The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1905-03-10

spairing efforts she lurched feebly to
her knees and tumbled face downward
ON the broken coral that had tripped
her faltering footsteps.
jerks was watching her, watching
the remaining Dyaks, from whom n
spluttering volley came, picking out
his quarry with the murderous ease Of
a terrier in a rat pit Something like a
bee In a violent hurry hummed past
his ear, and rock near his right foot
was struck tremendous blow by an
unseen agency. He liked this. 1t would
be a battle, not battue.
The fifth Dyak crumpled into the
distortion of death, and then their
leader took deliberate aim at the kneel-
ing marksman who threatened to wipe
him and his band out of existence.
But his deliberation, though skillful.
was too profound. The sailor fired first
and was professionally astonished to
see the gaudily attired individual
tossed violently backward for many
yards, finally pitching headlong to the
earth. Had he been charged by bull
in full career he could not have been
more utterly discounted. The Incident
was sensational but ineXpllcable.
Yet another member of the band was
Frustrated ere the two as yet unscath-
ed thought fit to beat retreat. This
they now did with celebrity, but they
dragged their chief with them. 1t was
no part Of jerks programme to allow
them to escape. He aimed again at
the man nearest the trees. There was
cartridge was Il mistire. He hastily
sought to eject it, and the rifle jammed
Springing 20 his feet. with a yell, he
ran forward. The flying men caught
glimpse of him and accelerated their
movements. Just as he reached Iris
they vanished among the trees.
Singing the rifle over his shoulder,
he picked up the girl in his arms. She
was conscious, but breathless.
you are not hurt?" he gasped, his
eyes blazing into her face with an in
tensity that she afterward remembered
as appalling.
mo-" she whispered.
Listen" he continued in labored
jerks. TRY and obey me-eXactly. 1
will carry you-tO the cave. Stop there.
Shoot any one you see-till 1 come"
She heard him wonderingly. WAS he
Eoing to leave her, now that he had
her safely clasped to his breast? I'm
possible! All, she understood. Those
men must have landed in q boat. He
intended to attack them again. He
was going to fight them single handed,
and she would not know what happen
ed to him until it was all over. Grad
ually her vitality returned. She almost
smiled at the fantastic conceit that she
would desert him.
jerks placed her on her feet at the
entrance to the cave.
"You understand" he cried, and with
out waiting for an answer ran to the
house for another rifle This time, to
her amazement, he darted back through
Prospect park toward the south beach.
The sailor knew that the Dyaks had
landed at the sandy bay Iris had chris
tened Smugglers' cove. They were ac-
quainted with the passage through the
reef and came from the distant islands.
Now they would ,endeavor to escape
by the same channel. They must be
prevented at all costs.
He was right. AS they came out into
the open he saw three men, not two,
pushing off large sampan. One of
them was the CHEF. Then jerks I'M
derstood that his bullet had hit the
lock of the Dyak's uplifted weapon,
with the result already described. By
a miracle he had escaped.
He coolly prepared to Stay the three
of them with the same calm purpose
that distinguished the opening phase
of this singularly one sided conflict.
The distance was much greater, per-
haps 800 yards from the point where
the boat came into view. lie knelt and
fired. lie judged that the missile struck
the craft between the trio.
Il didn't allow for the sun on the
side of the fore sight," he said, cor per-
haps am a bit shally after the run. In
any event they can't go far"
A hurrying step on the coral behind
him caught his ear Instantly he
sprang up and faced about-to see Iris.
"They are escaping" she said.
mo fear of that" he replied, turning
away from her.
"Where are the othersY
"Dead"
'Do you mean that you killed nearly
all those men?'
"Six OF them. There were nine in
ALL"
He lznelt again, lifting the rifle. Iris
threw herself on her knees by his side.
There was something awful to her in
this chill and businesslike declaration
of a fixed purpose.
2 "AIr. jerks" she said, clasping her
hands in an agony of entreaty, "do not
kill more men for my sake!'
"For my own sake, them" he growl-
ed, annoyed Mt the interruption, as the
sampan was afioat.
"Then / ask you for Gods sake not
to take another life. What you have al
ready done was unavoidable, perhaps
right. This is murder!'
He lowered his weapon and looked a.
her.
"If those men get away they will
bring back host to avenge their COM
rades-and secure YOU" he added.