The Falls City tribune., 1909-02-19

21@8 - g,
p%erienee of their unlucky fellow. Their
snarls aud yells had subsidized To
whines, which seemed TO be coming
from a greater distance. Still she
waited. With the bamboo stake up
raised ready TO strike, every nerve
and muscle of her body tense with the
strain,
So great was The stress OF her fear
and excitement that she had not heed.
ed the first gray lessenins Of the
night. Bur now the glorious tropical
dawn came streaming out Of the east
in all lis red effulgence. Above aud
through the bamboo barrier glowed a
light such as might have come from
a great fire on the cliff top. Still
tense and %immoyable. the girl stared
ont up the cleft. There was not a
iackal in sight. She leaned forward
and peered around, unable to believe
such good fortune. But the night
providers had skunk off in the first
gray dawn.
The girl drew in a deep. shudder-
ing sigh. and sank back. Her hand
struck against M~inthrope's foot. She
turned about quickly and looked at
him. He was lying upon his face. She
FASTENED to turn him upon his side,
and to feel his forehead. 1t was cool
and moist. lie was fast asleep and
drenched with sweat. The great
shock of his pain and fear and ex-
element had broken his fever.
With the relief and JOY of this dis
coyery, the girl completely relaxed.
Not observing W~inthrope's wounds,
which had bled little. she sought TO
force a way out through the entrance.
1t was by no means an easy task 10
free the wedged framework, and when,
after much pulling and pushing, she
at last tore the mass loose, she found
herself perspiring no less freely than
Winthrope.
She was far too preOCCupied, how
ever. to consider what this might
mean Her first thought was Of a fire.
She ran TO her rude stone fireplace
and raked over the ashes. They were
still warm, but there was not a live
ember among them. Yet she realized
that Winthrope must have hot food
when he awakened, and Blake had
carried with him the magnifying glass.
For a little she stood hesitating. But
the defeat of the jackals had given her
courage and resolution such as she
had never before known. She returned
into the cave and chose the sharpest
of her stakes. Having made certain
that Winthrope was still asleep, she
set off boldly down The cleft.
At the first turn she came upon
Blake's thorn barricade. 1t stretched
across the narrowest part of the cleft
in an im|penetrable wall, II feet high.
Only in the center was a gap. which
could have been filled by Blake in less
than Two hours work. The girls eyes
Frightened. She herself could gather
the thorn.brush and fill the gap before
night. They no longer need fear The
jackals or even the larger beasts OF
prey. None the less, they must have
fire.
Spurred on by the thought, she was
about TO spring through the barricade
when she heard the tread Of feet ON
the path beyond. She crouched down,
and peered through the tangle OF
brush in the edge Of the gap. Less
than ten PAGES away Blake was plod-
ding heavily up the trail. She stepped
out before him.
"You-you, Are you %aliye?' she
gasped.
Live You bet your boots came
back the grim response. You bet
I'm alive-though | had to 90 Jonah
one better to do il. The whale heayed
him up; | heayed up the whale-and it
took about a barrel OF sea water TO do
it."
Sea water
Sure I tumbled over twice
on the way. But | made the beach.
Lord, how | pumped in the briny
deep, Guess | won't go into details
but if you think you know anything
about ~seasickness- Whew. Lucky
for yours truly, the tide was Just start
ing out, and the wind off shore. I'd
fallen In the water, and ihe Jonah
business laid me out cold. Didn't
know anything until the tide came up
again and soused me-"
I am very glad you're not dead.
But how you must have suffered. You
are still white. and your face is all
creased"
Blake attempted a careless laugh.
Don't worry about me. I'm here, o.
X, all that's left,-a little wobbly on
my pins, but hungry as a shark. But
say, what's up with you? You're
sweating like a Good thing, though.
It'll stave off your spell Of fever a
while. How'd you happen to be com.
ing down here so early?"
Il was starting to find you"
Me-"
Not you-that is, [ thought you
we're dead. | was going to make Ger
tain, and to-to get the burning
glass
"Um-m. I see. Let the fire go out,
eh?'