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Show 7 SERIAL y STORY J I INTO THE 1 I PRIMITIVE I l By j ROBERT AMES BENNET $j Illustrations b; ijifl lii; RAY WALTERS lijl 111- .jH X W ............V.V.VJ W A (CoprltfUt, I WW, by A. C McCluni A Co.) SYNOPSIS. The story opens with tho shipwreck of the steamer on which Miss Gonovleve Leslie, an American heiress, Lord Win-thropo, Win-thropo, nn ICngllshmnn, and Tom Blake, ii briisrjuo American, wore passengers. The three were tossed upon nn uninhabited uninhab-ited Island utul were the only ones not drowned. Bioko recovered from u drunken drunk-en stupor, Blake, shunned on the boat, because of his roughness, beeitme a liero ns preserver of the helpless pair. Tho Englishman wns suing for tho hand of AIlss Leslie. Illnke started to swim hack to tho ship to reeover whnt wus left. Blnko returned safely. Wlnthropo wasted his last mutch on n clgnrottc. for which lie was scored by Blako. Their first meal was a dead fish. The trio started a ten mllo hlko for higher land. Thirst attacked at-tacked them. Illake was compelled to enrry Miss Leslie on account of weariness. weari-ness. Ho taunted Wlnthrope. They entered en-tered th" Junglo. That night wns passed roosting high in a tree. Tho next morn-Ins morn-Ins they deseonded to the open again. All three constructed hats to shield thom-pelves thom-pelves from the sun. They then feasted nn coioanuts. tho only procurable food. Miss Leslie showed n liking for Blake, but detested bis roughness. Led by Blako P'cy established n home In some cliffs., Ulako found n fresh .water spring. Miss Lesllo faced nn unpleasant situation. They planned their campaign. Blnko recovered re-covered his surveyor's magnifying glass, thus Insuring tire. Ho stnrted a Junglo fire, killing a lare leopard nnd smothering smoth-ering several cuM In tho leopard's cavern cav-ern thoy built a small homo. They gained tho rllrfs by burning tho bottom of a tree until It fell against tho heights. Tho trio secured eggs from the cliffs. Miss Leslie's white skirt wns decided upon ns a signal. Miss Lesllo mlulo a dr''s from the leopard skin. Blake's efforts ef-forts to kill nntolopes failed. Overhearing Overhear-ing n conversation between Blake nnd Wlnthrope, Miss Lesllo beenmo frightened. fright-ened. Wlnthrope became 111 with fever. Blake was poisoned by a llsh. Jackals attacked tho camp that night, but were driven off by Gcnevlovn. CHAPTER XIV. Continued. Sho was far too preoccupied, how-over, how-over, to consider what this might mean. Her first thought was of a lire. She ran to iter rudo stone fircplnco und raked over tho ashes. Thoy wero still warm, but thoro was not a live ember among them. Yot she realized thut Wlnthrope must havo hot food when ho awakened, and Blako had carried with him tho magnifying glass. For a little sho stood hesitating. But the defeat of tho jackals had given her courage and resolution such ns sho had never beforo known. Sho returned Into the cave, and chose the sharpest of hor stakes. Having mado certain that Wlnthropo was still asleep, s r. sot off boldly down tho cleft. At the Unit turn sho came upon Blake's thora barricade. It stretched across tho narrowest part of tho cloft in an Impenetrable wall, 12 feet high. Only in tho center wns a gap, which could havo been filled by Blake in less than two hours' work. Tho girl's eyes brightened. Sho herself could gather tho thorn-brush and fill tllo gap before night. They no longer need fear tho jackals of even tho larger beasts of prey. Nrfhe tho less, they must havo fire. Spur;4d on by tho thought, sho was about ta spying through tho barricade when iho luard tho trend of feet on the pvth boyond. Sho crouchod down, nnd peered through the tanglo of brush in tho edgo of tho gap. Less than ton paces nway Blake was plodding plod-ding heavily up the trail. She stopped out beforo him. "You you! Aro you alive?" sho gimped. "'Live? You bet your boots!" came back tho grim response. "You hot I'm alive though I had to go Jonah one better to do it. Tho whalo heaved him up; I heaved up tho whale and it took about' a barrel of sea-water to do iL" "Sea-water?" "Suro ... I tumbled over twice 6n tho way. But I mado tho beach. Lord! how I pumped in tho briny deep! Guosb I won't go into details but If you think you know anything about seasickness Whow! Lucky for yours truly, tho tido was just starting start-ing out, and tho wind off shore. I'd fallen In tho water, and Iho Jonah business laid mo out cold. Didn't know anything until tho tido canio up again nnd soused mo." "I am very glad you're not dead. But how you must havo Buffered! You aro still white, and your faco is all creased." Blako attempted a careless laugh. Tion't worry about mo. I'm here, 0. K., iti. ...u.j ie(t, a little woouly on my pins, but hungry as a shark. But say, what's up with you? You'ro sweating like a Good thing, though. It'll stave oft your spell of fever a while. Ilow'd you happen to bo coming com-ing down horo so early?" "I was starting to find you." "Mo!" "Not you that is, I thought you wero dead. I was going to make certain, cer-tain, and to to got tho burning-glass." burning-glass." "Um-m. I bco. Lot the fire go out, eh?" "Do not blame me, Mr. Blake! I wnB so Hi and worn out, and I'vo paid for it twice over, really I have. Didn't those awful beasts attack you?" "Beasts? How's that?" ho demanded. "Oh, but you must havo heard them! The horrid thlngB tried to kill us!" sho cried, and she poured out u half Incoherent In-coherent account of all that had happened hap-pened since ho left. Blako listened intently, his Jaw thrust out, his eyes glowing upon her with n look which she had never bo-fore bo-fore seen In any man's eyes. But his ilrst comment had nothing to do with her conduct. "How's that? sorry Win got roust-, ed out or his nico llttio snoozo Why, don't you know, we'd been nil alono in our glory by to night if it hndn't been for those brutes. He was in the stupor, and that would havo been the end of him if tho bensts hadn't stirred him up so lively. I'vo heard of such a thing before, hilt 1 always al-ways thought It was a fake. I lore you are sweating, too." "I feel much butter than yesterday. I did not tell you, but I have felt 111 Tor nearly a week." '"Frald to tell, oh? and you woro so scared over the beasts Scared! By Jlmlny, you've got grit. little woman! wom-an! There's two kinds of scarodness. You've got the Stonewnll Jackson kind. "I Don't Believe Win Was Built for the Tropics. If anybody asks you, just refer them to Tommy Blake." "Thank you, Mr. Blako. But should we not hasten bnck now t prepare something for Mr. Wlnthropo?" "Ditto for yours truly. I'm like that sepulchre you read about white out-sldo, out-sldo, and within nothing hut baro bones und emptiness." CHAPTER XV. With Bow and Club. p J HE fire was soon re-llt, and a M- l't of meat set on to stow. It had ample time to simmer. sim-mer. Wlnthrope was wrapped Ih n life-giving sleep, out of which ho did not awnken until evening, while Blako, unable to wait for tho pot to boll, and nauseated by the fishy odor of tho dried seafowl, hunted out the jorked leopard meat, and having dovourod enough to satisfy a native, fell aslcop under a bush. The sun was hnlf down tho sky when ho sat up and looked around, wide nwako tho moment ho opened his eyes. Miss Lesllo wns qulotly placing nu armful of sticks on the fuel heap beside the baobab. "Hello, Miss Jenny! Hard at it, 1 see," ho called cheerfully. "Hush!" sho cautioned. "Mr. Win-thropo Win-thropo Is still asleep." "Good thing for him. He'll need all of that ho can get." "Then you think" " "Well, between you and me, T don't bellovo Win was built for tho tropics. This fover of his, coming on so soon, wouldn't havo hit nine men in ton half so hard. Ho's hound to havo another spell In a month or two, nnd " "But cannot we possibly got away from hero beforo then? Is thore no way? Surely, you aro so resourceful" resource-ful" "Nothing doing, Miss Jenny! Give me tools, and I'd cngago to turn out a seagoing boat. But as it is, tho only thing I could do would bo to flro-burn a log. That would tako 'two'or throe months, nnd In Iho ond we'd have a lop-Bideu . ..u that'd live aoout half a second in ono of these tropic squalls." "Do not tho natives sail in canoes?" "Maybe they do and thoy make flro by rubbing sticks. Wo don't." "But whnt can wo do?" "Take our medicine, and wait for t ship to Bhow up." "But wo have no medicine." "Have no Say, Miss Jenny, you really ought to have stayed homo from boarding-school and Kngland long enough to learn your own lnnguage. I meant, wo'vo got to take what's coming com-ing to us, without laying down or grouching. Both aro tho worst things out for mnlnrla." "You mean that we must resign ourselves our-selves to this Intolerable Bltuation that wo must calmly sit here and wait until tho fover " "No; I'll tnko care wo don't sit around very much. We'll go on the hike, soon as Win can wobble. Which reminds me, I've got a llttio hlko on hnnd now. I'm going to close up thnt barricade beforo dark. Me for n quiet nlghtf" Without waiting for a reply, he took his weapons, and swung briskly away down tho cleft. Ho returned a fd'.v minutes beforo sunset, with what appeared to bo a largo fur hag upon his back. Miss Leslie was pouring n howl of broth from tho Btow-pot, and did not notlco Mm until he sang out to hor: "Hey, Miss Jenny, spill over that stuff! No nioro of that In ours!" "It's for Mr. Wlnthrope.. Ho has Just awakened," she replied, still Intent In-tent on her pouring. "And you'd kill him with that slop! Ileavo It over. Ho's going to havo beof juice." "Oh! what's that on your back? You've killed an nntelopo!" "Suro! Bushbuck, I guess thoy call him. Sneaked up when ho was drinking, drink-ing, und stuck an nrrow into his side. He Jumped off a little way, and turned to seo what'd bit him. I hauled off nnd put tho second arrow right through his eye, into his brain. Neatest thing you ovor saw." "You surely are becoming a splendid archer!" "Yes; Jim dandy! I could do It again about onco in 10,000 shots. All tho sntne, I'vo raked In this poachcrlno. Trot out your grill nnd we'll havo something fit to eat." "You spoke of beef juice." "I've a dozen steaks rendy to broil. Slap 'cm on tho flro, nnd I'll squeeze out enough Juice with my fist to do YLnfor to-night." Ho made good his nsscrtlon, using sovoral of tho steaks, which, having lost less than half their Juices in tho process, w.oro eaten with grent relish by Miss Lesllo and himself. Wlnthrope, after drinking tho stlmji-latlng stlmji-latlng beef juice nnd n quantity of hot wntor, turned over nnd foil aslcop again while Blako was dressing his wounds. None of these wns serious of Itself; but Blako know tho danger of Infection In tho tropics, and carefully wushed out the gashos before applying the tallow salvo which Miss Lesllo had tried out from tho nntelopo fat. Tho dressing was completed by torchlight. Blako then rolled tho sleeper Into a comfortable position, took the torch from Miss Leslie, nnd loft tho cave, pausing nt tho ontrnnco to mutter a gruff good-night. Tho girl murmured n response, but watched him anxiously as ho passed out. A step boyond tho entrance ho paused and turned again. In the red glare of tho torch, his face took on nn expression ex-pression that llilcd her with fright. Shrouded by tho gloom of tho hollow, she drew bnck to her bed, and without turning hor eyes away from him, groped for ono of hor bamboo stakes. But beforo sho could arm herself, sho saw Blako stoop ovor and grasp with his free hand the mass of Interwoven Inter-woven bamboos. He straightened him-self, him-self, and tho framework swung lightly up and over, until it stood on end across tho cavo entrance. The girl stole around and peered out at him. Ho had spread open tho nntelopo skin, and wns beginning to slice the meat for drying. Though his forehead was furrowed, fur-rowed, his expression wns by no means sinister. Relieved at tho thought that tho light must havo deceived de-ceived her, she returned to hor bed nnd was soon sleeping as soundly as Wlnthrope. Blako strung tho greater part of tho meat on tho drying racks, built a sinudgo fire beneath, nnd stretched tho antelope skin on a frame. This done, ho took his club nnd a small piece of bloody meat, and walked stealthily down tho cleft to tho barricade. Qulot as was his approach, It was mot by a warning yelp on tho farther sldo of tho thorny wall, and ho could hear tho Bcurry of fleeing animals. Ho kept on until tho Darrlcado loomed up beforo him In tho starlight. From cliff to cliff tho wall now stretched across t'.a gorgo without holo or gap. But Blako grasped tho trunk of a young dato-palm which projected from tho barricade near tho bottom, nnd pushed it out. Tho displacement dis-placement of tho spiky fronds disclosed . tho low passage which ho had mado in tho center of the barricade. Ho placed tho piece of meat on ono side, two or three feet from tho- holo, and squatted down across from it, with his club balanced bal-anced on his shoulder. Halt uii iiutir passed .... . , and ? atlll he waited, sllont and motionless j as a Btatuo. At last stealthy footstep 1 sounded on tho outer side of the thorn wall, and an animal began to creop j through tho wall, snifllng for tho bait Blako waltod with tho Immobility of . ' an Eskimo. The delay wns brief. 1 With a boldnoss for which Blake 1 had not been prepared, the beait ; leaped through and seized tho meat. 1 Even In the dim light, Blako could seo that ho had lured an animal larger than any jackal. But this only servod to lend greater forco to his blow. As I ho struck, he leaped to his feet. The brute foil as though struck by light- I nlng and lay still. j Blake prodded the inert form warily; 5 then knelt nnd passed his liands over 1 it. The beast had whirled about Just S in tlmo to meet the descending club, j nnd the blow had crushed in Its skull. Chuckling nt the success of his ruse, jjj ho drow the palm back Into tho open 1 Ing, nnd swung his . prlzo over hla M shoulder. When he came to the lire, a ra glance showed him that ho had killed ffl a full-grown spotted hyena. " In tho morning, when Miss Lesllo appeared, there wero two hides Hl stretched on bamboo frames, and tho ffil air was dark with vultures streaming Hl down Into the cleft near tho barricade B Blako was slcoplng tho Bleep of the SH Just, and did not waken until sho had I built tho lire nnd begun to broil tho SH steaks which ho had saved. if Again they had a feast of tho fresh nntelopo ment. But with repletion PBj canio moro of fastidiousness, and j Sp, Blako ngrccd with Miss Lesllo when : Bp, she remarked that salt would havo I 'BBj added to tho flavor. Ho set off pros- , BB ently, nnd spent half a dny on tho BB talus of tho headland, gathering Bait BB from tho rock crannies. BB For tho next threo days ho left the BH cleft only to gather eggs. Tho great- BH cr part of his time was spent In tan- , BH nlng tho hyena and antelope skins. BB Meantime Miss Lesllo continued- to BH nurso wininropo nnu to gainer nro- i wood. Under Blako's dlrca'.lons, she ' I BBJ also purified tho salt by dissolving . 1 BB it in a pot of water, nnd allowing tho n BB dirt to sottlo, when tho clarified solu- Hl tion was poured off and evaporated n BH over tho flro in ono of tho earthen" il ware pans. 1 BB At first Wlnthropo had been toe B BJBJ weak to sit up. But treated to n lib- BJ oral dlot of antclopo broth, raw eggs, 1 BJ hot water, and coconuut milk, he 8 BB gained strength faster than Blako had Eg BB expected. On tho. fourth day Blako Sfll set him to work on tho final rubbing ViBBfl of the now skins; on tho fifth, ho or- LfrAI dercd htm to go for eggs. eIBBI Much to Miss Leslie's surprlso, Win- wBVi thropo stnrted off without a word of iBVi protest. All his peovlsh irritability fBVi had gono with tho fover, and tho girl flVi was gratified to seo tho qutot manner BHj In which ho sot about a task which seemed nn imposition upon his half-re- BBJ gained strength. But tho very motlvo which, seemingly, prevented him from iPeVJ protesting, impelled her to speak for (TO BE CONTINUED.) 11 |