The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1908-12-31

name ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS all for hun
dreds of miles. Towns on this coast
are about as thick as hen's-teeth."
How about native villages?" de-
manded Winthrope.
oh, yes; maybe I'm fool enough to
go into wild Niger town without
a gun. Maybe | didn't talk with fell
lows down on the Rand"
But what shall we do?" repeated
Miss Leslie, with a little frightened
catch in her voice. She was at last
beginning to realize what this rude
break in her sheltered, pampered life
might mean. What shall we do? It's
its absurd to think of having to
stay in this horrid country for weeks
or perhaps months-unless some ship
comes for u.s."
Look here, Miss Leslie" answered
Blake, sharply yet not unkindly; sup
pose you just sit back and use your
| thinker a bit. If you're your daddy's
| daughter, you've got brains some
where down under the boarding-schoOl
stuff"
w iiJ w YOU mean, sli
Now, don't get huffy, please! It's
a question of think, not of putting on
airs. Here We are. worse off.than the
people of the stone age They had
| fire and flint axes; we've got nothing
! but our think tanks, and as to lions
and leOpards and that sort of thing.
| it strikes me we've got about as many
| on hand as they had"
Then you and Mr. Winthrope
should Immediately arm yourselves"
| 'How?-But we'll leave that till
later. What else?"
The girl gazed at the surrounding
objects, her forehead wrinkled in the
effort at concentration. We must
| have water. Think how we suffered
| yesterday! Then there is shelter from
wild beasts. and food, and"
"All right here under our hands, if
we had fire Understand"
81 understand about the water. You
would brighten the leopard away with
the fire; and if it would do that, it
would also keep away the other ami
mails at night. But as for food, unless
| we return for cocoanuts-"
Don't give it up, Keep your think.
er going on the side, while Pat tells
us our next move. Now that he's got
the fire sticks out of his head"
Il say Blake l wish you would
| drop that name. 1t is no harder to say
! Winthrope"
You're off. there" rejoined Blake
But look here, I'll make it Win. if
you figure out what we ought to do
next"
Really Blake, that would not be
| half bad. They-er-they called me
Win at Harrow"
That so? My English chum went
to Harrow-Jimmy Scarbridge"
Lord jamestown chum?"
He started in like you, sort OF top,
lofty. But he chummed all right-aft-
er | took out lot of his British starch
with good walloping"
ooh, really now, Blake, you can't
expect any one with brains to believe
that, you know"
NO; | don't know, you know,-and
| don't know if you've got any brains,
| you know Here's your chance to show
US. What's our next move?"
Really now. I have had nc expert
! ence in this SORT of thing-don't in
terrupt, please. 1t seems to me that
| our first concern is shelter for the
night. If we should return to your
| tree nest we should also be near the
cocoa palms"
That's one side. Here's the other
| Bar to wade aCross--sharks and ALI
gators; then swampy ground-ma-
laria, mosquitoes, thorn Jungle Guess
the hands of both Of you are still
sore enough, by their look"
IF only had pot of cold cream"
| sighed Miss Leslie
IF only I had a hunk of jerked
| beef" echoed Blake.
81 say, why couldn't we chance it
| for the night around on the seward
| face of the cliff" asked Winthrope.
Il noticed a place where the lodges
overhang-almost a cave. Do you
think it probable that any wild beast
would venture so close to the sea?"
Cant say Didn't see any tracks;
| 80 Wen chance it for tonight Next"
BY morning | believe my ankle will
| be in such shape that | could go back
| for the string of cocoanuts which we
| dropped on the beach"
TN go myself, to-day, else Wen
have no supper. Now we're getting
| down to bedrock. If those nuts have
not been washed away by the tide.
were fixed for tonight; and for two
meals, such as they are. But what
| next? Even the rain pools will be
| dried up by another day or So"
Are not sea-birds good to eat?" in.
quired Miss Leslie.
Some"
Then, if only we could climb the
cliff-might there not be another
| place.
NO; I've looked at both sides.
What's more, that spotted tomcat has
cot a monopoly on our water supply.
| The river may be fresh at low tide
| but we've got nothing 10 boil water
ia, and such bayou stuff is just con
centrated malaria"
Then we must find water else
where" responded Miss Leslie.