Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-09-21
CHAPTER III.
Wherein Strong Man Yields to Cir
cunlStaucel

| Curiosity. most potent of the primal in
stincts, conquered the girls fear. AS i,
| happened. Warden was still kneeling II,
sat back on his heels. rested the calabas ST.
against his knees and withdrew strip Of
dried skin from its cunningly devised hid
ing place. 1t was SO curled and withereC
that it cracked beneath his fingers wher
he tried to unfold it. Quite without pre-
| meditation. he had placed the Gala bash IL
such wise that the negro's features were
hidden. and this fact alone seemed t
give his companion confidence.
What is it?'' she asked. watching his
efforts 10 persuade the twisted scroll tt
remain open.
parchment. and uncommoniy tough nc
leathery at that
He did not look up. A queer notion. was
forming in his mind and he was unwish.
full to meet her eyes just then.
1T looks very old. she said.
"A really respectable antique. l fancy
Have you any pins-fOur or more?'
She produced from a pocket a small
hussif with its store of sewing acces-
series.
"A genie of the feminine ORDER, he
cried. Il was merely hoping for supply
of those superfluous pins that used to lurl
in my sisters attire and only revea LED
their presence when I tried to reduce he,
| to subsection"
"Oh. you have a sister,
Yes - married - husband ranching II
Montana"
Meanwhile he was fastening the refrac
| tory document to the deck With pa
| thence. helped by half a dozen pins. he
| managed to smooth it sufficiently to per
NIT Of detailed scrutiny The girl. wholly
interested now. knelt beside him. Any
observer in passing boat might have
| imagined that they were engaged in some
profoundly devotional exercise. But the
planks were hard. Miss Dane seeing
nothing hut wrinkled parchment. yellow
with age. and covered with strange
scrawls that seemed to be more a par,
of tie actual material than written or
Its surface. soon rose.
Those hieroglyphics are beyond my
KEN she explained.
They are Arabic" said Warden-"Ara
bic characters. that is. The words are
Latin-at least to some extent. Epistols
Paul Hebraicis has the ring of old Rome
about it. even IL it wears the garb of Ma
homet.
He Strengthened himself suddenly ant
shouted for Chris with such energy tina,
the girl was startled
Chris popped his head out of the fore
hatch. and was told to bring his fathers
Bible. for Peter read two of it's sever
hund -c-odd pages each day in the year
Warden compared book and scroll in.
tently during many minutes. Miss Dane
did not interrupt. She contented herself
with a somewhat prolonged investigation
of Warden's face. or so much of it as
was visible. Then she turned away and
gazed at the Sans Souci. There was a
wiStful look in her eyes. Perhaps she
wished that circumstances had contrived
to exchange the yacht for the pilot boat
Al any rate, she was glad he mad a Sis
ter. If only she had brother!-just such
one.
At last the mans deep. rather curt
voice broke the silence.
II have solved part of the puzzle.
Miss Dane" he announced. My Latinty
was severely tried. but the chapter and
verse gave me the English equivalent and
that supplied the key. Some one has that
the thirtyseventh and thirty eighth
verses of the eleventh chapter of St.
Paufs epistle to the Hebrews. Our YER
sion runs: They were stoned. they were
sawn asunder. were tempted. were slain
with the sword. they wandered in
deserts and in mountains. and in dens and
caves Of the earth The remainder of
the text is in vet another language-Por-
tuguese. l imagine-but my small lore In
that tongue is of no avail. In any case
my voca bulary could not possibly consort
with the stately utterances Of st. Paul,
as ii consists mainly of remarks adapted
to the intelligence of certain type of
freebooter peculiar to the West African
hinterland''
What dc yor make of it all?" she
asked.
AT present-nothng. 1t is an enigma
until / secure a Portuguese-Engiish die
tionary. Then I shall know more. Judg-
ing by appearances. the message. what
soever ii may be is complete
What sort Of skin Is that"
He lifted his eyes SLOWLY. She was
conscious of curious searching quality