Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1905-06-20

4
so much as scratched your finger moth
ing OIL earth could save you"
She paled and drew back in sudden
horror. Another tap sounded on their
thrice welcome covering. Evidently
| the Dyaks would persist In their efforts
TO get one of those poisoned darts
home.
| jerks debated silently whether 1t
| would be better TO create commotion,
] tbs inducin" the savages to believe
they had succeeded in inhicting NOR
| tai wound. or 10 wait until the next ar
row fell. r:iS.i OFT anl t:'y conclusions
with ,;nn .u:l b;lllets against the sum-
pitan blowers.
He decided in favor of the latter
course. y" wished to dishearten his
asssilants. % cram down their thrOats
the beicf that lie was inyulnerable
and coul, visit their every effort WITH
Il depdly reprisal.
Iris. Of course. protested when he ex-
pl:ined 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-
treme right of the ledge. First he
looked through that invaluable screen
of grass Three Dyaks were OH the
ground and fourth in the fork Of
tree. They were each armed with a
bl0wpipe. lie 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 lis unwieldy
sumpitan. and Il 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.
81 fancy that further practice with
blowpipes will be Mt discount on
Rainbow island" he cried cheerfully.
But Iris was anxious and distrait.
| ut 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. ta
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 ut their hands. think no
more Of shooting them than of smash
ing a clay pigeon. Killi' mad dog
| is perhaps better simiic p"
But, Robert dear, how long can we
hold outY"
What! Are you growing tired of
me already!"
lie hoped to divert her thoughts from
this constantly recurring topic. Twice
| within the aour had it been broached
and dismissed, but Iris would not per-
init 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, IL the Dyaks main
tained a strict siege Of the rock
throughout the whole of next day, well
they might survive-it was proble-
matical. Best leave matters In Gods
hands.
With feminine persistency she clung
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? l would 80 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." lie said solemnly, whatever
happens. unless | am struck dead at
your feet. promise you that we snail
pass the boundary hand in hand. BE
mine the punishment if we have de-
cided wrongly. And nOw," he cried,
tossing his head In Il defiant access or
energy. "let us have done with the
morcue. For my part refuse to ac-
knowledge AIN 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
nending 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 he
oven considered. Several hours OF dark
ness must elapse before the moon rose
and during that period, were their foes
so Minded, they would he absolutely III
the mercy of the sumpitan shafts II no'
covered by their impenetrable buckler
The sailor looked long and earnestly
at the well. Their own bucket, impro'
yised out of dish cover and rope
Law close to the brink. \ stealthy craw
across the sandy valley, half minute
of Crave danger, and he would be W
the ladder again with enough water tt
serve their imperative needs for days
to come.
There was little or no risk III de
scending the rock. Soon after sunse'
it was wrapped in deepest GLOOM 1ol
night succeeds day in the tropics VIII
wondrous speed. The hazard lay IL
twice crossing the white sand, were
any of the Dyaks hiding behind thu
house or among the trees.
| rtt