The Red Cloud chief., 1905-09-22

- ~ '' NV - ~ fAAa Wv
may well imagine, Mr.. Anstruthcr
what II cruel blow it was to lose such II
vessel, with all these people on board
rnd /" only daughter amopg chem. |
wonder now that 1t did not kill me"
"Shc was Il splendid sea boat, sir.
Although disabled. she fought gallant
~ against the typloon. Nothing short
Of Il reef would break her up"
"AlI. we'll" sighed the shipowncr,
"thc few timbers you have shown me
here are the remaining assets out of
$500. 900"
WAS she not insured?" inquired
Robert.
"No-that is, I have recently adopted
q scheme of mutual self insurance. and
tie loss falls pro rata on my other YES
sells
The baronct glanced covertly at Iris.
The words conveyed little meaning to
her. Indeed, she broke In with II
laugh:
II am afraid | have heard you say,
father dear, that some ships in the
fleet paid you best when they ran
ashore"
Eyes. Iris. That often happened in
the old days. 1t is different now.
Moreover, | have not told you the eX-
tent of my calamities. The Sirdar was
lost on March 1S. though | did not
know II for certain until this morning.
But on March % the Bahadur was
sunk in the Mersey during n fog, and
three days later the Jemadar turned
turtle on the James and Mary shoal in
the Hooghly. Happily there were no
lives lost in either of these cases"
Iris was appalled, by this list of casu-
alticS, yet she gave no thought to the
serious financial effect of such a string
of catastrophes. Robert, of course, ap-
prcciatcd this side of the business, espc-
cially in view Of the shipowner's re.
mark about the insurance. But Sir
Arthur Deane's stiff upper lip deceived
him. He failed to realize that the fa-
Their was acting u part for his daugh-
ter's sake.
Oddly enough, the baronet did not
seek to discuss with them the legal
looking document affixed near the cave.
1t claimed all rights in the island in
their joint names, and this was a topic
he wished to avoid. For the time,
therefore, the younger man had 10 OPP
p%ortunity of taking him into his con-
tidence, and Iris held faithfully to her
promise Of silence.
The girls ragged raiment, sou'wester
and strong boots were already packed
away on board. She now rescued the
Bible, the battered tin cup, her re.
volver and the rifle which had scared
the Dyaks when they nearly caught
Anstruther and Mir Jan mapping. Rob
ert also gathered for her an assert
mcnt Of Dyak hats, belts and arms, in
Guiding Taung SALTS parang and a
sumpitan. These were her trophies,
the spoils of the campaign.
His concluding act was to pack two
of the empty oil tins with all the val
liable Jumps of aurifcrous quartz he
could find where he shot the rubbish
from the cave beneath the trees. On
top of these he placed some anthony
ore, and Mir Jan, wondering why the
sahib wanted the stuff, carried the con-
signment to the waiting boat. Lieuten-
II PlaydOn, in command of the last
party of sailors to quit the island, evil
IDENTITY expected Mir Jan to accompany
them, but Anstruther explained that
the man would await his return some
time in June or July.
Sir Arthur Deane found himself spec
ulating on the cause of this extraor-
binary resolve, but, steadfast to his
policy of avoiding controversial mat,
ters, said nothing. A few words to
he captain procured enough stores to
keep the Mohammedan for six
months ut least, and while these were
being landed the question was raised
how best to dispose of the Dyaks.
The commander wished to consult the
convenience of his guests.
IF we go a little out Of u way and
land them in Borneo,' he said, "they
will be hanged without troubling you
further. If l take them to Singapore
they will be tried on your evidence
and sent to penal servitude. Which Is
1t to be-"
1t was Iris who decided.
II cannot bear to think Of more lives
being sacrificed" she protested. "Per-
haps If these men are treated merci-
fully and sent to their homes after
some punishment their example may
Serve as a deterrent to Others"
So 1t was settled that way. The an
Choir ratified up to its berth, and the
Orient turned her head toward Singa-
pore. AS she steadily passed away in
to the deepening azure the girl and her
lover watched the familiar outlines Of