The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-03-15
THE WINGS OF THE MORNING

on the bony substance. They endured
a sufficient time to scare every Dyak
who caught glimpse of the monstrous
object crouching in luminous horror
within the dismal cavern.
Not even the stirring eXhOrtations of
the chief, whose voice was raised in fu-
rious speech, could induce his adher-
ents to again approach that affrighting
spot. At last the daring scoundrel
himself, still welding his naked sword
STROBE right up to the very doorway.
Stricken with sudden stupor, he gazed
at the fitful CLEANS within. He prod
ded the cheYal de frise with a parang.
Here was something definite and solid
Then he dragged one of the wounded
men out into the moonlight.
Again jerks experienced an itching
desire to send a bullet through the
Dyak' ehead;. again he resisted the i'm
pulse. And so passed that which is
vOuchsafed by Fate to few men a
second opportunity.
Another vehement harangue by the
chief goaded some venturesome spirits
into carrying their wounded comrade
out of sight, presumably to the hut.
Inspired by their leaders fearless ex-
ample, they even removed the third in
/ jured Dyak from the vicinity of the
cave, but the celebrity of their retreat
caused the wretch to bawl in agony.
Their next undertaking was no SOON
er appreciated by the sailor than he
| hurriedly caused Iris to shelter her
self beneath the tarpaulin, whilst he
covered close to the floor of the ledge,
| looking only through the screen of tall
grasses. They kindled a fire near the
well. Soon it's Tuddy glare lit up the
dark rock with fantastic chickering's,
and drew scintillations from the weap-
ons and ornaments of the hideously pic
! turesque horde gathered in it's vicin-
| ity.
| They spoke language of hard VOW
| els and nasal resonance, and ate what
| he judged to be dry fish, nillets and
strips of tough preserved meat, which
! they cooked on small iron skewers
stuck among the glowing embers. His
! heart sank as he counted sixty-One,
all told, assembled within forty
yards of the ledge. Probably
several others were guarding the boats
/ or prowling about the island. Indeed
events proved that more than eighty
men had come ashore in three large
| sampans, roomy and fleet craft, well
| fitted for piratical excursions up river
| estuaries or along a coast.
They were mostly bare-legged rascals
wearing Malay hats, loose jackets
reaching to the knee, ard sandals One
man differed essentially from the 9TH
ers. He was hakited in the convention
al attire of an Indian Mahommedan
and his skin was brown. whilst the
| swarthy Dyaks were yellow beneath
/ the dirt. jerks thought, from the man.
! ner in which his turban was tied, that
! ne must be a Punjabi Mussulman-
very likely an escaped convict from
! the Andamans.
The most careful scrutiny did not re-
/ veal any arms of precision. They all
carried muZzle-loaders, either anti
! quated, or guns sufficiently modern to
be fitted with nipples for percussion
caps.
| Each Dyak, of course, sported a pa
rang and dagger-like kriss: a few bore
spears, and about d dozen shouldereo
a long straight piece of bamboo. The
nature of this implement the sailor
could not determine at the moment
/ When the knowledge did some, 1t came
so rapidly that he was saved from
many earlier hours of abiding dread
| for one of those MISUNDERSTANDING wea-
pons was fraugnt with more quiet dead
| illness than Calling gun.
In the neighborhood of the fire ar
animated discussion took place Though
it was easy to see that the chief was