Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-02-24

SoG aIe ascquaihteo with trepangF
.Trepang-beehe-der n,er you know" !.
Iris made desperate guess. YES" She
said, demurely. ut makes beautiful backs
frame for platinotype photographs. I have
jerks swallowed a large piece of ham and
became very red. At last he managed to
say: Il beg your pardon. You are think
sort of marine slug.',
How odd!" said Iris
She had discovered at an early age the
tactical value of this remark, and the ex-
perience OF maturer years confirmed the
success of Juvenile efforts to upset the
equanimity of governesses. Even the sailor
was silenced.
Talk ceased until the meal was ended.
jerks sprang lightly to his feet. Rest and
food had restored his faculties. The girl
thought dreamily, as he stood there in his
rough attire, that she had never seen
finer man. He was tall. sinewy and we'll
formed In repose his face was pleasant,
II masterful. Its somewhat sullen, self-con-
tanned expression was occasional and &C
quired. She wondered how he could be so
energetic. Personally she was consumed
with sleepiness.
He produced a revolver.
DO you mind If l fire a shot to test these
carttidges" he inquired. The powder is
all right, but the illuminate in the caps may
be damaged"
She agreed promptly. He. pointed the
weapon at cluster of cocoanuts, and there
was a loud report Two nuts fell to the
ground, and the air was filled with shrill
screams and the fiapping of innumerable
wings. Iris was momentarily dismayed,
but her senses confirmed the sailors ex-
plana tiOn-"Sea BIRDS
He reloaded the empty chamber and was
about to say something, when a queer
sound, exactly resembling the gurgling OF
water poured from large bottle, fell upon
their ears. 1t came from the interior of the
grove, and the two exchanged quick look
Of amazed questioning. jerks took hasty
step in the direction of the noise, but he
stopped and laughed at his own expense.
Iris liked the sound of his mrth. 1t was
genuine. not forced.
Il remember now" he explained. 1.-THE
wou-wou monkey cries in that peculiar war
BILE. The presence of the animal here shows
that the island has been inhabited at some
time"
You remember" repeated the girl
Then you have been in this part of the
world before?"
mo. l mean I have read about it."
Twice in half an hour had he CURLY de-
clined to indulge in personal "reminiscences.
Can you use revolver" he went on.
My father taught me. He thinks every
if need be-
Excellent. WE'LL Miss Deane, you must
try to sleep for couple of hours. 1 pur-
pose examining the coast for some dis
tance ON each side. Should you want me,
shot will be the best sort of signal"
II am very tired she admitted .Rut
your"
"Oh, am all right. 1 feel restless; that
Is, mean / will not be able to sleep until
night comes, and before we climb the hill to
survey our domain l want to find better
quarters than we now possess
Perhaps, were she less fatgued, she
would have caught the vague anxiety the
note of distrust in his voice. But the car
pet of sand and leaves on which she lay
was very seductive. Her eyes closed. She
nestled into comfortable position, and
slept. 20
The man looked at her steadily for a
little while. Then he moved the revolver
out OF harms way to a spot where she
must see 1t instantly, pulled his souwester
We'll over his eyes and walked off quietly
They were flung ashore on the northwest
SIDE or the island, Except for the cove
formed by the coral reef, with it's mysteri-
Gus palm tree growing apparently in the
was roughly that of the concave side of a |
bow, the two visible extremities being
about three-quarters of mile apart
He guessed, by the way in which the sea
raced past these points, that the land did |
not extend beyond them. Behind him. 1t |
rose steeply to a, considerable height, $50 |
or 200 feet. In the oenter was the taIlest |
mn, winch seemed to end abruptly toward !
The southwest On the northeast side it was |
connected with rocky promontory by a |
ridge of easy grade. The sailor turned to the |
southwest, as offering the most likely di- !
rectron for rapid survey.
He followed the line of vegetation. there
the ground was firm and level There was |
no suggestion of the mariners roll in his |
steady gait. Alter his clothing, change the |
heavy boots into spurred Wellingtons and |
he would be the beau ideal of a cavalry |
soldier. the order of Melchisedec in the |
profession of arms
He was not surprised to find that the hill |
terminated in q sheer wall of rock which
stood out, ominous and massive, from the |
wealth of verdure clothing the remainder |
of the ridge. Facing the precipice and |
separated from it by strip Of ground not |
twenty feet above the sea level in the |
highest part, another rock-built emf |
hence. quite bare of trees, blackened by |
the weather and SCARED in manner that |
attested the attacks of lightning.
He whistled softly u"By Joyev" he said |
Volcanic, and highly mineralized"
The intervening belt was sparsely dot |
ted with trees, casuarinas, poon and other !
woods he did not know, resembling ebony |
and cedar. A number Of stumps showed |
that the AK had been at work. but not re-
Gently. He passed into the cleft and |
climbed tree that offered easy access |
AS he expected. after rising few feet |
from the ground. his eyes encountered the |
solemn blue line Of the sea, not half |
mile distant.
He descended and commenced a system
attic search. Men had been here Was |
there a house? Would he suddenly en-
counter some hermit Malay Chinaman? |
At the foot of the main cliff was a |
cluster Of fruit-bearing trees. plantains.
dTeca nuts, anu SoCot palms. "A couple Oh |
cinchonas caught his eye. In one spot |
the underground was rank and wildly |
green. The cassava, or tapioca plant, |
reared it's high, passion flower leaves |
above the grass, and some sage palms |
thrust aloft their thick-stemmed trunks
Here is a change of menu, at any rate" |
he communed.
Breaking thick branch off a pooh tree |
he whitfield away the minor stems. A |
strong stick was needful to explore that |
leafy fastness thoroughly.
few cautious strides and vigorous |
whacks with the stick laid bare the cause |!
of such prodigalty in soil covered with |
drifted sand and Jumps of black and white |
speckled coral. The trees and bushes in |
closed well--safeguarded it, in fact
from being choked with sand during the |
first gale that blew.
Delighted with this discovery, more !
precious than diamonds at the moment for |
he doubted the advisability of existing on !
the water supply of the pitcher plant, he |
knelt to peer into the excavation The |
we'll had been properly made. Ten feet |
down he could see the reflection of his |
face. Expert hands had. tapped the secret |
reservoir of the island BY. stretching |
to the full extent of his arm, he managed |
to plunge the stick into the water last
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