The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1912-04-21


casualty occurred. Binu Charley had
dropped behind for time and Koogoo,
the Poonga-Poonga man who had
boosted that he would eat the bush
men, was in the lead. Joan and Shell
don heard the twanging thrum and
saw Koogoo throw out his arms, at
the same time dropping his rife, STUN
Bile forward and sink down on his
hands and knees. Between his naked
shoulders, low down and to the left,
appeared the bone barbed head of an
arrow. He had been shot through and
through. Cooked rifles swept the bush
with nervous apprehension, but there
was no rustic, no movement; nothing
but the humid. oppressive silence.
"Bushmen he no STOP" Binu Char
ley called out, the sound Of his voice
startling more than one Of them.
my word! Look m that fella," he
continued, brushing aside the leafy
wall of the runway, and exposing a
bow so massive that no one bushman
could have bent it.
The Binu man traced out the me-
chanics of the trap and exposed the
hidden fiber in the tangled under
growth that at contact with Koogoo's
foot had released the taut bow.
They were deep in the primeval for
est. Binu Charley took the lead as
they pushed on. and trap after trap
yielded its secret lurking place to his
keen scrutiny. The way was beset
with a thousand annoyances, chiefest
among which were thorns, cunningly
concealed, that penetrated the bare
feet of the invaders. Once, during
the afternoon, Binu Charley barely
missed being impaled in a staked pit
that undermined the trail. There were
times when all stood still and waited
for half an hour or more, while Binu
Charley prospected suspicious parts Of
the trail.
Where a slight runway entered the
main one Sheldon paused and asked
Binu Charley If he knew where it led.
PLENTY bush fella garden he stop
along there short way little bit" was
the answer "All right you like m go
1 81
cautioned q few minutes later. "Close
up, that fella garden. S'pose some
bush fella he stop. we catch m"
Creeping ahead and peering into the
clearing for a moment, Binu Charley
| beckoned Sheldon to come on cautious
| ly. Joan crouched beside him and to-
! gether they, peeped out On one edge
of the clearing was a small grass
house, open sided, a mere rain shell
| ter. In front Of 1t, crouched on his
hams before a fire, was gaunt and
| bearded bushman. The fire seemed to
smoke excessively, and in the thick of
the smoke a round dark object hung
suspended. The buShman seemed alb
sorbed in contemplation of this object.
Warning them not to shoot unless
the man was successfully escaping,
Sheldon beckoned the Poonga-Poonga
men forward. Before the bushman
could shoot hts swift enemies were
upon him. He was rolled over and
over and dragged to his feet, disarmed
and helpless.
"Why. he's an ancient Babyionian!'
Joan cried, regarding him. Hes an
Assyrian. a Phoenician! Look at that
straight nose. that narrow face, those
| high cheek bones and that slanting,
oval forehead and the beard and the
eyes too"
"And the snaky locks" Sheldon
laughed.
"My word, bush fella kai-kai along
that fella boy" Binu Charley remark
ed.
| So stolid was his manner Of utter
| ance that Joan turned carelessly to see
what had attracted his attention and
found herself face to face with Go
goomy. At least it was the head OF
/ Gogoomy-the dark object they had
seen hanging in the smoke.
Nor was Joan's horror lessened by
! the conduct of the Poonga-Poonga
boys. On the instant they recognized
| the head, and on the instant rose theiI
wild hearty laughter as they explained
to one another in shriIl faIsetto voices
Gogoomy's end was joke. He had
been foiled in his attempt to escape
He had played the game and lost. And