Show CHAPTER XI erics first firby thought was to find nan lest she attempt some desperate net act of rescue anti anil fall into S Sand it n do mars omara power but tie be need not search for her far As he sped down the village row toward tint hut he heard tier her low voice behind him ham eric I 1 just as lie might have hae known she had already turned hick brick to the strife hearing ills his nearing footfall she iland hidden in the shadows Rha find and not until lie he ila had passed her looming in the moonlight had she dared believe he was saved As he whirled she ran to meet him she could speak no more save by the pressure of her hand band on Ms big it was her left hand brind in her right she firmly grasper like the old oil salmon slayer she was a sol seal spear with an lory ivory point she had not come alone nevind tier fired by the name flame of her purpose were all eries arles friends mother flor ton likewise hold field a n spear and in the ghostly light her thin face showed set and prim grim horton brandished brandishes bran dished a native as wilcox hunting knife twinkled in hla his hand even marle had bad snatched up n walrus tusk and hall had come to tight fight beside her mate to the last there was one more cool and aloof roy conic strolling out of 0 f the shadows n lance lame in tits hla hand lie ile smiled dryly when he saw eric start and stare glare yes im as big a fool as the rest he said in prim grim tonea clutching erics hand nan hurried him film to Ilor II ortona tons hut presently all tier her party were behind tile atie stoutly bolted door gazing fearfully into one ene an others 08 faces the storm that had threatened them tham coln so lone jr had broken at t list last there could be no truce no compromise life wits was reduced to its first form kill or be killed the brute battle to survive what now eric asked it looks to me like a light fight to the fenish now hut but were only four men against aj severt seven one of lem ein San domar how flow are we going to even up those odds cilc glanced to nan then to mother horton and adarle at the last anti and the worst nil all three would strive ilka the women of the covered wagons on the plains nan was dead white but tier her eyes burned mother horton looked cold and deadly Alar marlea fes black brows were knitted there are seven of us too eric said could we get any of their crowd to come over to oural bourst horton asked ill promise em cm anything not a n chance nil all turned brute the island did part of it san domar the rest Jle remember member that cooky and MK big still h were boti both in that slaughter on the yacht and give or ask no quarter little smith will wil I 1 stick by tits hla brother petroff Is a fatin fanatic tic sydney nill bill Is tile the most decent of the lot dont count on oil sydney kill bill wll cos said quietly ile he wants marle and hell kill to get tier her illow about trying to get gel away aay in keils ils hoy floy asked the way that little shell of yours weathered the storm eric shook hla his head you know what happened to tribesmen good padd saddlers paddlers lers every one when they were blown from egnak harbor onto the shoals kajaks kayaks tire fine in deep water but no rood good in the rocks 1 I think wed stand a better chance fighting g I 1 ng if we can kill hill San domor anti and large we may bluff out the rest and theres one little ife paused afraid to give ghe words to the feeble hope hut but nan swayed forba forward d her fevered eyes gazing into his and whispered what was in both their hearts tile the aleuts aleuns might help list in the pl silence aloy grunted disbelief be more likely to help San Sando dorann roar lies hes their kind tin and his big whole who grin gang hns made puts pals of em while weve been bossing them ti around round 11 its it if ch chance rince just the same uric eric persisted no one ever knows what fin an aleut Is thin kIrtz ills words were drowned out by a dull thud thad in I 1 n rr front n at 0 of f th the p houge As they listened riveted in their tracks the sound was repented repeated and something bombed and shook the lie door nans quick mind was waa the first to guess the truth locking us itil in eric sprang toward the threshold then stopped bar baffled barfoed fled plainly sando mar and his crew arev hod had put shoulders to one of the immense volcanic rocks strewn on the he ridge and had rolled it to the door yet probably the situation was no more desperate than before the prisoners could brenk 0 out t it nt at any moment through the wall in the meantime there was no place for them to go whitt what do those men mean to doll do nan asked wide eyed 1 I spose they want to keep us its rounded up till ready for us its but eric concealed what lie deemed their main purpose while one or two of their pack pach guarded the prig boners tile the other could haul up tile the boats and selye the paddles there would he no light flight to sea hut bill war to the last ditch well it was better go BO San domar was strong but the sea currents were stronger the stones he hurled were not so danger dangerous ons ns as the billow sapt rocks of the shoals rhonl presently fley ey heard a familiar voice throda the window 1 I har a r you V 1 crept lose iose to the wall careful not to cust his Bl shadow inflow on the oiled pelt that acted ns fig A glass pane what do you want there w was as naught but de defiance flance in his tone one 1 I want to talk to orton not you well talk to you yon later on the b beach net im ere to give ira fin till sunup to P meet our terms what are anre your terms horton spoke huskily turn over ericssen and the two gals to us we dont promise what well do to im weve got plenty for to pay em back bach but the gals wont take no special arm sandy and niell mell keep one sydney rill bill the other the rest of you can live ere in peace and if we refuse you wont youve got too much sense if you dont and em over by sunup sun up were coming in through the root roof to get lem em and well let n few rocks come first to pave the way they heard the ratty little man snigger in the he darkness there was vas only a moments wait holtons hortons Hor Ilor tons pale face turned black as the turf and lie he shook his alst nt at the aln win dow rome come tiny time you want to he shouted well fight you ou to the last man ills ilia voice and died away the only sound bound was the hum of tile oil lamp and every niana pulse heating in his ears kryca gaze gae roved from face to face there was no te terror r there only quiet resolution nation almost relief they knew nt t a last just where they stood their backs were to the wall in fk a dark corner of the tome dome shaped roof eric anric began to cut a small open ing level with ith his eyes for a long time he watched and listened at last nan stole up beside him whore where are thear they all gone to in the beach I 1 think but there may be someone watching the door 1 I intili we better break out wool walle le the coast if clear cipar V cro 00 BE BB |