Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1905-08-04

lNI or certainly least hcarnhlc, he
~ tween and / O'Clock in the
afternoon
At TIE conclusion Of a not very lus-
ciou< repast jerks suggested that they
should RI up the tarpuultn in such
wise as L. gain protection from the
sun AMI vet enable him to cast 4
Watchful eye, over tie valley. Iris help
al to rails" The Irclt canvas sheet on
the supports he had prepared. Once
shut off from the devouring rays. the
hot breeze then srringlng into iltful
existence cooled their blistercd but per
spring skin and made life somewhat
tolerablc
Still adhrring to his policy of COM
batting the first encrvatinG attacks OF
thirst, the sailor sanctioned tho con-
sumption of the remaining water. AZ
| a last desperate expcdient to be re-
sorted TO only in case Of sheer necessi-
! t.. he uncorked bottle of champagne
and filled the tin cup. The sparkling
wine, with its volume of creamy foam,
looked SO tempting that Iris would
then and there have risked its potency
We're she not promptly withheld.
jerks explained to her that when the
wine became Guire fat and insipid they
might use 1t to moisten their parched
| lips. Even so, in their present super
heated state. the liquor was unques-
| tionably dangerous. but he hoped 1t
would not harm them II taken in MI
mute quantities.
Accustomed now to implicitly accept
| his advice, she fought and steadily con-
quercd the craving within her. Oddly
enough. the 'thawing" Of their scorch-
| ed bodies beneath the tarpaulin brought
| a certain degree Of relief. They were
eupremely uncomfortable, but that was
as nsught compared with the relaxa-
| ton from the torments previously
| borne.
For long time-the best part Of an
hour, perhaps-they remained silent.
The sailor was reviewing the pros
| and cons Of their precarious condition.
1t would, Of course, be matter Of SUI
| preme Importance were the Indian to
/ be faithful to his promise Here the
prospect was decidedly hopeful. The
man was an old soldier, and the ex-
officer Of native cavalry knew how en-
during was the attachment Of this poor
convict to home and military service.
Probably at that moment the MOham-
medan was praying to the prophet and
bis two nephews to aid him in rescuing
the sahib and the woman whom the
sahib held so dear, for the oil wise and
oil powerful Indian government Is very
merciful to offending natives who thus
condone their former crimes.
But. howsoever willing he might be.
what could one man do among so
many7 The Dyaks were hostile to him
In race and creed, and assuredly in
furiated against the foreign devil who
had killed or wounded in round num-
bers one-flfth Of their total force. Very
likely the hapless Mussulman would
lose his life that night In attempting
to bring water to the foot Of the rock.
Even II the man succeeded In eluding
the vigilance of his present associates,
where was the water to come from?
There was none ON the island save
that in the well. In oil likelihood the
Dyaks had store In the remaining
sampans, but the native ally Of the
beleaguered pair would have task Of
exceeding difficulty in obtaining one
Of the Jars or skins containing 1t.
Again, granting all things went well
that night, what would be the final
outcome Of the struggle? How long
could Iris Withstand the exposure, the
strain. the heartbreaking misery Of
the rock?
He shook restlessly, not aware that
the girls sorrowful glance, luminous
with love and pain. was fixed upon
him. Summary Diminishing these girls
ly phantoms Of the mind, he asked
himself what the Mohammedan exact
ly meant by warning him against the
trees on the right and tho silent
death" that might come from them. He
was about to crawl forth to the Lip of
the rock and investigate matters IN
that locality when Iris. who also was
busy with her thoughts, restrained him.
"Wait little WHILE" she said. None
Of the Dyaks will venture into the open
until night falls. And 1 have some
thing to say to you"
There was a quiet solemnity in her
voice that jerks had never heard be-
fore. 1t chilled him. His heart ac-
knowledged quick sense Of evil omen.
He raised himself slightly and turned
toward her. Her face, beautiful and
serene beneath its disfgurements, wore
an expression of settled purpose For
the life Of him he dared not question
her.
THAT man, the interpreter" she said
told you that II were given up to the
chief he and his followers would &c
away and modest you no more"
His forehead scanned with sudden
anger.
"A mere bait" he protested. "In any
event it is hardly worth discussion"
And the answer came, clear and res.
olute:
Il think will agree to those terms"
At first he regarded her with undis
guised and wordless amazement. Then
the appalling thought darted through
bis brain that she contemplated this
supreme sacrifice in order to save him
| a NAoAAAhy cWSuL Oc0cWeu LIS UIOW
but by sheer will power he contrived
to say:
"You must be mad to even dream OF
such a thing, Don't you understand
what it means to you-and to mel 1,
is rlse to trap US. They are ungov
erned savages. Once they had you In
their power they would laugh at q
| promise mada fO rnow
You may be mistaken. They mus,
have some sense Of fair dealing. Ever
assuming that such was their inten
ton. they may depart from It, They
have already lost a great many men
Their chief. having gained his main
object. might not be able to persuade
them to take further risks. I will make
1t part Of the bargain that they first
supply You with plenty of.water. Their
you. unaided, could keep them at bay
for many days. We lose nothing; We
can gain a great deal by.eendeavorine
to pacify them"
IRIS" he gasped. "what are YOU
sayingT
The unexpected sound Of her name
on his lips almost unnerved her. But