Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1910-07-23

WOEh pAChAHk tuchu INV AhG uOlu WI
an alacrity which they had never
fore manifested In my service.
Taking on cargo occupied a we
and during that time l never left
ships deck farther than the cabin,
The following evening we put out
sea, the men working like demons
get away before night shut dOI
Shackleford laughing all the while
their eagerness to be rid of what
declared to be 1.-THE finest spot east
Suez." His Chinamen--l shall ueI
forget that last glimpse of thed
squatted upon the empty bamboo raj
their cues wound about their unshaJ
heads. the sweat still streaming dol
their naked bodies to the tilmsy cot
pantaloons corded about their waI
and viewed our departure out Of u
narrow eyes with features as imp|
sive as those of stone Budd|
What did they know about the 4
rusty hulks, the gray thing" d
haunted them. and what had they d
my crew? wondered, Worn out vi
a trying week, turned In.
A shock hurled me from my bed
and as | CROPPED about In the darkn|
for the key of the door the sound
crashing timber and of branches Ia,
ing across the cabin window made
guess my surroundings. Springing|
deck. l turned instinctively to
wheel, and there. bowed over 1t u
an old man and clutching the spO'
with hairy hands. was a huge q
appetite very monster Shacklefordd
l had failed to bring down the night
the raid upon the cocoanut grove!
At sight of me 1t relinquished
hold upon the wheel and sprang at \
barring its teeth In sudden ri
Whipping out my Colt, l began to
and back away and brought it dbl
with a shot In its gaping mouth
as 1t was reaching out its horn
corded arms to seize me. AS 1t (
lapsed with q gasping shudder at
very feet sprang backward q
sheer repulsion and in doing so (
into the lagoon through a hole In
railing that the thick branch of a
had carried away.
Not till then did the full signihca
Of what had transpired dawn upon
Crew there was none, but apes NJ
the surrounding trees and the
rusty hullIs that had so puzzled
and that now lay on either side Cd
swarming upon the steamer till u
covered verything-w inches, fore
tie head, the empty davits, the 81
anchors, the very rigging-with 81
writhing mass that struggled
fought and screamed in a wild 4
for the cocoanuts. which could ca
be reached through the main hal
left open to prevent overhead
Swimming round to the rudder, IA
completely out of water above \
madly racing screw. l climbed up
yond the reach of sharks and lists
to the appalling pandemonium till
last cocoanut must have been remoI
from the hold, when the brutes grN
ually dispersed through the forest.
Afraid to venture back on deck
daylight mounted piece of
round house that had been swept OV
board and made my way on the inc
ing tide up the channel which led
the plantation. On the edge Of
grove l paused In incredulous wond
n nd fhoa Tho fr.t,fh M mo hnroa to !"
Under a fierce attack of the apes
wire fence had at last given way,
the cocoanut grove was in T
Shackleford's bungalow l found
state of pillage SO complete that
the four upright posts remained,
the 6imsy huts occupied by the
nese laborers were scattered about
il struck by a typhoon.
Not far from the ruins l fol K
Shackleford's beautifully stained ID
schaum pipe trampled into the ca
by host of passing feet. and prot Y
ing from under a tattered cocoa
leaf was a Chinaman's cue, stresI
with gray. but no Celestial at the
cred end. Prepared for the wors
was Fastening down the newly bes Il
path toward the jungle. when 81 4
to my left attracted my attention,
rushing over. found Shackleford
his Cinnamon neatly trapped under
barbed wire fence.
You see,' Shackleford explai
when had pried up the edge Of
deadly netting which they were uni
to raise with their bare hands bees
of the inch long barbs. 1--WE were
ing the bally brutes off the fence
sharpened bamboos and having no
of fun when their weight doubled
whole thing over and shut us into
fine little fort as a fellow could
for. Ha, hav
Shackleford, followed by a scOr
bedraggled Cinnamon. crawled
stif1y from his involuntary but Id M
Imprisonment and looked ruefulI
his blood spattered clothes. "They
ped and tore at the netting like
of mad DEVILS" he continued. land
blood from their lacerated feet q
through on us like shower Of VI
rain, but none of US was hurt eI1
All Cong over there. He was
careless and let his pigtail stick
through the netting. Lucky thin
had a knife, you sour old heath
turning to grizzled Chinaman vi
rue had been severed close to his
"or that big ape that got hold Of
end of it would have pulled 1t oui
the roots" And Shackleford lauf
uproariously as he reached for his
the coloring with the Ell