Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1905-05-24
By LOUIS
TRACY
,nA~
Copyright. 1905. by
Edward J. Clode
!; ii;.:i@G;isi 3

"You two only?"
Eyes. She struck OH the northwest
reef of this island during typhoon.
This lady, Miss Iris Deane, and were
flung ashore
Miss Deane! Can it be possible?
Let me congratulate you most heart
lily. Sir Arthur Deane is on board the
Orient at this moment"
"The ORIENT"
Iris was dazed. 1t was all too Won
derful to be quite understood yet. She
turned to Robert:
'Do you hear? They say my father
is not far away. Take me to him."
mo need for that, MISS" interrupted |
a warrant officer. Here he Is coming |
ashore. He wanted to come with us,
but the captain would not permit it,
as there seemed to be some trouble |
ahead"
Sure enough, even the girls swim
ming eyes could distinguish the gray |
bearded civilian seated beside m off,
Ger in the stern sheets of small gig
now threading path through the bro
ken reef beyond Turtle beach. In five
minutes father and daughter would
meet
Meanwhile the officer, intent on duty,
addressed jerks again.
MAY ask who you are7"
"My name is observation-disclosures An
struther"
Iris, clinging to his arm, heard the
reply.
So he had abandoned all pretense.
lie was ready to face the world ut her
side. She stole Il loving glance ut him
as she cried:
yes; Captain Anstruther Of the In
dian staff corps. If lie will not tell
| you all that he has done, how he has
saved my life twenty times, how he
has fought single handed against
eighty men, ask mo-"
Captain Anstruther does not appear
to have left much for us to do, Miss
Deane," the officer said. Indeed"
turning to Robert, "ls there any way
in which my men Will be usefulY
N would recommend that they drag
the green stuff OFF that fire and stop
the smoke. Then detachment should
go round the north side of the island
and drive the remaining Dyaks into
the hands Of the party you have landed.
as l understand, at the farther end of
the south beach. Mir Jan, the Mohaln-
medan here, who has been most faith
full ally during part of our siege, will
act as guide.'
The other man cast comprehensive
glance over the rock, with its scaling
ladders and dangling rope ladder, the
cave, the little groups Of dead or I'M
conscious pirates-for every wounded
man who could move a limb had
crawled away after the first shell burst
and drew deep breath.
'How long were you up thereT' he
asked.
"Over thirty hours"
ut was great fightw
Somewhat worse than 1t looks" said
Anstruther. This is only the end Of
| it Altogether we have accounted for
nearly twoscore of the poor DEVILS"
Robert looked toward the approach
ing boat. She would not land yet for
c couple of minutes.
"By the way" he said, twill you
tell me your name"
"Playdon Lieutenant Philip II.
Plnydon." ..,.
"Do you know to what nation this
island bclongs?"
ut is no mans land, I think. 1t is
marked 'uninhabitcd' on the chart"
"Then," said Anstruther, II call upon
you. Lieutenant Playdon, and all others
here present to witness that l, Robert
Anstruther, late of the Indian army,
acting on behalf of myself and Miss
Iris Deane, declare that we have taken
possession of this island in the name
of his Britannia majesty the king of
England, that We are the joint occu-
piers and owners thereof and claim all
property rights vested therein"
These formal phrases, coming at such
moment, amazed his hearers. Iris
alone had an inkling of the underlying
motive
Il don't suppose any one will dispute
your title" said the naval officer grave
~. He unquestionably imagined that
suffering and exposure had slightly dis
turbed the other mans senses.
"Thank you," replied Robert with
equal conlposurc. though he felt in
clincd to laugh ut Plnydon's mysti1ca-
ton. II only wished to secure suftl-
cient number of witnesses for n verbal
declaration. When have q few min
utes to spare Will aflix legal notice
on the wall in front of our cave"
Plnydon bowed silently. There was
something III the speakers manner that
puzzled him. He detailed small guard
to accompany Robert and Iris, who
now walked toward the beach, and
asked Mir Jan to pilot him Us suggest
cd by Anstruther.
Tho boat was yet many yards from
shore when Iris ran forward and
stretched out her arms to the man who
was staring at her with wistfuf >de-
spair.
"Fatherl FatherW she cried. Don't
you know meT'
Sir Arthur Deane was looking at the
two strange figures on tho sands, and
each moment his heart sank lower.
This island held his final hope. During
many weary weeks, since the day when
o kindly admiral placed the cruiser
Orient at his disposal, he had secured
the China sea, the coasts of Borneo and
Java for some t1dings Of the III fated
Sirdar.
TO examine every SAND patch and
tree covered shoal in tho China sea was
an impossible task. AL the Orient
could do was to visit tho principal Is
lands and institute inquiries among the
fishermen and small traders. At lust
the previous night Malay, tempted
by hope of reward, boarded the vessel
when lying at anchor of the large is
land away to the south and told the
captain n wohdrous tale Of devil
haunted place inhabited by two white
spirits, male and a female, whittier
a local pirate named Taung SAll had
gone by chance with his men and suf-
fered great loss. But Taung S'Ali was
bewitched by tho female spirit and had
returned there with great force,
| sUnariuO I'm on tIt,,ro -har or toryof q,hn