The Mena weekly star., 1908-12-24

you are rlSking the feVef, and there must be savage beasts in the jungle"
 That's my business, growled Blake. He paused a moment. and added, rath- CT less ungraciously: Well, if you care, it's this way-Pm going to keep on looking for ore. Give me little iron ore, and we'll mighty soon have a lot of steel knives and arrow-heads that1l amount to something How're we going to bag anything worth while with bamboo tips on our arrows? Those boar tusks are fiZzle.'
 80 you will continue 10 risk your life for us? l think that is very brave and generous, MT Blakei"
 "How's that?" demanded Blake, not little puzzled He was fully con. scious of the risk; but this was the first intimation he had received or conceived that his motives were oth. CT than selfish-"Umml So that's the ticket. Getting generous. eh?''
 Not getting-you are generous! When l think of all you have done for us! Had it not been for you am sure we should have died that first day ashore"
 Well. don't blame me. couldn't have let dog die that way; and then a fellow needs a Man Friday for this sort of thing. As for you, haven't always had the luck to be favored with ladies' company"
 Thank you. Mir. Blake. I quite ap- preciate the compliment. But now, must put on supper"
 Blake followed her graceful move ments with an ,intentness which. in turn, drew Winthrope's attention to himself The Englishman smiled in a disagreeable manner, and resumed his work on the bows, with the look of one mentally preoccupied. After sup per he found occasion to spend some little time among the bamboos
 When at sunset Miss Leslie with. drew into the baobab Winthrope somewhat ofTiciously insisted upon helping her set up her screen in the entrance. As he did so, he took the opportunity to hand her a bamboo knife, and to draw her attention to several double-pointed bamboo stakes which he had hidden under the litter
 What is it?" she asked, troubled by his furtive glance back at Blake.
 Merely precaution, you know" he whispered. The ground in there is quite soft. It will be no trouble, fancy, to put up the stakes. with their points inclined toward the entrance
 But why"
 Not so loud, Miss Genevieve! It struck me that if any one should seek to enter in the night, he would find these stakes deucedly unpleasant Be careful how you handle them As you see, the sharper points. which are to be set uppermost, run off into razor edge. Put them up now. before 1t grows too dark You know how nine. pins are set--that shape, Goodnight! You see, with these to guard the en' trance, you need not be afraid to go to sleep at once"
 Thank you" she whispered. and began 10 thrust the stakes into the ground as he had directed
 He had not been mistaken. The vague doubts and fears which she al ready entertained would have kept her awake throughout the night, but thanks to the sense of security af forded by the sword-bayonets of hei silent little sentries, the girl was soon able to calm herself, and was fast asleep long before Blake wakenec Winthrope.
 Immediately after breakfast, Blake who had spent his watch in grind ing the edges from stone and ex perimenting with split and ben twigs-put Winthrope's keys in tho fire. and began an attempt to shape them into knife blade. To heat thu steel to the required temperature. h' used a bamboo blowpipe. with hii lungs for bellows.
 Winthrope turned away with an in different bearing: but Miss Leslie found herself compelled to stop ant admire his dexterous use of his rude tools.
 One after another. the keys were welded together, end to end in mar row ribbon of steel. The thinnes one, however, was not fastened to th' tip until it had been used to burn groove in the edge of a rib, selected from among the bones which Mis- Leslie had thrown out of the baobah The last key was then fastened to tn others; the blade ground sharp. tenn pered, and inserted in the groove Finally, pieces of the keyring were fiji ted in bands around the bone, througl notches cut in the ends of the stee blade. The result was bone-handled bone backed knife, with narrow cut ting edge of fine steel.
 Long before it was finished Mis- Leslie had been forced away by tn requirements of her own work. Il fact, Blake did not complete his tasl until late in the afternoon. At tn end he spent more than an hou grinding the handle into shape. Whel he came to show the completed knif to Miss Leslie, he was fairly aglow wit 1 justifable pride.
 "How's that for an Eskimo job?' h demanded Bunch of keys and bone, eh?"
 You are certainly very ingenious Mir Blakel"
 | "Nixyl There's little of the invento in my top piece-only some hustl and a good memory. l was up l Ata.i.n ,.o, Lnn.v Saw efpht n