The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1873-11-26
A VERY WEB OF PERIL.

A VERY WEB OF PERIL.
II was in vain that her savage enemie
called to Ellie Fortescue, in the friehtfu
circumstances in which we left her:
THE water is full of sharks !"
She little needed, in that awful hour
this additional peril.
"Oh. father speak to me I" she cried
sustaining the pallid face of the dead mis-
sionary above the water.
The dumbness succeeding this appea
was terribly significant, as was also the
very inertness of the lifeless form.
'sHe is dead |" she gasped.
lowering over the edge of the boat, and
needles alike of the cries of the sayages
or OF the missiles they were still discharp.
ing at her, the poor girl placed her hand
upon the heart of the missionary,
1t had indeed ceased to beat.
And may as well die, too ~ was the
cry of anguish that welled to Ellie's lips,
as she capsized the nearly filled boat, and
let her fathers body sink in the sea, to
keep it from falling into the hands of the
cannibals. "Of what further use is nv
life, even if l could make my escape from
these murderous enemies? 1t matters little
what becomes of me now," said Ellie to
herself, as she swan shoreward, "They
can do what they will"
The next instant she was seized by the
hair Of her head by the foremost of her
pursuers, and dragged rudely out of the
water and thrust into the bottom of q
boat.
sThe missionary?'' cried this savage.
looking eagerly around upon the surface of
the water.
The girl pointed downward, with man
ner sufficiently indicative of her belief that
the body Of her father was going down
thousands of feet, to the midst Of coral
caves, beyond all decay, beyond all life,
there to await the resurrection.
The savage uttered a howl of anger and
regret, which attested that the timely fears
of Ellie for the remains of her father had
not been unfounded.
"Never mind-you will do as well,D
grunted the savage, significantly.
These were the last words the unfortu-
nate wretch ever uttered, blow at that
instant from the club of native, who had
arrived in second boat, having knocked
him overheard and left him senseless, to
meet a certain death by drowning.
'You are mn prize. lovely flower IF n
hated p' m1ttered the new.comer 40
he transferred the girl to his own boat 1.
leaving that of his murdered rival to drift
away upon the water. "You know me,
Ellie recognized her cantor now and she
was not displeased with The substitution Of
Tongaroro for the ruffian who had first
seized her. For this Toncaroro wos ora 81
the leading chiefs of tha Islands ns -
implied by his name. and one of The moot
intelligent. having been d;liuent for ~ ~ NV
wears to learn ali he conld of NJ
Fortescue. He even snoke Eno,;sh on;t.
fluently. e' d'''
UT warned TINT doc ooo;r.t ,,ott;or -
nv wav. - he mnttered s,erd Iot tbanos al
beware how thew modest ma ~ ' -,
ooh Won viii not lot tbom o.t mo o.,
cried Ellie sbmdder;nr her tenSor and
del;cata netnre shr;nL;no mnre .'f f.on th ,t
nrofanat;on than from de.th ;tse,f
MNo thew shall not eat no,, y .o;d .ho
savage stontiv a. Ieast NJ vS', ,,S Su , .nv
narm;ss;on wv "A''' my
ooh saw thew that sb.l, NOT o.t mn :,
anv case. y nleaded Ellie. NV ~ nv :"
III do not care 70 cav tbat ), so;d Tho
chief. slowly shaking his head ttSomahoJv
must he eaten in he great fastivai If ~.
morrow perbons eo,5a 1yb;to 49, iii
come this wavMn " nun wan
"Rnt surely vou can sava mo ;f Won
will - Wv
;tThere ia one NAV in which T oor sovo
Won - said Tono.roro a, ba cont;nmoJ w
row on;etlv sborewards tsond that 10 for
Won to become INV Wifi. j. ' y ~
WYour wife ?n and the eirl sbnddered
"Rnt that T see. is ont of the nraet;oy, -
said the chief primlv. uAnd sd vom vii,
nrobahlv be eaten to.morrow
As s6e reached the beach che fo,nd
herself confronted bv the king Of the M
lives, the father of Tonearoro.
"Take her away-and let her be we'll
fed ~ commanded the chief. ADDRESSING. his
son.
''She must not be found amiss for the
feast of tomorrow.
Tonearoro made a gesture to the girl.
leading the way toward his house, and She
lost no time in following him.
This house was an average specimen of
the simple constructions of the island,
being little more than a matched roof sup
ported upon posts. 1t stood in retired
spot, with great trees around it, and had
about it an air of uncommon neatness-a
fact owing to the refined manners the sister
OF the young chief had acquired from the
missionaries, and especially from Ellie's
II d