The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1905-04-26

prostrated ere the two as yet unscath-
ed thought ft to beat a retreat. This
they now dia with celerity, but they
dragged their chief with them. 1t was
no part OF jerks programme to allow
them to escape He aimed again at
the man nearest the trees. There was
a sharp click and nothing more. The
| cartridge was misire. He hastily
sought to eject it, and the rife jammed.
Springing to bis feet, with yell, he
ran forward. The flying men caught a
glimpse Of him and accelerated their
movements. Just as he reached Iris
they vanished among the trees.
Singing the rifle over his shoulder,
he picked up the girl in his arms. She
was conscious, but breathless.
"You are not hurt?' he gasped, his
eyes blazing into her face with an in
tensity that she afterward remembered
as appalling.
"No," she whispered.
Listen" he continued in labored
jerks. "Try and obey me-exactly. I
will carry you-to the cave. Stop there.
Shoot any one you see-till come"
She heard him wonderingly. Was he
going to leave her, now that he had
! her safely clasped to his breast? I'M
possible! All, she understood. Those
men must have landed in a boat. He
intended to attack them again. He
was going to fight them single handed,
and she would not know what happen
ed to him until it was all over. Grad
aally her vitality returned. She almost
smiled at the fantastic conceit that she
would desert him. q
jerks placed her on her feet at the
entrance to the cave.
'You understand" he cried, and with
out waiting for an answer ran to the
house for another rifle. This time, to
her amazement, he darted back through
Prospect park toward the south beach.
Dhe sailor knew that the Dyaks had
landed at the sandy bay Iris had chris
tened Smugglers' cove. They were ac-
quainted with the passage through the
reef and came from the distant islands.
Now they would endeayor to escape
by the same channel. They must be
prevented at all costs.
He was right. AS they came out into
the open he saw three men, not two,
pushing off a large sampan. One OF
them was the chief. Then jerks IN
derstood that his bullet had hit the
lock of the Dyak's uplifted weapon,
with the result already described. By
a miracle he had escaped.
He coolly prepared to slay the three
of them with the same calm purpose
that distinguished the opening phase
of this singularly one sided conflict.
The distance was much greater per-
haps 800 yards from the point where
the boat came into view. He knelt and
fed. He judged that the missile struck
tHs craft between the trio.
Il didn't allow for the sun on the
side of the fore sight" he said, cor per-
haps am bit shaky after the run. In
any event they can't so far
A hurrying step on the coral behind
him caught his ear. Instantly he
sprang up and faced about--to see Iris.
"They arc escaping" she said.
"No fear Of that" he replied, turning
away from her.
"Where are the others?"
"Deadr'
"Do you mean that you killed nearly
all those men?"
"Six of them. There were nine in
ALL"
He knelt again, G1es,g the rife. Iris
threw herself on her knees by his side,
There was something awful to her in
this chill and businesslike declaration
Of fixed purpose.
"Mr. Jenks," she said, clasping her
hands in an agony of entreaty, ''do not
kill more men for my sake!'
"For my own sake, then." be growl-
ed, annoyed at the interruption, as the
sampan was afloat.
..Then 1 ask you for Gods sake not
to take another life What you have al
ready done was unavoidable, perhaps
right. This is murder!''
He lowered his weapon and looked at
her.
IF those men get away they will
bring back a host to avenge their COM
rades-and secure you," he added.
'It may be the will Of Providence for
such a thing to happen. Yet I implore
you to spare them
He placed the rife on the sand and
raised her tenderly, for she had yield
ed to a paro1ysm of tears. Not another
word did either Of them speak in that
hour The large triangular sail of the
sampan was now bellying out in the
south wind. A figure stood up in the
stern of the boat and shook a menacing
arm at the couple on the beach.
1t was the Malay chief, cursing them
with the rude eloQuence Of his barba-
rous tongue. And jerks well knew
what he was saying.
[To BE CONTINUED