The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1910-07-21
CASH FEED STORE
I. h, Dcneh. Manager.
Telephone, II.
Manchester Depot, W

and during that Time ! never left The
ships deck farther thnn the cabin
The following evening we put out 20
sea. the mcn working like demons TO
get away before night shut down,
shackleford laughing all the while at
their eagerncss TO be rid Of what he
declared 10 be "the finest spot east OF
Suez" His Chinamcu-l shall never
forget that last glimpse OF them
sQuattcd upon the empty bamboo RATS,
their cues wound about their uashnyed
heads, the sweat still streaming down
their naked bodies 20 the tlimsy cotton
pantaloons corded about their waists,
aud viewed our departure out u their
narrow eyes With features as impas'
slye as those of a stone Buddha.
What did they know about the two
rusty huks. the gray thing" that
haunted them. aud what had they told
my crew? wondered Worn out with
a trying week, | turned In
A shock hurled mo from my berth,
and as | CROPPED about IN the darkness
for the key Of the door tho sound OF
crashing timber and OF branches trail
ing across the cabin window made me
guess my surroundings Springing on
deck, turned instinctively to the
wheel, and there, bowed over II like
an old man and clutchlng the spokcs
with hairy hands, WAS a huge gray
ape the very monster Shackleford aud
had failed 10 bring down the night OF
the raid upon the cocoanut grovel
AT sight Of me II relinquished It's
hold upon the wheel and sprang al me,
barring It's teeth In sudden rage
Whipping out my Colt ! began TO fire
aud back away aud brought IL down
with shot In It's gaping mouth just
as IL was reaching out It's horrible
corded arms 10 seize me, As II col
lapsed with u gasping shndder at my
very feet sprang backward from
sheer repulson and In doing so fell
into the lagoon through a hole In the
railing that the thick branch OF a tree
had carried away
Not TIL then did the fuil significance
Of what had transpired dawn upon me.
Crew there was none, but apes from
the surrounding trees aud the two
rusty hulks that had SO puzzled me
and that now lay on either side came
swarmng upon the steamer til they
covered everything wlnches, forecas-
tie head, the empty davits, The spare
anchors, the very rigging with gray,
wrthing mass that struggled and
Tough, and screamed IN wild rush
for the cocoanuts, which could easily
be reached through the main hatch.
left open TO prevent overheating
Swimming round 10 the rudder, now
completely out Of water above the
madly racing screw, climbed up be
yond the reach Of sharks and listened
to the appalling pandemonIum I'LL the
last cocoanut must have been removed
from the hold. when the brutes grad
unly dispersed through the forest
Afraid 20 venture back on deck, at
daylight | mounted piece Of the
round house that had been swept over
board aud made my way on the iDcom-
ing tide up the channel which led to
the plantation on the edge OF the
grove ! paused In incredulous wonder,
and then the truth came home to me.
Under a fierce attack Of the apes the
wire fence had at last given way, and
the cocoaDut grove was in ruins.
Shackleford's bungalow found Ia
state Of pillage 80 complete that only
the four upright posts remuined, and
the nimsy huis occupied by the Chi
nese laborera were scattered about as
II struck by yphoon.
Not far from the ruins | found
shackleford's beautifully stained meer.
schaum pipe trampled into the earth
by a host Of passing feet, and protrud'
Ing from under q tattered coeoannt
leaf was a mans cue, streaked
with gray, but no Celestial at the sey.
cred end Prepared for the worst, !
was Fastening down the newly beaten
path toward the jungle, when a gronn
10 my left attracted my attention, and,
rushing over, ! found Shackleford and
bis Chlnamcn neatly trapped under The
barbed wire fence
"Y0u See" Shackleford explained
when bad pricd up the edge of the
deadly netting which they we're unable
10 raise with their bare hands because
Of the inch long barbs, we were pok
Ing The bally bruteg on the fence with
sharppucd bamboos and having no end
of fun when their weight doubled the
whole thing over and shut Us into rs
enc little fort as Il fellow could wish
for. fla. haT
Shackleford, followed by score Of
bedraggled Cinnamon, crawled out
stlfily from bis Involuntary but lucky
imprisonment and looked ruefully at
bis blood spattered clothes They rip
ped and tore al the netting Ike lot
Of mad devils, be continued, and the
blood from their lacerated feet came
through On us like a shower ~ warm
rain, bot none of ns was hurt except
Al Cong oyer there He was a BIT
careless ana iet bis plgtall stick out
through the netting Lucky thing
had knife. you sour old beathenF
turning 10 grizzied Chlnaman whose
rue had been severed close 70 bis head,
"or that big ape that got bold u the
end of II would have pulled # out by
the roots And Sbaekiefond laughed
as be- reaeheG for bis pipe.
examined the eolorlng With the ege OF
q c0nn0isseuf aud fhen began % dig
the dirt out Of The bowl But don't
what made the bruies all
quit and 80 tearing away toward the
hay be- added th0ughtfully as be
gpened his tobacco pouch
For answer va him down TO the
third derellct and showed him the emp.
~ bold.