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Show FORLORN ISLAND By Edison Marshall v Ci rl:M by K.ll-son Marshall WNU Sorvk- CHAPTER XIII CO-All CO-All til LTllt Ions tlu Lost People of the Is lo mourned tholr priestess. The lions' loft thorn to tliolr srleC, tint tho wind brought thoir oorlo cries nnd lamentations, nnd tho tlroliht showed tholr il.'irk forms ns thoy duneed slowly slow-ly nnd solemnly ahont lior bier. Some of tho ceremonies wore barbarous from Krie's viewpoint, part of tho ancient an-cient ritnal of shamanism, but he only shut his ears ami looked the other way. The old men embalmed her body according to her priestly station an Aleut rite of whleh ltoy had heard, but which he thought had passed from the earth and when the tide ran out. the hunters carried the bier to Its place In the sea-caves. When Krie had revived, he and Roy searched for the sacred document handed down from Flroheart's Russian Rus-sian ancestor, the founder of her dynasty. They found It In a seal-hide packet, written with some native Ink on fine, home-made parchment. The Ink had faded, the white skin darkened dark-ened by time, but the script was still clear. "Why can't Tetroff translate It?" Eric asked, tensely. "No reason In the world, " Roy said. 'I.Ike most of these revolutionary coves, he's something of a scholar. Thank find he survived the melee otherwise we'd be no better off than the Aleuts.' Eric found TetrolT roaming the village vil-lage row. His red passions had cooled, and he was glad to be of service to his conquerors and make peace at any terms. In the flickering light of Ilorton's turf-house, surrounded surround-ed by tense, drawn faces, he translated trans-lated quickly and easily the message from the past. Yes, It was big medicine: "June, 1703. "For any of my countrymen and faith who come after me, my prayers. "After many years of patient effort. I have learned the route across the shoals to Ignnk Island, now taboo. I Tnave native children and I cannot go, Tout I record it for other castaways. ' lest it be utterly lost. "It is shorter than the northern pass, through which I drifted. The time to go is In the early fall the currents are less strong at this time of year, and the days clearer, although there is great danger of sudden storms. "Paddle south for seven hours. You will see ahead a line of barrier reefs. Make to them boldly: five shiplengths away you will strike a strong current sweeping southwest. Do not fight against It. but paddle with It for three hours. Soon you will pass a great arch of rook. When you see the light - full through its opening, turn south again and paddle for your life. A mile beyond will find you in the open sea, only four hours paddle to Igiiak harbor. har-bor. "Be sure the shamans prophesy clear weather before you go. Start well before dawn, so that you will find the harbor while the light still lingers. "It is a perilous Journey, but by the blessing of our I.ady of Kazan and Paint Michael and Saint George, you may win through. "Adieu "Paul Golikof." Petroffs voice died away. In the long silence Xan saw old-time strength of purpose flow back Into Eric's haggard hag-gard face. But Roy was the first to speak. "The old chap had more confidence In native weather prophets than I have. It would be sweet to get over there on the shoals and strike a fog." Eric raised his eyes to Xan's. "We'll try it. anyhow." "When?" It was half a whisper, half a gasp. "Tomorrow night There's usually a week of good weather after a boorga, and all the signs say so." He spoke with an echo of his old power. "We'll go In the two three-hatch kayaks Petroff, Chechaquo, and myself in one Bill, Big Smith, and Cooky in the other. There'll be nothing to fear from the men, except that they may desert. Big Smith will have to get back to find Little Smith, and I'll make terms with the other two." "They may not be willing to go," Horton said. "They'll go if you promise to forget for-get what's happened," Petroff said. "We've all been crazy, partly the Island, mostly Sandomar and Garge, but we're sane now." "With any luck, we'll be In civilization civiliza-tion by next full moon." Eric's eyes closed wearily, and his blond head dropped on his breast. "Now let me sleep." He flung down on the fur rugs. When he opened his eyes again, the sun of his last day on Forlorn Island was high in the sky. Preparations were made swiftly. These included food and water In the boats and money in Eric's pocket, concealed con-cealed from his comrades. "I'm going to give you a check, too, for a substantial sub-stantial amount." Horton said in decisive de-cisive tones. "It will do wonders toward getting a relief ship here, in the quickest possible time." Eric decided to start before midnight, mid-night, to meet the reefs as soon as possible pos-sible alter dawn. Every hour of clear weather was precious beyond all the ho'-';s in Ilorton's little book. So It c:'Ti" that the honeymoon did not sun,,- vol f' r him and Nan. and only ujt Kirrlv ' "re wore thick clouds below the southern horizon It would never rise at all. Nan diil not return to the broken nest. She and Eric spent tholr farewell fare-well hour .In her father's hut. llor friends had gone to the beach, but she was not alone with her lover. There wore ghosts in every corner watching every move she made . . . shadows of the future . . , wrallhs of fear. Her arms wore hound. Everything was changed. When Eric drew hor close she kissed him gently, and shook her head to the pleading in his eyes. "It's too late," she whispered. "Everything must wait till we got back to earth. We're Just waking up from a long drei.in." She smiled wistfully. "You won't blame me, Eric. . . ." "Your happiness comes first Mine would be a poor love, not to concede that." He stood hack and adored her, the lovely rounded contours of her dark head, her dusky hair (lowing, her pointed hazel eyes lustrous In their long black lashes. "I only wish I had taken yon when I had the chance." "Perhaps I'll wish so too when you are gone." She spoke in low, somber "Ignak Island!" tones. "If you're lost out there on the shoals and I never see you again, I'll always hate myself, for a fool and a coward." "It hasn't been cowardice. That much is sure. You're the bravest girl I've ever known, and you Just couldn't bear to surrender to Forlorn Island, and so to me." Re kissed her eyes, forehead, lips. "I'm coming back to you. Nan. I haven't gone through so much Just to drown in the shoals; that would be too mean an end to all this. But If fate did play such a trick, I'd want you to have no regrets. You've followed yonr own star, and kept faith. And you've Justified my life." It seemed only a moment later that they were clinging together In farewell. fare-well. The parting at the beach was one of the high moments of the whole adventure. ad-venture. Weeping openly, Mother Horton clasped Eric in her lean arms; and her son's voice was hoarse as he said goodby. Roy wrung his hand and clapped him affectionately on the back; Marie kissed him with Gallic fire. Even the Aleuts were moved. He had finally won their full, savage devotion ; they crowded around him, grunting, and presenting little tokens, colored shells and Ivory figures, to bring him good luck. The five survivors sur-vivors of Sandomar's crew kept to themselves, but they shared In the hand-shaking at the last With a tortured breast, Nan saw Eric board his little ship. It seemed heartbreaking to have him depart at night. In the cheerless gleam of the moon, with naught to guide him through the dark wastes but a pocket compass and the far cold glimmer of the stars. Yet his purpose held. Already Al-ready he was dipping his blade. Before Be-fore she found breath to plead with him. at least to call him back for a last kiss, his form was dimming In the shadows. Soon, so soon, there was nothing left but the wan glimmer of the paddles In the moonlight, and this too faded away. "Goodby, goodby," her friends were shouting into the dark. "Good luck ! Come back safe!" And back across the water came Eric's voice, full and strong. "Goodby, "Good-by, goodby! Keep a stiff upper Hp! I'll be back before you know It." Then naught was left but the night, the lapping combers, the spectral moon, and she and her friends forsaken for-saken on the strand. Eric kept his course. The breeze was favorable and the waves moderate moder-ate It was as though his old mother, convinced at last of his worth, had turned gentle. An unknown star In the southern sky guided him true. Hour after hour the paddles dipped, while the moon sailed stately overhead. over-head. The two boats kept pace. The only sound was the moaning voices of the sea, an occasional water-bird starting up with a cry, and, at long intervals, in-tervals, a few quiet words between the paddlers. The stars began to pale; Eric had to trust more and more to the small compass fastened on the walrus-hide deck before him. At last the dark eyelid of the sky rolled back, and her blue Iris glimmered through. Just before sunrise, precisely seven hours after they had embarked, they heard breakers roaring ahead. So Paul Golikof had written and the voyagers' hearts were cheered. But It was not easy to beat on toward the tide rips and undertows of the shoals. If thoy wont too far, the s'oofs would make short shift of tholr flimsy shells. Hut (loliliof'a directions bore out again. Whon thoy wore two hundred yards from the rocks live xhlplcngths of Gollkof's time the paddlers began to fool a .strong drift to the southwest It was like a river running In tho ocean. Eric's reckoning as a navigator naviga-tor hail often boon put to naught by the mysterious currents around the Aleutian Aleu-tian Islands, unexplained save by the mooting of the warm north Pacific with Icy Boring sea, hut he had never mot so disilnct a stream as this. Padding Pad-ding boldly, he ran before It Fully nine miles an hour thoy swept along the shoals. Soon the stream widened and lost power, but even when the tide turned, It continued to boar them to the southwest. And now Chechaquo grunted, and pointed with his hand. South by southwest they raised a pale blue shadow on the sky line. It was not fog, not n wisp of cloud, not n trick of the eyes, but surely landfallthe land-fallthe furthest outpost of Nan's lost world. "Ignnk Island!" Chechaquo muttered, mut-tered, deep In Ills throat Eric did not look at him, but he knew that his eyes glowed like black pearls. . . . Home, and all that It meant to his child's heart Sweet food and strong drink from the trading store. The greeting of his hunting mates. Ills return to his old place by the cooklng-fircs. . . . And he did not dream that the strong young hunters hunt-ers would now be patriarchs squatting In the dark corners of the turf-huts that his firm-fleshed round-armed squaw had wasted to a stooped and withered crone that his own children would not even remember his name. The boats sped on. Eric began to watch for a natural arch of stone. Presently he picked It up, a great dome looming among shoals, with the sea running in its hollow, he turned south straight across the current. And Just as Golikof had bade them, he and his mates paddled for their lives. It was an experience to raise even Chechnquo's coarse, straight hair. The breakers roared, the reefs rushed to attack, fangs bared and snarling, only to swerve aside and sweep Impotently behind ; rocking, pitching, bounding up like sword-fish, the boats sped far down the current toward the fatal shoals below the pass. But when the paddlers' breath was spent and their loins ached, they saw the open sea rolling beyond. Eric cheered them on with a shout Their blades hacked and gleamed! boldly they charged the last rank of the enemy, a long line of wild, white horses with flowing manes. The wicked chop of the seas began to change to a long, gentle swell. Davy Jones' shoal roared In thwarted rage behind them. Nothing but a sudden gale could stop them now and no cloud was In sight. They ate their dried meat passing It from hand to hand, drank from the water casks, and paddled wearily on. The bluffs of Ignak Island began to take form. And now Eric divined that the great adventure of his life would soon pass. Fate Is a master playwright and she would provide a quick curtain for this drama of the North. As Ignak harbor har-bor opened before him, he saw what looked like three little black sticks standing In the blue. The trading ship was In. CHAPTER XIV The skipper of the Chelsea, little, auxiliary schooner out from Seattle to trade with the Aleutian and Kuril Islands, gave no greeting as the two kayaks paddled alongside, but his eyes opened. Like most sailors, his extra senses were keenly developed, and even now he knew that here was a tale to tell on lonely decks for the remainder re-mainder of his life. White faces were not common In these waters. The kayaks were of a primitive type he had never seen before and they came from the direction of Davy Jones' shoal. When the boats were fast, Eric came up the ladder to the deck. "I'm Erics-sen, Erics-sen, first officer of the Intrepid." "Of de w'at?" Captain Nelson demanded. de-manded. "The Intrepid," Eric repeated patiently. pa-tiently. "She was lost early In the summer." Nelson stared hard. This was bigger big-ger news than he had imagined. "I hear about her. She was suppose to go down wit' all hands. De papers been full of her." "Captain Waymlre and nearly half the crew went down. The survivors are marooned on an Island In Davy Jones' shoal." Eric drew a deep breath. "I want to arrange for you to go in and get them." "But but " the old Dane stammered stam-mered and stuttered "dare's no way to get Into Davy Jones' shoal!" "We've been there with the Intrepid. Intrep-id. She draws more water than yon. The pass from the north Is safe unless you hit a gale. Of course If you don't want to try It I'll wireless for a coast guard civtter, but the passengers are In a hurry, and you can name your own figure." Nelson came of a thrifty race. Moreover, More-over, it was his life to poke the Chelsea Chel-sea s nose Into uncharted waters and unknown harbors, where the big tramps dared not venture. He suggested sug-gested that Eric come to his cabin. There, over two glasses, they talked tersely and to the point. (TO BE CONTINUED.) |