The Red Cloud chief., 1905-06-09

awkwardness.
~ will mount guard outside" went
on jerks. lie was trying to improve
the edge Of the ak by grinding IL on n
soft stone.
The girl went into the cave again.
She was inquisitivc, uneasy.
THAT arrangement she began. but
ended In n sharp cry OF terror. Tho
dispossessed birds had returned during
the sailors absence.
III will Kill themy' he shouted In an.
ger.
"Please don't. There has been enough
OF death In this place already"
The words Jared On his ears. Then
he felt that she could only allude to the
victims Of the wreck.
II was going to sny," she explained.
that we must devise n partition.
There Is no help for 1t until you con
struct n sort OF house. C8ndidly, I do
not like this hole In the rock. 1t Is a
vault. a tomb"
"You told me that | was In com.
mand, yet you dispute my orders" He
strove hard to appear brusqucly good
humorcd. Indifferent, though for n
Of his mold he was nbsurdly irritable.
The cause was overstrain, but that *
PLANTATION escaped him.
"Quite true. But II sleeping I'm the
cold. In dew or rain, Is bad for me-, It
must be equally bad for you, and with.
out you | am helpless, you know"
lie laughed ~sardonlcally. and tho
Iuroh ,atn ,laolny x,tth hnr front
candor. Here ut least she was utterly
deceived. His ~changcful moods were
incomprehensiblc.
81 will serve you to the best OF my
ability, Miss Deane," he exclaimed.
1--WE must hope for n speedy rescue.
and l nm Injured to exposure. 1t il
otherwise with you. Are you ready for
the climbY
The crest Of the hill was tree covered,
and they could see nothing beyond
their immediate locality until the sailor
found IL point higher than the rest.
where n rugged collection of hard ba-
salt and the uprootlng Of some pooh
trees provided an open space elevated
above the ridge.
Il TOT u SuOTt ulStuItc tut IOONIOlu WIS
precarlous. jerks helped the girl In
| this part Of the climb. His strong.
| gentle grasp gave her confidence. She
| was flushed with eXertion when they
stood together on the summit OF this
| elevated perch. They could look to
every point of the compass except a
| small section on the southwest. Here
the trees rose behind them until the
brow OF the precipice was reached.
The e%inergence into n sunlit pnn0-
rama of land and sea, though expected,
was profoundly enthralling. They APP
| peared to, stand almost exactly In the
| center Of the Island, which was cres-
cent shaped. 1t was no larger than the
| sailor had estimated. The new slopes
now revealed were covered with YER
dure down to the very edge Of the wa
ter, which for nearly n mile seward
broke over jagged reefs. The sen look
| ed strangely calm from this height.
Irregular blue patches on the horizon
to south and east caught the mans
first glance. lie unslung the binocu-
lars he still carried and focused them
eagerly.
Islands," he cried, "and big ones
tool"
How odd" whispered Iris, more
concerned In the scrutiny of her imme-
date surroundings. jerks glanced ut
her sharply. She was not looking at
the islands, but at a curious hollow, a
Iuarry-like depression beneath them to
the right, distant about 800 yards and
not far removed from the small pla-
teau containing the well, though isO-
lated from 1t by the south angle Of the
main cliff.
Here, in a great circle, there was not
q vestige of grass, shrub or tree, moth
Ing save brown rock and sand. At first
the sailor deemed II to be the dried UP
bed Of a small lake. This hypothesis
would not serve. else 1t would be,
choked with verdure. The pit stared
up Mt them like an ominous eye, though
neither paid further attention to II, for
the glorious prospect mapped ut their
feet %momentarily swept aside all other
considerations.
fro BE Continued