Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-07-25
CHAPTER XII-Continued.

He had his revolver, and besides the
tanned there were, perhaps. thirty in
his belt, For how many days or weeks
would they avail to keep off starvation?
But his face was composed again when
he turned back to her. There are two
things that come before breakfast he
said fire and water. There is line OF
driftwood down the beach to the west
ward, there at the foot of the talus.
When we get fire going-"he stopped
himself short. Il was going to say
that We could melt some ice for drinking
water. but until we have some sort of
cooking utensil to melt it in. it won
do much good There must be something
of the sort in the hut here
She shook her head. They're COM
pletely abandoned" she told him. Our
shore party searched them first of all.
and afterward Uncle Jerry and searched
them through again. There is nothing
there at all. but some heaps of rubbish.
Il think I'll take a look myself said
he. Rubbish is relative term. What
seemed no better than that yesterday aft
ernoon while the yacht was in the har-
Dor may take on different meaning this
NJ orning."
He disappeared through the doorway,
and two minutes later she saw him
coming back with big battered-lOoking
biscuit tin.
Unless this leaks too fast" he said,
lit will serve our purpose admirably
He observed, without rejecting what
the observation meant. that a bountiful
supply of fuel was lying in great drifts
along the lower slope of the talus.
Jeanne accompanied him upon his quest
of it, and with small loss of time and
at a cd
full. They laid their fire upon great
fiat stone in front of the hut, for the
outdoor day was too fine to abandon FOR
the dark and damp in the Interior and
For while they sat, side by side, upon
his great sheepskin. warming their fin
gers and watching the drip of the melting
ice in the biscuit tin.
But presently Cayley got to his feet.
Breakfast" he said
is there to be anything besides good
big drink of water apiece? If there isn't.
I'd rather not think about it until the
yacht comes back"
Unless I'm mistaken. there's an excel
lent breakfast waiting for not far
from where we got the firewood. But
I'll go and make sure before l raise your
expectations any higher"
He walked away half-dozen PAGES
thinking suddenly of something else, he
came swiftly back again.
DO you know anything about fire
arms?' he asked. "If you're accustomed
to shooting. I'll leave my revolver with
you. No." he went on. answering the
question which she had not spoken. no.
l don't foresee any danger to you. It's
just on general principles"
I'm pretty good shot. But II you're
going on a hunting expedition Cor our
danger to me in being left alone. It seems
reasonable that you should take the gum
He took the revolver from his belt,
however. and held it out to her. "Our
as concession to my feelings mo, it's
nothing more than that-Td rather you
took it,
She did as he asked without further
demur. and he went away. When she was
left alone the girl added fresh sticks to
the fire. and then. in default of any more
active occupation, took up the bound
book which lay beside her and began
once more to peruse it's pages. She had
by no means exhausted them In her
reading of the night before she had
skipped the pages of scientific description
for those parts of the journal which were
most purely personal Even now the
whole pages Of carefully tabulated data
concerning the winds. currents, tempera-
ture and magnetic variations got scant
attention. In her present mood the home
Hest little adventure. the idlest diversion
of winters day meant more to her than
>
When she saw Cayley coming back
toward her across the ice. she put the
book down half reluctantly.
Evidently his quest for breakfast had
not been in vain he had a big black
and white bird in his hand do you
suppose it's nit to eat?" she called out to
him. "And how in the world did you
manage to kill it without the revolver?'
Fit to eat! It's duck. What's more,
it's an elder. which means that her coat
is worth saving
But how did you contrive to kill her?'
I didn't. She killed herself. She was
flying too low last night, 1 suppose-go-
ing down the gale. and in the fog she
and broke her neck. That was a very
destructive storm for the birds There
must be fifty of them. Of one kind and
another. lying dead there along the top
of the talus. at the foot of the cliff"
'And that's what might have happened.
oh. SO easily. to you. Yes. it might. i've
been realizing that And l sha'n't for
get Her eyes had frightened and she
pressed her hands to them for just one
moment; then she Strengthened up brisk
ly. Anyway I'll not make a scene about
it now" she said. 'J'n show a little
practical sense and help you with the
breakfast
mo, we're camping out today. and on
such occasions the men always do the
cooking. Go back to your book while 1
skin this fowl and dress it." Then as
she still hesitated. he went on, THE
most beautiful garment / ever saw any,
where, was on a Chucotte Indian girl. 1t
was made of nothing but the breasts of
these elders. But the process isn't pretty.
I'd much rather you went back to your
book
Seeing that he meant It, she did as he
asked. A single half page of what was
written upon those closely ruled pages
was enough to absorb her again COM
pletely. The power it had over her
seemed 10 grow rather than to lessen
which was to serve for their breakfast,
impaled upon a sharp stick ready to be
roasted over the fire, she no more than
looked up at him. with smile very
friendly. but half-apologetic. and then
went on with her reading. He crouched
down near by her, built little frame
work of sticks above the fire and began
his cooking.
1t was. perhaps. ten minutes after that
when he saw the book drop suddenly
from her hands When he glanced up at
her. she was looking seaward-out over
those miles of plunging, heaving ice.
And, under his eyes, her face turned
white as marble Her bloodless lips were
parted. They did not move at all and
they looked as If they were frozen. He
could not see that she was breathing.
Her eyes were turned away from him and
he was glad of that. For another mo-
ment more. at least he need not read
the look in them For now. at last, he
was sure she understood. He himself
fixed his eyes upon the fire and waited
Since his own look seward this morn
ing he had had the hour he prayed for.
He had not spent it in thinking: in devils
ing phrases of consolation or futile illu-
sions OF hope. Anything like consecutive
thought had been impossible to him; and
not only impossible, unnecessary. He