The Mena weekly star. (Mena, Ark.) 1904-1977, 1912-02-22

Vaders. AT Sheldon's command the
Tahitians and poonga- Poonga men got
into action with their rifles The spears
and arrows ceased. the last bushmen
disappeared. and the fight was over al.
most as soon as 1t had begun On their
own side no one had been hurt while
half dozen bushnen had been killed.
Poor brutes.' Joan said. They act
only according to their natures. To
eat their kind and take heads is good
morality for them"
But they should be taught not to
take white mems heads" Sheldon ar
gued.
She nodded approval and said: IF
we find one head wen burn the VIII
lage- Hey, you, Charleyl What fella
place head he stopT'
Spose he stop along devi-devi
house.. was the answer. THAT Big
fella house, he devil-devil"
II was the largest house In the vii
age. Into 1t they went. Crouched be-
fore slow smoking fire, In the Uttered
ashes Of thousand fires, was an old
man who blinked alphabetically at the
invaders His task. it seemed, was to
tend the fire, and, hung in the smoke,
they found the object Of their search.
Joan turned and stumbled out hastily.
deathly sick, Keeling into the sunshine
and clutching at the air for support.
See If all are there" she called back
faintly and tottered aimlessly on for
few steps. breathing the air In great
drafts and trying to forget the sight
she had seen.
Upon Sheldon fell the unpleasant
task Of tallying the heads. They were
all there, nine OF them, white mems
heads. the faces Of which he had been
familiar with when their owners had
camped in Berande compound and set
up the polling boats. Binu Charley,
hugely interested, lent a hand. turn
Ing the heads around for Identification.
noting the Ratchet strokes and remark
ing the distorted expressions.
Other heads. thoroughly sun driea
and smoke cured. were found In album
dance. but. with two exceptions. they
were the heads of blacks.
Me savvee black Mary. me savvee
white Mary" quoth Binu Charley.
Me no savvee that fella Mary. What
name belong him?"
Sheldon looked. Ancient and with
cred, blackened by many years OF the
smoke of the devil-devil house, never
theless the shrunken. mummylike face
was Enthusiastically Chinese. How ii
had come there was the mystery. It
was woman's head. and he had never
heard of a Chinese woman in the his
tory of the Solomons From the ears
hung two inch long earrings, and at
Sheldon's direction the Binu man
rubbed away the accretions of smoke
and dirt and from under his fingers
appeared the polished green OF jade.
the sheen of pearl and the warm red
OF oriental gold The other head,
equally ancient, was white mans.
and Sheldon wondered what forgotten
beche-der-mes fisherman or sandaIwood
trader had gone to furnish that ghast-
ly trophy.
Telling Binu Charley 10 remove the
earrings and directing the Poonga-
Poonga men to carry out the old fire
tender. sheldon cleared the devil-de
house and set fire TO It. Soon every
house was blazing merrily. while the
ancient FIRE tender sat upright in the
sunshine. blinking at the destruction
of his village. Every member Of Tu-
doris expedition was accounted for.
and it was a long. dark way out OF the
head hunters country Releasing their
two prisoners. who leaped away like
startled deer. they plunged down the
steep path into the steaming jungle
That night found them back In camp
with Tudor. and at high noon Of the
third day. travelling with the current
and shooting the rapids, the expedi-
ton arrived at Berande. Joan. with
sigh, unbuckled her revolver belt and
hung It on the nail In the living room,
while Sheldon, who had been lurking
about for the sheer Joy of seeing her
perform that particular Homecoming
act, sighed, too, with satisfaction. But
the homecoming was not all JOY TO
him. for Joan set about nursing Tudor
and spent much time on the veranda
when he lay IN the hammock under the
mosquito netting.
The ten days OF Tudor's GONZALES
cence that followed were peaceful
days on Berande. The work Of the
plantation went on like clockwork.
With the crushing of the premature
outbreak Of Gogoomy and his follow
ing all INSTRUMENTATION seemed to have
vanished Twenty more Of the old
time boys. their term of service up.
were carried away by the Martha.
and the fresh stock of labor, treated
fairly, was proving OF excellent quail
ity. AS Sheldon rode about the plan
tation acknowledging to himself the
comfort and convenience OF horse
and wondering why he had not thought
OF getting one himself, be pondered
the various improvements for which
Joan was responsible.
There were times when he was dizzy
with thought of her and love of her,
when be would stop his horse and with
closed eyes picture her as he had seen
her that first day In the stern sheets
of the whaleboat, dashing madly in to
shore and marching belligerently along
fhaf xraQ