The Falls City tribune., 1909-01-08


Hold on" he said, gripping Win
thrope roughly by the shoulder. ITS
safe enough here, and you'll knock out
that blamed ankle"
What is it, What did You see"
gaspcd Miss Leslie.
Footprint. mumbled Blake, ashamed
of his fright.
~ lien's2' cried Winthrope.
Not so laree-bout the size of n
puma's. Must be a %leopard's den up
there. l heard a growl. aud thought it
about time 10 clear out
by Jove. we'd better withdraw
around the point
"Withdraw your aunty! There's no
leopard going TO tackle us out here in
open ground this time of day. The
sneaking tomcat, If only I had n
match, I'd show him how we smoke
rat holes"
MIR. Winthrop spoke Of rubbing
sticks TO make fire. suggested Miss
Leslie.
make sweat, you mean. But we
may as wed try it now, if we're going
to at all. The suns hot enough to fry
eggs. We'll so back to a shady place
and pick up sticks ON the way
Though there was shade under The
cliff within some 600 feet, they had
TO go some distance to the nearest dry
wood-a dead thornbush. Here they
gathered a quantity of branches, even
Miss Leslie volunteering to carry n
load.
All was thrown down in a heap near
the cliff, and Blake squatted beside it.
penknife in hand. Having selected the
dryest of the larger sticks, he bored II
hole in one side and dropped In a
pinch of powdered bark. Laying the
stick In the full glare of the sun. he
thrust a twig into the hole and began
to twirl it between his palms. This
movement he kept up for several min
utes; bnt whether he was unable to
twirl the wig fast enough or whether
the right Kind of wood or finder was
lacking all his efforts failed to pro.
duee a spark.
Unwilling to accept the failure.
Winthrone insisted upon trying In
turn, ana pride held him to the task
until he was drenched with sweat.
The result was the same.
Told you So" jeered Blake from
where he lay in the shade. Wed
stand more chance cracking stones to-
gether.h
but what shall we do now?" asked
Miss Leslie. Il am becoming very
tired of c%ocoanuts, and there seems to
be nothing else around here. Indeed,
| think this is all such a waste of
time. If we had walked straight along
the shore this morning we might have
reached a town"
eve might, Miss Jenny, and then,
again. we mightn't. | happened to
overhaul the captains chart-Quili-
name, Mozambique-that's all for hun
dreds of miles. Towns on this coast
are about as thick as hen's-teeth.'
How about native villages?' de-
manded Winthrope.
"Oh, yes; maybe I'm fool enough to
90 into a wild Niger town without
a gun. Maybe didn't talk with fel-
lows down on the Rand
But what shall we do?" repeated
Miss Leslie. with a little frightened
catch in her voice. She was at last
beginning to realize what this rude
break in her sheltered, pampered life
might mean. What shall we do? It's
its absurd to think of having TO
stay in this horrid country for week
or perhaps months-unless some ship
zones for u.s.
Look here. Miss Leslie" answered
Blake, sharply yet not u%nkindly; Sup
pose you just sit back and use your
thinker a bit. If you're your daddy's
daughter, you've got brains some
where down under the boarding-school
stuff"
What do you mean, SIR"
Now, don't get huffy, please! It's
a question of think, not of putting on
airs. Here we are, worse off than the
people of the stone age. They had
fire and flint axes; we've got nothing
Jul Oul HIN Ldiihof anu 10 w NINA
and leopards and that sort of thing,
it strikes me we've got about as many
on hand as they had"
Then you and Mr.. WINTHROP
should Immediately arm yourselves. -
"How?-But We'll leave that till
later. What else?"
The girl gazed at the surrounding
objects, her forehead wrinkled in the
effort at concentration. I'VE must
have water. Think how We suffered
yesterday! Then there is shelter from
Wild beasts, and food, and
"All right here under II hands, If
we had fire. Understand?'
Il understand about the water. You
would brighten the leopard away with
the fire; and if it would do that, it
would also keep away the other ami.
mails at night. But as for food, unless
We return for c0eoanuts-'
Don't give it up! Keep your think.
er going on the side, while Pat tells
us our next move. Now that he's got
IL. e. Ill. - -r IL. I,,1 ~