The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1911-10-13
Adventure
A Romance of The South Seas
BY JACK LONDON
Copyright. 1910. by Street 6 Smith Copyright. 1911. by the Macmillan Compan


 caught and was even then at the gate. He was brought in, heavy featured and defiant, his arms bound with CO coanut sennit, the dry blood still on his body from the struggle with his captors.
 "Me savvee you good fella, Seelee," Sheldon said. as the chief gulped down quarter tumbler of raw trade gin. "Fella boy belong me you catch short time little bit. This fella boy strong fella too much. I give you fella one case tObacco-my word, one case to- bacco. Then, you good fella along me, I give you three fathom calico. one fella knife big fella too much.''
 The tobacco and trade goods were brought from the store room by two house boys and turned over to the chief of Balesuna village, who accept ed the additional reward with a non- committal grunt and went away down the path to his canoes. Under Shel- don's directions, the house boys hand. cuffed the prisoner, by hands and feet, around one of the pile supports of the house. At eleven o'clock, when the laborers came in from the field, Shel- don had them assembled in the com pound before the veranda. Every able man was there, including those who were helping about the hospital Even the women and the several pickanin- nies of the plantation were lined up with the rest, two deep-a horde of naked SavageS a trif1e under two hun- dred strong. Some wore penkniveS clasped on their kinky locks for safety. On the chest of one a china doorknob was suspended, on the chest of another the brass wheel of an alarm clock.
 Facing them, clinging to the railing of the veranda for support, stood the sick white tman.. Any one of them could have knocked him over with the blow of little finger. Despite his firearms, the gang could have rushed him and delivered that blow, when his head and the plantation would have been theirs. Hatred and murder and lust for revenge they possessed to overfiowing. But one thing they lacked, the thing that he possessed. the flame of mastery that would not quench, that burned fiercely as ever in the disease wasted body.
 ''Narada! Billy!' Sheldon called sharply.
 Two men slunk unwillingly forward and waited.
 Sheldon gave the keys of the hand -, the house and loosed the prisoner.
 You fella Narada, you fella Billy, take um this fella boysalong tree and make fast, hands high up," was Shel- don's command.
 While this was being done one of the house boys fetched a heavy han dled, heavy dashed whip. Sheldon be- gan a speech.
 ''This fella Arunga, me cross along him too much. I no steal this fella Arunga I no gammon. I say, All right, you come along me Berande, work three fella year He say, All right, me come along you work three fella year He come. He catch plenty good fella kai .kai (fooO plenty good fella money. What name he run away? Me too much cross along him. 1 knock what name outa him fella I pay Seelee, big fella master along Balesuna, one case tobacco catch that fella. Arunga. All right Arunga pay that fella case tobacco. Six pounds that fella Arunga pay, Ale same one year more that fella Arunga work Berande All right. Now he catch ten fella whip three times. You fella Billy catch whip, give that fella Arunga ten, fella three times. All fella boys look see, all fella Marys fwomen) look see; bime bye, they like run away they ! think strong fella too much, no run away. Billy, strong fella too much ten fella three times"
 The house boy extended the whip to him, but Billy did not take it. Shel- don waited quietly. The eyes of all the cannibals were fixed upon him in doubt and fear and eagerness. It lone white man was to live or be lost.
 '.Ten fella three times, Billy Shel- don said encouragingly, though there was a certain metallic rasp in his voice.
 Billy scowled, looked up and looked down, but did not move
 "Billyp'
 Sheldon's voice exploded like pistol shot The savage startled physically. Gins overspread the grotesque feat ures of the audience, and there was a sound of tittering.