Evening star., 1907-11-16
CHAPTER IX-Continued.

Because they have guns and can use
them" was the appalling answer given by
Suarez "They secured the rifles belong
ing to my party, and one of them, who
had often seen ships officers shooting
wild geese, understood the method OF
loading and aiming They will not waste
the cartridges on game, but Keep them
for tribal warfare, and they think a gun
cannot shoot In the dark. Tonight they
only attempted a surprise. and made or
the moment they were discovered. 10
morrow, or next day. they will swarm
round the ship in hundreds, and fire at US
with rifles, bows and slings. They do
most harm with the sings and arrows
as they hold the gun away from the
shoulder but they can cast heavy peb-
BILE from a sling quite as far and almost
as straight as a revolver can shoot"
How do they know the ship will not
sail at once?" demanded Courtenay.
Suarez laughed Historically, with the
mirth which is akin to tears, when the
query was explained to him. He looked
bizarre enough under ordinary conditions,
but laughter converted him into fair
semblance of one of those blood-curdling
demons which a Japanese artist loves to
depict. Evidently, he depended on make
up to supplement his powers as con-
jurer.
"It is as much as canoe can manage
In fine weather to reach the island out
there, which they call Seal Island, he
cried, pointing toward the locality OF
White Horse Island. Even the Indians
were astonished to see so big ship
anchored here safely. They have watched
plenty of wrecks outside. and hardly any
thing comes ashore. At any rate, they
are quite sure you cannot so back.
1t would be idle to deny that the
spaniard's words sent chill of appre-
hension down the spine of some of those
present, but the captain said quietly
"Where ship is concerned, If she can
enter on the flood she can go out on the
ebb How came you to escape tonight?'
Tears stood again in Suarez's eyes as he
replied:
'When I heard their plan, imagined
they would be driven off. provided watch
were kept / resolved to risk all in the
attempt to reach the company of civilized
men once more. / do not care what the
outcome may be. If 1 can help you to
overcome them l am ready to do SO: II
not, will die by your side. Tonight l
followed in canoe unseen. When l
heard the shooting, I leaped overheard
and swan to the ship. 1t was lucky for
me some one seized the canoe which
found there The men in her had to
swim to other canoes, and two were
"OunOeC. L HcdIu lIieil Sdy tiils SouSSo
some confusion, and I had something to
grasp when / reached the ship; otherwise
I must have been drowned, as the water
was very cold.
yet you refused an overcoat little
while ago. interjected Christobal.
"Ah, yes. For many years | have lived
altogether in Indian fashion. My skin is
hard Wind or rain cannot harm me.
But melted ice mixed with salt water
drives even the seals out to sea-
Can you speak the Alaculof Ian
guage?"
us that what you call them? Their
own name for the tribe is the Feathered
People, because all their chief men and
heads of families wear these things, ana
he touched his head-dress. Yes, know
nearly all their words They don't use a
great many. One word may have several
meanings, according to the pitch of the
voice"
They captured you OH the Smyth chan
mel side of the island. Have they de-
serted it? Why are they on this side
now?" asked Courtenay.
Il believe they brought me here at first
because they wished to keep me on &C
count of my magic, and they knew l
would endeavor to escape to passing
ship. We came over the mountains by
terrible road ! have been told that land
slides and avalanches have closed the
pass ever since. / do not know whether
that is true or not, but if l had tried to
get away in that direction they would
have caught me in a few hours. No man
can elude them. They can see twice as
far as any. EurooSean and they are Won
dsrful tracEc-s"
Suddenly his voice failed him. Though
the words came fuently, his long -disused
vocal cords were unequal to the strain of
measured speech. He asked hoarsely for
some hot water. When Courtenay next
came across him in the saloon he was
asleep, and changed so greatly by the
removal of pigments from his face that it
was difficult to regard him as the same
being.
His story was unquestionably true.
Tollenache, who had fought an offshoot
tribe of these same Indians; Christobal,
who vouched for the Argentine accent,
and Elsie. who seemed to have read such
rare books of travel as dealt with that
littlc-known part of the world, bore out
the rsasonableness of his statements The
only individual on board who regarded
him with suspicion was Joey, and even
Joey was satisfied when Suarez had
washed himself
1t was daylight again, a dawn of dense
mist, without wind or hail, ere any men,
Der OF the ships company thought of
sleep. Then Elsie went to her cabin and
dreamed OF a river of molten gold down
which she was compelled to sail in a
cockle-shell boat, while fantastic mon