Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1906-01-25
6he Wings Of the
Morning ' p, ~: ~ =; 4 J;
a. Edward J. Globe

Copyright. 1908, by
Edward j. CIode

feminine nature, but Iris ratified on:
II carried my tin OF water to the
pitcher plant and was listening to the
greedy roots eurgiing away for dear
life when suddenly four men sprang
out from among the trees and seized
my arms before I could reach my re
volver."
Thank heaven you failed"
You think that IL had fred at them
they would have retaliated. Yes, espe-
cially If | had hit the chief. Rut it was
he who instantly gave some lfr, and
l suppose It meant that they Were not
to hurt me- AS a matter of fnct. they
seemed to he quite as much astonishcd
az | was alarmed. But If they could
hold my hands they could not stop my
voice 40 readily. oh, didn't yell?"
You did"
IL suppose you could not hear me
dstinctly?'
Quite distinctly"
Every word?'
Yes"
She bent TO pick some leaves md bits
Of dry grass from her dress "Well,
You know" she continued rapidly, sin
such moments one cannot choose ones
words. | just shouted the first thing
that came into my head"
And l." he said. picked up the first
ride l could lay my hands on. Now,
Miss Deane, as the affair has ended so
happily, may venture 10 ask you to
remain in the cave until returr:'
ooh, please she began.
Really, must insist. l would not
leave you if it We're not quite impera-
tive. You cannot come with me-
Then she understood one at least OF
the tasks he must perform, and she
neekly Obeycd.
He thought it best to go along Turtle
beach to the cove and thence follow
the Dyaks' trnIl through the wood. as
this line of advance would entail prac-
tiCally Il complete circuit of the island
He omitted no precautions in his ad-
vance. Often he stopped and listened
intcuuN. Whenever nc ,.uUbled a point
or passed among the trees he crept
back ana pecred along the way he had
come TO see if any lurking foes We're
breaking shelter behind him.
The marks on the sand proved that
only one sampan had been bcached.
Thence he found nothing of special IN
tcrest until he came upon the chiefs
gun lying close to the trees on the
north side. 1t was a very orna mental
weapon. 4 muzzle loader. The stock
was inlaid with gold and ivory. and
the piece had evidently been looted
from some mandarin's junk surprised
and sacked in a former foray.
The lock was smashed by the impact
Of jerks rife bullet but close in
vestigation of the trigger guard and
the discovery Of certain unmistakabe
evidences on the beach showed that
the Dyak leader had lost two if not
three fingers of his right hand.
so he has something more than his
passion to nurse unused jerks. THAT,
at any rate, is fortunate. He will be
some time TO come"
He dreaded lest any of the DyakA
should be only badly wounded and like
~ to live. 1t was an actual relief to
his nerves to find that the improvised
dumdums had done their work too well
to permit anxiety on that score
He gathered the guns. swords and
creescs of the slain, with all their I'M
couth belts and ornaments In pursu-
ance of a vaguely defined plan OF fu-
ture action he also Invested some Of
the men of their coarse garments and
collected six queer looking hats shaped
like inverted basins. These things he
placed in heap near the pitcher
plants. Thenceforth for half an hour
the placid surface Of the lagoon was
disturbed by the black dorsal fins Of
many sharks.
His guess at the weather conditions
heralded by the change of wind was
right AS tho two partook of their even
ing meal the complaining surf dashed
the reef, and the tremulous branches of
the taller trees voiced the approach Of
n gale. A tropical storm-not typhoon,
but bclated burst of the periodic
rains-deluged the island before mid
night. Hours earlier Iris retired. utter
~ worn by the events Of the day.
The gale chanted wild melody in
mournful chords ana the noise Of the
watery dowupour on the tarpaulin roof
of Belle Vue castle was such as to rem
der conversation impossible save in
wearying shouts.
Luckily jerks carpentry was effec-
tive, though rough. The building was
water tight, and he had calked every
crevice with unraveled rope until Iris
apartment was free from the tniest
draft.
The very fury Of the external turmoil
| acted as lullaby to the girl She was
soon asleep, and the sailor was left to
his thoughts.
Sleep he could not. He smoked stead
lily, with a magnificent prodigality, for
his small stock OF tobacco was fast di-
minishing. He ransacked his brains to
discover some method Of escape from
this enchanted island, where fairies
jostled with demons and hours Of utter
happiness found their bane in moments
Of frightful peril.
OF course he ought to have killed
those fellows who escaped Their sam
pan might have provided last desper-
ate expedient II other savages effected
landing. We'll. there was no use in
being wise after the event, and, scheme
| as he might, he could devise no wsv IN