The Columbus journal., 1909-10-06
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stole around and peered out at him. He
had spread open the antelope skin. and
was beginning to slice the meat for
drying. Though his forehead was fur.
rowed, his expression was by no
means sinister. Relieved at the
thought that the light must have de-
ceived her, she returned to her bed
and was soon sleeping as soundly as
Winthrope.
Blake strung the greater part of the
meat on the drying racks. built .
smudge fire beneath. and stretched the
antelope skin on a frame. This done.
he took his club and small piece of
bloody meat. and walked stealthily
down the cleft to the barricade. Quiet
as was his approach, it was met by a
warning yelp on the farther side Of the
thorny wall. and he could hear the
scurry of fleeing animals.
He kept on until the Darricade
doomed UP before him in the starlight.
From cliff to cliff the wall now
stretched across TIE gorge without
hole or gap But Blake grasped the
trunk of young date-palm which
projected from the barricade near the
bottom, and pushed it out. The dis
placement of the spiky fronds disclosed
the low passage which he had made in
the center of the barricade. He placed
the piece of meat on one side, two or
three feet from the hole, and squatted
down across from 1t, with his club bal
anced on his shoulder.
Half an hour passed-an hour: and
still he waited, silent and motionless
as statue. At last stealthy footsteps
sounded on the outer side of the thorn
wall, and an animal began to creep
through the wall. smiling for the bait.
Blake waited with the immobility of
an Eskimo. The delay was brief.
With a holiness for which Blake
had not been prepared. the beast
leaped through and seized tho meat.
Even in the dim light, Blake could
see that he had lured an animal larger
than any jackaL But this only served
to lend greater force to his blow. As
he struck, he leaped to his feet. The
brute fell as though struck by light
ming and lay still.
Blake prodded the inert form warily;
then knelt and passed his hands over
it. The beast had whirled about just
in time to meet the descending club,
and the blow had crushed in its skull.
Chuckling at the success of his ruse,
he drew the palm back into the open.
ing, and swung his prize over his
shoulder. When he came to the fire.
glance showed him that he had killed
a full-grown spotted hyena.
In the morning, when Miss Leslie
appeared, there were two hides
stretched on bamboo frames, and the
air was dark with vultures streaming
down into the cleft near the barricade.
Blake was sleeping the sleep of the
Just, and did not waken until she had
built the fire and begun to broil the
steaks which he had saved.
Again they had a feast of the fresh
antelope meat. But with repletion
came more Of fastidiousness, and
Blake agreed with Miss Leslie when
she remarked that salt would have
added to the flavor He set OF pres.
emily, and spent half a day on the
talus of the headland, gathering salt
from the rock crannies.
For the next three days he left the
cleft only to gather eggs. The great
er part of his time was spent In tan
ming the hyena and antelope skins.
Meantime Miss Leslie continued to
nurse Winthrope and to gather fire
wood. Under Blake's directions, she
also purified the salt by dissolvins
it in a pot of water, and allowing the
dirt to settle, when the clarified solu.
ton was poured of and evaporated
over the fire in one of the earthen.
ware pans.
At first Winthrope had been too
weak to sit up. But treated to lib
eral diet of antelope broth, raw eggs.
hot water. and cocoanut milk, he
gained strength faster than Blake had
On the fourth day Blake
set him to work ON the final rubbing
of the new skins; on the fifth. he or.
dered him to go for eggs.
Much to Miss Leslie's surprise. Win.
thrope started of without a word OF
protest. All his peevish irritability
had gone with the fever, and the girl
was gratified to see the quiet manner
in which he set about a task which |
seemed an imposition upon his half-re. |
gained strength. But the very motive |
which, seemingly. prevented him from |
protesting, impelled her to speak for
him.
ITO RE C0NTJNJIEnN