Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1909-07-24
CHAPTER vl.-Continued.


Along the south side of the cliff the
sea extended in twice as far as on the
north. From the end of the talus the
coast trended off four or five miles to
the south-southwest in shallow
blight, whose southern extremity was
bounded by a second limestone head
land. This ridge ran inland parallel
to the first, and from point some lit
tie distance back from the shore was
covered with growth of leafless
trees.
Between the two ridges lay a plain,
open along the shore, but a short dis
lance inland covered with a jungle
of tall yellow grass, above which,
here and there, rose the tops of scrub
by, leahess trees and the graceful
crests of slender-shafted palms.
Blakes attention was drawn to the
latter by that feeling of artificiality
which their exotic appearance so often
wakens in the mind of the northern
bred man even after long residence in
the tropics. But in a moment he
turned away with growl. More of
those darned feather-dusters! He
|. was not looking for palms.
The last ragged bit of cloud, with
its showery accompaniment. drifted
past before the breeze which Followed
the squall, and the end of the storm
was proclaimed by deafening chorus
of squawks and screams along the
higher lodges of the cliff. Staring up
ward, Blake for the first time observed
that the face of the cliff swarmed with
seafowl
That's luck!" he muttered. Guess
l haven't forgot how to rob nests. Bet
our fine ladyll shy at sucking them
raw! All the same, she'll have to if
don't run across other rock than this,
poor girl"
He advanced again along the talus,
and did not stop until he reached the
sand beach. There he halted to make
a careful examination, not only of the
loose debris, but of the solid rock
above Finding no sign of flint or
quartz he growled out a curse and
backed off along the beach to get a
view of the cliff top. From a point a
little beyond him, outward to the eX-
tremity of the headland, he could see
that the upper lodges and the crest
of the cliff, as well, were fairly
crowded with seafowl and their nests.
His smile of satisfaction broadened
when he glanced inland and saw, less
than half a mile distant, a wooded
cleft which apparently ran up to the
summit of the ridge. From a point
near the top a gigantic baobab tree
lowered up against the skyline like a
Brobdingnagian cabbage.
Say, we may have run 'cc our
money, after all" he murajured.
Shade. and no end of grub, and. by
the green of those trees, a spring
limestone water at that. Next thing,
I'll find flint"
He slapped his leg, and both sound
and feeling reminded him that his
clothes we're drenched.
Guess we'll wait about that flint"
he said, and he made for a clump of
Thorn scrub little way inland.
AS the tall grass did not grow here
within a mile of the shore, there was
nothing to obstruct him. The creeping
plants which during the rainy season
had matted over the sandy soil were
now leafless and withered by the heat
of the dry season. Even the thorn
scrub was half bare of leaves.
Blake walked around the clump to
the shadiest side, and began to strip.
In quick succession one garment after
another was flung across a branch
where the sun would strike 1t. Last
of all. the shoes were emptied of rain
water and set out to dry. Without
nause he then gave himself a quick,
light rundown, just sufficient to in
vigorate the skin without starting the
perspiration.
Physically the man was magnificent.
Nils muscles were why and compact,
rather than bulky, and as he moved
they played beneath his white skin
with the smoothness and ease OF
tigers.
After the rundown h. squatted on
his heels and spent some time trying
10 bend his palm-leaf hat back INTO
shane. When he had placed this also
ont in the sun he found himself be-
ginning to yawn. The dry. sultry air
had made him drowsy. A touch WIN
his bare foot showed him that the
sand beneath the thorn bush had al
ready absorbed the rain and onered
crv surface. He glanced around, drew