The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-04-12
THE WINGS OF THE MORNING

my life twenty times, how he has
. fought single-handed against eighty
men, ask mei'
The naval officer did not need to look
a second time at Iris face to lengthen
the list of Captain Anstruthers
achievements, by >one more item. He
sighed. A good sailor always does sigh
when a particularly pretty girl is la
beled Engaged"
But he could be very polite
Captain Anstruther does not appear
to have left much for us to do, Miss
Deane,' he said. Indeed" turning to
Robert, SIS there any way in which my
men will be useful?"
Il would recommend that they drag
the green stuff off that fire and stop
the smoke. Then, a detachment should
go round the north side of the island
and drive the remaining Dyaks into the
hands, of the party you have landed, as
1 understand, at the further end of the
south beach. Mir Jan, the Mahomme-
dan here, who has been a most faith
full ally during part of our siege, will
act as guide"
The other man cast a comprehensive
glance over the rock, with it's scaling
ladders and dangling rope ladder, the
cave, the little groups of dead or I'M
conscious pirates-fOr every wounded
man who could move a limb had
crawled away after the first shell burst
and drew a deep breath.
How long have you been up there?"
he asked
"Over thirty hours
ut was a great fghtr'
/ Somewhat worse than il looks, -
said Anstruther. This is only the end
of it. Altogether, we have accounted
for nearly two score of the poor dew
lis"
DO you think you can make them
prisoners, without killing any more of
them?" asked Iris.
That depends entirely on them
selves, Miss Deane. My men will not
fire a shot unless they encounter re-
sistance."
Robert looked toward the approach
ing boat. She would not land yet for
a couple of minutes.
by the way" he said, will you tell
me your name?"
'PlaydOn - Lieutenant Philip H.
Playdon."
DO you know to what nation this
island belongs?"
ut is nO-mans land, 1 think. 1t is
marked 'uninhabited' on the chart"
Then" said Anstruther, II call
upon you, Lieutenant PlaydOn. and all
others here present, to witness that |.
Robert Austruther, late of the Indian
army, acting on behalf of myself and
Miss Iris Deane, declare that we have
taken possession of this island in the
name of his Britannia majesty the king
of England, that we are the joint occu-
piers and owners thereof, and claim all
property rights vested therein
These formal phrases, coming at such
I &c
alone had an inkling of the underlying
motive.
Il don't suppose anyone will dispute
your title" said the naval officer,
gravely. He unquestiOnably imagined
that suffering and exposure had slight
ly disturbed the other mans senses, vet
he had seldom seen any person who
| looked to be in more complete possess
! sion of his faculties.
Thank you" replied Robert. with
equal compOsure, though he felt in
clined to laugh at Playdons mystifica-
ton. 81 only wished to secure a suffi-
Gent number of witnesses for a verbal
declaration. When I have a few min
utes to spare I will affix a legal notice
on the wall in front of our cave"
| Playdon bowed silently. There was
something in the speakers manner that
puzzled him. He detailed a small guard
to accompany Robert and Iris, who
now walked toward the beach, and
asked Mir Jan to pilot him as suggest
| ed by Anstruther.
The boat was vet many yards from
shore when Iris ran forward and
stretched out her arms to the man who
was staring at her with wistful de-
spair.
Father! Father she cried. Don't
you know me?"
Sir Arthur Deane was looking at the
| two strange figures on the sands. and
each moment his heart sank lower.
This island held his final hope. Dur
ing many weary weeks, since the day
when a kindly admiral placed the
cruiser Orient at his disposal. he had
secured the China sea. the coasts of
| Borneo and Java, for some tidings of
/ the Inflated Sirdar.
He met naught save blank nothing
/ ness. the silence of the great ocean
mausoleum. Not a boat, a spar, a life
buoy, was cast up by the waves to
yield faintest trace of the lost steamer
Every naval man knew what had hap
pened. The vessel had met with some
mishap to her machinery, struck
| derelict or turned turtle, during that
| memorable typhOOn of March II and
IS. She had gone down with all hands
| Her fate was a foregone conclusion
\ No ships boat could live in that sea,
even if the crew were able to launch
one. 1t was another of oceans trag-
edies. with the fifth act left to the i'm
| aginatiOn.
To examine every sand patch and
! tree-covered shoaI in the China sea was
an impossible task. All the Orient
could do was to visit the principal ISL
ands and institute inquiries among the
fishermen and small traders. At last
the previous night, a Malay, tempted
by hope Of reward, boarded the vessel
when lying at anchor off the large ISL
and away to the south. and told the
captain wondrous tale of a devil
haunted place inhabited by two white
| spirits, male and a female, whittier
| a local pirate named Taung S'Ali
had gone by chance with his men
and suffered great loss. But Taung
| SAIL was bewitched by the female
/ spirit, and had returned there. with
| great force, swearing to capture her
or perish. The spirits, the Malay said.
| had dwelt upon the island for many
years. His father and grandfather
| knew the place and feared it. Taung
! S'Ah would never be seen again.