The Washington times., 1912-08-02
THH TIMES DAILY sERIAL STORY
INTOTHE PRIMITIVE
ROBERT AMEs BENNETT


tound -nerself accepting the most unc0n-
quence of the situation. s,T.s
She was feverishly eager for any
thing that might occupy her thoughts.
for she felt that to brood over the
thought OF the possibilities of the COM
ing days was far too terrifying to be
calmly dwelt upon.
Though so slight, there had been some
could rely upon winthrope. But now
she was left alone with her doubts ana
fears. Even IL she had nothing to fear
from Blake, there were all the savage
far worse, the fever.
Meantime, Blake went about his share
Of the camp work gruff and sullen, but
with his usual substantial results. He
brought load after load of fresh cocoa
the deliciously favored eggs of the fri
gate birds to tempt Winthrope's fall
ing appetite.
When Miss Leslie suggested that beef
Juice would be much better for the in
valid than broth, he went out imrne-
diately in search of q gum bearing tree,
and that night, after heating small
quantity OF, gum in the cigarette case
with the added poison, he spent hours
replacing his arrow-heads with small
harbed tips that could be loosened from
their sockets by a slight pull.
A little before dawn he dipped two Of
tents Of the cigarette case. fitted them
carefully to their shafts, and stole away
down the cleft. ..
Daybreak found him crouched low in
pool ran out into the plain along its
little channel In the first gray dawn
he could see large forms moving away
from him. Then came the flood of GRIM
figures were a drove of huge eland.
His eyes flashed with eagerness 1t
was long shot, but he knew that no
more was required Of him than to pierce
body. He put his fingers between his
teeth and sent out a piercing whistle.
1t was trick he had tried more than
once on deer and .prong-horn antelope.
swung half around, their ox-iike sides
presenting a mark hard to miss
He rose and shot as they were Wheel
ing to fly. Before he could fit his sec
ond arrow to the string the whole herd
He lowered his bow and walked after
the animals, smiling with grim antici-
patton. He had seen his arrow strike
against the side Of the young bull at
which he had aimed.
A little beyond where the bull had
stood he came upon the headless shaft
| of his arrow. AS he stopped and caught
| 1t up he saw one Of the fleeing animals
fall.
When he came up with the dead bull
| his first act was to recover his arrow
tip and out out the flesh around the
| wound. Provided only with his weak
bladed knife, he found It no easy task
he had now acquired considerable dex-
terity in the art, noon had passed be-
fore he brought the first load Of meat
UP the cleft.
| So great was the abundance Of meat
that Blake worked all the remainder of
| the day and all night stringing the flesh
on the curing racks, and Miss Leslie
| tried out pan after pan of fat and tai
low. until every spare vessel was filled
| and she had to resort to q hollow in the
rock beside the spring.
| Blake promised to make more pots as
soon as he could fetch the clay, but he
had first to dress the Gland hide and
prepare anew stock of thread and cord
from parts Of the animal, which he was
careful not to show Miss Leslie in their
natural state.
Whatever their concern for the future
and even Blake's was keen and bitter
the party, as party. for the time be-
ing might have been considered ex-
| tremely fortunate. They had a shelter
void beasts. an abundance of nutritious
food and as material for clothing the
hides Of the bushbuck. hyena and eland.
To obtain more skins and more meat
Blake now knew would be a simple mat
ter so long as he had enough poison
left in the cigarette case to moisten the
tips of his arrows.
Even Winthrope's relapse proved FAR
less serious than might reasonably have
been expected. The fever soon left him,
and within a few days he regained
strength enough to care for himself.
Here, however, much to Blake's per-
plexity and concern, his progress seemed
to stop. and all Blake's urging could dc
no more than cause him to move Ian.
guidly from one shady spot to another
He would receive Blake's orders with q
smile and q drawlinK "Ya-as, to be
sure!-and would then absolutely ig'
more the matter.
| Only in two ways did the invalid ex,
and would eat with a heartiness little
short Of that SHOWN by Blake, and M
would insist upon seeking opportunitie,
to press his attentions upon Miss Les
lie. He was careful to avoid all often
sive remarks. yet the veriest common
place from his lips was now an offens'
While he needed her as nurse she hat
endured his talk as part of her duty
But now she felt that she could NJ
longer do 30. Taking advantage Of {
time when the Englishman was, as sh'
down near the barricade. she went L
meet Blake, who had been up on th'
cliff for eggs.
,"Helio!'' he sang out, as he swunt
down the tree, one hand gripping tn
clay pot in which he had gathered th'
SUM- Get into the shade
She stepped into the shade and waite,
until he had climbed down the pile o
stones which he had built for steps a
, the foot of the tree.
A Continuatio of This Story vii
Be Found In IOmOrrOw's
Issue of The Times.