Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1894-07-12
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CHAPTER XII.-Continued.


TO be all scorched up with lightning.
Take care what you do. Spare the
child's life [ will have no victim. be-
ware how you anger me-"
Il 1t the savage no sooner says than
ne does. With him daliberatiOn is
unknown. and impulse everything. In
81 moment the natives HAD gathered IN
q circle a little way off, and began
drawing lots. Several children, seized
hurriedly up among the crowd, were
huddled like so many sheep IN the cen
ter. Felix looked on from his inclos-
urc, half petritied with horror. The
lot fell upon pretty little girl Of five
years old. Without one word of warn
ing, without one sign OF remorse, be-
fore Felix's very eyes, they began to
bind the struggling and terrified child
just outside the circle.
The white man could stand this hOr-
rid barbarity no longer. At the risk
of his life-at the risk of Muriel s he
must rush out to prevent them. They
should never dare to kill that helpless
child before his very eyes. Come what
might though even Muriel should
suffer for the felt he must rescue
that trembling little creature. Draw
ing his trusty knife and opening the
big blade ostentatiously before their
eyes, he made sudden dart like wild
beast across the line, and bounced down
upon the party that guarded the vic
tim
Was it ruse to make him cross the
line, alone, or did they really mean 1t?
He hardly knew; but he had no time
to debate the abstract question. Burst
ing into their midst he seized the child
with q rush in his circllng arms, and
& b,,rru kn1 ly will + y in tho
protecting taboo-line.
Quick as lightning he was sur
rounded and almost cut down by furi-
Gus and frantic mob Of half-naked saw
ages. "kill him. Tear him to pieces!.'
they cried in their rage. He has a
bad heart. He destroyed our huts! He
broke down our plantationsi Kill him,
kill him, kill him.
AS they closed in upon him, with
spears and tomahaWks and clubs, Felix
saw he had nothing left for it now but
a hard fight for life to return to the
taboo-iine. Holding ohe chilu in one
arm, and striking wildly out with his
knife with the other, he tried to hack
his way back by main force to the shell
Ter OF the taboo-line in frantic lunges.
The distance was but few feet, but
the savages pressed round him, half
y
and distorting their faces in anger.
HE has broken the Taboo they cried
in vehement tones. He has crossed
the line willingly. Kill him. Kill him.
We are free from sin. We have bought
him with a price -with many cocoa
nutsn'
At the sound of the struggle going
on so close outside, Muriel rushed in
frantic haste and terror from the hut.
Her face was pale. but her demeanor
was resoute Before Mali could stop
her, she, too, had crossed the sacred
lac of the coral mark, and had flung
herself madly upon Felix's assailants,
60 cover his retreat with her own frail
body.
A.Hold Off" she cried, in her horror
in English, but in accents even those
savages could read. tYOu shall not
tnuch him.
With a fierce effort Felix tore his
way back, through the spears and
clubs, toward the place of safety. The
saVages wounded him on the way more
shan once with their jagged stone
spear tips, and blood flowed from his
breast and arms in prOfuslon. But
they didn't dare even SO to touch
Muriel The sight of that pure white
woman, rushing out in her weakness
to protect her lovers life from attack,
seemed to strike them with some fresh
access of superstitious awe. One or
two of themselves were wounded by
Felix's knife, for they were unac
customed to steel, though they had
few blades made out of old European
.barre hoops. For a minute or two the
con tiict was sharp and hotly contested.
sThen at last Felix managed to fling
h, hi1 1,n 70
MGriel with one hand at arm 's-length
before him, and to rush himself within
the sacred circle
( Mo sooner had he crossed it than the
savages drew up around, undecided as
vet, but IL a threatening body. Rank
behind rank, their loose hair IN their
ewes, they stood like wild beasts balled
Of their prey, and yelled at him. Some
of them bHandished their spears and
their stone harcnetS angrlly IN their
victims faces. Others contented them
SELVES with bowling aloud as before,
anu piling curses afresh on the heads
of The unpopular storm-gods LOOK
at her. they cried, IN their wrath,
pointing their skinny brown fingers
angrily at Muriel. See, she weeps
even now. She would flood us with
her rain She isn't satisfied with all
2EH IOfDi SllS Has poutS eA Vow bt'oA
Beupari already. She wants to drown
us"
And then little knot drew up close
TO the line of takoo itself, and began to
discuss in loud and serious tones a
press ng question of savage theology
and religious practice.
''They have crossed the line within
the three days. some of the foremost
warriors exclaimed. in excited voices.
<'They are no longer taboo. We can
do as we please with them. We may
cross the line now ourselves If we will,
and tear them to pieces. Come on.
who follows? Korong. Korong, Let us
rend them Let us eat them!"
But though they spoke SO bravely
they hung back themselves, fearful of
passing that mysterious barrier.
Others of the crowd answered them
81 L