Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-04-20
CHAPTER II.
The Hut in the Palms: Dawn.

The Hut in the Palms: Dawn.
Before David knew that he had slept
| sudden pain woke him. Hard fingers dug
into his throat. and heavy, naked body
struggled to pin him fiat in the bottom
Of the boat. Shaggy hair brushed his
face. Some one grunted. hand was
worming under his shoulders to reach the
spear blades.
David heaved upward against the lv-
ing weight. 1t forced him down again.
The rings of his windpipe seemed broken
In that grip. With the last of his strength
he caught one sinewy finger. bent it back
till it snapped, tore his throat loose, and,
wrenching every muscle IN one fierce re-
bound, sat up and flung off his painting
assailant.
1t was not yet dawn. In a rolled. aQue-
Gus light Daviu saw the head hunter rise
| crawl. aft and crouch behind the pale
steersman. He could almost see the two
men watching him with steady malignity.
| and could hear them mutter,. discussing
earnestly but secretly.
From them, and from the long. Sin-
mering strip on the eastern line, David
turned suddenly, aware Of a deep sound
rushing along to starboard both far and
| near. Close at hand the black ocean
broke in running line of low surf. spec
traIly white In this last hour of darkness
1t was a coral reef. Beyond it-as over
| r;all of SNOWMAN a dark, ragged fringe
of land, so near that even in the gloom
David could descry. vaguely. the topmost
points and tatters Of palm groves.
He gave a start. for through gap in
the shifting barrier of spray feeble light
wavered, uncertain as the first star at
evening He lost the CLEAN, watched for
it, and either caught it once more or had
strained his eyes into seeing what he so
powerfully desired
Turning toward his two enemies he
made signs, vehement and unmistakable.
that they should head the boat into the
gap For answer the pale man laughed
| as cool and scornful as ever. and with
strong, graceful sweep Of his arm. plainly
declared that no boat could pass the long
barrier of the surf.
But David was not to be denied. He
was sick of his company; he cared moth
ing for the risk to them or to their boat;
and the nearness of the beach. so instant
and unheralded, gave him great num-
ger for the land. He would set foot on
that lighted coast, though the light came
from q cannibal campfire.
Wont you!' he cried. Il will for
you!''
He wrested the paddle from the steers
man. and, fighting against strong tide
swung the nose OF the banca toward the
gap. In the darkness and twisting cur
rent it was touch and go: but the slender
waves, at last shot through the narrow
gate, just as a shower of flying drops
drenched her from stem to stern. as If In
raging disappointment. With final heave
and downward slant she ran smoothly
into still water.
David let her run and peered ahead. A
little bay, q deep semi-circle, lay quiet as
lagoon, strange. dreamy and placid be-
hind the laundering breakers. Now there
was no mistake-a light, yelled yet ruddy,
| showed in the low blackness of the shore
like the spread embers of a dying fire.
Suddenly. in delight. he slapped his bare
thigh. Somewhere near the fire. through
the far-spread. hushing tumult- of the
was no whining pariah who scented them,
but good, valiant. little terrier.
"a white mans dog!"' cried David, in
jubilation. white mans and no mistake!
wherever You like. Here's where l get
out
He sounded with his paddle. which
brought up in hard sand with half the
blade to spare. F'linging overheard the
loose bundle Of iron points, he tucked the
head hunters spear under his arm. low
cred both legs into the cool water. strad-
died the outrigger. and began to wade to-
ward the light and the friendly barking.
When, after a few steps, he looked
back, the two men had turned the banca
and were padding. half-distinsuishab
shapes. toward broader gap. which lay,
pale and smooth to the southeast. For
a moment he stared after them.
"Of all the unaccOuntable blackguards.
he wondered. Why, among the mad things
they had done, should they have Srumbled
when he slid overheard? They seemed,
he thought, "as anxious to have me stay
as they were before to get rid of me-
He would never know why. for the
banca, a thin blade Of intenser shadow.
moved steadily off toward the ring of
foam that slowly frightened against the
east.
Inshore. as he turned again and waded,
the night still lay black. Though only
knee deep. he was much farther from the
beach than he had thought Step after
step brought him no nearer to dry ground,
apparently, except that he could hear the
ba rking dog moro plainly. could see a bent
bow OF coral sand curve like a gray arc
drawn in misty phosphorus under the
black land. The light still yelled. lay
scattered and trembling before him, as on
a forest pool. But this gradually shrank
and receded: the oily. rancid smell of de-
caying cocoanuts stole out to his nostrils;
and, at last. his wet feet caked with sand,
he strobe up the half-luminous coral
beach toward a grove profoundly black
and silent.
Some small white thing darted, shifting
about his legs. He stopped.
Eli little dog. he chuckled. a fox
terrier rubbed it's cold, sharp nose along
his shin, submitting to be petted. Hi.
little dog from home! Where's your mas
ter?''
The terrier capered about him. with
drew coyly. yelped and capered again. to
beckon him toward the light Together
the man and the dog climbed low bank,
and. In the sudden chill of land mist. en-
tered labyrinth Of palm trunks.
The light. David now saw. came rudy.
through a kind Of coarse mesh. as Goals
might glow inside a great basket. After
stumbling toward 1t among the bewilder-
ing palms, he saw that it shone in tiny
points OF dull red through the plated
bamboo walls Of a house.
Doors and windows were shut home,
screened by the same woven splints. por
Gus to the light. The whole interior OF a
room appeared in dim transparency, with
black objects (Whether of furniture Or
squatting men. David could not telD strik
ing through in broken outlines.
He leaned on his spear and called aloud.
Halo! I say. Inside there!'
There was neither stir nor speech in the
lighted house. The terrier frisked up TO
the threshold whined and waited Again
David called. but Only reused a bat. which
f1uttered across the dim radiance and up
into the lofty darkness of the grove.
Whoever lived in that house was a heavy
sleeper.
The black figures remained motionless.