The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-01-26

~ and comfort. The girl knew she
was not wanted because the man
wished to spare her some unpleasant
experience. She obeyed him with a
sigh, and sat down, not to sleep, but
TO muse, as girls will, round-eyed,
wistful, with the angelic fantasy of
youth and innocence.
CHAPTER ".
Rainbow Island
Across the parched bones lay the stick
discarded by jerks in his alarm He
picked il UP and resumed his progress
along the pathway. So closely did he
now examine the ground that he hard
~ noted his direction. The track led
straight towards the wall of rock The
distance was not great-about forty
yards. At first the brushwood impeded
him, but soon even this hindrance dis
appeared, and a well-defined passag e
nleandered through a belt of trees, some
strong and lofty, others quite immature.
More bushes gathered at the foot of
the cliff. Behind them he could see
the mouth of the cave; the six months
old growth of vegetation about the en-
trance gave clear indication as to the
time which had elapsed since a human
foot Il st disturbed the solitude.
a few vigorous blows with the stick
cleared away obstructing plants and
leafy branches. The sailor stopped and
looked into the cavern, for the opening
was barely five feet high. He perceived
instantly that the excavation was mans
handiwork, applied to a fault in the
hard rock. A sort of natural shaft eX-
listed. and this had been extended by
manual labor. Beyond the entrance the
cave became more lofty. Owing to its
position with reference to the sun at
that hour jerks imagined that suffi-
Client light would be obtainable when the
tropical luxuriance of foliage outside
was dispensed with.
At present the interior was dark.
With the stick he tapped the walls and
roof A startled cluck and the rush of
wings heralded the flight of two birds,
alarmed by the noise Soon his eyes,
more accustomed to the gloom, made
out that the place was about thirty feet
deep, ten feet wide in the center, and
seven or eight feet high.
At the further end was a collection
of objects inviting prompt attention.
Each moment he could see with greater
distinctness. Kneeling on one side of
the little pile he discerned that on a
large stone, serving as a rude bench,
were some tin utensils, some knives, a
sextant. and a quantity of empty cart
ridge cases. Between the stone and
rock was a four-foOt space. Here, half
Imbedded in the sand which covered the
floor, were two pickaXes, a shovel, a
sledge- hammer. a fine Undertaking ak,
and three crow bars.
In the darkest corner Of the caves eX-
tremity the wall" appeared to be very
smooth. He prodded with the stick, and
there was a sharp clang of tin. He dis
covered six square kerosene-oil cases !
carefully stacked up. Three were empty, !
one seemed to be half full, and the con-
tents of two were untouched. With ALL
most feverish haste he ascertained that
the half-filled tin did really contain oil. |
What "a find!' he calculated aloud. !
Another pair of birds dashed from a |
ledge near the roof.
"Confound you!" shouted the sailor. |
He sprang back and whacked the walls /
viciously, but all the featheGed intru- |
Gers had gone.
So far as he could judge The cave har-
bored no further surprises. Returning |
towards the exit his boots dislodged /
more empty cartridges from the sand. |
They were shells adapted to revolver |
of heavy caliber. At a short distance
from the doorway they were present in
dozens.
'HThe remnants of a fight" he thought /
seThe man was attacked and defended /
himself here. Not expecting the arrival /
of enemies he provided no store of food
or water He was killed whilst trying /
10 reach the well, probably at night.
He pictured the scene-a brave, /
hardy European keeping at bay boat
load of Dyak sayages. enduring man
fully the agonies of hunger, thirst, per-
mans wounds. Then the siege, followed
Inv a wild effort to gain the life-giving
weII the hiss of a Malay parang by a
lurking foe. and the last despairing
struggle before death came.
He might be mistaken Perchanee
there was a less dramatic explanation.
Rut he could not shake OIL ms first I'M
uressions. They were sdrhered from