The Mena weekly star., 1908-12-17

that met Miss Leslie's
 gaze upon her return. The neatest of butchering can hardly be termed aesthetic; and Blake and Win thrope lacked both skill and tools. Be tween the penknife and an improvised blade of bamboo. they had fiayed the two cubs and haggled off the flesh. The ragged strips, spitted on bamboo rods, were already soaring in the fierce sun-rays
 Miss Leslie would have slipped into the hollow of the baobab with her armful of fagots and brush; but Blake waved bloody knife above the body of the mother leopard, and beckoned the girl to come nearer.
 Hold on minute, please" he said What did you find out?"
 Miss Leslie drew few steps near CT, and forced herself to look at the revolting sight. She found 1t still more difficult to withstand the odor of the fresh blood Winthrope was pale and nauseated The sight of his dis tress caused the girl to forget her own loathing. She drew deep breath, and succeeded in countering Blake's expectant look with half-smile.
 How we'll are you getting along," she exclaimed
 Didn't think you could stand it. But you've got grit all right, if you are a lady" Blake said admiringly. Say, you'll make 1t yet. Now, how about the gully?"
 There Is no place io climb up. Ii runs along like this. and then slopes down. But there is a cliff at the end as high as these walls
 Twenty feet" muttered Blake rConfound the luck It isn't that jump-off; but how in--how are we going to get up on the cliff? There's an everlasting lot of omelettes in those birds nests If only that bloom in'--hows that. Win, me by?-thai bloomin'. blawsted baobab was on t'other side The woods almost soft as punk. We could drive in pegs and climb up the trunk"
 There are other trees beyond it, remarked Miss Leslie
 Then maybe we can shin up"
 "I fear the branches that overhane the cliff are too slender to bear any weight"
 And it's too internally high tc climb up to this overhanging baobat limb"
 T say" ventured Winthrope. If we had an ax, now. we might cut up one of the trees. and make a ladder"
 "Oh. yes; and if we had ladder we might climb up the cliff!"
 But, MT. Blake. is there not some way to cut down one of the trees The tree itself would be ladder if ii fell in such way as to lean against the cliff"
 There's only the penknife." an swered Blake "So l guess we'll have to scratch eggs on our menu card Spring leopard for ours, Now. if yos really want to hep, you might scrapt the soup bones out of your boudoir and fetch lot more brush. It'll take a big fire to rid the hole of that ca smell"
 .'Will not the tree burn?"
 No: these hollow baobabs have green bark on the inside as well a' out Funny thing, that Wed have 10 keep a fire going long time t burn through"
 Yet 1t would burn in time?
 Yes; but we're not going to---"
 Then why not burn through th' trunk of one of those small trees. in stead of chopping 1t down."
 "By--heck, Miss Jenny, you've go an American headpiece. Come on Sooner we get the thing started, th' better"
 Neither Winthrope nor Miss Leslie was reluctant to leave the vicinity O the carcasses They followed clos' after Blake, around the monstroul hole of the baobah A little beyond i stood group of slender trees, who's trunks averaged eight Inches at th' base Blake stopped at the secon' one. which grew nearest to the sea ward side Of the cleft
 Here's our ladder, he said "Gc some firewood Pouud the bushes