The Irish standard., 1911-07-29

poA ~ Ae1S ISL Jul AiOM IAo y0SAtS
Have they been long ashore?"
"They set out only little after sum
rise. We came into the bay with the
last of yesterdays twilight and tho
sight of those huts, at the edge Of the
shore" her voice faltered little,
nearly made us hope that the impos.
sible might prove true. We fired our
signal cannon two or three times and
then sent up some rockets, without
getting any answer. 1t was too late
to go ashore in the dark; SO we had
to wait a few hours for another sun
rise. The few of us who were left
on the yacht expected them back to-
day before dark fell. But suppose
there's nothing to worry about in
their not coming. They went equipped
to pass a night ashore, If necessary.
You don't advise me to begin worry.
Ing about them, do you?"
He did not answer her question. He
was recalling something which his
amazing meeting with the girl out
while, put quite out of his mind-the
weird. silent tragedy he had seen en-
acted few hours before upon tho
glacier behind the headland. The
victim. the man in tho leather coat,
must have been one of the party from
the yacht; but it was impossible that
the little band OF his murderers could
be. No one freshly landed from the
yacht would have been dressed az
they were, or would have been armed
with darts.
With no better look at them than
had been possible to him as he hung
above their heads, he had been con-
vinced that they were white; certain
~, the leather-coated man had boen
talking to them, freely enough, in
English. And yet, If white. they must
have been refugees-survivors, II not
Of Captain Felding's Inflated expedi-
ton, then of some other, tragic, unro.
ported ship wreck
But II they were white men-refu.
gees. why had they ned from their
hut at sight of the yacht which came
bringing rescue? Why had they
driven that one luckless member Of
the rescuing party who fell in with
them, into that carefully prepared am
bush, and then murdered him, silent.
ly? Even Eskimos would not have
done a thing like that
His long silence had alarmed the
girl, and presently, perceiving that
this was SO, he drew himself up with
Rn affected start. Il beg your par.
don, drifted of. thinking Of some
Thing else. Living In the sky doesn't
seem conducive to good manners. No,
don't believe there is anything to
worry about. Any way. as soon as
light comes back. which won't be
long now, l can set at rest any fears
you may have. III go and find your
party, and I'll search the land, too
Tor anything else that may be there.
And then I'll bring. you word"
you are very good" she said with
little hesitation, "but I can't let
Tou-"
! He interrupted her with laugh
It's nothing difficult that l am pro-
F.! posing to do for you, you know"
That's true. had forgotten your
wings. The rocks, the ice. the steep
places, that mean SO tragically much
70 them, are nothing at all to you. But
what are you doing now? Even you
ean't find them in the dark"
He had already begun unstrapping
the bundle he had made of his wings,
md seemed to be preparing for i'm.
mediate flight. That was what caused
her question.
mo-" he said: II shall wait for sun.
hse."
But why not here, on the yacht7
We can give you comfortable bed
there; better, certainly, than that
, sleeping bag Of yours"
u am afraid" he said, that what
Tou call comfortable bod in yachts
.abin would be the surest instrument
That could be found for keeping mo
awake all night. No, shall find
pheltered hollow up at the top of that
headland yonder where l shall sleep
leeply enough, you may be sure"
! She watched him. silently, while he
slipped the steel-jointed rods into
,, place, drew the catgut bow strings
/ laut, until they sang-until the fabric
bf his planes Skinned in the starlight
--quivered, as II they were instinct
with life Of their own.
A sense of the unreality Of 1t all
came yelling up strongly within her,
md touch of an almost forgotten
fear Of him.
Good night" she said, holding cut
her hand-"goodby."
IT'LL morning" he answered.
A little breeze came blowing across
the Ice Just then. He dropped her
band quickly. slipped his arms into
their places in the frame. mounted the
ledge Of Ice, and then with short
run, sprang forward into the breeze.
! She saw his planes bend little,
undulate, rather, with sort of scull.
Ing motion. as no few forward, not
far above the level of her head He
dipped down again as soon as he had
! open water beneath him, and almost
SKINNED the surface OF It, Them
! opoaA hn hootor vn~,,,%io~