The Columbus journal. (Columbus, Neb.) 1874-1911, 1909-09-29

CLASSY, his powerful body cOntOrted in
the death agony. The vision filed her
with dismay. With all his coarseness,
the man had showed himself so re-
sourceful, so indomitable. that when
she sought to dwell upon her reasons
to fear him, she found herself admir-
ing his virile manliness. He might be
a brute. but he did not belong among
the jackals and hyenas. Indeed, as
she called to mind his strong face and
frank, blunt speech she all but disbe-
lieved what her own ears had heard.
And anyway. without his aid, what
should she do? WINTHROP had already
become as weak as a child. The
emaciation of his jaundiced features
was a mockery of their former plump
ness. Blake had said that the fever
might run on for another week, and
that even if Winthrope recovered, he
would probably be helpless for several
days besides.
What was no less serious, though
she had concealed the fact from Blake,
she herself had been troubled the past
week with the depression and lassitude
which had preceded Winthrope's at
tack. If Blake was dead, and she
should fall ill before WINTHROP recov-
cred, they would both die from lack OF
care. And if they did not die of the
fever, what of their future, here on
this desolate savage coast?
But the very keenness of her mental
anguish so exhausted and numbed the
girls brain that she at last fell into
heavy sleep. The fire burned low, and
shadowy forms began to creep from
behind the bamboos and the trees and
rocks down the gorge. There was no
sound; but greedy, wolfish eyes
cleaned in the starlight.
Only the day before Blake had told
Miss Leslie to store the last rack OF
cured meat inside the baobab. The
two sleepers lay between the fire and
the entrance to the hollow. Slowly
the embers of the fire died away into
gray ashes, and slowly the night
providers drew nearer. The boldest of
the pack crept close to Miss Leslie,
and. with teeth barred and back
bristling, shifted at the edge OF her
skirt. Whether because of her heavy
breathing or the odor of the leopard
skin, the beast drew away, with an
uneasy whine.
There was a pause; then, backed
H., th.oo othorc tho 1oodor onnrOachod
WINTHROP. He was still lying in the
death-like torpor, and he lacked the
protection which, in all likelihood, the
leopard skin had given Miss Leslie.
The cowardly brutes. took him for
dead or dying. They shifted at him
from head to foot, and then. with a
ferocious cutburst of snarls and yells,
flung themselves upon him.
Had it not CHANGED that Winthrope
was lying upon his side, with one arm
thrown up, he would have been fatally
wounded by the first slashing bites of
his assailantS The two which sought
to tear him were baffled by the thick
folds of Blake's coat, while their lead
er's slash at the victims throat was
barred by the appraised arm. With
savage snap, the beasts jaws closed on
the arm. biting through to the bone. At
the same instant the fourth jackal
tore ravenously at one of the out
stretched legs.
With a shrek of agony, Winthrope
started up from his torpor, and struck
out frantically in fury of pain and
terror. Startled by the violence of
this unexpected resistance, the jack
ais leaped back-only to spring in
again as the remainder of the pack
made a rush to forestall them.
WINTHROP was staggering to his
feet, when the foremost brute leaped |
upon him. He fell heavily against |
one of the main supports of his bam-
boo canopy, and the entire structure |
came down with a crash. Two of the |
jackals, caught beneath the roof,
howled with fear as they sought to |
free themselves. The others. with