The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1905-07-27

NOHe Whatever. IneSe BOrneO Dy.5
axis are bred from infancy to prey on
their fellow creatures. To be strangers
and defenseless is to court pillage and
massacre at their hands. l think no
more of shooting them than Of smash
ing clay pigeon. killing mad dog
is perhaps better simile.'
"But, Robert dear, how long can we
hold out?"
what! Are you growing tired Of
me already?"
He hoped to divert her thoughts from
this constantly recurring topic. Twice
within the hour had it been preached
and dismissed, but Iris would not per-
NIT him to shirk it again. She made
no reply, simply regarding him with a
wistful smile!
So jerks sat down by her side and
rehearsed the hopes and fears which
perplexed him. He determined that
there should be no further concealment
between them. If they failed to secure
water that night, if the Dyaks main
tanned strict siege of the rock
throughout the whole of next day, we'll
NAUTICAL. Best leave matters in Gods
hands.
With feminine persistency she chung
to the subject, detecting his unwilling
ness to discuss possible final stage in
their sufferings.
Robert" she whispered fearfully,
you Will never let me fall into the
power of the chief, will you?"
"Not while live"
"You must live. Don't you under
stand? would go with them to save
you. But l would have died by my
own hand. Robert, my love, you must
do this thing before the end must be
the first to die
The sailor wrestled with the great
problem. He may be pardoned if his
heart quailed and he groaned aloud.
"Iris," he said solemnly, whatever
happens, unless l am struck dead at
your feet, I. promise you that we shall
pass the boundary hand in hand. Be
mine the punishment if we have de-
cided wrongly. And now" he cried,
tossing his head in a defiant access of
| energy, ''let us have done with the
morgue. For my part 1 refuse to ac-
knowledge I am inside until the gates
clang behind me-"
They chatted in lighter vein with
such pendulum swing back to noncha-
lance that none would have deemed it
possible for these two to have already
determined the momentOus issue of the
pending struggle should it go against
them.
And so the sun sank to rest in the
sea, and the stars pierced the deepen
ing blue of the celestial arch, while the
man and the woman awaited patiently
the verdict of the fates.
Before the light failed jerks gath
cred all the poisoned arrows and
ground their venomed points to powder
beneath his heel. Gladly would Iris
and he have dispensed with the friend
~ protection Of the tarpaulin when the
cool evening breeze came from the
south. But such thing might not be
even considered. Several hours Of dark
ness must elapse before the moon rose,
and during that period, were their foes
so minded, they would be absolutely at
the mercy Of the sumpitan shafts if not
covered by their impenetrable buckler.
The sailor looked long and earnestly
| at the we'll. Their own bucket, impro-
| vised out of a dish cover and a rope
lay close to the brink. A stealthy crawl
across the sandy valley, half a minute
Of grave danger, and he would be up
the ladder again with enough water to
serve their imperative needs for days
to come
There was little or no risk in de-
scending the rock. Soon after sunset
it was wrapped in deepest gloom, for
night succeeds day in the tropics with
wondrous speed. The hazard lay in
twice crossing the white sand, were
any of the Dyaks hiding behind the
house or among the trees.
He held no foolhardy view of his
| own powers. The one sided nature Of
the conflict thus far was due solely to
his possession of modern rifles as op-
posed to muzzle leaders. Let him be
surrounded on the level at close quar-
tiers by a dozen determined men and
he must surely succumb.
Were it not for the presence of Iris
he would have given no second thought
to the peril. TO act without consult
ing her was impossible, so they dis
cussed the project. Naturally she
secuted it.
'The Mohammedan may be able to
help u.s." she pointed out. 'In any
event let us wait until the moon wanes.
That is the darkest hour. We do not
know what may happen meanwhile"
The words had hardly left her mouth
when an irregular volley was fred at
them from the right flank of the en-
emy's position. Every bullet struck
yards above their heads, the common
failing Of musketry at night being to
take too high an aim. But the impact
of the missiles on a rock so highly i'm
pregnated with minerals caused sparks
to fly, and jerks saw that the Dyaks
would obtain by this means most
DANGEROUS index of their fanltv nrac.