The Red Cloud chief., 1905-08-25

them in Il graceful pardbOla. This one
fell short. Missing the tarpaulin, it nj.
most dropped on the girls outstretchcd
point had snapped 10y contact with the
tioor of the ledge. She sought for and
found the small tip.
"See,i she said. 1T seems to have
been dipped in something. 1t Is quite
discolored.'
jerks frowned peculiarly. a star
Ting explanation had suggested itself
to him. Fragments of forgotten lore
were taking cohesion in his mind.
PUT 1t down. Quick!' he cried.
Iris obeyed him. with wonder in her
eyes. He spilled IL teaspoonful of cham
payne into Il small hollow of the rock
and stepped one of the fish bones in the
liquid. Within a few seconds the cham
payne assumed a grecnish tingc and
| the bone became white. Then he knew.
Good heavens" he exclaimed, these
are poisoned arrows shot through II
blowpipe. l have never before seen
one. but l have often read about them.
The bamboos the Dyaks carried were
sumpitans. These fish bones have been
, stepped in the juice of the upas tree.
Iris, my dear girl. II one of them had
SO much Is scratched your finger moth
Ing on earth could save you"
She paled and drew back In sudden
horror. Another tap sounded OH their
thrice welcome covering. Evidently
the Dyaks would persist in their efforts
to get one Of those poisoned darts
home.
jerks debated silently whether 1t
would be better to create a commotion,
thus inducing the savages to believe
they had succeeded In inficting a NOR
tai wound, or to wait until the next ar
row fell. rush out and try conclusions
with dumdum bullets against the sum
pitan blowers.
He decided in favor of the latter
course. lie wished to dishcarten his
a%ssailants, to cram down their Threats
the belief that he was ~invulnerable
and could visit their every effort with
a deadly reprisal.
Iris, Of course, protested when he ex.
/ planned his project. But the fighting
spirit prevailed. Their love idyll must
yield to the needs Of the hour.
He had not long to wait. The last
arrow fell. and he sprang to the ex
treme right Of the ledge. First hi
looked through that invaluable screer
Of grass. Three Dyaks were on the
ground and q fourth In the fork Of
tree. They were each armed with
blowpipe. He in the tree was Just At
ting an arrow into the bamboo tube
The others were watching him.
jerks raised his rife, fired, and thu
warrior in the tree pitched headlong T.
the ground. A second shot stretched
q companion on top Of him. One mar
Jumped into the bushes and got away
but the fourth trippeA over his unwield!
sumpitan, and a bullet tore a larg'
section from his skull. The sailor thel
amused himself with breaking the BAN
boos by firing at them. He came bacl
to the white faced girl.
II fancy that further practice witt
blowpipes will be at a discount Of
Rainbow island" he cried cheerfully.
But Iris was anxious and distract.
at is very sad" she said. that W
are obliged to secur our W safet,
by the ceaseless slaughter Of human
beings. Is there no offer we a max
them. no promise Of future gain. I
tempt them to abandon hostilfties2"
"Noas whatever. These Borneo D.
axis are bred from infancy to prey Q
their fellow creatures. To be stranger
and defenseless is to court pillage ar
massacre at their hands. I think
more Of shooting them than Of smasl
ing a clay pigeon. Killing a mad d.
is perhaps u better smile"
but, Robert dear, how long a v
hold OutT'
"What! Are you growing tired
me alreadyT'
He hoped to divert her thoughts fro
this constantly recurring topic. Twi
within the hour had II been breach,
and dismissed, but Iris would not pc
NIT him to shirk 1t again. She ma,
no reply, simply regarding him with
wistfui smile.
So jerks sat down by her side al
rehearsed the hopes and fears viii,
perplexed him. He determined tn
there should be no further concealme
between them. If they failed to secu
water that night, II the Dyaks mai