The Spanish Fork press. [volume] (Spanish Fork, Utah) 1902-current, 1910-03-24

one. which grew nearest to the sea
ward side of the cleft.
Here's our ladder he said. Get
some firewood. Pound the bushes,
though, before you go poking into
them. May be snakes herr
Snakes ?-oh!" cried Miss Leslie,
and she stood shuddering at the dan
ger she had already Incurred.
The fire had burnt itself out ON
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 hesltating COM
panions. Go on, go on! Don't squeal
| till you're bit. Most snakes hike out,
! If 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 armfus 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 a small fire at the base of the tree,
on the side next the cliff.
Now, Miss Jenny" he directed,
you're to keep this going-not too big
fire-understand? Same time you
can keep on fetching brush to fumi.
gate your cat hole. 1t needs it, all
right"
"Wil not that be rather too muck
for Miss Leslie?" asked Winthrope.
well if she'd rather come and rub
brains on the skins,-Indian 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 to
protest against being left alone, when
at any moment some awful venom
Gus serpent might come darting at her
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 heap o
fuel at the entrance of the hollow
when she remembered that the place
would first have to be cleared of 1t!
accumulation of bones. A glance a
; her companions showed that the!
were in the midst of tasks even NOR,
! able to do such things; yet, as Mr.
Blake had said, others had to do them
; 1t was now her time to learn. Sh,
could see him smile at her hesitation
,. Stung by the thought of his hall
contemptuous pity, she caught up
forked stick, and forced herself to en-
ter the tree-cave. The stencil met he
l like blow 1t nauseated and all bu
overpowered her. She stood for sey
eral moments in the center of the cav
ity sick and faint. Had it been eve
the previous day, she would have ru
out into the open air.
Presently she grew little more az
customed to the stencil, and bega
to rake over the soft, dry mold @
the den floor with her forked sticl
Bones!-who had ever dreamed Q
such a mess of bones?-- big bone
and little bones and skulls; old bones
dry and almost buried; moldy bones
bones still half-covered with bits @
flesh and gristle-the remnants of tn
leopard family's last meal.
3 At last all were scraped out an
flung in heap, three or four yard
, away from the entrance. Miss Les
lie looked at the result of her labo
with satisfied glance, followed by
sigh of relief. Between the heat an
I her unwonted exercise she was great
ly fatigued. She stepped around to
shader spot to rest
: With start she remembered tn
, fire.
When she reached it there wer
only few dying embers left. Sh
gathered dead leaves and shreds O
=. fibrous inner bark, and knelt besid
the dull Goals to blow them into life
She could not bear the thought of hay
ing to confess her carelessness t
Blake.
} (TO BE CONTINUED)