Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1912-01-30
Adventure
A Romance Of
The South Seas
BY
JACK LONDON
Copyrsht. 1910. b. Strest q Smith
Copyritht. 1911. By the Macniiiaa coapAa1

thing In the morning."
We'll start" she corrected. II car
get twice as much out Of my Tahitianf
as You can. and. besides, one white
should never be alone under such cir
cumstances."
Sheldon sent for gang boss and
told him to bring ten of the biggest
best and strongest Poonga- -Poonga
men.
"Not salt water boys" Sheldon eau
toned. "but bush boys-leg belong him
strong felIa leg. Boy no savvee mus
ket. no good You bring m shoot
musket strong fella."
They were ten picked men that filed
up on the veranda and stood In the
glare Of the lanterns. Their heavy
muscular legs advertised that they
were brShmen. L Hing WIS their nat.
ural vocation, nc! weed cutting; and
while they would not have ventured
the Guadalcauar bush alone, with a
white man like Sheldon behind them,
and a white Mary such as they knew
Joan to be, they could expect safe
md delightful time. Besides, the great
master had told them that the eight
gigantic Tahitians we're going along.
PLENTY strong fella fight" Sheldon
warned them In conclusion.
They grinned and shifted delighted
ly.
"S'pose bushmen kai-kai along you3 p
he queried.
mo fear" answered their spokes-
man, one Koogoo. a strapping, thick
Tipped Ethiopian looking man. "Spose
Poonga- -Poonga boy kai-kai bush boyr
Sheldon shook his head, laughing,
and dismissed them and went to over
haul the dunnage room for small
shelter tent for Joan's use.
It was quite a formidable expedi-
ton that departed from Berande at
break Of day next morning In a feet
Of canoes and dingeys. There were
Joan and Sheldon, with Binu Charley
and Lalaperu, the eight Tahitians and
the ten PoOnga-P -POonga men, each
proud in the possession Of bright and
shining modern rifle.
Binu Charley led the way onward
into the rolling foothills, following the
trail made by Tudor and his men
weeks before. That night they camp
ed well into the hills and deep In the
tropic jungle. The third day found
them on the runways Of the bushmen
narrow paths that compelled single
file and that turned and twisted with
endless convolutions through the dense
underground.
Here, In the midmorning. the first
casualty occurred. Binu Charley had
dropped behind for a time and Koogoo.
the Poonga-P -Poonga man who had
boasted 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 rifle, stum-
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 Ut 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 leary
wall Of the runway, and exposing u
bow 80 massive that no one bushmaD
could have bent 1t.
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 d 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 staked pit
that undermined the trail. There were
times when all stood still and waited
for half nm hour or more. while Binu
Charley prospected suspicious parts OF
the trail.
Where Il slight runway entered the
main one Sheldon paused and asked
Binu Charley II he knew where 1t led.
PLENTY bush fella garden he stop
along there short way little bit" was
the answer. "All right you like IN 60
look I'M along. Walk m easy" lie
cautioned 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 Chariey
beckoned Sheldon to come on cautious
". Joan crouched beside him and TO-
gether they peeped out. On one edge
Of the clearing was small grass
house, open sided, mere rain smell
ter. In front of 1t, crouched on his
hams before fire. was a 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 aD-
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 his swift enemies were
upon him. He was rolled over and
over and dragged to his feet. disarmed
and helpless.
"W.hy. hes an ancient Babylonian?
Joan cried. regs .ding him. Hes an
Assyrian, 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 zee