The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-04-05
THE WINGS OF THE MORNING

Robert, dear" she said, If the at
/ tack comes to our very door, so to
/ speak. surely L must help you. Even
my slight aid may stem a rush in one
place whilst you are busy in another"
He explained to her that if hand-to-
hand fighting were necessary he would
depend more upon a crowbar than d
rifle to sweep the ledge clear. She
! might be in the way.
Very well. The moment you tell
me TO get behind that fence / will do
so. Even there I can use revolver"
/ That reminded him. His own pistol
was unloaded. He possessed only five
more cartridges of small caliber. He
! placed them i'm the weapon and gave
I it to her.
Now, you have eleven mems lives
in your hands," he said. Try not to
miss if you must shoot"
In the dim light he could not see the
spasm of pain that clouded her face.
No Dyak would reach her whilst he
lived. If he fell, there was another
use for one of those cartridges.
The sailor had cleared the main floor
or the rock and was placing his four
rifles and other implements within
easy reach when a hiss came from be-
meath.
Mir JAM" exclaimed Iris
What now?" demanded jerks over
the side
'Sahib. they Gomez
II am prepared. Let that snake get
back TO his hole in the rock, lest a
mOngoOse seize him by the head
Mir Jan, engaged in a scouting ex-
petition on his own account, under
stood that the Officer-sahib's orders
must be Obeyed. He vanished Soon
they heard a great cracking among the
bushes on the right, but jerks knew
even before he looked that the Dyaks
had correctly estimated the extent of
his fire zone and would keep out of it.
The first physical intimation of the
enemy's design they received was a
pungent but pleasant smell of burning
pine, borne to them by the northerly
breeze and filling the air with its
aroma. The Dyaks kindled a huge fire
The heat was perceptible even on the
ledge but the minutes passed. and the
dawn broadened into day without any
other result being achieved.
Iris. little drawn and pale with
suspense, said with a timid giggle:
This does not seem to be so very
serious. II reminds me of my efforts
70 cook"
There is more to follow, 1 fear, dear
one But the Dyaks are fools. They
should have waited until night fell
again, after wearing us out by con-
slant vigilance all day If they intend
to employ smoke il would be far worse
for us at night
Phew! A volume of murky yapor
arose that nearly suffocated them by
the first whiff of its noisome fumes. II
curled like black pail over the face
of the rock and blotted out sea and
sky They coughed necessarily, and
nearly chOked, for the Dyaks had
thrown wet seaweed on top of the
burning pile of dry wood. Mir Jan,
born i'm interior India. knew little
about the sea or its products. and
when the savageS talked of seaweed
he thought they meant green wood.
fortunately for him, the ascending
clouds of smoke missed the cave, or
lnfallibiy he must have been stified.
Lie fiat on the rockr' gasped jerks. |
Careless of waste, he poured water
over coat and made Iris bury her !
mouth and nose in the wet cloth This
gave her immediate relief, and she
showed her wOmans wit by tying the |
sleeves of the garment behind her
neck jerks nodded comprehension /
and followed her example. for by this
means their hands We're left free.
The black cloud grew more dense
each few seconds. Nevertheless, owing /
TO the slope of the ledge, and the ten 4
dency of the smoke TO rise, the south
side was far more tenable than the
north. Quick to note this favorable
circumstance, the sailor deduced a fur /
Their fact from it. A barrier erected on I
the extreme right of the ledge would 1
be material gain. He sprang up.
dragged the huge tarpaulin from its 1
former location, and prOpped it on the /
handle of the pickax, driven by one |
mighty stroke into a crevice of the |
rock.
II was no mean feat of strength that |
he performed. He swung the heavy
and cumbrOus canvas into position as |
if it were dust cloth. He emerged /
from the gloom of the driven cloud
red-eyed but triumphant Instantly
the vapor on the ledge lessened, and
they could breathe, even talk OVER
head and in front the smoke swept in
density. but once again
the sailor had outwitted the Dyaks'
maneuvers.
I'VE have won the first rubber" he
TO Iris.
Above, beneath, beyond, they could
see nothing. The air they breathed