The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-05-01

always squatted near them. and their
eyes followed every movement.
Some time tomorrow the messenger
will return Harry said. 1T is clear
to me that our only chance is to escape
before mornii g. Those fellows will be
watchful till the nights nearly over
Now, 1 propose that just before the
first CLEAN of daylight, we throw our
selves upon them suddenly, seize their
krisses, and cut them down, and then
dash on shore, and rush into the jun
gle. At any rate, We might get out of
sight before the AIalays know what
happened. We could either go straight
into the jungle and crawl into the thick
bushes and lie there until nightfall and
chen make our start, or, what would, l
think, be even better, take to the water
and wade along under the bank till
We reach one of those sampanS 80 yards
away, get IN, and manage to paddle
them noiselessly across to the oppo-
site side, then lift the craft out and
hide it among the bushes, and then
off"
THE worst of it is the alligators.
Harry"
YES, but We must risk that We
shall have the kriSSeS, and if they seize
either of US. the other must go down
:. <
of the beast. / know it is a frightfuIly
dangerous business, and the betting is
100 TO ] against our succeeding; but
here is just a chance, and there is no
chance at all if we leave it until to-
morrow. OF course, if we succeed in
getting over to the other side, we must
wait close at the water until daylight.
We should tear ourselves to pieces if
we tried to make through the jungle
in the dark"
Il tell you what would give us a
better chance-we might take off two
or three yards of that bandage of ours,
cut the strip in half and twist it into a
rope; then let those fellows doze off a
little; we might throw the things round
their necks, and it would be all up
with them
But you see l have only one arm,
Harry
.tConfound it, I never thought of
that. Well. l might do the strangling,
one fellow first, and then the other.
You could get close to him, and if he
moved, catch up his kriss and cut him
down
Yes. I could do that. Well, any
how, Harry, we can but try; anything
is better than waiting here hour after
hour for the messenger TO come back
with what will be our death war
rant
They agreed to keep awake by turns.
and. accordingly, lay down as soon as
it became dark, the Malays, as usual,
suuatting at a distance of a couple of
PAGES each side of them. 1t was about
. o'clock in the morning when Dick,
who was awake, saw. as he supposed,
one Of the crew standing up a few
Yards away; he was not sure. for just
at that moment the figure disappear
ed.
what the deuce could that fellow
want to stand up for and lie down
again! For can swear that he was
not there half a minute ago. There is
another farther on" He pinched him
self to make sure that he was awake.
Figure after figure seemed to fit along
the deck and disappear. One OF the
guard rose and stretched his arms,
nut z. fresh bit of some herb that ha
was chewing into his mouth, moved
close to the prisoners to see If they
were asleep, and then resumed his for
raer position. During the time that ne
was on his feet, Dick noticed that the
oh ,noInenon which had so puzzled him
had ceased a quarter of an hour
later ii began again. He touched Har-
~. keeping his hand on his lips as q
warning to be silent. Suddenly wild
yell broke on the still air, and in an
instant the deck was alive with men;
and as the two Malay watchmen rose
to their feet. both were cut down.
There were sounds of heavy blows.
screams and yelIs, and short, confus-
ed struggle the fall of heavy bodies,
while from the little village there were
also sounds of conflict. The midship