The Richmond palladium. (Richmond, Ind.) 1906-1907, 1906-08-12

out at last, managed 10 close lis weary
eyes.
Next morning he hastily constructed
pole of sufficient length and strons
enough to be4r his weight by tying two
sturdy young toes together with ropes.
Iris helped him 10 raise it against the
face OF the preripj"n sind he IT once
climbed TO the led&~.
Here he found his observations Of the
previous night abunduntly verified. The
ledge was even wider than lie dared TO
hope, nearly ten feet deep in one part,
and il Sl0ped sharply downward from
the outer lip Of the rock. BY lying 1lat
and carefully testing all points Of view
he aSrcrtuiIIed that the only possible
positions from which even Il glimpse
of the interior floor could he obtained
We're the branches of 4 few tail trees
and the extreme right Of the opposing
precipice, nearly ninety yards distant.
There was ample room to store water
and provisions, and lie quickly saw
that even some sort of shelter from the
fierce rays of the sun and the often
piercing cold of the night might be
achieved hy judiciously rigging up a
tarpaulin.
This is a genuine bit of good luck
he unused. Here, provided neither of
us is HIT we can hold out for week
or longer at a pinch. How can it be
possible that l should have lived on
this island SO many days and yet hit
upon this nook Of safety by mere
chance, as it Wcre:'
Not until he reached the level again
could he solve the puzzle Then he
perceived that the way in which the
cliff bulged out on both sides prevent
ed the ledge from becoming evident in
profile. while, seen in the glare of the
l sunlight, ii suggested nothing more
than a slight indentation.
He rapidly sketched to Iris the de-
fenSive plan which the eagles nest
suggested. Access must be provided
by means of a rope ladder, securely
fastened inside the ledge and capable
of being pulled up or let down at the
will of the occupants. Then the place
must be kept constantly stocked with
a judicious supply of provisions, water
and ammunition. They could be COW
cred with a tarpaulin and thus kept in
fairly good condition.
I'VE ought to sleep there every
night he went on, and his mind was
SO engrOsSed with the tactical side Of
the preparations that he did not notice
how Iris blanched at the suggestion.
Surely not until danger actually
threatens:' she ICried.
danger threatens us each hour after
sunset. 1t may come any night, though
/ expect at least a fortnight's reprieve.
Nevertheless l intend to act as if to-
night may witness the first shot Of
the siege"
DO you mean that?' she sighed.
"And my little room is becoming SO
very cozy.''
jerks always accepted her words lit
orally.
WELL" he announced, after pause,
ut may not be necessary to take up
our quarters there until the eleventh
hour. After l have hoisted up our
stores and made the ladder | will en-
deaHor to devise an efficient Gordon of
sentinels around our position. We will
see"
Not another word could Iris get out
of him on the topic Indeed, he provided
her with plenty of work. By this time
she could splice Il rope more neatly
than her tutor, and her particular bust
ness was to prepare no less than sixty
rungs for the rope ladder. This was
an impossible task for one day, but
after dinner the sailor helped her.
They toiled late, until their fingers
were sore and their backbones creaked
as they sat upright.
wi urr1In ha
pole again and drew up after him a
crowbar, the Sledge hammer and the
pickaX. With these implements he set
to work to improve the accommodation.
OF course he did not attempt seriously
to remove any large quantity of rock,
but there We're projecting Jumps here
and inequalities of floor there which
could be thumped or pounded out Of
existence.
1t was surprising to see what a
clearance he made in an hour. The ex-
istence of the fault helped him u good
deal, as the percOlation of water at this
point had oXidized the stone to rotten
ness. To his great JOY he discovered
that a few prods with the pick laid
bare small cavity which could be
easily eOIafSeu- 11eTe lie COlIFlNeu
niche where Iris could remain in abb
solute safety when baEicaded by
stores. while, with Il squeeze, she was
entirely sheltered from the one dan
gerous point on the opposite cliff, nor
need she be seen from the trees.
Having hauled into position two
boxes Of ammunitiOn-for which he had
scoopcd out special receptacle-the
invaluable water kegs from the strand
ed boat, several tins Of biscuits and
all the timed meats, together with
three bottles of wine and two Of bran
dy, he hastily abandoned the ledge and
busted himself with fitting a number
of gunlOckS to heavy fagOts,
Iris watched his proceedings in ST
lence for some time At last the inter
val for luncheon enabled her to de-
mand an explanation.
If you don't tell NE at once what
you intend to do with those strange
Implements" she said, Il will 60 on
strike"
If you do" he answered, you will
cre0te precedent
Il withdraw the threat and substi-
,,lo wi