The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1914-11-12
CHAPTER XII.
Clothes for the Senior

Wynn and Doctor Saddler and Berry
awoke and found the lovers locked
together like two wrestlers.
Break away there!" shouted Doc
tor Saddler.
Gaunt sprang up. "Gentlemen." he
said, lifting Joan from the ground and
clasplng her in his arms beside him
permit me to introduce Joan Darcy
the heroine Of our adventure"
He introduced Joan to his friends
one by one. Joan in bewilderment
asked what it all meant
How she asked. did you all get
here? ! thought there were no white
men in this region. How did John
find you?"
John quickly outlined the story of
his trip to New York and told how
wynn and his friends had volunteered
to come a. once to Central America
to rescue the loveliest woman alive.
But the mad fellows!" Gaulit now
said. Where are Ell Toro and Cha
cha 90
Have you not found their bodies ?"
was Joan's startling question.
Their bodies!" exclaimed Doctor
Saddler. do you mean to say they
are dead?'
Yes, answered Joan. Dead They
fought each other-fought a terrible
Duel near my cage. witnessed the
whole fearful combat. And, oh John!
The worst happened-the worst that
you and often feared might occur
Those two men killed each other leav-
ing me in that cage to starve by
inches. Oh, the horror of it! On the
morning OF their fight-three days ago
they had not yet fed and watered'
me. The consequence was that, min
ute by minute. I found my strength
waning, till fnally-well, / must have
sunk into Inconsistencies from sheer
lack of food-for so you found me
last night"
The party now left the hut and went
IN search OF the bodies of the madmen.
1hey found the bodies lying lust be-
sond Joan s cage, locked in each otn-
er mbrace-each in the death grip.
hey buried them decently, then Or
oered the blacks to prepare at once
Tor the return journey to the coast
While preparations were going for
ward simultaneously for the return
trip and for breakfast for their i'm
mediate sustenance the four white
men asked Joan to tell them with
more particulars Just what had caused
the two madmen to kill each other.
m going to tell you something
nrst that really may surprise Won
John, Joan said. "The negro. Chacba
he was not mad at all. He was Der.
iectly sane-just as l had often be-
leVed ne was. His whole game was
"atlng game. He pretended insan-
NY merely in order to remain with
the mad naturalist. And his desire to
remain in the company of the really
truly mailman was simply to discover
inc hldlng place of the old mans gold |!
Well, from what I heard the black |
man say to the naturalist on the
morning OF their fight, it seems that
Inc black man had that morning at
asst discovered the scientist in the
very act of gloating over his gold If
was that room in the hut which Won
'ohn, know of-the room in which T
slept last night
IT appears that the negro stole
lpon MS master unaware, and that the
BACK man at once tried to secure nos.
session OF the gold. The white man
must have fought off the negro-driv.
hg MIN out of the hut. The Negroes
pear STOOD near my cage, where he
Tau lett 1t the night before, and that's
~" ne came to run to the cages. while
he white man pursued him. Once in
oSsesslon OF his spear the black man
urned on his master to give hattie
ne white man was armed only with
Anlle, AS they fought l heard the
ssro' painting for breath, saying to
i Toro:
SO, Senior Ell Toro, this is your
ISL hour. You thought me insane
' ell I'm not insane. I'm as sane
you were when l first found Won
ount'ng your gold in the coast vii.
'ge. And now you are about to die
~ am gong to get the gold, and
m gong to take that girl in the cage
'r my wife
Gan YOU imagine, John, my terror
men heard that negro express his
ltentlons thus in regard to mvse1f
mere was knife in my cage-a knife
ley permitted me to keep for cutting
'unks OF meat. l determined now to
Sc mat knife on myself if the negro
on the fight.
In terrible anxiety I watched them
rough the bars of my cage. Back
III forth they drove each other the
7sro cursing and the mad scientist
ways laughing in demoniacal glee
Il hnally-oh, horrors! the negro's
ear pierced the back of the madman
emlngly mortal wound. The black
shed to his PROSTATE adversary tn
an him again with the spear 7 q
ized my knife, with the resolve to
unge 1t into my heart the moment
e negro gave the mailman his death
ow-for death was preferable, as Won
~ understand, to falling into the
nds OF that bestial negro.
Butt hope my joy is not wicked
81 as the negro stopped to give the
amman a final stab with the smear +
whlte man sprang up and plunged r
dagger into the black mans heart L
'en' each giving a piercing crv Of 2