The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1910-05-17


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 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
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,
if you give them half chance. Take
a 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 a handful of dry bark,
out in the sun, and was nursing 1t in
to 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
a fire-understand? Same time you
can keep on fetching brush to fumi-
gate your cat hole. 1t needs it, all
right"
M q
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-
l 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 Its
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 &
fOrked stick, and forced herself to en-
ter the tree-cave. The stencil met hel
Il like blow. 1t nauseated and all bur
7 overpowered her. She stood for sew
! erel moments in the center of the cav
ity, sick and faint. Had it been ever
l the previous day, she would have rur
j. out into the open air
Presently she grew a little more &C
customed to the stencil, and begar
to rake over the soft, dry mold O.
the den floor with her forked stick
g Bones.-who had ever dreamed O
y such mess of bones?- big bone,
and little bones and skulls old bones
o dry and almost buried; moldy bones
b bones still half-covered with bits O
flesh and gristle-the remnants of thu
e leopard family's last meal
e At last all were scraped out ant
flung in a heap, three or four yard
r, away from the entrance. Miss Les
lie looked at the result of her labo
e with satisfied glance, followed by
+? sigh of relief. Between the heat ant
It her unwonted exercise. she was great
It ly fatigued. She stepped around to
shadier spot to rest
l. With a start she remembered tn,
g fire.
l When she reached it there wer'
u only few dying embers left Sh,
e gathered dead leaves and shreds O
r fibrous inner bark, and knelt besid
e the dull Goals to blow them into life
It She could not bear the thought Of hav
ing to confess her carelessness t
Blake.