The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-06-11
her ewes tlm1dlv to mine. She was a beau

| tl1ul creature, hardly more imam sixteen
| but perfectly developed, with small hands
and feet. In form and feature she was al
most the exact counterpart OF the Psyche
in the Borghese gallery, the loveliest type
of youthful womanhood left US by the
sculptors of the ancient world.
l addressed her at hazard in the Papuar
dialect, which I had picked up during my
wanderings. Her face frightened as she
replied in the same tongue. 1t appeared
that she had never seen a white man be
| fore, and took US for gods l made her sit
beside me, and offered her some of the food
we had brought with US. The meat she
rejected, animal food being unknown
among these islanders. War, murder and
theft appear to be equally unknown. The
| island, / learned, was called Lagalia by
the natives, and my new friends name
was Ola.
Suddenly as we talked the dull boom 81
a gun came rolling across the water. Al
| frighted, Ola sprang to her feet and fled
| like a deer into the neighboring thickeG
while l, hardly less alarmed, FASTENED to
the boat where l had left the two men.
Hurriedly showing off, we rowed to the en-
trance of the bay. The ship was no longer
where we had left it, but was lying close
| in shore, about two miles distant. The
mutiny had broken out in my absence,
and the crew had seized the ship.
| Undecided what to do in this extremity,
we rowed slowly toward the vessel to
| learn, if possible. the situation of affairs.
| Suddenly Bates called my attention to a
dark object in the water some distance
! ahead of us. 1t appeared to be in motion,
and we changed our course to examine it.
| 1t proved to be a man swimming, and IN q
| few minutes we recognized the boatswain.
We drew him into the boat, nearly ex-
hausted by his exertions.
While we were administering restora-
tives to the rescued man, there was faint
hail from the water, and presently we
| picked up Stark and the captain, who had
supported themselves upon fragment of
! plank.
As soon as he could speak the captain
told US that hardly had my boat disap-
peared from sight when the crew revolted
in a body, and after desperate defense on
| the part of Stark, the boatswain and him
self, had seized the ship The three men
had only saved their lives by jumping into
| the water.
AS it was manifestly impossible to re-
capture the vessel by an open attack, we
returned to our former landing place in
| the bay. 1t was pretty certain that the
first proceeding on the part of the men
would be to break open the spirit room
and get drunk. We did not anticipate
any immediate trouble from them there
fore. Our hope was that after few days
of unrestrained license the mutineers
would quarrel among themselves and be-
do li1aH rx-han cor,11 Oft
seize the ship by stratagem, or induce the
better affected to join US in mastering the
others.
We divided ourselves into watches, tax.
ing turnsin keeping guard during the night,
while the others slept in the boat drawn up
against the shore. u undertook the first
watch myself, and after we had made a
comfortable meal upon the provisions we
had brought with us, my companions dis
posed themselves in the boat, while took
my position upon the shore at little dis
tance.
For awhile paced to and fro, meditat-
ing upon the events of the day; then
seated myself upon log and lit my pipe.
had fallen into a dreamy mood, soothed
by the influence of the tobacco, when a
slight sound near at hand brought me to
my feet. Drawing my revolver / peered
anxiously into the dense shadow of the for
est A dark figure stole out of the gloom
and approached me.
"Who goes there?" demanded in low
tone.
lola, OLA" murmured low, sweet voice.
"You will not hurt Ola?"
put the revolver back into my belt, and
called her to come to me. Seating herself
upon the fallen tree beside me, she took
my hand between her own soft little palms
and remained long while in silence l
had never cared for the society of my coun-
trywomen, but there was something so in
nocent, so truthful in this child of a savage
people that | felt an unwonted tenderness
growing in my heart. l spoke to her of
my own land, of my long voyage from be-
yOnd the sea, and of the revolt of my men
in the ship. AS told her that even now
these men might be planning to take my
life, l felt a shudder pass through Ler
frame and her hand clasp mine tighter.
We sat talking till long after midnight.
when a movement on the part of one of the
men startled her. She sprang to her feet,
and murmuring, Tomorrow" melted into
the gloom of the forest. Merely saying
that all was quiet, l turned over the watch
to the boatswain, and lying down in the
boat speedily fell asleep.
We were not molested on the following
day. The captain, who had examined the
ship from the cover of the shrubbery, re-
ported that the men were still aboard, and
apparently INDUCING in a proUracted de-
bauch.
Strange to say, my thoughts were not
wholly bent upon the dangers of our posi-
ton, imminent as they were. Ny last
nights meeting with Ola remained in my
mind like the memory of a dream, and
waited for the night to come again with
an Impotence my colder reason could not
repress
| took the first watch as before, and began
pacing up and down the beach at some dis
lance from the boat. A half hour passed
away, and was beginning to fear that the
girl would not come, when, turning at the
end of my walk, she stood beside me, with
out sound having betrayed her approach.
For some moments she walked beside me
in silence; then she told me she had seen
the ship that day, and gathered from her
words that the men were making prepare
lions TO come ashore.
Impelled by a feeling which I could
hardly have explained, l said:
'Supposing these men were to kill me,
Ola?"
She put her hand softly upon my shout