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Show FORLORN ISLAND By Edison Marshall W NU rvU' SYNOPSIS With his vtwht, thd lntrepM. abmi dMid ty It t-row, Felix HiU'lon. mil-lloititlre, mil-lloititlre, with hi mother, his dtumh-ler dtumh-ler Nun. iut Koy Stuttrt, puts Into 8outv llArhor, Alaska, to reiTult. Failing la beourd DAilors, he nfiftKcs a binu-h of non1e.ii'ripta alrfimliM there. A g i.in t !o lle, SaiMoiuar, i their leader, t a In W a y mire, the lutreputs skipper, la an old friend of FrlO Kriossen, unemployed Bailor, and h e n k a k s to sail a a chief ortli'e r. Nan and Kric 1 tuiii 1 k e In a moo n 1 1 k h t fl 1 r i a 1 1 o n . whli'h h r l n k a them both to the threshold of love. The Intrepid la wrecked by one of Stindomar'a crowd. Kric t:kes command of a small boat, with It or ton and hla party. I' nubia to help, they watch Sandomar kill Cup-tain Cup-tain Waymira and leave tha ship with hla crowd. Way ml re has thrown Kric a revolver. On landing. Kric learn a thera ts no communication with tha cm si da world. Fire heart, priestess of tha Island, descended from a white man in tha remote past, k no wing a 11 It la Knfcrlish. welcomes tha castaways, cast-aways, Sandomar declares thera shall ta no law on the Island, but Kric, bavin t; tha only gun, cows him for tha time, declaring ha Is the law. He lays out work for all, whites and Indians i alike. Nan faces the situation brave- j ly. Fries lova for her swells, and ha tells her ha means to win her for his mate, despite all obstacles. She Is not unwilling. CHAPTER V Continued "You've slre.iily antagonized 'era. Certainly tou don't Imagine that they've taken kindly to this little monarchy you've set up. They'll rise asalnst you. acalnst your friends, too. the first chance they pet If Sandomar Sando-mar uses his head and you know he has a pood one he can lead them In a revolt that will sweep us all Into the sea. The only sensible thins now Is to go the whole hop. rule 'em with an Iron hand, recird the Island not as their property but ours, and make It so tough for thera that they'll gladly glad-ly break their taboo to help ns find cur way back to civilization." Koy went on. "We'll let that go for now. But there's another matter we wont let go. I refer to what you told Sandomar the first night on the ls'and." Eric turned gravely. "That I wanted want-ed one of the girls? "Tes. 1 thought at first yon must refer to Marie, or that possibly It was Just part of your bluff. Since then I've Ef ticed your attitude toward Xan. and I heard your voice, though I couldn't tear what you said, when you accosted ac-costed her this morning. I've been forced to the conclusion that yon meant Xan, and meant It seriously." Eric's eyes turned gray. "I did mean Nan. And I did mean It seriously." seri-ously." "Then I'm obliged to tell you lay off! That's simple and plain. Isn't It? Til tolerate your seizing the reins tere. but I won't stand to see yon paying court to my prospective wife." Eric's anger had been rising like the tide before a gale, but suddenly It ran out and left him struggling with a smile. 'Isn't she the one to decide about this?" "Unfortunately, not. As dictator here, you feel that you have the right to protect the Aleuts against an Invader's In-vader's ruthlessness. As Nan's friend, I have to protect her against her own folly. I concede that yon are a gentleman; gen-tleman; still in any normal state of affairs you wouldn't have a dog's chance with Nan. Tou could give her nothing, she would have to give you everything. You could never fit Into her life, or she In yours. Rut out here, when every old standard Is wiped away, she is likely to lose her head. Yon may make a primitive appeal ap-peal to her, I can undystand that very well, and sweep her off her feet: then there'd be another shipwreck when we get back to civilization. I mean to protect her against that and protect pro-tect yon, too." Eric's smile was now open and broad. "Yon needn't worry about me." "Does that mean you'll confine your energies to running the island?" "It means I can look out for myself. Moreover, I think Nan can, too." Eric's smile faded, and he faced Roy straight. "Anyway, my attentions to Nan are nobody's business but hers and mine, and if I can possibly get her, I'm going to do it" Eoy did not answer for a long time. At last his lips curled. "I see that your idealism is only for outside consumption con-sumption ; the welfare of your shipmates ship-mates doesn't cut much ice when your own desires are involved. True, I respect you for that it's fact, not fiction but in secret you can remember remem-ber that I'm your enemy." Eric was ringed about with enemies. ene-mies. On all the island, he had only one staunch and unfailing ally Mother Ilorton. Felix Horton leaned on him against his will. Wllcor looked to Koy as his chief, and would take his side in any break with Eric; Marie adored her mistress, blew hot and cold with her. and Nan herself was half-pal, half-foe. Sandomar and his men secretly plotted his death. Where did the Aleuts stand? Without With-out their friendship, Eric could not win. But they, too, resented his law. Eric could control the natives only so far as he could sway their priestess ; and lie could as well stake his life on tomorrow's weather! Fireheart was her rightful name she was as one of the elements and she obeyed her owe law. W.ien he passed by the shrine on the fou-Ui evening, she called him In a throaty, throbbing tones. "White Chief I" Ilo paused, and kIio camn to tho doorway. In her ttluntcd oyva was a K lea m that stirred his inline, rullliiK to tho brute that Blept In some black cellar of his brain, but her dark hUii repelled hlin. "You no come e Klrehoart heap much," she clildcd gently. "I've been working hard, to got food for the people." "Hut yon no get Fireheart food Kho want. She mighty hungry, mighty thlrsly." She smiled wistfully. "You no ciitc'li'ni love yet?" "Not yet, Fireheart. Hut I want you to be my friend." "Your skin like snow. Maybe jour heart like Ice. Fireheart, she no want be your friend, she be your girl! Maybe May-be you think Fireheart no so pretty as girl who come In boat. Maybe you think no white man want her. Hut tine, big white man come to her last night, say lie take her, say ho want her heap." She did not fall to see that this shot went home. "Who was It?" Eric asked quickly. "Man whose skin like milk, hair like dry grass. He say his name Swede." She smiled and nodded. "Ho promise take Fireheart to white man's country, coun-try, treat her fine. Fireheart no give to him yet, but maybe she will If White Chief no catch love pretty quick." Fric'i flesh crawled at the prospect pros-pect rh virgin priestess of the lost Isle In rlie arms of the worst cut- mlif 1 "You No Come See Fireheart Heap Much," She Chided Gently. throat In Sandomar's crew but when he opened his lips to protest, the ringing ring-ing words would not come. How little and futile was one man's power! "I'd rather you married one of your own tribe," he told her at last. "I no marry Aleut. I white girl." He saw her dusky skin, her straight coai-se hair, her slanted eyes. "Then If you want Swede, take him. He won't carry you away with him If he does, he'll not stay with you but If you're determined to have a white man. I suppose he's as good as any." The eager light died in her eyes. "I no want him! I tell you big He. Fireheart Fire-heart she feel cold, sick, when Swede touch her, put arm around her. I want you, man I see In dream." Her voice gathered power. "When you touch hand, Fireheart she no cold, she warm like when sun comes through cloud. She no sick, she feel like she fly in air like pouchkie. If you no catch love soon. Fireheart think maybe she die." But Eric could only turn aside. "If Swede makes trouble for you, come and tell me. And remember what I said that love comes when It comes, and no man can catch It Now let you and me be friends." The girl gazed dreamily away. "Maybe you never catch love for Fireheart," Fire-heart," she murmured at last. "Maybe "May-be you want girl who come In boat. I hear you say so first night you come, but Fireheart make prayer she no hear right But maybe she did hear right." And now Eric must deal In half-lies. half-lies. The safety of his whole party was at stake. "I think the girl yon mean intends to marry Roy. I don't suppose I could get her, no matter how much I want her." "Fireheart make prayer he get her quick, so you no think of her no more. Then maybe you want Fireheart." A low red flame shone through the black Iris of her eyes. "But she tell you, she no common squaw, she priestess of lost people. She no wait till she old woman for you come take her. She love hard like big tide in full moon but she no-love like devil-wave sweep over rocks." In the meantime, Sandomar's gang had kept the law. Although their looks were sullen, they worked steadily stead-ily and well. But Eric knew that this was only the calm before the storm, nis guard did not relax, but tightened tight-ened with the passing days. Darkened by fears, plagued by evil dreams, his nerves constantly on edge, he longed for the blow to fall, so the war could end either in definite victory or hopeless hope-less defeat. When the knife-cuts on his ridgepole ridge-pole recorded seven days when seven eternities had come and gone since his exile on Forlorn Island Eric had gone to a lonely reach of beach to scout game. Sandomar's men were working quietly at the nets and traps. The Aleuts seemed cheerful, and the weather was worth recording In pl turn writing III the archive of the tribe. For the Urn! tlmH nines the shipwreck, ship-wreck, he could take, down hla guard. IllH iiiiiNi'les need not be cocked Ilka the hummer of a pistol, unil hlH eyes could wander dreamily, with no cure for lllcklng ahadows Juut past their corners. lint suddenly tho truce ended. It had been only an Illusion false dawn. Over the dunes anil down tho beach canio two dark figures. One was a little man, with a quick, short step. Tim other, barrel-chested and long of arm, had n hobbling, unsteady un-steady gait. Like most men who dwell close to the sources of life, Eric had a blrong Intuitive power. A sense of uriivo peril hung over hlin. Somehow he knew that this open strand was to be the scene of one of the great crises of the Island adventure. Still tho two Hearing figures made no suspicious movements. Sandomar talked Idly, Eric could see his head turn, ami frequently (iarge'g little hand lifted to reply. To a casual view neither man was armed. Tho heavy ten-foot pole on Sandomar's shoulder was merely a piece of driftwood ho had dug out of tho sand nnd could well bo carrying home for the BUpper fire, (large had a Mono tho size and shape of a big potato In plain sight In his hand. But Eric's alarm grew. In Sandomar's Sando-mar's simian arm that young tree-trunk tree-trunk was a mere club. Anil there was something ominous about flarge'a stone, carried openly though It was, that Eric could feel but at first could not quite Interpret. Suddenly the truth dawned tho stone was In dirge's right hand. What deed did he anticipate, that he would be employing em-ploying his untrained left hand to signal sig-nal to his master? File's own right hand fell to his side, In quick reach of his revolver, n his foes trudged near. "I found this 'ere stone on the beach," (large began when he was ten paces off. But he did not stop still talking, he followed Sandomar until both men stood within six feet of their prey. "The old lady said she wanted a pestle for mashing up bread-root, bread-root, and I thought this "ere might do." Eric hardly heard him. Ills thoughts were fairly flying, seeking deliverance. deliver-ance. That these two foes had come deliberately to kill him he had not the least doubt To lose his head meant to lose his life. . . . But that danger was passed now. Suddenly his fears scuttled away like coyote cubs, and he was cold and deadly as a she-wolf. If this pair wanted a finlsh-flght, by C d, they would get It! He would not wait for the trap to spring, hut would strike first and hard. He could spare the two cartridges. The only question was the best and safest way to carry out his Iron resolve. re-solve. In his present stand, he could not reach for his pistol. Both men would attack at once, and though he might down one of them, the other would be almost certnln to get in a fatal blow. "I saw a better stone for the purpose pur-pose Just a few seconds ago," he said thoughtfully. He backed a few feet his eyes on the ground. Apparently he had dropped his guard. Actually it was as strict as ever. He was not searching for stones, but watching the long shadows of his enemies, cast by the low sun. The shorter shadow never wavered. Garge's eyes were quick as a rat's: perhaps he saw through Eric's trick. Anyway, it was not In his make-up to attack from the front, even though the hated stern eyes were lowered. He made the first move to warn his comrade. com-rade. But before the fingers of his untrained un-trained left hand could waggle their message, Sandomar's fury and hatred broke from Its leash. He did not whirl to strike sideways with the pole. Eric was already out of reach of such a blow. Instead he Jerked the short end of the pole straight down, with all the superhuman itrength of his long biceps. As the long end flew, up he meant to change hands, his left at the pole-end and his right far enough back to give him leverage, then strike down as with a club. Sandomar's feet were unsteady, but his hands were known to be quick and clever. Garge knew that they would not fumble; that the giant's club would sweep up and down In a smooth and terrible arc, steadily gathering gath-ering momentum until the air hummed, a blow to shatter the back of a walrus. If It struck fair and Sandomar's blows usually did strike fair the tough salt-laden trunk would break off on Eric's skull before it crushed through to his collar-bone. . Eric was only ten feet distant, in easy reach. Unless all signs failed the mighty bludgeon would be hanging hang-ing heavy over his head before he looked up. Sandomar's brute heart was swelling, large and larger, with a horrible sadist ecstasy. It was fulfillment ful-fillment . . . victory . . . revenge. re-venge. ... But as the Island priestess had often told in the kashga on winter nights, chanting the ancient legends of the Aleuts, no man can escape his shadow. At Sandomar's first move, his black flattened Image mocked him on the sand. Eric saw its first flicker. His hand leaped up and out fast as a striking salmon. The blue steel of his revolver gleamed in the sunlight On his face was a look of doom. As the sweeping barrel came level with Sandomar's breast, Eric pulled the trigger. . . . But the silence held. There was onlya futile click of the hammer against the breach. The gun had misfired (TO BB OONTlNUSUil |