Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-07-11
THE SKY-MAN|
BY
Henry Kitchell Webster.
1911
Century

Copyright. 1909. 1910.
By the Success Company,

that short day had begun to fail they
the Walrus people-stayed gloating over
this strangely useless treasure.
For three days after that the man Ros-
day. when the little party assembled for
their midday meal. the eleven men of the
Walrus We're the only ones to answer
the summons. Capt. Fielding and his
two companions had disappeared.
Capt. Planck could not recall that meal
now without shuddering. for there at the
foot OF the table. opposite to him. had
sat the man Roscoe. with murder written
plain in every line OF his face He had
looked beast, rather than a man. that
day The stated blood lust in his eyes
made them positively terrifying. so that
the others shrank away from him. He
had seemed not to notice II. at least not
to take offense at IL. He was in hilarious
spirits for the first time since they had
known him: seemed really 10 try to be
a good companion.
Capt Planck abdicated his leadership
that day. He was perfectly conscious OF
the fact. He had known that to retain
the leadership he must take that muir
derer out and execute him. He knew
that IL he did not do this the murderer.
not he. would hereafter command the
! party. and that unless he himself yielded
the promptest obedience Of any. he would
| follow the luckless trio whom they were
never to see again.
From that day to this there had been
|
them with a decision and a turbulence
which put anything like INSTRUMENTATION
out of the question. He had been obeyed
| better than Capt. Planck ever had been.
| He had worked them fiercely all these
four years, cutting. everlastingly. at that
wonderful exhaustless golden ledge.
beating the friable ore out Of il with
heavy mauls. then laboriously conveying
the great, rude slabs Of pure metal on
rough sledges. over the perpetual ice OF
the glacier. to q cave near the shore.
where they had deposited il. There were
literally tons of it hidden there when the
smoke from the yachts funnel was flrst
seen on the horizon.
| The moment the news OF the approach
ing steamer was reported to Roscoe he
| mad entered upon what seemed to his
followers thoroughly irrational and in
eXplicable lire OF action. He had ordered
| them, first. to remove all signs OF recent
| habitation from the hut TO the cave
where their gold was concealed: then to
cover the cave mouth with a heap OF
| boulders, to secure IL against discovery.
Long before the strongest glass on the
| ship could have made out their moving
figures he took the whole party back 90
| the hills in hiding. He had kept them
from answering the halls and the gun.
| OF his authority without vouchsafing q
| word Of explanation.
The next day they had seen the search
ing party come ashore. and with their
/ IT perfectly easy to evade observation.
though nothing but the strong habit OF
| obedience kept them from counting il.
| Then, along in the afternoon. had hap
pened what seemed to them the strangest
thing Of all. They had seen a solitary
straggler from the searching party COM
ing alone across the ice. He could not
see them Ii would have been perfectly
| easy to evade him. but Roscoe now or
dered them to go down to him and tell
him who they were. and to offer to escort
him along the trail down the glacier.
And at certain point they were to lag
| behind and let him go on alone that
was all any Of them knew Of their lead
er's plans. till they saw the flying uart
and the smudge Of crimson on the snow.
| Now. at last, came Planck to the lead
er. asking the reason why. But his mis-
sioE. as it appeared. had not prospered.
For a long time Roscoe walked stead
lily on, until the two had come far up the
| glacier. Finally. when he did stop. he
| whirled quite around and stood confront
ing Planck. squarely in the middle OF q
narrow path between two deep assures
in the ice. His eyes were glittering
Inadvertently:
do you know any reason" he asked.
| in thick voice. why I don't pick you
up and drop you down one of those
| cracks there, or why l don't serve you
as l served that fellow yesterday"
| (To be continued tomorrow.)