the giant ape that was now not hard to understand the captain of the ashantee was a great lover of natural history story lil nid was V I 1 14 Z 10 for a second I 1 could not judge the result of my fire given to bringing home front from foreign parts beasts birds and reptiles of till all descriptions that lie he had somehow obtained possession of oc the orangutan orang utan either at sumatra or borneo was clear next with the conling coming of the hurricane it was evident that either by accident or design the ape had find been beell freed from tits his cage or the quarters where lie III ana confined anti and that ills his enormous strength had enabled him to cling to some aromo piece of wreckage wieck age and to make tile shore of the island in ili safety unquestionably also my strange sensations on tile the night of the wreck had been caused by the passing of the ape toward the grove of trees to which lie he had instinctively turned for shelter here tie lie had taken up tits his abode lit in the tree tops and ind had in fit turn trailed I 1 ind and killed the lie dog tile the helfer heifer and the two negroes my discovery of tile canoe ind and shooting of its occupant wits was one of those coincidences which justify y tile the good old rule lule that cir circum euin evidence Is a dangerous thing or on which to rely presumably tile the occupant of tile lie canoe calloe was some harmless fisherman cruising up the river ho tiny muy have been approaching tile island with tile the ino most at peaceful intent and hla 1114 sudden unlit flight have been by terror at hearing cudjo cudios s shriek ot 0 agony As aa I 1 expected mcallaster McAll lster questioned me ine nt at length ns as to what I 1 had seen on the alio night of tile the encounter but while lie ile appeared sollie somewhat what chagrined that I 1 knew of the whereabouts of ilia hla treasure yet after nil I 1 had saved tits hla life life ind and lie ho was wag scarcely in n a position to bo be otherwise than grateful I 1 all tills hla time I 1 had naturally not been unmindful of the future hut but as muy may well bo be imagined tile the constant strain of these tragic events ila had made it impossible for me to settle on tiny any definite plan I 1 felt however that one point was clear I 1 could no longer deceive helen a as to my identity whatever slie site might think of tile me I 1 must tell tier her the truth anti and accordingly the next evening nt at our favorite station near the point of the island I 1 took as the saying la Is my illy courage tit in my iny hands and told her first of alt all that I 1 loved tier lier with all my heart and soul but that before I 1 spoke of that further there was wag something else which I 1 must make clear to tier her and then reluctantly enough I 1 told her the whole story ex to her in conclusion that I 1 was in duty bound to return to the captain with my report how she answered my declaration of lovo love I 1 may not tell you here some things in the life of each of us are too sacred for the printed page it Is 18 enough perhaps to say that when site she realized the danger which confronted ua it all tier her mocking gayety gaiety dropped from tier her like a cloak and I 1 saw for the lie first time the file depths of courage and truth that lay beneath it wa was wai i then that I 1 knew beyond all doubt she loved roe line so that suddenly to my eyes the whole world seemed bathed in glory and I 1 felt that hereafter nothing could really alarm us neither fate nor misfortune nor death itself but nt at length when our first transports had su subsided bIded there was much else to consider As ai to AlI McAll cAllIster lster helen with tier her quickness of wit saw the lie situation in a lash flash grasping the meaning of nil all that lie he had lone done and believing implicitly as I 1 did the story that barclay ila had told then very seriously riou sly she asked tile me alint reception I 1 should meet with from the captain I 1 was in such nn nil exalted state and so splendid did the world appear that I 1 think I 1 half persuaded myself that the captain might look upon our love affair with favor and might even help kielp us its to solve sole our dl til cult ie and thus my illy arm around tier her waist we strolled letl slowly buck back to tile the house to INI mcallaster cAllister McAll lster I 1 ninde made the brief explanation that private business demanded banded a lilt visit to the port and accordingly the next afternoon I 1 tool took leave of helen not letting tier her see that I 1 felt any uneasiness as to my return lind and left the island behind once tend od ed for the plantation however my heart sud suddenly defily turned heavy for when I 1 thought of BarcI barcinas nys hatred of me mc allister Al llster r I 1 became fearful test lest tit this is hatred should extend both to helen and myself yet I 1 reasoned too that I 1 had at least been faithful rind and could only hope that tills this fact might sway tile balance in my illy favor thus debating the matter in my tit mind I 1 came to the mainland and unwillingly enough went lit in search of shively on my way I 1 canie came neross across one of tits lils assistants a decent enough looking lad ind and the youngest of tile the lot lie he casting a quick glance around him hani to see that we were not ot observed arved signed to me meto ato follow him into gnp of the out buildings and here swearing me ine to secrecy lie he told tile me talat hat matera term on oil the plantation were going irm from bad to worse that lie he suspected it a gen |