, 1909-03-18
Into The Primitive

~ay To me wnen i maue ma, ur
along the ridge. But there's a chance
1t used to be inhabited, and we may
run across an abandoned village"
81 do not see that the discovery
would do us any good"
How about the chanc of grain or
bananas still growing? But that's all
a guess. We're going because we
1eed 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 p~recaution, he had bee keeping
them in the cigarette case, where the
points would be certain of a coat Of
the sticky poison and at the same 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 still 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 INT gave promise of a
day which should know nothing Of
sultry alma day on which giuEe
would be hard to stalk, but n 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 It a brisk pace, l~ight-hearted
and keen with the spirit of adventure.
Never had they felt more compan-
icnable. Miss Leslie laughed n
esatted and sang snatches of songs,
while Blake beat time with his club,
OF sought TO whistle grand opera-he
had healed his blistered lips some
time before by liberal applications OF
antelope tallow.
Gulls and terms circled about them
or lowered over the water ready to
swoop down POI their inny 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 lock of geese drove
hi8h oNcIutdu, tlelT ledutT uOuhluB
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 fioated past so low hat Blake
felt certain he could shoot one. He
raised his bow and took aim. but re-
Trained from shooting at the thought
that It might be q sheer waste of his
precious poison.
A little later q herd of large ami
mails appeared on the border of the
grass jungle, but wheeled and dashed
back into cover SO quickly hat Blake
barely had time to make out that they
yer buffaloes-the first he had seen
on this coast, but easily recognized by
their resemblance TO the Cape va
riety. Their flight a v him small
concern; for the time being he was
more interested in topography than
game.
The southern headland now hay
close before them. Its seaward face
rearing up sheer and lofty, but the
approach behind running down in
broker terraces. Mid-morning found
the explorers at the foot of the ridge.
Blake squinted up nj the bowlder-
strewn slopes and the %crannies of the
broke lodges.
Likely place for snakes, Miss Jen.
NY" he remarked. Guess I'd better
lead"
Eager as she was to look over into
the country beyond, the girl dropped