The Falls City tribune., 1908-12-25
! way 10 get over the river"

We'll, then, | cal swim
Bully for you, Guess. though, well
try something else. The river is chuck
full of alligators. What you waiting
for. Pat VT haven't got all day to
fool around here
WINTHROP twisted the creeper about
his leg and slid to the ground, doing
all he could TO favor his hands. He
found that he could walk without pain,
and at once stepped over beside
Blake's club, |glancing nervously
around at the Jungle.
Blake jerked up the end of the
creeper, and passed the loop about
Miss Leslie. Before she had time to
become frightened he swung her over
and lowered her TO the ground lightly
as a feather. He followed, hand under
hand. and stood for n moment beside
her. staring at the dew-dripping foil
age of the jungle. Then the remains
of the nights quarry caught his eye.
and he walked owe to examine them.
Say, Pat he called, these don't
look like deer bones, I'd say-yes;
there's the feet-it's a pig"
ANY tusks?" demanded Winthrope.
Miss Leslie looked away. A heap OF
bones, however clearly gnawed, is not
a pleasant sight. The skull OF the
animal seemed TO be missing; but
grass and kicked 1t out upon the open
ground. Every shred of hide and
gristle had been gnawed from 1t by the
jackals, yet If there had been any
doubt as to the creatures identity
there was evidence to spare In the a
age tusks which projected from the
jaws.
"Je-rusalem," observed Blake; this
old boar must have been something
of a scrapper his own self"
In India they have been known to
kin a tiger. Can you knock out the
tusks?'
What for"
We'll, you said we had nothing for
arrow points"
Good boy, We'll cinch them and
ask questions later"
A few blows with the club loosened
the tusks. Blake handed them over TO
Winthrope, together with the whisky
flask, and led the way to the half
broken patch through the thicket. A
free use of his club made the path a
little more worthy of the name, and
as there was less need OF haste than
on the previous evening, Winthrope
and Miss Leslie came through with
only a few fresh scratches. Once on
open ground again, they soon gained
the fallen palms.
At a word from Blake, Miss Leslie
fastened to fetch nuts for Winthrope
to husk and open. Blake, who had
plucked three leaves from a a palm
near the edge of the jungle, began to
split long shreds from one of the
huge leaves of a cocoanut palm, This
gave him a quantity of coarse, stiff
fiber, part of which he twisted in a
cord and used to tie one of the leaves
of the fan palm over her head.
"How's that for a bonnet?" he de-
manded.
The improvised head-gear bore so
grotesque a resemblance to a recent
type of picture hat that WINTHROP
could not repress a derisive laugh.
Miss Leslie, however, examined the
hat and gave her opinion without a
sign of amusement. Il think 1t is
splendid, Mr.. Blake. IL we must go
out in the sun again, 1t Is just the thing
to protect one
Yes. Here's W. more I've liked for
you. Ready yet, Winthrope?'
The Englishman nodded. and the
three sat down to their third feast of
%cocoanuts. They were hungry enough
at the start, and Blake added no little
keenness even to his own appetite by
a grim joke on the slender prospects
OF the next meal, to the effect that If
in the meantime not eaten themselves
they might possibly find their next
meal within a week.
But if we must move, could we not
take some of the nuts with us?' sug-
gested WINTHROP.
Blake pondered over this as he ate.
and when fully satisfied he helped him
self up with his club he motioned the
others to remain seated.
There are your hats and the
strings he said, but you won't need
them now. I'm going to take a pros
pect along the river, and while In
gone, you can make a try at stringine
nuts on some of this leaf fiber"
But, MI. Blake. do you think it's
quite %safe?' asked Miss Leslie, anc
she glanced from him to the jungle.
"Safe?' he repeated. "Well moth
ing ate you yesterday, If that's any
thing to go by. It's all | know
about IT,"
He did not wait for further protests
Swinging his club on his shoulder he
started for the break in the jungle
which marked the hippopotamus path
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