, 1909-02-11
derisively.

SASSiiiitSS~ out ndu luTneu
the fish for the last time, and was
about to lift them off the fire. when
Blake came running back, and sent
grill and all flying with a violent kick.
Salt" he gasped-"where's the
salt? I'm poisoned"
"~Poisoned?"
Poison fish! Don't eat! God!-
Where's the salt?"
The girl stared at him. His agony
was so great that beads of sweat were
rolling down his face. He wrlthed, and
stretched out a quivering hand-"Salt,
quick!-warm water-salti"
But there's none left! You remem-
Der. yesterday"
Cod" groaned Blake, n for a
moment he sank down, overcome by
a racking convulsion. Then his jaw
closed like a bulldogs, and gritting his
teeth with the effort, he staggered up
and rushed off down the cleft.
stop! stop, Mr.. Blake! Where are
o going?" screamed the girl.
h started to run after him. but
was halted by an outburst of delirious
laughter. Winthrope was sitting up
lIShl anu waving HIS IeNeT-DlOlCUeu
hands-'Hi. hi! loo at i'm run! 'E's
got w'at1l do for 'iml Run, you swine;
you"
There followed a torrent of cockney
abuse so foul that Miss Leslie blushed
scarlet with shame as she sought to
quiet him. But the excitement had so
heightened his fever that he was in a
raving delirium. 1t was close upon
midnight before his temperature fell,
and he sank into a death-like torpor.
In her ignorance. she supposed that he
had fallen asleep.
Her relief was short-lived, for soon
she remembered Blake. She could see
him lying beside the pool or out on the
bare plain, his resolute eyes cold and
CLASSY. his powerful body c%ontorted in
the death agony. The vision filed her
with dismay. With all his c~oarseuess,
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? Winthrope had already
become as weak as a child. The
emaciation of his ~jaundiced features
was q mockery Of their former plump
ness. Blake had said that the fever
-I-lA -.., -. Co., 1-~tLA- --1AIr a-I
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, n h
should fall i'll before Winthrope recov-
cred, they would both die from lack OF
care. And IL 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 a
heavy sleep. The fire burned low, and
shaGowy forms began to creep from
behind the bamboos and the trees n
rocks down the gorge. There was no
sound; but greedy. wolfsh 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 h fire n
the entrance to the hollow. Slowly
thee mbers of the fire died away into
gray ashes, and slowly the night
nrowlers drew nearer. The boldest of
the mack 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
nv three others. the leader approached
Wiptbrone He was still lying in the
deathlike torpor, and he lacked the
n~rotectioa which, in all likelihood, the
ieonard skin had given Miss Leslie.
The cowardly brutes took him for
lead or dying. They snined at nun
from head to foot, and then WIN a
,erocious outburst of snarls and yells,
flung themselves upon him.
Had IT not CHANGED that Winthrcpe
was lying upon his side, with one arm
thrown up. he would have been fataily
wounded by the first slashins bites or
his assaila nts. The two which sou mt
IN tear him were bafled by the timex
folds of Blake's coat, while their lead
er's slash at the victims throat was
barred by the appraised arm. With a
savaoa snsp. the beasts jaws closed on
the arm, biting through to the oole' "a,
the same instant the fourth JscNal
tore ~ravenousiy at one OF the Out
stretched legs.
WIN a shrek of agony. Minthrope