The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1905-08-03

side. She stole a loving glance at him
as she cried:
Eyes; Captain Anstruther of the In
dian staff corps. If he will not tell
you all that he has done, how he has
saved my life twenty times, how he
has fought single handed against
eighty men, ask mev'
Captain Anstruther does not appear
to have left much for us ato do, Miss
Deane,'' the officer said. Indeed
turning to Robert, sis there any way
in which my men will be useful?"
II would recommend that they drag
the green stuff off that fire and stop
the smoke Then detachment should
go round the north side Of the island
and drive the remaining Dyaks into
the hands of the party you have landed,
as understand at the farther end of
the south beach. Mir Jan, the Moham-
medan here, who has been most faith
full ally during part of our siege, will
act as guide
The other man cast comprehensive
glance over the rock, with it's scaling
ladders and dangling rope ladder, the
cave, the little groups of dead or IN
conscious pirates-for every wounded
man who could move a limb had
crawled away after the first shell burst
and drew deep breath
''How long We're you up there?' he
asked.
"Over thirty hours"
ut was a great fght!"
"Somewhat worse than it looks,'' said
Anstruther. "This is only the end Of
it. Altogether we have accounted for
nearly twoscore of the poor devils.'
Robert looked toward the approach
ing boat. She would not land yet for
a couple of minutes.
"By the way" he said, "will you
tell me your name?"
"Playdon - Lieutenant Philip II.
Playdon.'
do you know to what nation this
island belongs?"
1T is no mans land, 1 think. 1t is
marked 'uninhabited' on the chart.''
"Then," said Anstruther, II call upon
you, Lieutenant Playdon, and all others
here present to witness that I, Robert
Anstruther, late of the Indian army,
acting on behalf Of myself and Miss
Iris Deane, declare that we have taken
possession of this island in the name
Of his Britannia majesty the king of
England, that we are the joint occu-
piers and owners thereof and claim all
property rights vested therein
These formal phrases, coming at such
a moment, amazed his hearers. Iris
alone had an inkling of the underlying
motive.
II don't suppose any one will dispute
your title" said the naval officer grave
~. He unquestionably imagined that
suffering and exposure had slightly dis
turbed the other mans senses.
"Thank you," replied Robert with
equal composure, though he felt in
clined to laugh at Playdon's mystifca-
ton. II only wished to secure a suffi-
Gent number of witnesses for verbal
declaration. When l have a few min
utes to spare I will afix legal notice
on the wall in front of our cave"
Playdon bowed silently. There was
something in the speakers manner that
puzzled him. He detailed a small guard
to accompany Robert and Iris, who
now walked toward the beach, and
asked Mir Jan to pilot him as suggest
ed by Anstruther.
The boat was yet many yards from
shore when Iris ran forward and
stretched out her arms to the man who
was staring at her with wistful de-
spair.
Father! Fatherv she cried. Don't
you know me?"
Sir Arthur Deane was looking at the
two strange figures on the sands, and
each moment his heart sank lower.
This island held his final hope. During
many weary weeks, since the day when
kindly admiral placed the cruiser
Orient at his disposal, he had secured
the. China sea, the coasts of Borneo and
Java for some tidings of the i'll fated
Sirdar
To examine every sand patch and
tree covered shoal in the China sea was
an impossible task All the Orient
could do was to visit the principal is
lands and institute inquiries among the
fishermen and small traders. At last,
the previous night, Malay, tempted
by hope of reward, boarded the vessel
when lying at anchor off the large is
iand away to the south and told the
captain a wondrous tale of a devil
haunted place inhabited by two white
spirits, a male and a female, whittier
local pirate named Taung S'Ali had
gone by chance with his men and suf-
fered great loss. But Taung sail was
bewitched by the female spirit and had
returned there with a great force,
swearing to capture her or perish. The
spirits, the Malay said, had dwelt upon
the island for many years. His father
and grandfather knew the place and
feared it. Taung SAL would never be
seen again
This queer yarn was the first indica-
ton they received of the whereabouts
Of any persons who might possibly be
shipwrecked Europeans, though not
survivors from the Sirdar. Anyhow,