Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1908-05-21


Are you In pain Boplc'" asked Cour-
tcn0y
lashes. She sought furtively for
handkerchief. Knowing exactly what
troubled her, Courtenay turned to
Christobal.
This island ought to he Inhabited
he said Can you tell me what sort
of Indians one finds in this localityT
Christobal frowned perplexedly. 81
fear do not know much about them"
he said. Behind those hills there one
sees few canoe Indians. ! have
heard that they are somewhat lower
in the social scale than the aborgines
of Australia"
"Are they?" said Courtenay. He
looked Christobal straight in the eyes,
and the doctor returned his gaze as
steadily.
That is their repute. They live
mostly on shellfish. They do not con
gregate in communities. A few fami-
lies keep together and move constant
~ from place to place
They are called the Aaculcf. They
use bows and arrows with heads chip
ped out of stone or bottle glass;" put
in Tolemache.
ooh, you have been in these parts
berore:" cried Courtenay, regarding
his compatriot with some interest,
while the Spaniard surveyed his rival
doubtfully.
Yes was on the Emu, wrecked in
Cockburn channel"
Now. the story of the Emu is one of
| those fierce tragedies which the sea
| first puts on the stage of life with dire
skill and then proceeds to destroy the
! slightest vestige of their brief exist
ence. But such things leave abiding
| memories in mems souls. and Courte-
nay had heard how twenty sur
( vivors out OF muster roll of thirty
who escaped from the wreck had been
shot down by Indians ambushcd in the
forest. Elsie was listening TO the con-
versation, SO the captain did not carry
II further, coutenting himself with the
remark:
That will be useful if we arc COM
PEELED to 90 ashore. You will have
some acquaintance with the ways Of
our bosts.'
Tollcmache. having nothing to say,
was not given TO the use of unneces-
sary words. Elsie was conscious of a
certain constrant in their talk
please don't mind me- she said
quietly. II know all about the loss Of
the Emu If we fall into the hands Of
the Aacuof tribe we shall be not only
killed, but eaten"
Each Of the men admired her cool
ness, but Tollemachc, who had been
quietly scrutinizing the nearer hills,
gave painful emphasis to this grew
some topic by exclaimng:
There they are now-smoke sig
nas.'
Sure enough, thin columns of smoke
We're rising from several points on the
land. 1t could not be doubted that
these were caused by human agency.
They were not visible when the party
sat down to breakfast The appear
ance of the ship was their obvious ex-
PLANTATION, but not a canoe or a soil
tary figure could be seen. though Cour-
tenhy and others at various times dur
neighboring shore with field glasses
and powerful telescopes
After an all too brief burst of sun.
shine the Land of Storms again iusti-
fed its name. Giant clouds came roll.
Ing In from scaWard: the mountains
were lost in mist; the glaciers became
sullen, rock strewn masses of white
! brown ice, the fresh prpcnery Of tbo
forests faded into somber belts of
blackness, Though it was high sum
mer in this desolate region. heavy
showers OF hail and sleet alternated
with drenching rain At low water
, though the Kansas noated securely In
depth Of twenty fathoms, n yellow
: current sweeping past her starboa RI!
nay had read the tokens Of the inlet
Many swollen torrent and perhaps
one or two fair sized streams at tho
head of the bay contributed this fooC
of fresh water
To Elsie and the doctor were In
trusted the daylight watch on deck ant
the care of the sick. For the latte
there was not much to he done. Tit
cook undertook to feed them, an(
ltrascuelo, the wounded stevedOre wh'
had been discovered In n state OF col
lapse, soon revived and was practical
~ able to look after himself TIT
: others, under Walkers directions wer'
. hard at work In the engine room ant
stokehold. for there alone lay tn