The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1912-01-25

When. after q period of tau'Ili
twilight. the sun again came larry
over the horizon they besougft their
commander. with savage sort OF
eagerncss from which he might have
augured III. that he take them at
once TO the ledge. They had caught
sight OF II from distance. even az
Csyiey had done. hung IN the air
above the valley. and had run reck-
lessly on ahead OF their leader when
he came up 20 them. he found them
dangerously excited. the man Roscos
fairly dazed and drunken with 1t
Finally Fielding had ieft them To
their own devices, and came away
with nj. two companions. And until
the light of that short day had begun
to fail. they the Walrus people
stayed. sioatins over this strangely
useless treasure.
For three days after that the man
Roscoe never spoke word On the
fourth day. when tho little party as-
sembled for their mid day meal. the II
men Of the Walrus were the only
ones to answer the summons Cap.
tain Fielding and his two companions
had disappeared.
Captain Plhnck could not recall that
meal now without shuddering. for
there at the foot of the table. oppo
site to him. had sat the man Rose oe,
with murder written plain In every
line Of his face. He had looked a
beast. rather than q man. that day.
The stated blood lust In his eyes made
them positively terrifying. 90 TINT thu
others Ehrank away from him tie
had seemed not TO notice Il. n, least
not to take oYense at H. tie was In
hilarious spirits for the arst tins
since they had known him. seemed
really to try TO be a good companion.
Captain Planck Abiicated hia lead
ershtp that day. lie was perfectly
conscious OF the fact lie had known
that To retain tho leadership he must
take that murderer out and erecuts
him. He knew that II he did not do
this. the murderer. not he. would here
after command the party. and that
unless he himself yielded the prompt
est obedience OF any. he would follow
the luckless trio whom they wsrs
never to see again.
From that day 10 this there had
been no more murders. Roscoe had
ruled them with decision and a
turbulence which put anything like
characterization out OF the question.
He had been obeyed better than Cap.
tain Planck ever had been PIE had
worked them fercely all those four
years, cutting everlastingiy. at that
wonderful. exhautiess golden ledge.
beating the friabie ore out OF II with
heavy mAuls. then. Laboriously, con.
veylns the great rude slabs uf pure
metal on rough siedges over the per.
petlIal tee of the glacier to n cave
near the shore. where they bad de-
posited e. There were literally tons
OF II hidden there when the smoke
from the yachts funnel was Grst secn
on the horizon.
The moment the news OF the ap-
preaching steamer was reported To
Roscoe. he had entered upon what
seemed to his followers a thoroughly
irrational and inexplicable Iipe OF &C.
ton. He had ordered them. frat. to
remove all signs OF recent habitatio1
from the hut to the cave where their
gold was concealed: then. to cover tho
cave mouth with heap o. bouldeTs.
to secure II against discovery.
Long before the strongest glass ON
the ship could have made out their
moving figures. he took the whole
party back to the hills In hiding lie
had kept them from answering the
halls and the gun-ire from the yacht
by the sheer weight OF his authority.
without youchsafinE a word of expla-
nation.
The neIt day they had seen H.
searching party come ashore. and
their knowledge of the lay OF tfs
land found II perfectly easy to evads
observation. though nothing but the
strong habit OF obedience kept them
from counting Il.
Then. along In the afternoon, had
happened what seemed to them the
strangest thing of all They had seea
solitary straggler from the search.
Ing party coming along across the
Ice. He could rot see them. II would
have been perfectly easy to eyads
him. but Roscoe now ordered them
to 10 down to him and tell him who
they were. and b offer to escort him
along the trail down the glacier. And
at a certain point they were to lag
behind and let him go on alone That
was all any OF them knew OF their
leaders plans. til they saw the flying
dart and the smudge of crimson on
the snow
Now. at last. came Pianck TO tho
leader. asking the reason why. Bat
his mission. al It appeared. had not