Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-04-19

struck out. to escape the vertigo Of space
Then, through the slow drift Of hours.
range Of sight. Her path began to glim-
mer on the glossy, heaving surface ahead
The long mist of western mountains
gradually took on edge, and blackness
and substance.
~ can't make EN-" He thought vague
ly. and with effort: for the growing chill.
and the dull pain of WEAKNESS which
clogged his muscles now began to steal
through his brain. ....
How long. do you SUPPOSE" he asked
buoyancy. The path Of the moon faded
Over the fat void settled a pale smoke
! pink and gray. He noted the changes
with profound apathy. wondering only II
he should be afioat at sunrise.
All at once he spun bolt upright, tread
ing water so hard as to lift himself out,
breast-high.
"Anito!'' said cultural voice, close by
"Anito!''
The sound ran through him like a fiery
shock. for the voice had spoken almost
in his ear, out of the lonely mist
A long, slim, black shape bore down
slowly from the right. 1t focused as the
body, mast and outriggers of q sailing
banca. in the stern Of which huddled the
figures OF two men.
Alloy! Hornbre!'' called David, sud-
denly limp and sick at the vision of this
godsend Finding no words but English.
he waved his hand. Two faces peered
at him through the obscurity-gray faces.
strangely drawn and pucl.ered. The
hard, shrewd eyes met his. and stared
large and wild. in the milky light of the
sea dawn.
onea feeby ne eFeH ea sisuei anu Deck
The paler of the two men laughed soft.
| ly. Neither stirred. The slender boat
continued to drift by.
Spent as he was, and bitter cold to the
sudden anger. Cleaving the water with
a powerful overland stroke. he raced ur
the low, smooth slope OF the intervening
! swell. dove beneath the outrigger and.
spluttering, rose to clutch the heavy gl.:
vale. Still blind with salt. he saw DIM
ly. in amazement. a scowling bronze face
and a shock of long, yellow hair below
some uplifted weapon. With sob Of
rage, he contrived to grip one bare ankle
and to jerk. A brown, tattooed body
fell splashing over the opposite gunwale,
in the same instant that he hoisted him.
self on board, picked up the fallen spear
and held It ready.
The paler man, still squatting aft. made
no effort to help or hinder. Naked. slim,
yet beautifully muscular, he smiled with
keen, cynical brown eyes, and waved his
shapefy hand in a sign rather of COM
mand than Of surrender. In the luminous
mist his body shone light-golden, his face
stood forth bold and suave, barbaric and
cruelty sophisticated. His hair. the
coarse black hair of Asia, was cropped
in the fashion of Europe.
You speak English" said David conf
IDENTIFY.
The fellow eyed him without blinking.
and again, impatiently yet gracefully,
signaled for him to drop the spear.
The man who had tOppled overheard
now. reared his strange blonde head at
the stern. and, climbing in. crouched be-
| hind his master, over whose shoulder he
peered with frightened. savage face.
| shoulders there spread In greenish-blue
tattooing. like a pair OF ferns dropping
asunder, the Bontoc chak-lag which
marks him who has taken human head
"Anito!'' he mumbled, shaking his yell
low mop, and staring at the white man
| from the sea.
..Anito? No. am not ghost" said
David. in such fragments as he could re-
call Of the northern hillmen's speech.
"What are you doing so tar south %
shoulder murmured to the bronze head
hunter. Then both. as though agreed.
suIlenly watched the intruder. Whether
or not they had understood. they were
plainly determined not to speak. And,
at last, all words proving useless. David
lay back, exhausted yet. wary. third
partner in the hostile silence.
Tropic day came quickly. The red sun
snapped the taut line of the eastern sea.
the banca thin vapors drifted westward !:
and from the wet. feverous green OF
island heights In the west. long gray
sunoke above rine-pits. Soon It was
heoad morning, and hest quivered round