Show CHAPTER VI continued 10 its too eltiy early to turn in she said aloud then in low tones to eric were all ready I 1 wont want to stay here with you and wilcox till the last min tite I 1 bear to have you go through it alone ill never forget it nan I 1 was starting to break but youve given roe me fresh heart by G d I 1 can face lem cm now cow 1 dadi dada watching everything about fifty steps off hes going to come in at the first sign of trouble and dont worry about me eric ive given you my promise and ill keep it As soon as I 1 see theres no hope tor for you ill sprint for the boat good girl I 1 think better than trying to leave now San domar might get it into his head to follow you yon and anything might happen in the darkness ue he drew a long breath nan are you all right 1 ripping cut but the glitter in tier her eyes and the crimson flower in each pale cheek belled her words im not going to wait any more I 1 think got some game and I 1 mean to beat em to it it if I 1 show them im ila not afraid of them maybe back down nan steeled her suffocating heart find leveled her gaze to his 1 I dont believe they can stop you now let drive eric stepped full into the firelight garge barge he called clearly there was a brief silence the gang massed around San domar froze in their tracks im ere the little cockney answered at last the fires getting low you and San domar rustle some driftwood the gang stared long at eric to see it if his gaze would fall it only grew sharper so one by one they turned expectant eyes to his adversary it was barge garge who had brought the tale it the detective defective revolver here was a direct and unmistakable challenge for him to prove his story no doubt E eric ric was bluffing but it was a bold bluff and these bold men gave him credit San domar grunted a question barge garge waggled an answer hut but erics voice cracked through the silence cutting the parley short you heard me garge barge jet get some driftwood and be quick about it the little cockney steeled his soul and stepped forward we aint going to eed your orders ordera no more it was all or nothing now the men held their breaths look here garge barge eric spoke slowly and clearly 1 I forgotten what you anil and your pal tried this afternoon and im just hoping for a chance to pay you back I 1 give you and San Sandom dothar nr ono one halt half minute to obey my command what you going to do it if we dont im going to put a hole through you and your halt minute la Is going by mighty fast that gun of yours wont shoot 1 larges voice rose shrill the straits were now desperate awell well see whether it will or not erie eric drew the revolver and pointed the barrel straight into the air are you going eric was no longer cool ills eyes were blazing his voice hoarse his bis posture terise tenso and threatening garges lace ace began to turn gray and wenzen up op it might be that he was breaking hut suddenly from no visible cause the whole aspect of the scene changed nans narrowed luminous eyes saw euw the difference even before erics and her sharp sane fears swelled into vage monstrous shapes of terror somehow how erfe no longer held the upper hand carges pale lips drew into a i hideous lear San domars hands len elied and quivered the nien men roughed rou ready to charge events were whirling howrd an undreamed 1 bome inne black plot lind had pros proa wrid irren Irr a was about to nil youl it ans ana nuns voice wild anil and shrill look beside youl you I 1 the ore was to erics left so he whirled to the right through the dark wall nto into the red circle leaped a white wolf in human gulso guise it was swede ills his tawny hair erect his eyes no longer pale but red as garnets in his powerful arms he swung a weapon primal prima I 1 as this scene a native flint ax at there was no more time for coolheaded calculations eries erics lifted forearm whipped hipped w down until there was one steel blue line between hla his eyes and swedes and t the he last relle relic of the iron age did not fall swede had aimed too high As the revolver winked in the firelight arid and spurted gay red flame he was checked I 1 in n in ald id nar and appeared to strike not at erics head but at his feet with almost comic it a queer awkwardness ills his legs shot out behind him and he fell hat flat his arms spread wide at the back of his head the pale hair turned slowly red just as though his magazine was wai still charged with sudden death eric swept the empty weapon before him until its black eye seemed to look straight into the staring eyes of every foe fee who wants it next eric asked bitterly ills lip curled up in hatred and scorn theres seven sevea of you left why dont you try something then beside youl it was nans nan voice wild and shrill look best beside do youl as their faces turned one by one to yellow tallow now how about you garge barge you say you ou were through obeying my orders garge barge opened his little squirrel mouth to speak but he had already talked too touch much with a deep animal grunt San domar slowly stretched out a long arm and raked ills bis half open hand across the quivering lips it was a sullen sulky blow like that a she ape might give a comrade that had led her into brambles and apparently patently ly had no power behind it yet garge barge was knocked head over heels into the sand without a glance at his fallen pal San domar picked up the end of a ten tell foot pole he had brought from the beach and had laid under the bluff out of sight algat for what purpose he had saved it eric could only guess tiny lay way it had failed lumbering up tip grunting the ungainly creature throw threw his burden on the fire the shower of sparks showed eric standing tall and grave his weapon lowered to hla his side sade white flame on his face nan waited behind him her hands clasped over her breast but swede who had not known th the e law did not raise his head even when the reviving ore crackled cheerily in his ears and cast its growing growl tig radiance into ills his open eyes before eric slept he saw that the oars were back in place and all signs of tile the abortive runaway run away removed ills victory was not so easy his future fatur so eo secure that he be dared ignore one safeguard nan stood haggard and trembling at tier her turf house door eric I 1 live through another such night id sooner booner die I 1 I 1 youve got to fight on eric took tier her hand tn in both his own we nil all need you nan I 1 have won without you tonight it was your warning that saved my life but maybe there wont be any al more r such nights for a long lone time they know you still have five cartridges dont they five between us and the place where wedes swedes S gone anyway ill light fight on zou you can count count me in to the last As eric neared hla his sleeping hut but what seemed to be a pale shadow detached itself from the grassy wall and come came stealing ng toward him white chief it was Fir eheart who stood with outstretched bands erie eric took them but his own were cold it la Is late you should be asleep 1 I watt wait for you her tone was guttural yet it had ball a lilt 1 I know you catchin love now 1 I dont understand when Fir eheart leave ore while ago elie bile no go sleep she lay think roll over get afraid think maybe mayba other white men mil kill you By bamby raby she hear she get up go see you gone white girl gone everybody gone but swede ile he lay by fire no go tiny any more no come make mak love to Fir re heart eheart no more you alx him nut I 1 to do it because of you FIr eheart I 1 him film because I 1 had to because he attacked mo im there was a long dreary pause at last the girl threw back her head maybe you catch love for or white girl yes besl she nodded many times tier her 11 kin she no much whiter than fire hearts and she bho not know how sew skins trap birds but she heap pretty and maybe mayba white chief want her the girls tone Fir eheart she love hard like north wind but she no love like boorga bjorga like big gale but the white girl la Is your friend you would not try to make trouble for her 1 I wait I 1 see if you catch love for or her she no my friend if I 1 no get you no girl get you maybe I 1 kill her maybe I 1 have hunters kill you too I 1 am Firel icart priestess of lost people 11 the aleut girl grunted and trudged away eric lingered in ili the chill dark sick of heart baffled tile the pilot star he followed fading on his sight yet all was riot not lost ills his last cartridge had not been spent in vain early in the morning gorge came to erics hut suing for peace me and sandy a mistake yesterday and we lumbly ask you to let bygones be bygones the little cockney said we aint going to make you no more trouble sir we sees you old the upper land and and though we dont much like it we lave ave made up our minds to stand it eric did not smile even a grim hint of d a smile when he remembered the empty revolver in ills his pocket good sense otherwise therell be more lives thrown away you and sando mar will be treated just like the others aye aye now sir id like to make a umme lumble plea garges tono tone grew confidential it may seem queer coming from me but im making it tor for sandys sake to keep lim im out of 0 trouble eric could not imagine what was coming go ahead cant the two young ladles ladies lurry up and settle down with the men of their choice they both as their preference no doubt and it be no you see sir as long as running around free sandy wont put em cm out of ili la mind and make issek comfortable with one ot of the squaws squads Es Bs like a bull seal le e K Is and sometime im a feared hell lose la is lead ead and get shot I 1 dont want cothen to appen to sandy there was sober truth here eric promised to give the matter ills his attention but it probably cant bo be done at once and in the meantime better keep your eye on San domar he warned iles hes made too too much much trouble already if he so much as touches either of the girls hes going to join swede very quickly this warning echoed solemnly in garges mind during a brief grim ceremony following the morning meal native and alien gathered on the beach forming a halt half circle about a still figure wrapped in a sea lion ilon skin erie eric stood before them and gravely read a chapter from mother biale after the brief service eric called his friends to Hor holtons hortons tons barabara tor for counse counsel i 1 not once did he hint bint that his weapon was empty he managed to give the impression that he had solidified lidi fied hla position but he be urged the utmost caution in all dealings with the aleuts aleuns and repeated part of his bis talk with garge barge theres not the slightest doubt that even lawless men like San domar take less interest in a woman with a mate eric said As garge barge put it there are not enough wives to go round and an eligible girl Is a constant source of trouble As far as I 1 know nan ts Is not engaged to any one but warlo mario and wilcox seem to have hit it off and if shell marry him here on the island it will be better for every one the two lovers agreed to tie the knot As the sun set in the dreary western sea the bridal process procession lon started for or the chapel FIr eheart led herdack her dark face transfigured trans figured almost beautiful with some borne half heathen the flaming pride of what she deemed her divine ordination marto followed in ships clothes in attendance came nan wearing the blue dinner dress hoarded from the wreck tier her dusky skin glowing tier her pointed eyes might behind these trailed the remainder of the island populace laces hunters squaws squads and children eric kelc and his friends Sant San lomar domar and his wolves a strange parade in the tha dusky chapel beside tho the tarnished gold candlestick and the single silver akon marle and wilcox knelt FIre henrt began to chant in some alien tongue of 0 which neither she nor any one here understood the least word roy hoy guessed at once that she was waa reciting the russian wedding ceremony as passed down by word of mouth month from a bearded zealot of vladivostok marooned hero here nearly two hundred cen centuries before nut but that it was magic of first water the priestess herself never questioned finally she joined their hands prayed for them with a zeal that hurled erles erics heart into hla his throat kissed them both and bade thera them rise in the silence allence mother horton began what the aleuts aleuns thought must be the sacred hymn of the p palefaces ale races lies ileo thin voice wavered at first but gathered power as her joined in one by one singing as though their hearts would break no doubt it was high magic all the tha castaways casta cast ways sways weve were now swelling the chorus save sae the ulan man called hoy who was amiling tolerantly and san domar who saw their lips moving but could not understand the aleuts aleuns wished flint they too could lemn lellin such big wed medicine belne to make at their own when the visitors had departed across the haunted sea should buld auld acquaintance be b forgot and never brought to mirda we well it find a cup of kindness tt for or days day of anid ryne TO ito UK DB 11 |