Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1906-01-11
Copyright. 1908. by
Edward J. Clode


"There you puzzle me-" he said
frankly
They had entered the cavern but a
little way and now came out.
"These empty cartridges are funny.
They suggest fort, battle" Wo-
manike her words were carelessly
chosen, but they were crammed with
inductive force.
Embarked on the toboggan slope Of
untruth. the sailor slid smoothly down
ward.
Events have colored your magma
ton Miss Deane. Even in England
men often preserve such things for fu-
ture use. They can be reloaded"
Eyes. have seen keepers do that.
This is different There is an air Of
There is lot TO be DONE broke
in jerks cmphatically. eve must
climb the hill and get back here in
time to light another fire before the
sun goes down. want to prop can
vas sheet IN front of the cave and try
to devise n lamp"
"Must | sleep insidc?" demanded Iris.
Eyes. where elseT'
There was n pause, mere Whit Of
awkwardness.
II will mount guard outside" went
on jerks. He was trying TO improve
the edge Of the AK by grinding il on a
soft stone.
The girl went into the cave again.
She was inQuisitive, uneasy.
That arrangement she began. but
ended in a sharp cry of terror. The
dispossesscd birds had returned during
the sailors absence.
II will kill them he shouted in an.
ger.
please don't There has been enough
OF death in this place already"
Tho words Jared on his ears. Then
he felt that she could only allude to the
victims of the wreck.
81 was going to say" she explained,
that we must devise partition.
There is no help for it until you con-
struct sort of house. Candidly, | do
not like this hole in the rock. 1t is a
vault. tomb
You told me that I was in COM
mand, vet you dispute my orders" He
stroye hard to appear brusquely good
humored. Indifferent, though for one
of his mold he was absurdly irritable.
The cause was overstrain. but that ex-
PLANTATION escaped him.
quite true. But if sleeping in the
cold, in dew or rain, is bad for me. it
hn bod nj wifi h
out you / am helpless. you know"
He laughed sardonically. and the
harsh note clashed with her frank
candor. Here at least she was utterly
deceived His changeful moods were
incomprehensible.
Il will serve you to the best of my
ability. Miss Deane." he exclaimed
1--WE must hope for speedy rescue
and | am Injured to exposure. 1t is
otherwise with you. Are you ready for
the climb"
The crest Of the hill was tree covered
and they could see nothing beyond
their immediate locality until the sailor
found a point higher than the rest
where a rugged collection Of hard ba-
salt and the uprooting of some poor
trees provided an open space elevated
above the ridge.
For a short distance the foothold was
precarious. jerks helped the girl il
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 tc
every point of the compass except q
small section on the southwest. Here
the trees rose behind them until the
brow of the prccipice was reached.
The cmergcncc into Il sunlit panO
rama of land and sea. though expected
was profoundly enthralling. They ap
peared to stand almost exactly in the
center Of the island. which was cres
cent shaped. 1t was no larger than tho
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 a mile seawarC
broke over jagged reefs. The sea look
ed strangely calm from this height
Irregular blue patches on the horizon
to south and east caught the mans
first glance. He unslung the binocu
lars lie still carried and focused then
eagerly.
Islands," he cried, land big ones
too
"I1ow oddw whispered Iris, more
concerned in the scrutiny of her imme
date surroundings. jerks glanced a
her sharply. She was not looking a
/ the islands, but at curious hollow, {
/ quarry-like depression beneath them t,
the right, distant about 800 yards ant
not far removed from the small pla
teau containing the well, though iso
lated from it by the south angle of tn,
main cliff.
| Here. in n gxeat circle, there was no
vestige of grass, shrub or tree. moth
ing save brown rock and sand. AT frs
! the sailor deemed it to be the dried III
bed of a small lake. This hypothesi
would not serve, else it would W
choked with verdure. The pit stare
up at them like an ominous eye, thougl
neither paid further attention to it, f =
the glorious prospect mapped at the
feet momentarily swept aside all ethc
considerations.
"What beautiful place" murmuret
Iris. II wonder what it is called"
Suppose we chrlsten it Rainbow is
land|