The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-03-22
CHAPTER XII.
A TRUCE

A TRUCE.
Though his eyes, like live Goals,
glowered with sullen fire at the strip
of sand and the rocks in front, his
troubled brain paid perfunctory heed
10 his task. The stern sense OF duty,
the ingrained force of long years of
military discipline and soldierly
thought, compelled him to keep watch
and ward over his fortress, but he
could not help ASKING himself what
would happen il Iris were seriously
wounded
There was one enemy more potent
than these skulking Dyaks, a fore more
irresistible in his might, more pitiless
in his strength, whose assaults would
tax TO the utmost their powers of re-
Sistance. In another hour the sun
would be high in the heavens, pouring
his ardent rays upon them and drying
the blood in their veins
Hitherto, the active life of the island,
the shade of trees, hut or cave, the
power of unrestricted movement and
the possession of water in any desired
quantity, robbed the tropical heat of
the day of its chief terrors. Now all
was changed. Instead of working
amidst grateful foliage, they were
bound to the brown rock, which soon
would glow with radiated energy and
give off scorching gusts like unto the
opening or a furnace door.
This he had foreseen all along. The
tarpaulin would yield them some de
gree of uneasy protection, and they
both were in perfect physical condi-
ton. Buff Iris were wounded! If
the extra strain brought fever in its
wake! That way he saw nothing but
blank despair, TO be ended. for her, by
delirium and meroiful death, for him
by a Berserk rush among the Dyaks
and one last mad fight against over
whelming numbers
Then the girls voice reached him,
self-Beliant. almost cheerful
''You will be glad to hear that the
cut has stopped bleeding. 1t is only a
scratch
So a kindly Providence had spared
them yet a little while. The cloud
passed from his mind, the gathering
mist from his eyes. In that instant he
thought he detected slight rustling
among the trees where the cliff shelved
up from the house. Standing as he was
on the edge of the rock. this was a
point he could not guard against
When her welcome assurance recall
ed his scattered senses, he stepped
back to speak to her, and in the same
instant couple of bullets crashed
against the rock overhead. Iris had
Unwittingly saved him from a serious
perhaps fatal wound.
He sprang to the extreme right OF
the ledge and boldly looked into the
trees beneath. Two Dyaks were there
beIated wanderers cut off from the
main body. They dived headlong into
the underground for safety, but one OF
them was too late. The Lee-Metford
reached him. and its reverberating con-
cussion, tossed back and forth by the
echoing rocks, drowned his parting
scream.
In the plenitude of restored vigor the
sailor waited for no counter demon
stration. He turned and crouchingly
approached the southern end of his
parapet. Through his screen of grass
he could discern the long black hail
and yellow face of a man who lay
on the sand and twisted his head
around the base of the further cliff
The distance. oft-measured, was ninety
yards, the target practically a six-incf
bulls eve. jerks took careful aim
fired and whiff of sand flew up.
Perhaps he had used too fine a sight
and plOughed a furrow beneath the
DvakS ear He only heard faint
vell ~7aI-t the enterDrising head vanish