Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1906-02-08

perfunctory heed TO his task The
stern sense of duty. the iugraincd force
OF long years Of military discipline and
soldierly thought, compelled him to keen
watch and ward over his fortress, but
he could not help asking himself what
would happen if Iris were seriously
wounded.
There was one enemy more potent
Yhan these skulking DyakS. q foe more
irresistible in his might, more pltiless
in his strength, whose assaults would
tax TO the utmost their powers of re
Bistance In another hour the sun
would be high in the heavens, pouring
his ardent rays upon them aud drying
fhe blood in their veins.
Hitherto the active life of the island
thc shade OF trees, hut or cave, the
power Of unrestricted movement and
the possession OF water in any desired
quantity robbed the tropical heat ct
The day of its chief trrrUrS Now all
was changed. Instead Of working
amid grateful foliage they were bound
10 the brown rock, which soon wouid
glow with radiated energy and give
off scorchng gusts like unto the open
tng of furnace door.
This lie had foreseen all along The
farpaulu would yield them some de
gree OF uneasy protection, and they
hoth were in perfect physical condl
tion. Buff Iris We're wounded. II
the extra strain brought fever in its
wake! That way he saw nothing but
blank despair. to be ended for her by
Gellrium and nerciful death, for him
by Berserk rush among the Dyaks
ind one last mad fight against over
Nhelming numbers
Then the girls voice reached him
self reliant, almost cheerful:
You will be glad 10 hear that the
cut has stopped bleeding. 1t IS only
n scratch
50 kindly Providence had spared
them yet a little while. The cloud
passed from his mind. the gathering
mist from his eyes In that instant he
Thought he detected slight rustline
among the trees where the cliff shelly.
ed UP from the house. Standing as he
was on the edge of the rock, this was a
point he could not guard against
When her welcome assurance recall
ed his scattered senses he stepped
back to speak 10 her and in the same
instant couple of bullets crashed
against the rock overhead Iris had
unwittingly saved him from a serious,
perhaps fatal, wound.
He sprang TO the extreme right OF
The ledge ana boldly looked into the
trees beneath. Two Dyaks were there,
belated wanderers cut Off from the
main body. They divcd hcadlong into
the underground for safety. but one
Of them was too late. jerks rife
reached him. and its reyerbcrating con
Cusson. tossed back and forth by the
echoing rocks drowned bis parting
scream.
In the plcntude of restored vigor the
sailor waited for no counter demon
stration He turned and crouchmGly
approached the southern end of his
parapet. Through his screen of grass
be could discern the long black hair
and yellow face OF II man who lay on
The sand and twisted his head around
the base of the farther cliff The dis.
lance. oft measured, was ninety yards,
the target practically a six inch bulls
eye. jerks took careful aim, fired. and
a Wifi of sand flew mp.
Perhaps he had used too fine sight
and ploved a furrow beneath the by
axis ear. He only heard n faint yell.
but the enterprislnG head vanished, and
there We're no more volunteers for. that
particular service.
He was still pCerng at the place
when cry Of unmitiCated anguish
game from Iris
ooh. come quick! Our water. The
casks have burst"
1t was not until jerks had torn the
farpaulin from off their stores and he
was wildly striving: with both hands to
scoop up some precious drops collected
IN the small hollows OF the ledge that
he realized the fun magnitude OF the
disaster which had hrfallen them.
During the first rapid exchange OF
fire before the enemy vacated the cliff
several bullets had pierced the tarpau-
lin. BY stroke of exceeding bad for.
tune Two or lucIIl Udu STRUCK eaCl or
the water barrels ana started the
slaves. The contents quietly ebbed
away beneath the broad sheet and.
flowing inward by reason Of the sharp
slope Of the ledge. percolated through
Che fault. Iris and he, Notwithstanding
their frenZiod efforts. were not able to
gave more than a pint of gritty discol-
ored fluid, The rest, infinitely more
valuable to them than all the diamonds
of De Beers, was now oOZing through
the natural channel cut by centuries Of
storm, dripping upon the headleSs skel
cton in the cave. soaking down TO the
very heart of their buried treasure.
jerks was so paralyZed by this ca
tastrophe that Iris became alarmed.
AS yet she did not grasp its awful sig
nificancc. That he her hero, so brave
so confident in the face Of many dan
gers, should betray such sense Of ire
deemable loss frightened her much
more than the incident itself.
Her lips whltened. Her words he
came fncoherent.
TEL me-" she whispered Il can
bear anything but silence. Tell me,
implore you. Is it so badY
The sight of her distress sobered
him. He ground his teeth together as
n man does iyho subnits IN "a painful