Evening star., 1904-02-29
CHAPTER VII.
Surprises.


To these he nailed or tied crossbeams OF
felled saplings; and the tarpaulns dragged
from the beach supplied roof and walls 1t
required the united strength of Iris and
himself to haul into position the heavy
sheet that topped the structure, whilst he
was compelled to desst from active build
ing operations In order to fashion a rough
ladder. Without some such contrivance
he could not get the topmost supports ad-
3usted at a sufficient height.
Although the edifice required at least two
more days of hard work before it would be
fit for habitation, Iris wished to take up
her quarters there Immediately. This the
sailor would not hear of.
I'm the cave he said, you are abs D
1utely sheltered from all the winds that
blow or rain that falls. Our villa, however,
is painfully leaky and draughty at present.
When asleep. the whole body is relaxed,
and you are then most open to the attacks
OF cold or fever, in which case, Miss Deane,
! shall be reluctantly obliged to dose you
with a concoction of that tree there
He pointed to a neighboring cinchona,
and Iris naturally asked why he selected
that particular brand.
Because it is quinine, and not made up
in nice little tablods. but au naturel. 1t
will not be a bad plan if we prepare strong
infusion, and take a small quantity every
morning on the excellent principle that
prevention is better than cure"
The girl laughed.
Good graciousr' she said; that reminds
me-
But the words died away on her lips in
sudden fright. They were standing the
level plateau in front of the cave well re-
moved from the trees, and they could see
distinctly on all sides, for the sun was
sinking in cloudless sky and the air was
preternaturally clear being free now from
the tremulous haze of the hot hours
Across the smooth eXpanse of sandy
ground came the ,agonized shreks of
startled bird-a large bird, it would SEEM
wiDging its way toward them with incredi-
bic swiftness, and suttering succession of
loud full-voiced notes of alarm
Yet the strange thing was that not a bird
was to be seen. AT that hour the ordinary
feathered inhabitants of the island were
quietly nesting among the branches pre-
paratory to making final selection of the
nights resting place. None of them would
stir unless actually disturbed.
Iris drew near to the sailor. Involun-
tarily she caught his arm. He stepped a
half pace in front of her to ward off any
danger that might be heralded by this new
and uncanny phenomenon. Together they
strained their eyes in the direction of the
approaching sound, but apparently their
sight was bewitched, as nothing whatever
was visible.
oh what is it?" walled nis. who now
clung to jerks in a state of great appre-
hension.
The clucking noise came nearer passed
them within yard, and was already some
distance away. toward the reef when the
sailor burst into a hearty laugh, none the
less genuine because of the relief it gave
to his bewildered senses
Treasured but stil white with fear Iris
cried: DO speak, please, Mr.. jerks. What
was it?'
"A beetler' he managed to gasp
"A beetle?"
low, too-so small that / did not see him
until he was almost out of range. He has
the lotdest voice for his size in the whole
of creation. A man able to shout on the
same scale could Siy ms ka
for twenty miles,
Then L do not like such beetles; 1 al
ways mated them, but this latest variety is
positively detestable Such NASTY things
ought to be kept in geological gardens. and
not turned loose. Moreover, my tea will
be boiled into spinach"
Nevertneless, the tea, though minus
sugar or milk. was grateful enough and
particularly acceptable to the sailor who
entertained Iris with disquisition on the
many virtues of that marvellous beverage
upon the mans earlier history made these
TWO much better friends With more
complete acquaintance there was far
Sass sess ten6eney 6tdS toward certain pas
tions, could be construed as nothing else
than downright Irritation
They made the pleasing discovery that
they could both sing. There was hardly
an opera IN vogue that one or other did
not know sufficiently we'll to be able to re-
call the chief musical numbers Iris had
sweet and sympathetic mezzo-sopranO
voice jerks an excellent baritone and, to
the secret amazement of the girl he rem
dered Cne or two well-known Angio-Indian n
Darrack-room ditties with much humor
rms, then, was the mise en-scene
!ris, seated in the broken saloon chair
which the sailor had firmly wedxed into
the sand for her accommodation was at
ured In a close-ftting costume selected
from the small store of garments so wisely
preserved by Jenks. She wore a pair Of
ma. 20, h<n
Tor her. Her hair was tied up in a gipsy
Knot on the back of her head and the
nght or a cheerful log fire danced in her
blue eyes
Jenls. unshaven and ragged, squatted
tailorwise near her Close at hand on two
sides, the shaggy walls OF rock rose in SOL
emn grandeur. The neighboring trees deck
ed now In the sable livery of night were
dlmiy outlined against the deep misty blue
OF sea and sky wholly merged In the
shadow OF the cliffs
They lost themselves In the peaceful in
huences of the hour. Shipwrecked remote
Irom human kind, environed by dangers
known or only conjectured, two solitary
beings on a tiny island, thrown hapha zard
from the depths of the China sea, this
young couple, after passing unscathed
through perils unknown even to the writer's
OF melodrama, lifted up their voices in the
sheer exuberance of good spirits and
abounding vitality.
The girl was specially attracted by The
Buffalo battery. rolltckfng lyric known
to all Anglo-India from Peshawur to T1,tf-
corin The air is the familiar one of the
Hen Convention, and the opening verse
runs in this wise:
love to hear the sepoy with his bold and martial
tread. - N ''"A
And the thud Of the galoping cavalry re-eehoes
But sweeter far than any sound by mortal ever
made t,e'. -
Is the tramp of the Buffalo Battery a-soue to
parade.
Chorus
For it's "Hainys hsinya! hainya! hainyar'
Twist their tails and 60
With Hath! hath. hath!'' elephant and
buffalo
Chow chow; chow w-chow; chow-ehow, chow-chow, .
Teri MAJ ''Chel-lor'
oh, that's the way they shout all day, and drive
the buffalo.
Iris would not be satisfied until she un-
derstood the meaning of the Hindustani
phrases, mastered the nasal pronunciation
of "hainya, and placed the artificial ac-
cent on phant and 10 in the second line of
the chorus.
jerks was concluding the last verse when
there came, hurtling through the air. the
weird cries of the singing beetle returning,