Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1905-12-14

I 6he Wings q the !
!; q
!: ~ Q By LOUIS !:
s; M ~ H0rN - a TRACY $:
!: AOX xx4AA49 Copyright. 1905 ::
:: ~ IL

CHAPTER x111-continued.


thus inducing the savages to believe
they had succeeded in inflicting NOR
tai wound, or to wait until the next ar
row fell rush out and try conclusions
with dumdum bullets against the sum-
pitan blowers.
He decided in favor of the latter
course. He wished to dishearten his
assailants, to cram down their threats
the belief that he was invulnerable
and could visit their every effort with
deadly reprisal
Iris, Of course. protested when he ex-
planned his project. But the fighting
spirit prevailed. Their love idyll must
yield to the needs Of the hour
He had not long to wait. The last
arrow fell, and he sprang to the ex-
IRENE right Of the ledge First he
looked through that invaluable screen
Of grass Three Dyaks were on the
ground and fourth in the fork of "a
tree. They were each; armed with q
blowpipee He in the tree was just fit
ting an arrow into the bamboo tube.
The others were watching him.
jerks raised his rifle, fired. and the
warrior in the tree pitched headlong to
the ground. A second shot stretched
companion on top of him. One man
jumped into the bushes and got away,
but the fourth tripped over his unwieldy
sunpitan. and bullet tore large
section from his skull. The sailor then
amused himself with breaking the bam-
boos by firing at them. He came back
to the white faced girl.
II fancy that further practice with
blowpipes will be at discount on
Rainbow island" he cried cheerfully.
But Iris was anxious and distract.
cit is very sad" she said, that we
are obliged to secure our own safety
by the ceaseless slaughter Of human
beings Is there no offer we can make
them, no promise of future gain. to
tempt them to abandon hostilities"
"None whatever. These Borneo Dy-
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. think no
more of shooting them than of smash
ing clay pigeon. Killing mad dog
is perhaps better smile"
"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 broached
and dismissed, but Iris would not per-
NIT him to shirk it again. She made
no reply, simply regarding him with
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 q strict siege Of the rock
throughout the whole of next day, well
they might survive-it was profile
matical. 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 II his
heart quailed and he groaned aloud.
Girls" he said solemnly, whatever
happens unless l am struck dead at
your feet, 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 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 1t
possible for these two to have already
determined the momentous issue Of the
ag 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, We're their foes
80 minded. they would be absolutely at
the mercy Of the sumpitan shafts II not
covered by their impenetrable buckler.
The sailor looked long and earnestly
at the well. Their own bucket, impro-
vised out of a dish cover and rope.
lay close to the brink. A stealthy crawl
across the sandy valley, half minute
of grave danger, and he would be up
the ladder again with enough water to
H. So. zl<H~ve