The record-union., 1896-01-18
REcoRDUNIoN SATURDAY


with big German oath he walked over
to where Jack stood beside his horse
rs the young one going?" he asked
I could not hear Jacks reply, but
Knudsens low whistle interpreted it.
80, er wird hier bleiben, sagst du?
Das list viei besser'' and then a quick
order from Carter, and the little troop of
men gave rein to their horses, and were
off en- masse, to scatter later as / be-
heved, according to some plan of their
leaders,
! Five minutes after they were out of
sight, and Knudsen safe in his Office,
was in the stable beside the mare which
had been set apart for me, and in an
| other five minutes ], too, was out of
sight OF the house and alone for every
man in the party in advance of me had
| disappeared, taking, as / had thought
they would, each one a different direc-
ton. L turned down beside one Of the
big irTigating bitches, where the marks
of footprints were fresh in the moist
soh, and rode on vaguely, without pur-
pose. almost, as it seemed without de-
sire, letting Gretchen choose her own
path. The sun beat down upon u.s. and
between the tall canes not breath of
air penetrated
| I was only half conscious Of it all.
| for with me everything was concen-
trated in the life of the man whom we
were hunting. I went back to the days
when we were boys together, to the days
when the sky and the mountains and
the sea were enough for us, and the
exquisite joys of health and freedom
were ours. And then, one by one, I
repeated to myself the familiar argu
ments; "the safety of the community"
rang in my ears. / reminded myself
| that death had already claimed him
and that none could save, and l con-
| fessed that my course was plain. But
| defying all these was the one dominant
thought: He must die here; yes, but
not, o God! not as he would die there.
| There a prison, foul sights and h1deous
sounds, the brief alleviation that drugs
| can give, and at the end a hospital
cot. Here the sky and the sea and the
snow-crowned hills as of old, the life
that he loved and-above all and more
than all-freedomi"
Slowly the hours went by and
rode ON aimlessly, and yet somehow
always avoiding the men who were my
fellow hunters, and deferring as best
might the awful moment of decision
which I knew must soon come.
For 1 knew where Timoteo was. At
any moment 1 could track him to his
hiding place, and then? Down in the
gulch where the waters of the river
ran ice cold from the summit of Mauna
| Loa, deep down among the piled-up
lava rocks, was a cave which, for years
after Christianity had become the nom
inal religion of the land, had been held
sacred to heather rites and place of
safe-keeping for the scattered idols of
the people Here, years ago, Timoteo
and his sister Pauahi had Led me in an
swer to some boyish boast of mine as
to worthlessness of their dethroned and
powerless gods. Half trembling, half
defiant, 1 had stepped within the sa-
cred walls, to confess later On that
heathendom was NOT dead raer the
power of Pele and Lono to be lightly
set aside That any white man other
than myself held the clew to It's en-
trance I doubted. and that there
should find Timeoto I knew only too
we'll.
But why should I look for him there?
Again and again I had told myself
that / could have nothing to say in the
matter, that I had no right 10 warn
him, to tell him that so hong as the
guard was kept up he must not venture
out of his hiding, that If ] found him L
had no choice but to- turn him over TO
the Sheriff and Molokai. 1t was alb
from that point of view, simple enough.
I had only to leave him in Ignorance,
and in a few days, when he believed the
search to be given up, he would come
out to meet his confederate, who could
be none other than Pauahi, and to
get from her such fresh supplies as he
might need.
Then would come Carter's chance,
and Timoteo would have but one alter
native from the leper settlement-death
at the hands of his pursuers. Yet, at
the mercy of that inexplfeable force,
drew every moment nearer to the path
leading down into the gulch, uRtil, just
before sunset, halted beside the rush
ing stream to gain a little tiRae wtf1Ie
Gretchen drank / dismountea, and,
standing beside her, could see the Grew
ice in the black lava through which
must pass. The great pandanus free
sha0owed il as of old, an ohia hung Its
scarlet fruit within reach of an upfifted
hand. male and tree ferns grew gpeeRly
luxurfant in the moist air, but no sign
was there of human presence. l RneW
that Carter's men would camp for the
night on the dryer uplands, having
searched the gulch and placed a, guard
at it's mouth. Up its precipitous sides
escape was possible only at certain
points, and was sure that from night
fall till early morning my way was
clear, the narrow valley would be mine
and Timoteo's.
But the brief twilight of the tropics
was over and darkness had fallen be-
fore I lifted the tangled mat of ferns
and stepped softly into the narrow
opening.
sqTimoteo.'' I called beneath my
breath, and 1 called again and still
again, but only the echo of my own
voice came back to me. Then for an
| instant l doubted, but only for an in
slant, for hastily scratching a match
saw. at the foot of the pedestal of some
| Ione- forgotten idol Timoteo, quietly
sleeping. and beside him, as I had
feared, Pauahi. She sprang to her feet
at the first glimmer of the match and
caught my two hands in hers
"Oh. do not take him, he is so tired"
she said, with a childlike note in her
voice as if she too, were half-sleeping,
and then her breath came short ana
she sank on the ground at my feet.
s'Eaye YOU come to take him away?
Can you not leave him to me a little,
only a little longer! He is all have.
and I am not afraid, will take care Of
him always. I can do it, have money
and strength to work-oh, leave him;
he will die If YOU take him to Mololaii''