The Irish standard., 1911-09-16

"AAAo was 8oCtlnS clear Of my planes.
Yes, that was his chance, and yet he
waited. After we had gone. he ap-
parently scaled the cliff, for his tracks
led right up to it, and then disap-
peared. It's not quite SO precipitously
steep there as 1t is here. but / would
hardly have dreamed that human
being could climb it"
He's afraid" said Jeanne after q
little thoughtful silence, simply
afraid. But If he's the man we think
he is. 1t wouldn't be human fear. It
must be superstitious in some way. It
wouldn't be wonderful If he felt that,
after the two glimpses he had of you.
I remember how I felt at first when
you alighted on the foe beside me.
He's seen you twice, remember. The
first time at night in the fog; the
second time in broad day, with the
sun on your wings. No, 1t isn't
strange II he thinks q you, not as q
man at all, but as sort of terrible
angel keeping guard over me. When
/ 80 very long without seeing you, or
when ! see you in flight, get to think
Ing Of you in that way myself"
If that's the way he thinks of me-"
said Cayley, we'll try not to disabuse
him. A belief like that is an item on
our side of the ledger, certainly. And
We haven't any such balance in our
favor that we can afford to throw an
advantage away, even q small one."
Really the balance Of advantage be-
tween them and their enemy was
amazingly even. They had the hut,
the enemy the stores. They had Cap
tain Fieldins's Journal, their enemy
the experience and practical knowl-
edge Of the country. They were two.
with but a single weapon between
them. Their enemy, for aught they
knew, might be one or half dozen;
and how armed, they did not know.
Fortunately, no prophetic vision en-
abled them to anticipate, on that first
evening, the length of time that that
precarious life and death balance
would maintain itself. They had
agreed, Philip and Jeanne, that the
only thing to do was to wait and to
maintain an unwinking vigilance. But
both Of them thought Of the duration
Of this wait in terms of hours, or, at
most, days. Had they foreseen that
1t would stretch itself out into weeks
and months. they might well have des-
paired.
There were two things that kept
them from succumbing to despair
The first was that they never really
permitted themselves to hope, to in
dulge in any thoughts of summers
day when their horizon should be cut
by the spars and tunnels of a ship
bringing relief. They were simply
going to live one day at time. For
every day that they could snatch out
Of the hand Of death, they would give
thanks. 1t was the only attitude pos
sible for people in their condition.
And the thing that helped them to
maintain 1t was the abundance of nee
essary routine occupation. They d.
vided their day into watches. Cayley
slept from four o'clock in the after.
noon until midnight and then kept
watch alone. as the girl had done, un
I'll, eight During that period they re-
NAMED inside the hut. The day, from
eight until four, they spent out OF
doors. when the condition of the
weather made this possible, either at
work or merely trampin8 up and down
for exercise. ..
At first there was good deal OF
work to do. Tearing down the sheds
which clustered about the hut, and
reducing their frames and plankins
to fire-wood was an arduous task, but
he worked at 1t until it was done,
Jeanne standing sentinel all the time.
When 1t was done, they were prac.
tically secure against surprise, for
from their windows, with the aid of q
field-glass which Cayley had found
in the observatory, they were able to
sweep the whole beach absolutely
clean, in both directions.
And almost every day while the
light lasted, with Jeanne, armed with
tho revolver, keeping watch before the
hut, Cayley took TO his wings and
patrolled the beach, from the glacier
to the promontory, high up above the
level Of the crest Of the cliff His
flight was always along the same
track. He never winged his way in.
land nor out to sea.
There were two reasons for this
He dared not go SO far away from
Jeanne that flash and a swoop would
not bring him to her side. The other
reason was, that If superstitious fear
Of this great man.bird were really
what deferred their enemy from at
lacking them, 1t was well to let him
believe that immunity from this Dor
tent could be secured by keeping
away from this particular stretch OF
beach.
AS the shortening days sped by and
began to get themselves reckoned into
weeks, the conviction grew upon
Philip and Jeanne that their securest
protection lay in his wings, in the
terrorizing effect upon their invisible,
silent enemy Of the majestic winged