Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-03-07
CHAPTER XII.
A Truce.


With sullen fire at the strip of sand and the
rocks in front. his troubled brain paid per-
functory heed to his task. The stern sense
OF duty the ingrained force of long years
of military discipline and soldierly thought
compelled him to keep watch and ward over
his fortress. but he could not help asking
himself what would happen If Iris were
seriously wounded.
There was one enemy more potent than
these skulking Dyaks. n foe more Irresistible
H. his might more pitiless in his strength
whose assaults would tax to the utmost
their powers of resistance. In another hour
INC sun would be high in the heavens. pour
ing his ardent rays upon them and drying
The blood in their veins.
Hitherto the active life of the island, the
shade of trees hut or cave, the power OF
unrestricted movement and the possessaoh
of water in any desired quantity, roopeo the
tropical heat of the day of It's chief terrors.
Now all was changed. Instead OF working
amidst grateful foliage. they were bound 10
the brown rock. which soon would grow
with radiated energy and give on screening
gusts unto the OPENING OF furnace dool-
THIS he had foreseen all along. TIE tar.
pau-.n would yie,d them some degree OF
une-sy protection and they both We're IN
perfect physical condition. But = If Iris
were. wounded If the extra STRAIN brought
fever in its wake, That way he saw moth
by deiirium and merciful death. Tor MN py
a BcIserk rushs among the Dyaks, ana one
last mad fight agains; overwhelming NUM-
berS :. +
Then the girls voice reached him. self
relient almost Cheerful
You will be glad 10 Eeaf that heseut
has stopped b.eecins; II is ogly scratch ten
So a kindly Providence had spared them
vet little while. Tire cloud passed from
his mind the gathering mistsfrom his eyes!
In that instant he thought he detected a
sight rustling among the trees where the
cliff shelved up from the hoHsa- STANDING
as lie on the edge of the rock ms
was point he could not guard against
When Ter welcome assurance recalled his
scattered senses, he stepped back to speak
to Ter. and in tie same instant couple
Of bullets crashed against the rock over
head. Iris had unwittingiy saved MIN from
serious. perhars fatal. wound
ledge and boldly looked into the trees be-
meath Two Dyaks were there. belated
wanderers cut off from the main BODY
They Owed headlong into the underground
for safety, but one of them was too late.
TIE Iee-Metford reached him, and It's re-
verrerating conclusion, tossed back and
forth by the eehoing rocks, drowned his
parting scream
In the plentitude of restored vigor the
slilor waited for no counter demonstration.
He turned and crouchiugfy approached the
southern end of his parapet. Through ms
screen of grass he could discern the long
black hair and yellow face of man who
lay on the sand and twisted his head
around the base of the further cliff. The
distance. oft measured; was ninety Yards
the target practically six-inch bull s-eye.
jerks took careful air, fired, and Whit
Of sand flew up.
Perhaps he had used too fine sight and
pilughad a furrow beneath the Dyak's ear.
lie only herd a faint yell. but the enter
u. ing head vanished and there were no
more volunteers for that particular service.
lie was still peering at the place when
{fi cd
Iris
oh come quick! Our water! The casks
have burst.
1t was not until jerks had torn the tar
uauIiu from off their stores, and he was
wildly striving with both hands to scoop
up some precious drops collected in the
small holIows of the ledge. that he realized
the full magnitude of the disaster which
had befallen them.
During the first rapid exchange OF hre;
before the enemy vacated the Cliff, several
bullets had pierced the tarpaulin BY
stroke of exceeding bad fortune two of
them had struck each of the water barrels
and started the slaves The contents quiet
Iy ebbed away beneath the broad sheet.
and flowing inwards by reason of the sharp
slope of the ledge percolated through the
fault. Iris and lie. Notwithstanding their
freuZied efforts. were not able TO save more
than pint of gritty, dlscoiored fuld
Thc rest infinitely more valuable to them
than all the diamonds of De Beers, was
now oozng through the natural channel
cut by centuries OF STORM. dripping upon
the headless skeleton in the cave, soaking
down to the very heart of their buried
treasures.
jerks was so paralyzed by this catas-
trophe that Iris became alarmed. As yet
she did not grasp its awful Significance
That he, her hero, so brave, so confident
- III the face of many dangers. should betray
such sense of irredeemable loss. frightened
her much more than the incident itself.
He lips whitened. Her words become in
coherent
TEL me-" she whispered 81 can bear
anything but silence. Tell me, l implore
you. is it 50 bad?
The sight of her distress sobered Kim. He
erouEl his teeth together as a man does
who submits TO a painful operation and
resolves not to finch beneath the knife.
1T is very bad he said, mot quite the
end. but near il.
THE end" she bravely answered, ''is
death, We are living and uninjured. You
must fight on. If the Lord wills it we
shall not die.
He looked in her blue eyes and saw
there the tight of Heaven.
Good bless YOU, dear g,rl.' he murmured
brokenly You would cheer any man
through the Valley of Shadow were he
Christian or faint-heart.
Her glance did not droop before his. In
such moments heart speaks to heart with
out conceaiment.
we still have little water" she cried
Fortunately we are not thirsty. You have
not forgotten our supply of champagne and
brandy"
There was a species Of mad humor in
the suggestion. Oh for another miracle
that should change the wine into water
lie could only fall in with her unrefiec-
tive mood and leave the dreadful truth
to it's own evil time. In their little nook
the power of the sun had not yet made it
self felt BY ordinary computation it was
about O'Clock. Long before noon they
would be grillng- Throughout the next
few hours they must suffer the torture of
Dives with one meager pint of water to
share between them. OF course the VINE
and spirit must be Stunned like pesti-
lence To touch either under such cUrdi-
lions would be counting heat, apoplexy, and
DEATH And next day!
He frightened his jaws before he answer
Cd -
we will console ourselves with bot
tie of champagne for dinner Meanwhile,
hear our friends shouting to those left on
this side of the island l must take an ac-
tive interest in the conversation.
He grasped rifle and lay down on the
ledge. already gratefully warm. There was
a good deal of sustained shouting going
on jerks thought he recognized the
chiefs voice. giving instructions to those
who had come from Smugglers' Cove and
were now standing on the beach near the