Charlevoix county herald., 1909-08-14
~

heres our LADDER, ne SAID. 'Gel
some firewood. Pound the bushes
though, before you go poking into
them. May be snakes here"
"Snakes?-oh!" cried Miss Leslie,
and she stood shuddering at the dan
ger she had already incurred.
The fire had burnt itself out on a
bare ledge of rock between them and
the baobab. and the clumps of dry
brush left standing in this end of the
cleft were very suggestive of snakes,
now that Blake had called attention
to the possibility of their presence.
He laughed at his hesitating com
panions. go on, go on! Don't squeal
till you're bit. Most snakes hike out,
IL you give them half a chance. Take
stick each of you, and pound the
bushes"
Thus urged both started to work.
But neither ventured into the thicker
clumps. When they returned, with
large armfuls of sticks and twigs,
they found that Blake had used his
glass to light handful of dry bark,
out in the sun, and was nursing it in.
to small fire at the base of the tree,
on the side next the cliff.
Now, Miss Jenny" he directed,
a fire-understand? Same time you
can keep on fetching brush to fumi
gate your cat hole. 1t needs it. all
right"
'Will not that be rather too much
for Miss Leslie?" asked Winthrope.
We'll, if she'd rather come and rub
brains on the skins, tan, you
know,-or-"
How can you mention such things
before a lady?" protested Winthrope
Beg your pardon, Miss Leslie you
see, I'm not much used to ladies' com.
pany. Anyway, you've got to see and
hear about these things. And now I'll
have to get the strings for Wins
bamboo bows. Come on, Win. We've
got that old tabby to peel, and lot
more besides"
Miss Leslie's first impulse was &c
protest against being left alone, when
at any moment some awful venom.
out of the brush or the crevices in
the rocks. But her half-parted lips
drew firmly together, and after a mo
ment's hesitancy, she forced herself
| to the task which had been assigned
her. The fire, once started. required
little attention. She could give most
of her time to gathering brush for the
fumigation of the leopard den.
She had collected quite a heap OF
| fuel at the entrance of the hollow
when she remembered that the place
would first have to be cleared of it's
accumulation of bones. A glance al
| her companions showed that they
were in the midst of tasks even more
revolving. 1t was certainly disagree
able TO do such things; yet, as Mr.
Blake had SAID others had to do them
1t was now her time to learn. She
could see him smile at her hesitation
Stung by the thought Of his half
contemptuous pity, she caught up Q
forked stick, and forced herself to en-.
ter the tree-cave. The stencil met her
| like blow. 1t nauseated and all but
overpowered her. She stood for sew.
eral moments in the center Of the cav.
ity, sick and faint. Had it been even
the previous day, she would have run
out into the open air.
Presently she grew little more &C
customed to the stencil, and began
to rake over the soft. dry mold OF
the den floor with her forked stick
Bones!-who had ever dreamed Of
| such a mess of bones?- big bones
and little bones and skulls; old bones
dry and almost buried; moldy bones !;
bones still half-covered with bits OF
] flesh and gristle-the remnants Of the
leopard family's last meal.
At last all were scraped out and
| flung in heap, three or four yards
away from the entrance. Miss Les
| lie looked at the result OF her labor
with satisfied glance, followed by a
sigh Of relief. Between the heat and
her unwonted exercise, she was great
ly fatigued. She stepped around to q
shadier spot TO rest.
With start she remembered the
| fire.
When she reached it there We're
only few dying embers left. She
| gathered dead leaves and shreds OF
fibrous inner bark, and knelt beside
the dull Goals to blow them iu;o life.
She could not bear the thought of hav.
ing to confess her carelessness to
Blake.
CTO BE CONTINUED)