The news-democrat. (Providence, R.I.) 1906-1909, 1906-07-10
THE NEWS DEMOCRATS DAILY STORY
To be published in daily nstalments on this page
SLAVE SQUADRON
A THRILLING TALE OF ADVENTURE
By HARRY COLLNGwOOD
CHAPTER X.

He might well ask. We had neither
shovel nor any other appliance whero-
with TO dig a grave. and il was obvI.
ously impossible TO do so with our bare
hands alone. We at length decided 20
burn both the bodies. and forthwit III
set about the construction OF a funeral
pyre. Fortunately. we had the forest
close at hand; the ground beneath the
trees was abundantly strewn with dry
leaves, twigs. and branches. and thus
had not far 10 20 for fuel.
BY the time that darkness closed In /
had accumulated a goodly pile close to
the edge OF the open amphitheater. and
thither / at length conveyed both the
bodies. laid them on the top of the pyre,
and finally ingited the head of dried
leaves which had arranged In the cen
ire.
This done. Smellie came out of thu
hut. and we stood side by side mourn
fully watching the crematory process.
tressed at the untimely and tragic fate
which had overtaken our stanch little
friend Daphne. She had been so chser-
full. so helpful and-particuiarly during
Smellie's illness-so tender. so gentle sc
sympathetic. and so tireless In her min
istrations, that unconsciously to our
selves, We had acquired for her quite
AS / stood there watching the fierce,
bright flames which were steadily re-
ducing her body TO ashes and recalled to
mind the countless services she had rCn-
dered us during the short period of our
mutual wanderings, ana. above all, the
fervent compassion which had moved ncr
ment of home and friends for the sake CT
two helpless strangers OF a race entirely
alien TO her own. my heart felt as
though IL would burst with sorrow at her
AS for Smellie, trembling with weak
ness and depressed I'm spirits, as he was
after his recent sharp attack OF fever. he
head upon my shoulder, sobbed like
child. Poor Daphne! IL seemed hard
that she should thus, in the frst bright
struck down, and the light OF her life ex-
tinguished by. the ruthless hand Of a
murderer; and yet, perhaps, after all. II
was better so. better that she should
enjoy the bliss of laying down her life
for the sake Of the man she loved, rather
than that, living on. she should see the
day when ALT al the vague @ indefinite hopes hopes
phisticated heart would crumble into
ashes In monument, and the man who.
all unknowingly had become the auto
crat OF her fate. and the recipient of her
blind, passionate. unreasoning love.
should lightly and smilingly bid her an
eternal farewell.
At length the fire died down the crema-
tory process was completed; nothing re-
mained OF the pyre and It's burden but
smouldering heap OF gray, faky ashes:
and we returned sorrowfully TO our hut.
there TO forget I'm sleep. IL we could, the
grevous loss we had sustained.
The painful incident OF Daphnes death
produced so distressing an effect upon
Smclle in his feeble condition that an
other week passed away before he was
sufficiently recovered 10 admit Of our re-
cunning our journey.
BY the end OF that time, however, his
strength had In some measure returned.
and a feverish anxiety to get away from
the scene OF the tragedy having taken
possession OF him, we made what few
preparations we had IL In our power to
make and got under weigh directly after
breakfast on one of the most delightful
mornings Il has ever been my good for
tune to witness.
Our progress was. OF course painfully
slow; but by this time speed was mat
ter OF merely secondary Importance since
we knew that we must long since have
been given UP by our shipmates as dead:
and that the Daphne was, In all proba-
bility. hundreds o. miles away In an un-
known direction. IL was quite possible
that on reaching the rivers mouth we
might have 10 walt weeks, or even
months before she would again make her
appearance and give Us an opportunity
Go rejoin.
Day after day we plodded on through
the glorious forest. following no pathway,
but shaping a course as directly west
as circumstances would permit, meeting
with no incidents worthy OF mention, pick
ing up n sufficient subsistence without
much trouble. our way beguiled by glo-
rious prospects OF wood and river. and
our curiosity fed by the countless strange
glimpses into the secrets of nature az