Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1905-04-28
CHAPTER III Continued

DING III MS lprktlS. ne iIOuu'trl IL
shabby little husSif containing il thin
bic. scissors needles and some skeinS
OF unhlcachel thread. Case and CON
tents were sodden or ruStcd with salt
water. but the girl fastened upon this
treasure with sigh Of deep content.
Now, please" she cried. II want a
telegraph office and Il ship"
When they reached the sands she
caught sight of the pile OF clothes and
the broken woodwork, with the small
heaps of yaluables methOdically ar
ranged The harmless subterfuge did
not deceive her. She darted n quick
look Of gratitude at her companion
How thoughtful he was. After fear
full glance around she was treasured.
though she wondered what had become
of-them.
II see you have been busy" she said.
nodding toward the clothes and boots.
Yes" he replied simply. Lucky
find, wasn't itT''
Most fortunate. When they are quite
dry l Will replenish my wardrobe.
What Is the first thing TO he done"
"Well, Miss Deane, I think our pro-
grammc is, in the first place, to ex-
anime the articles thrown ashore and
see If any of the cases contain food.
Secondly, we should haul high and dry
everything that may be Of use to us,
lest the weather should break again
and the next tide sweep away the spoil.
Thirdly, we should eat and rest, and.
finally, we must explore the island be-
fore the light fails. I am convinced we
are alone here. 1t Is a small place at
the best. and If any Cinnamon were
ashore they would have put in an ap-
pearance long since"
do you think, then, that we may re-
main here long?"
ut is impossible to form an opinion
on that point. Help mny come in a
day. On the other hand"-
"YesW
ut is q wise thing. Miss Deane. to
prepare for other contingencies"
do you mean," she said slowly,
that we may be imprisoned here for
weeks, perhaps months?"
III you cast your mind back a few
hours you will perhaps admit that we
are very fortunate to be here at ALL"
She whisked round upon him. do
not fence with my question. Mr.. jerks.
Answer me"'
He bowed. There was q perceptible
return of his stubborn cynicism when
he spoke.
"The facts are obvious, Miss Deane.
The loss Of the Sirdar will not be
definitely known for many days. 1t
will be assumed that she has broken
down. The agents in Singapore will
await cabled tidings of her where
abouts. She might have drifted any
where In that typhoon. Ultimately
they will send out vessel to search,
impelled to that course a little earlier
by your fathers anxiety. Pardon me.
did not intend to pain you. am
speaking my mind"
go on" said Iris bravely.
1.-THE relief ship must search the en-
tire China sea. The gale might have
driven disabled steamer north, south,
east or west. A typhoon travels in a
whirling spiral. you see, and the direc-
ton Of a drifting ship depends wholly
upon the locality where she sustained
damage. The coasts Of China, Java,
Borneo and the Philippines are not
equipped with lighthouses on every
headland and cordoned with telegraph
wires. There are river pirates and saw
age races to be reckoned with. Casting
ocido oil of4,or v,occihtI}tioc op1 ooc,,r,
ing that prompt search is made to the
south Of our course. this part of the
ocean is full Of reefs and small islands,
some inhabited permanently, others
visited occasionally by fishermen" He
was about to add something, but check
ed himself.
ITO sum up," he continued hurriedly,
I'VE may have to remain here for many
days, even months. There Is always a
chance Of speedy help. We must act.
however, on the basis of detention for
an indefinite period. I am discussing
appearances as they are. A survey of
the island may change all these views"
I'm what way"
He turned and pointed to the sum.
NIT Of the tree covered hill behind
them.
From that point" he said, I'VE may
see other and larger islands. II So
they will certainly be inhabited. l am
surprised this one Is not"
He ended abruptly. They were los.
ing time. Before Iris could Join him
he was already hauling a large I'm.
damaged case out Of the water.
He laughed unmirthfully Cham.
pagner' he said. "A good brand tool"
This man was certainly an enigma
Iris wrinkled her pretty forehead In
the effort to place him in a fitting cate
CORY. His words and accent were
those of an educated gentleman, We,
his actions and manners were studious
" uncouth when he thought she was
observing him. The veneer of rough.
ness puzzled her That he was nat
urally Of refined temperament she
knew quite well. not alone by percep.
tion. but by the plain evidence Of his
earlier dealings with her.
To the best Of her ability she silently
helped in the work Of salvage. They
made queer collection. A case OF
champagne and another Of brandy, O
box Of books, a pair Of night glasses. a
compass. several boxes Of ships bis.
cults. coated with salt, but saved by
their hardness, having been immersed
but few seconds; two large cases of
hams in equally good condition, some
huge dish covers, bit Of twisted iron
work and great quantity of cordage
and timber.
There was one very heavy package,
which their united strength could not
lift. The sailor searched around until
be found an iron bar that could be
wrenched from its socket. With this
be pried open the strong outer cover
and revealed the contents-regulation
boxes Of ammunition, each containing
500 rounds.
'Ah" he cried. Now we want some
tiles
What good would they be?" inquir-
ed Iris.
He softly denounced himself as q
fool, but he answered at once: ITO
shoot birds. of course. Miss Deape.