The Falls City tribune., 1909-03-26

I Ill u Autiltl u
aside from its appearance, she could
not have wished for a more com
Portable head-coyer. Before showing
it to Blake, she wove a second one for
him, so that they were able to cast
aside the grotesque, palm-leaf affairs
at the same time.
The following morning Blake APP
peared in an outfit to match her
leopard-skin dress. He had singed of
the hair of the hide out of which he
had made his moccasins, and his
hyena-skin rousers quite matched the
bristling stubble on his face.
Hey. Miss Jenny" he hailed
what d you think of this for fancy
needlework2"
Splendid You're the very picture
of an Argentine Vaquero."
"Greaser?-ugh Let me get back
10 the Weary Willy pants,'
II mean YOU are very picturesque"
That's it. Is it? Glad I've got
something to call your leopardine
gown that won't make you huffy,"
we can at least call our costumes
serviceable, and mine has proved
much cooler than | expected"
But u new hats beat all for that
regular sunshades. What do you
say?-there's a good breeze Let's
take a hike"
Not to the river! The very thought
of that dreadful snake
No; just the other way. I've been
thinking for some time that We ought
to run down to that south headland
and take a squirt at the coast be
yond. Ten to one it's another stretch
Of swamps, but
You think there is a chance we
may find a town.
About II chance in a million,
even for a native village. The slave
trade wiped the niggers off this coast,
and | guess those that hit out up
country raj SO hard they haven't been
able to get back yet"
But it has been years since the
slave trade was forbidden"
And they don't sell beer in Kansas
oh, no. I'll bet the dhows still slip
over from Madagascar when the moon
is in the right quarter. At any rate,
niggers are mighty scarce or mighty
shy around here. I've kept a watch
for smoke, and haven't seen a sus-
picion of it anywhere. Maybe the
swamps swing around inland and cut
off this strip of coast. 1t looked that
way to me when | made that trip
along the ridge. But there's a chance
it used to be inhabited, and we may
run across an abandoned village"
Il do not see that the discovery
would do us any good
How about the chance of grain or
bananas still growing? But that's all
a guess. We're going because we
need a change
She nodded and FASTENED to pre-
pare breakfast, while he packed a skin
bag with food and examined the slen-
der tips of his arrows. As a matter
of ~precaution, he had been keeping
them in the cigarette case, where the
points would be certain Of a coat of
the sticky poison and at the anne time
guarded against |inficting a chance
wound. But as he was now about to
set out on a journey he fitted tips into
the heads of his two straightest
shafts.
The morning was stlll fresh when
they closed the barricade behind them
and descended to the pool. There was
no game in sight, but Blake had no
wish TO hunt at the commencement
Of the trip. The steady southwest
wind had blown the sky clear of its
malarial haze and gave promise Of a
day which should know nothing Of
sultry calm-a day on which game
would be hard to stalk, but one per-
fectly suited for a long tramp.
Mindful of ticks, Blake headed OBJ,
liquely across to the beach. Once on
the smooth, hard sand, they swung
along at a brisk pace, light-hearted
me keen with the spirit of adventure.
Never had they felt more compan-
ionable. Miss Leslie laughed and
chatted and sang snatches OF songs,
while Blake beat line with his club.
or soueht 20 whistle grand ~opera-he
had henlrd his blistered lips some
time before by liberal applications or
antelope tallow.
Gulls and terms circled about them
or lowered over the water ready to
swoop down upon their finny prey.
Sandpipers ran along the beach within
a stones throw, but the curlews
showed their greater knowledge of
mankind by keeping beyond gunshot.
Once a great flock of geese drove
high overhead, their leader honking
the alarm as they swept above the
suspicious figures on the beach. Like
the curlews, they had knowledge of
mankind. But the flock of white
pelicans which came sailing along in
stately leisure on their immense
wings floated past so low that Blake
felt certain he could shoot one. He
raised his bow and tool aim, but re-
Trained from shooting at the thought
that it might be a sheer waste of his
precious poison.
4 little iafar q hard Of 1oroa uni