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Show By CLIVE ARDEN Copyright by The Bobbs-Merrlll Co. "You are not going far away? It it's like a vault m here full of death " Her voice rose unnaturally. "I won't leave you at all," he said huriedly, but with a decision which obviously relieved her. "It's not safe for either of us alone tonight." Her eyes wandered over his face, in the dim starlight, In a dazed manner, man-ner, while she sank back upon the coats with a long sighing breath. One hand still clasped in hers, the other arm passed under her head for a pillow, he remained upon the ground by her side. The turmoil of his own I'Spirit seemed unaccountably soothed. Though never sleeping, a comforting drowsy numbness replaced the sharp suffering of his mind. . . . But when the early light of dawn pierced through the aperture, It brought with it the remembrance of a man's hand-clasp, the trust in one honest brown eye, the shade in place of the other. . . . The wonderful peace which seemed to have descended upon the little hut, lulling his mind, filling it, during those hours of close protection and companionship, with something exquisitely beautiful, albeit incomprehensible, was shattered at one blow. He half-withdrew his arm ; then, pausing, bent over the sleeping girl and looked long upon the delicate features, fea-tures, the sensitive lips and dark lashes. As he looked, an unbidden thought flitted across his mind, bringing bring-ing a slow flush into his face. Had another taken indisputable possession? Had he reached to the very depths of her soul ; fired all the deepest fibers of her womanhood? . . . He drew himself up, gently freeing his hand and arm. The question opened vistas down which he refused to look. A part of his nature that night had been illuminated as If by many-hued candles ; and he felt dazzled, daz-zled, strange to himself, almost, for once, afraid. He rose with difficulty, his limbs cramped after long sitting ; stretched his arms ; looked down once more upon the sleeping form confident of his protection. pro-tection. Croft was a lover of cleanliness, fair play, victory always but victory with honor. Throwing back his head in a characteristic way, his eyes still resting upon the sleeping face, he smiled. It was the little smile which many men knew well, which enemies feared, but which those he led had ever loved to see: that smile with him meant a challenge, and a challenge chal-lenge presaging achievement. Noiselessly, he opened the door and went out. Seizing two old basins discovered dis-covered among the rubbish in the hut, he strode toward the river. Save for the distant surf, no sound was audible. From the palm grove ha keenly surveyed the bay: it was deserted; de-serted; the world might have been dead. Plunging through the tall bamboo bam-boo he came out upon the deepened stretch of water glimmering faintly, like moving darkness, below him. Then, throwing off his garments, he dived Into the shadowy ripples, feeling feel-ing a primitive delight In the cold sting to his tired limbs. Afterward, slipping Into his shirt and breeches, he filled his basins and returned to the grove. When he emerged from the bamboo, bam-boo, the sound of voices fell upon his ears. Hastily stepping back, he waited, wait-ed, listening intently. The voices came nearer, then receded toward the seaward sea-ward outskirts of the palm grove. - THE CANNIBALS SYNOPSIS. Living- In the small English village of Darbury, old-fashioned old-fashioned and sedate place, Barbara Bar-bara Stockley, daughter of a widowed mother, is soon to celebrate cele-brate her marriage to Hugh Rochdale, rich and well connected. con-nected. Barbara Is adventurous, and has planned, with an aunt, an airplane trip to Australia. Major Alan Croft, famous as an aviator, Is to be the pilot. At her first meeting with Groft Barbara Bar-bara is attracted by his manner and conversation, different from the cut-and-drled conventions of her small town. They set out. Barbara, her aunt, 'Croft, and a mechanician. Word in a few days comes to Darbury that the plane Is missing and Its occu-pants occu-pants believed lost. Croft and Barbara, after the wreck of the airplane In' a furious Btorm, reach an apparently uninhabited Island In the Pacific ocean. The other two members of the party had perished. The two castaways cast-aways build a shelter. PART TWO Continued. A Gradually, worn out, she grew calmer; calm-er; gradually she lost consciousness of her surroundings, falling into a troubled, restless sleep. . . . The sun had moved round behind the hill and the hut seemed dark and oppressive when, suddenly, her eyes opened. She started up In some alarm. Surely it was not night, and Croft still absent? However autocratic auto-cratic and distasteful any companionship companion-ship might become, the awfulness of solitude as for a moment that contingency con-tingency swept across her mind made it desirable beyond all riches. She ran to the door. To her surprise, sur-prise, it was ' no longer barricaded. She pushed It open, and drew a breath of relief; for outside It was still broad daylight. The sunshine gleamed in bright patches upon the shore, alternating alter-nating with long stretches of shadow cast by palms which, singly or In small clumps, dotted the bay. The time, she judged, must be early evening. eve-ning. If Croft had returned and opened the door, where could he be now? Unsteadily she walked to the water's wa-ter's edge, searching with straining eyes the shore and the distant reef, without result. Nameless dread at her heart, she turned to ascend the s.lope toward the palm grove, thinking to get from there a clearer view of the wrecked machine. A movement behind, among the trees, presently caused her to look round quickly. It was, unmistakably, a footfall : evidently Croft had returned re-turned and come to the river. AVith n sigh of relief, she left the tree and turned inland to greet him. . . . Then, for a' moment, - all power seemed to leave her body. She stood rooted to the ground, her lips moving without uttering a sound, her eyes dilated. About ten feet away, a pair of fierce, restless eyes gazed upon her, fascinated, from a sooty-black face repulsive re-pulsive by its breadth of nose and thickness of lips. The dark, naked form, of medium height and sinewy build, glistened as If fresh from the water: the frizzy black hair clung damply about the ears and forehead. As be slood watching her, like an animal ani-mal watching Its prey, the coarse lips parted in a slow devilish grin. . . . With a quick stream of unintelligible words, be sprang forward. The spell broke. With one shriek of terror, she turned and fled madly down the slope. The unintelligible muttering ceased. A blood-curdling yell like some wild war-cry pierced the still air, echo'ng around the bay . . . quick agile slops sounded close In her wake. Tiie unearthly strength born of emergency came to Harbara. Everything Every-thing save the distant but faded from 1 1 i-r sight ; time ceased ; coherent ' thought lied from her. Only one in-I in-I stiuct reigned that of (lie limited I' beast to reach its lair. That, once there, defense might prove equally Impossible, she never paused to consider. con-sider. The bare feet drew nearer in their hot pursuit; the weird cry again " anil again resounded over the hay . . . Closer he came; she heard his short snorting hreat hing . . . closer: the warmth of it fanned her neck . . . closer yet, and a hand caught roughly at the sleeve of her blouse, tearing the soft silk to ribbons as she wrenched her arm free . . . closer, and this time the sinewy black fingers grabbed the hare arm Itself. . . . A swift whirling noise smote across her reeling brain; something hurtled I ast her shoulder . . . with a savage sav-age snarling groan, her captor fell sprawling upon the ground. Dazedly she looked around. Springing Spring-ing over crags, scrambling through brushwood. Croft came down the hill behind the hut at break-neck speed. The native, quickly regaining bis feet, cast one glance toward the tall white llirure with blazlnj eyes, dropping, to ''Is muddled senses direct from the heavens; then, without a word, be turned swiftly and leapt, with extraordinary ex-traordinary rapidity, back toward the oal m grove. Her transient strength oozing away, raroara staggered forward. Cron cahght her by the arms, "Whnt the devil made you leave the lint?" he demanded angrily. All tendency to faint left her. No lush of a whip could so have quickened quick-ened her bewildered brain. She re-colled re-colled in his grasp, gazing up Into his face dumfounded. Amid the confusion of her mind his extreme pallor struck her forcibly. His eyes pierced ber like flaming steel. "Hadn't you enough sense to realize this possibility?" Now was the time to assert herself, she hesitated ; searched vainly for a retort ; opened her mouth ; closed It again. In her weak state circumstances circum-stances proved too overwhelming. Feeling utterly insignificant, she merely mere-ly turned her miserable eyes seaward. "I was only looking for you," she murmured unsteadily. Opposition may wear down a man, as a fortress, with time ; but helplessness help-lessness silences all guns. He stood, breathing hard, still grasping her arm, gazing Into her face with eyes no longer flashing with anger, but smoldering smol-dering with something she could not define something composed of horror and fear. "G d !" he muttered at last, in a different tone. "If I bad been too late!" For a moment he stood silent, scanning scan-ning the vicinity of the palm grove ; perceiving no signs of the native, he turned with her toward the hut. "I rescued most of the wireless and luggage," he said, turning the subject of her thoughts abruptly. "I brought some of our things across, and left the rest on the reef. You were asleep. So I took the wireless up the hill, and fixed up the aerial." Sinking osce more upon the coats, she watched him carry in their suitcases suit-cases and something else. It was the old tin box of Aunt Dolly's provisions. . . . Tears rose to Barbara's eyes, and her throat contracted con-tracted ; but her companion's presence caused her to wrestle valiantly with the grief stirred up afresh by the sight of this familiar old box. The little homely things are ever those which bring out the full force of loss or tragedy. Hiding weakness from Croft's eyes, however, was becoming, unconsciously, unconscious-ly, Barbara's purpose In life just now. Any display of It was, she felt Intuitively, Intui-tively, abhorrent to him. In silence she watched him unfasten the box, take out the spirit-lamp, reach among the other contents, and abstract a tin of milk. Presently he brought some steaming steam-ing milk in a small tin mug. She had often used that mug up"on picnics with Aunt Dolly ; the sight of it caused another wave of homesickness and loss. "I can't drink it," she muttered, turning away. "You must," he replied quietly, seating himself on the ground beside her, his countenance Inexorable. She took no notice. "Come along! Don't be silly, Bar bara!" - Quickly she turned and faced him. Then rather too hastily she took the mug; but her hands trembled, and the milk splashed over the edge. He placed bis fingers over hers and guided them ; and the cool firm touch brought a peculiar sense of calm and security. "It tasted queer !" she remarked. Rising, he returned to the work of unfastening their luggage. "Your case is unstrapped," he said presently. "Will you unpack It now?" "Oh ! I can't I Not yet," she said wea rily. "Shall I?" "No ! Oh, dear me, no !" She started start-ed up in alarm. "Well, but don't you want things for the night?" "No." He looked at ber In mute inquiry. "Y'ou don't suppose," she asked with asperity, "I shall ever undress in this place?" As he turned away, she saw the same flash of white teeth in the dim light that she had seen the first time they met. "I advise you to change, after such a soaking," was bis only remark. lie stood near the door, as if uncertain, for a few moments, then pushed It open. "I shall have my supper outside. . . . Good night !" be added. There was much sense in his advice: her clothes felt stiff and heavy. Wearily Wear-ily she opened her suitcase, surprised to lind most of the contents dry. She hastily undressed and slipped into cool, fresh garments. Throwing on a loose Japanese dressing gown, she lay down again, exhausted. All fears sank into oblivion. . . . She fell into a deep, heavy sleep. Ill The flare of many torches illuminated illuminat-ed the midnight darkness In the south of the island. Chimnhahoi, the old chief, sat In the leafy council chamber near the entrance of the sacred palm grove, surrounded by bis trusted warriors. war-riors. In the center of the large c1--cle of squatting figures stood Baboo-ma Baboo-ma next In rank to the chief recounting. re-counting. In his muttering, sing-song dialect, the strange story which, arousing arous-ing tragic memories, caused consternation consterna-tion and foreboding in every heart. When he ceased, Chimabahol s:( silent, pulling bis beard with wrinkled dark hands that trembled. An agitated agi-tated babel broke out all around, fierce native oaths blending with wails of distress. The chief at last commanded silence and spoke. "Whence came they, Babooma? Was there no strange canoe floating, like a vast Island, upon the lagoon" "There was not, O Chief. The white woman appeared in my path as if sprung from the waving palm! The white man" he looked furtively round "did fall from the skies, sending his bolt before him !" He shivered, stroking strok-ing his sore shoulder. "The great white man is a giant, O my Chief! He will not easily be killed." "How great is the tribe? Didst thou not see others, Babooma?" "None other did I stay to see, O Chief ! Perchance they are evil spirits come to haunt the huts where live the ghosts of our slain ones. Or perchance they slay with ball-devils like unto those other evil ones." The chief sat In deep thought for some moments ; then rose and waved his spear. "The Vow !" be cried. "Let preparations prepara-tions be made, my warriors. When next darkness hides the earth, we will fall upon this white tribe, true to the Vow!" A confusion of voices resounded, accompanied ac-companied by many furtive glances Into the darkness of the forest ; the savage joy of revenge was yet tempered tem-pered with awe. Memories of the means of warfare adopted by white men caused them to follow their chief in still half-fearful excitement to the sacred palm grove. Presently the sound of native voices rose once more, singing their Song of Hate. The man sitting outside the little hut raised his face, inhaling the soft scents, grateful for the refreshing wind. All night he had sat motionless, head hidden in his hands. There was nobody to see, in his haggard features, what Barbara had seen that morning. Although his eyes had not closed, this solitary vigil, with its forced inaction, inac-tion, had revived and intensified the morning's sufferings. The sense of powerlessness which had attacked Barbara Bar-bara with such violence in the afternoon after-noon now attacked him. Again and again he strove to turn bis thoughts from the wrecked mass out there upon the reef; from the dark waters and the monsters . which infested them, where those friends, strong and full of life not many hours ago, now lay hidden. hid-den. What awful fate, worse than mere drowning, had been theirs? . . . He strove to restrain his mental agony, dragging his mind away, for clown that road madness lay. . . . There were natives, na-tives, possibly cannibals, upon this Island, Is-land, to be faced sooner or later. Therein, to his mind, lay hope. For surely they were in touch with civilization? civili-zation? During his travels he had picked up a good number of dialects employed among Polynesian and Mela-nesian Mela-nesian natives. AVith luck he might find means of rescue through their enterprise, en-terprise, if they had any. But this was doubtful. He knew well the characteristics character-istics of the Pacific : knew the trade routes, the ports of call, the features of islands in touch with civilization, the features of many practically unknown. un-known. . . . Intercourse with strange natives, too, meant considerable risk, with a woman in his care. ... At that thought, the same strange thrill shot through his frame which he had experienced ex-perienced in the morning; the awful loneliness of spllrt semed to fall from him. Scattering his reflections, a strangled, stran-gled, terrified cry came from the hut. He sat up, alert In a moment. All had been quiet hitherto. The draught dropped Into the milk had done Its work. He had been fortunate In rescuing res-cuing the case of medicines and first-aid first-aid necessities from the machine. Again, louder, another cry smote upon his ears. He sprang to his feet. . . . Reaction had come upon Barbara, awakening from the heavy effects of the drug, so vividly that she was almost al-most delirious. The little hut seemed to swing round and round, now darting suddenly up toward the sky, now dropping, as a stone, into limitless space. And evt from the four quarters quar-ters of the globe. oared what seemed like ten thousand trains. . . . To escape was Impossible, for somebody bad barricaded the door . . . the hut rushed down now toward the dark fathomless waters . . . they closed above ber head, and everywhere black hands surrounded her black leering faces came close. . . . With a shriek of terror she cowered against the wall, when the door opened; then perceiving freedom, she ran blindly toward the starlight without. A pair of arms caught ber upon the threshold. Half-demented she struggled strug-gled in their hold, gasping hard sobs. But they closed more tightly; and their protective warmth shut out the lurking dangers. Gradually she grew calmer; the nightmare sensations of returning consciousness abated. Ceasing to sirug-gle, sirug-gle, she leaned exhausted against him her arms clinging to one of bis. the waves -of ber long hair falling across bis breast. So for several minutes they remained two derelict beings hurled, helpless pawns, over the boundary line of civilized civil-ized life into a world yet in Its In-fancy In-fancy each conscious cf a sense of comfort in each other's nenrness. Presently he straightened himself. With two fingers he felt her brow and cheek; they were of li;:le more than normal heat. He striked back the hair clustering over her forehead; and she stirred, raising her head. "You must lie down again and sleep." he said, drawing her toward the bee; of coats. But her grasp tightened upon his ana. J$W:i Discovering the Dark Forms of Three Natives. Croft took a few noiseless strides In their direction, soon discovering the dark forms of three natives among the trees. 'Soundlessly creeping in I their wake, be hid again, close enough to bear their speech, while thej paused at the top of the slope. The man 6ets about doing thing3. The jirl becomes hysterical. hys-terical. Will she be able to face real perils? (TO V.K CONTINUED.) |