Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-02-24

tree, and by means Of a rope around his
waist and with the assistance of his hook
he could walk up the stem of the tallest
palm In the island almost quickly as We
could make our way along plain road.
The morning was still awash with dewy
freshness when l set out, carrying my pro-
visions, gun and a bag with compart-
ments for ammunition. Anna had stolen
silently from her sleeping room In my
mothers house She met me behind the
hedge of prfckly pear.
IAN .quiet! she said. Where is Yellow
Jack?"
He is waiting further on I answered.
For now the one-armed boy never walked
with us along the green bank in front of
ciety would shame us, and for all his broad
grins he was full of dignity.
But we had hardly passed the PALISADES
OF the gardens before he was at our sides,
his usually social face now grave and
quiet Yet there came look of pleasure
into his eyes at sight of Anna Me he toll
Grated chiefly because Ana and | were in
manner looked upon as each others medi-
comprehnsively And the belief was my
great safeguard.
yellow Jack was laden with a spare cut
lass, which he assured me I would need to
use in the high woods. He also carried a
knife of large size for Anna, for the virgin
forest is no respecter of persons.
He had leather leggins, too, for Anna, so
that she could Withstand the pricks Of the
water which we hoped to find in the woods.
When with US Yellow Jack spoke Gu
rious and picturesque DIALECT OF mis- own
quite different from the broken English he
used with the white men down in the viii
lsge. 1t was pleasant to listen to him, for
he possessed rich, mellow voice, with a
wild ring in it's cadences as often as he be-
came excited, or when he burst into little
trilIs of song as naturally as a bird singing
in the top Of a tropic tree among the llama
stems and the gorgeous trumpet flowers.
To me Yellow Jack always seemed to be
translating from some noble barbarous
tongue, ana at times his IDEAS had certain
barbaric splendor Of their own.
"Kings son T." he would say; "in my
own country, prince Of fighting men"
There che pointed down to the village) a
slave, Yellow tack-but yonder Che pointed
over the sea, from which the mist was lift
ing and melting as 1t lfted)-yonder, Ebor-
ra, chief among chiefs!'
Then. as If he had perchance claimed more
than his due, he turned quickly to Anna
But always your friend!' he said.
And indeed the friendship Of Yellow Jack
proved to be by no means the least OF the
blessings assured to us by Anna Mark.
CHAPTER xxx.
The High Woods.
As soon as we reached the verge OF that
great primeval forest a feeling OF awe and
terror came over us both. Yet think that
1 was more frightened than Anna, though
J pleased to note. The dark purple Of decay
| ing vegetation on which we moved, the sud-
| den noises and the rushing hither and
thither Of unseen animals, the stealthy STIR
ring Of snakes in the cover of tawny
grasses the deep shadows, the fantastic
| rigging of aerial ropes, the huge trees which
| started upward, festoone6 with creepers,
and presently lost themselves in a green
| haze before they had risen thirty feet
| these all combined to produce on the mind
| Of ntrNy-h vOllth a felltnR ~
| pretending awe
| Then the huge ants which followed each
| other interminably up the trunks of the
| trees. and made trodden ways Of every
| branch; the yelow-banded wasps, great as
| humble bees on the meadows OF Moreham,
| which flew in our faces with a buzz of
| anger; the calling crabs, which waved their
! arms and challenged each other on every
| bare patch as we began to climb the noun
tain ridge-these and a thousand other Won
| ders kept our hearts continually in our
| mouths as Yellow Jack led us deeper and
| deeper into the maze
| But Eborra never hesitated In the vii
| iage he was, as he said, Yellow Jack, q
slow knowing. lazy young negro. whose mis-
fortune alone shielded him from being COM
! PEELED by the overseers to perform much
| more work. He was protected by the fears
of all the colored and half-colored popuia-
| ton. But here in the native Jungle ne
| moved swiftly as the monkey among the
trees. He disappeared in towers of leave
and peeped out again to show US SAFER and
| easier ways. He was never at q loeO
though We plunged deeper and deeper Intc
the wilderness.
After we had advanced slowly sor q.