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Show fsERIAlT STORY CJ I INTO THE I PRIMITIVE y y I I By I 1 1 ROBERT AMES BENNET x x .. . . X Illustrations b; x ji RAY WALTERS jiij U jg . , . . ..-.. . . . . . j (Copyright, l08, by A. C. HtClurtf & Co.) SYNOPSIS. The Rtory opens uitli Hip shipwreck of tho wtcmiKT on wlilHi Miss iivnevleve Leslie, an Aineiliiin ht-tresK, Lord Win tliropu, un KtiKllslunan, and Tom HluUf, n bnisiino Amerlean, woio passi'iiKcrs. The three were tossed upon an uninhabited uninhab-ited Island und were the only ones not drowned. HluKe reeoveti'd from a drunken drunk-en stupor, lllulte, shunned on the boat, because of his rouKhness. boeame a hero us preserver of the helpless pair. The ICtiKllshtnan was suIiik for the hand of Miss Leslie, lllake sturted to swim liacl; to the ship to recover wliat was left. Ulake returned safuly. Wlnthrope wasted his last mutch on a clKurottc, for which ho wus scored by lllake. Their first meal wus a dead llsh. The trio started a ten mile hike for higher land. Thirst attacked at-tacked them. lllake was compelled to curry Miss Leslie on account of weariness. weari-ness. He. taunted Wlnthrope. They entered en-tered the Jungle. CHAPTER V. Continued. "You'd find those thorns it whole lot worse," muttered Ulukc. "To bo sure; nnd Miss Leslie fully appreciates your kindness," Interposed Wlnthrope. "I do Indeed, Mr. Blake! I'm sure I never could go through hero without your cont." "That's all right. Got the handkerchief?" handker-chief?" "I put It In one of tho pockets." "It'll do to tie up your hair." Miss Leslie took the suggestion, knotting tho big square of linen over her fluffy brown hair. Ulnke waited only for her to draw out the kerchief before ho began to force a way through the Jungle. Now nnd then ho beat at tho tangled vegetation vege-tation with his club. Though he held to the line by which he had left the thicket, yet all his efforts failed to open an easy passage for the others, Many of tho thorny branches sprang back into pluce behind him, and as Miss Leslie, who was the first to follow, fol-low, sought to thrust them aside the thorns pierced her delicate skin until her hands wore covered with blood. Nor did Wlnthrope, stumbling and hobbling hob-bling behind her, faro any bettor. Twlco he tripped headlong into tho brush, scratching his arms and face. Hlako took his own punishment as a matter of course, though his tougher and thicker skin made his Injuries less painful. He advanced steadily along the line of bent and broken twigs that marked ills outward passngo, until the thicket opened on a strip of grassy ground beneath a wild flg-treo, "Ily .love!" exclaimed Wlnthrope, "a banyan !" "Banyan? Well, If that's British for a daisy, you've hit It," responded Wake. "Just take a squint up hero. How's that for a roost?" Wlnthrope and Miss Leslie stared up dubiously at the edge of n bed of reeds gathered In tho hollow of one of the hugo flattened brunches at Its Junction with tho main trunk of the banyan. 20 feet above them. "Will not the mosquitoes pester us hero among the trees?" objected Win-thropo. Win-thropo. "Storm must have blown 'em away. I haven't seen any yet." "There will be millions after sun-sot." sun-sot." "Maybe; but I bet they keep below our roist." "But how are we to get up so high?" Inquired Miss Leslie. "I can swarm this drop root, and I've a creeper ready for you two," explained ex-plained Blake. Suiting action to words, he climbed up the small trunk of tho air root and swung over into the hollow where ho had plied tho reeds. Across tho broad limb dangled a ropo-liko creeper, one end of which ho had fastoned to a branch higher up. He Hung down tho free end to WInthropo. "Look lively, Pat," he called. "Tho sun's most gone, and twilight don't last all night In theso parts. Get tho lino around Miss Lesllo, and do what you can on a boost." "I seo ; but, you know, tho vine Is, too stiff to tlo." Blake stilled an oath and Jerked tho end of tho creepor up Into his hand. When ho threw It down again It was loopod around and fastoned In a bowline bow-line knot. "Now, Miss Leslie, got aboard and vo'll have you up in a jiffy," ho said. "Are you. sure you can lift mo?" asked tho girl, as WInthropo slipped the loop over lier shoulders. Blako laughed down at them. "Well, I guess yes! Onco hoisted a follow out of a CO-foot prospect hole big fat Dutchman at that. You don't weigh over 120." He had stretched out across tho broadest pnrt of tho branch. As Miss Leslie seated herself in the loop ho roached down nnd began to haul up on tho creepor, hand over hand. Though frightened by the novel mannor of ascent as-cent the girl clung tightly to tho line above her head, nnd Blako had no difficulty dif-ficulty in raising her until sho swung directly benenth him. Here, however, how-ever, he found himself In a quandary. Tho girl seemed as helpless as a child, and ho was lying Hat. How could ho left her above tho level of tho branch? "Take hold the other line," he said. Tho girl hesitated. "Do you hear? Grab it quick, ami pull up hard if you don't want a tumble!" The girl seized the part of the creeper which was fastened above and drow herself up with convulslvo energy. en-ergy. Instantly Blake roso to his knees, and grasping the taut creeper with one hand reached down with tho other to swing the girl up besldo him cu tho branch. "All right, Miss Jenny," Jio reassured reas-sured her as ho felt her tremble. "Sorry "Sor-ry to scare you, but I couldn't have mado it without. Now, If you'll Just hold down my legs we'll soon hoist his ludshlp," He had seated her in the broadest part of the shallow hollow, where, the branch Joined the main trunk of the fig. Heaped with tho reeds which he had gathered during tho afternoon It ninilo such a cozy shelter that sho at once forgot her dizziness nnd fright. Nestling nmong the reeds, sho leaned over and pressed tlown on his ankles with all her strength. Tho loose end of the crcoper had fallen to the ground when Blake lifted her upon tho branch and WInthropo was already slipping Into the loop. Blake ordered him to take it off and send up the club. As the creepor was again Hung down a black shadow swept over the Jungle. "Hello! Sunset!" called Blake "Look sharp, there!" "All ready," responded Wlnthrope. Blake drew in a full breath, and bo gan to hoist. Tho position was an awkward one, and WInthropo weighed 30 or 40 pounds moro than Miss Les mum "It's Only a Beast That's Killed Some thing Down Below." lie. But as the Englishman enmo wlljiln reach of tho descending loop ho grnsped it and did what he could to ease Blako's efforts. A few mo monts found him as high abovo the ground as Blake could raiso him. Without waiting for orders, he swung himself upon the upper part of the creeper and climbed the last few feet unaided. Blake grunted with satisfaction satisfac-tion as lie pulled him In upon the branch. "You may do, after all," he said. "At any rate, we're all aboard for the night; und none too soon. Hear that?" "What?" "Lion, I guess Not that yelping. Listen!" The brief twilight was already fading Into tho darkness of a moonless night, and as tho three crouched togothor in their shallow nest they wcro soon made audibly aware of tho savago nature na-ture of their surroundings. With tho gnthorlng night tho Jungle wakened Into full life. From all sides camo the harsh squawking of birds, tho woird cries of monkoys and other small creatures, crea-tures, tho crash of heavy animals moving through the Jungle, and abovo all tho yolp and howl and roar of boasts of prey. Aftor somo contention with Wlnthrope, Wln-thrope, Blako conceded that the roars of hla Hon might bo nothing worse than tho snorting of tho hippopotami as thoy camo out to browse for tho night. In this, howovor, thoro was small comfort, slnco WInthropo presently pres-ently reasserted his boliof In tho climbing ability of leopards, and expressed ex-pressed his opinion that, whether or not thoro wcro Hons In tho neighborhood, neighbor-hood, certain of tho barking roar3 thoy could hear camo from tho throats of tho spotted climbers. Even Blako's hair bristled as his Imagination pictured pic-tured one of tho groat cats creeping upon them in tho darkness from tho far end of their nest limb, or leaping down out of tho uppor branches. Tho nerves of all thrco wcro at tholr highest tension when a dark form Bwopt past through the nlr within a yard of tholr faces. Miss Leslie uttered ut-tered a stilled scream nnd Blnko brandished his club. But WInthropo, who had caught n glimpse of tho creature's crea-ture's shapo, broko into a norvous laugh. "It's only n fruit bat," ho explained. "They feed on tho banyan figs, you know." in tho reaction from this fnlso alarm, both men relaxed and began to yield to tho effects of tho tramp across the mud-Hats. Arranging tho roods as best thoy could thoy stretched out on either side of Miss Leslie and foil asleep In tho mlddlo of an argument on how tho prospectlvo leopard was mostly likely to attack. Miss Leslie remnlnod awnko for two or threo hours longer. Naturally she wnB moro nervous than hor companions, com-panions, nnd sho hnd been refreshed by her afternoon's nap. Hor nervous-nes nervous-nes was not entirely duo to tho wild beasts. Though Blako had taken pains to sccuro himself nnd his companions in loops of tho creopor, fnstoncd to tho branch nbove, WInthropo moved about so restlessly In his slcop Hint the girl feared he would roll from tho hollow. At last her limbs becamo so cramped that she was compollcd to change her position. Shu lcanod back upon her elbow, determined to rise again and maintain hor watch the moment she was rested. But Jloep was closo upon her. Thoro was a lull in the louder noises of tho jungle. jun-gle. Her eyes closed, and hor head sank lower. In a little time It was ly-Inn ly-Inn upon Wlnthropo'a Bhouldcr and sho was fast asleop. As Blake had asserted, tho mosquitoes mos-quitoes had either been blown away by tho cyclone or did not lly to such a height. Nono camo to trouble tho exhausted sleepers. CHAPTER VI. Man and Gentleman. IGHT had almost passed, nnd all thrco, soothod by tho refreshing re-freshing coolness which preceded pre-ceded tho dawn, woro sleeping tholr soundest, when a sudden fierce roar followed Instantly by a plorcing Squeal caused oven Blake to start up In panic. Miss Leslie, too terrified to scroam, clung to WInthropo, who crouched on j his haunches, llttlo less ovorcomo. ' Blako was tho first to recover and puzzle out the meaning of tho crashing in tho junglo nnd tho foroclous growls directly beneath them. "Lie still," ho whispered. "We're all right. It's only a beast that killed something down bolow us." All sat listening, nnd as tho nolso of the animals In tho thicket died away they could hoar tho boast beneath them tear at tho body of Hb victim. "Tho air feels like dawn," whispered WInthropo. "We'll soon bo ablo to soo tho bruto." "And ho us," rejoined Blako. In this both woro mlstakon. During the brief falso dawn thoy woro puzzled puz-zled by the odd appearanco of tho ground. Tho sudden Hood of full daylight day-light found thorn staring down into n dense white fog. "So thoy have that hero!" muttered mut-tered Blnko "fever-fog!" - "Beastly shamo!" echoed WInthropo. "I'm sure tho creaturo has gone off." This assertion wns mot by an outburst out-burst of snarls and yells that in ado all stm t back and crouch down, again In their sheltering hollow. As beforo Blako was tho first to recover. "Bet you're right," ho said. "Tho big ono hns gone off, nnd n pack of these Africnn coyotes are having a scrap over tho bones." "You mean Jackals. It sounds like tho nasty beasts." "If It wasn't for that fog I'd go down and get our sharo of tho game." "Would It not bo vory dangerous, Mr. Blake?" asked Miss Leslie. "What a fearful nolso!" "I'vo chased coyotes off a calf with a ropo; but that's not tho proposition. You don't find nip fooling around In that sowor gas of a fog. Wo'll roost right whoro wo aro till tho sun doos for it. Wo'vo got enough malaria In us nlrcady." "Will it ho long, Blnko?" asked Wln thrope. "Huh? Getting hungry this quick? Walt till you'vo tramped around a week, with nothing to cat but your shoes." "Surely, Mr. Blako, it will not bo bo bad!" protosted Miss Loslio. , "Sorry, Miss Jonny; but cocoanut palms don't blow over ovory day, and when thoso nuts aro gono what aro wo going to do for tho next meal?" "Could wo not mako bows?" suggested sug-gested WInthropo. "Thoro scorns to bo no end of game about." "Bows and arrows without points! Neither of us could hit a barn door, H "Wo H "Sure six weeks' training on air H pudding. I can do better with n hand- H "Then wo should go at onco to tbo H cliffs," snld Mtss Leslie. H "Now you'ro talking nnd it's Plko H Peak or bust for ours. Hero's ono B night to tho good; but wo won't last B many more If wo don't get lire. It'a HBSH Hints wo'ro aftor now." H "Could wo not mako flro by rubbing H sticks?" said Wlnthrope, recalling his H suggestion of the previous morning. H "I'vo heard that natives have no H troublo "So'vo I, and what's moro, I'vo soon 'cm do it. Never could make a go of H myself, though." J "But If you remember how it Is H done wo have at least somo chance H "Olvo you ten to one odds! No; wo'll scratch around for a flint good and plenty beforo wo wnsto time that "Tho mist Is going," observed Miss "That's no Ho. Now for our coyotes. Whoro's my club?" H "Thcy'vo all loft," said WInthropo, peering down. "I can soo tho ground H clearly, and thoro Is not a sign of tho H "There aro tho bones what's loft of H them," added Blako. "It's a small door, H I suppose. Woll, hero goes." H Ho throw down his club and dropped H tho loose end of tho creeper aftor it. H As tho lino straightened ho twisted the upper part around his leg and was H about to slldo to the ground whon ho romombcrcd Miss Lesllo. H "Think you can mako it nlono?" ha H Tho girl hold up her hands, soro and H swollen from the lacerations of tho J thorns. Blnko looked at them, aH frowned, nnd turned to Wlnthrope. H "Um! you got it, too, and in tho H face," ho gruntod. "How's your H Wlnthrope wriggled his foot about H nnd felt the Injured ankle. "I fancy it is much hotter," he an- H Bwcrcd. "Thoro scorns to bo no swoll- H lng, nnd thoro Is no pnln now." H "That's lucky; though It will tune up later. Tako a slide, now. We'vo H got to hustle our breakfast and find H a way to get over tho river." H (TO UH CONTINUED.) |
