Martinsburg statesman-democrat. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1906-1921, 1911-07-07

be worked, cutting the precious metal
out Of the rock. and with infinite labor
beating II pure
As the weeks and months dragged
along, this UNMARRIED routine more than
compensated for the solitude and the
terrors his superstition thrust upon
him. and gradually restored him 10 his
old normal. formidable. brutal self.
On the day when he made the discovery
that was to terminate the long series
of golden days which Jeanne and
Philip had been enjoying. he was.
again. the very man who, during those
long years of exile, had dominated
crew and captain OF the Walrus and
bent them TO his will,
He was returning from the ledge
along the crown of the glacier. when.
on the day of this discovery. he found
that his accustomed path was inter
rupted by new assure in the ice; II
had occurred since he had come that
way In the morning, and was too
broad to leap across. So he was forced
TO descend by the rougher and more
difficult track which lay along the
moraine
Before he had gone three PAGES
along this track his eve made out
something, Just OFF his patch and lit.
tie below it. which caused him at FIRST
to utter snarl of anger. but led him
the next moment TO give Wild bias.
phemous yell of Joy
The great assure which had opened
in the ice had done, in an instant,
what the party from the Aurora had
failed to do after hours Of hard labor
lit had yielded up the body Of Perry
Hunter, which, during all these
months. II had kept imprisoned.
Strapped across the dead mans
shoulders, just where he had carried
1t In life, was rifle and around his
middle belt full of cartridges.
The next instant Roscoe was bend
ing over the body. jerking savagely
at the frozen buckles which resisted
his impatient fingers But they were
not to be denied. If they were clum-
sy the hands were strong
1t was not five minutes later when
hDStOc, Ilbt anu DtIt IN
his hands. was hurrying on toward his
cave once more. The body lay Just
where his desecrating hands had left
It,
The rife was uninjured that he had
seen at a glance. though of course,
all the mechanism of its breech was
frozen fast But a half hours hard
work with cleaning rod and rags of
what once had been shirt. suffced
to put 1t into commission again.
Then, with the rifle over his shoul.
der. he staggered out Of the cave.
With his first glance abroad. he
started His devil was being kind to
him today There could be no doubt
of that. Only. was he being too kind
Roscoe wondered little uneasily
For. shambling along the ice, through
the thickening twilight, not 100 PAGES
away, was big bear. Roscoe was
tired of walrus meat. The thought OF
bear steak made his mouth water.
Three years disuse. however, had
made his craftsmanship somewhat
uncertain. He fired too soon, and
though he did not miss, the only eff
feet his shot had was to make the
bear turn about and go stumbling
down the glacier toward the beach,
with ungainly haste. Roscoe hurried
after him, and fired two more shots.
Whether they hit or not. he could not
tell Certainly they did not serve to
check the bears fight. The next mo-
ment he had rounded the corner OF
the cliff and disappeared down the
beach in the direction of the hut.
Roscoe hesitated, but only for
moment then, with an oath, he set
out in pursuit 1t was not so much
the protection which the rife afforded
him that was responsible for this new
courage as it was that the mere feel
of it in his hands brought him back
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