The evening world. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1887-1931, 1914-05-14

already had 90 much to DO with our
fortunes. coming In again. They had
been heating II up and were bring
Ing II In for supper.
We all sat down on the door then
and the meat was shared out to-
eether with = lot OF sweet potatoes.
hot from the ashes. The cAnnibals
= bamboo full Of water to drink out
OF. They tore and gnawed their food
In. way that was not pleasant to
watch--remembering those long ovens
on the hill.
Sacred name OF a camel, what q
lecture I will gtve!" sighed the Mar.
Quis. with his mouth full Of sweet
potato. Look at their chests all
blowed out with the climbing. and
their feet that have monkey toes, and
the cords on tho instepA. and the
Zee how they jump. they filter. they
are all the time nervous and dis.
tracted! That comes Of living on
the edge OF the cook pot: II you hold
your hngcr up at one. and say IN
he should Jump TO break the floor"
Il hope you won't" I said, looking
down At tho velvet black gulf OF va
cancy that one could see between the
Stats Of the flooring. Don't you get
NV sSiouuhics Marry. warn yous
that nervousness Of theirs In q bad
sign. Also. their fricndiiness 10 bad
sign. Shove back and finish your
food with your shoulders against the
wall. II you take my advice" !
moved over a. I spoke and tho Mar.
Quis followed me.
We ate ~ men eat who do MOI.
know where their next meal 10 to
come from; we filled our pockets
quietly. when We could swallow no
more. The koiroros were 30 busy
chattering among themselves that
they did not notice what We were
doing. They did not moiest ms.
though could feel there was trouble
In the air.
] cannot say We passed q pleasant
night. We kept watch In turns, and
got some sleep. through sheer fatigue.
lying Just where We had eaten our
meal. on the floor Of the chief
house. The cannibals were sleeping
nil around M. snorting and snoring
like walruses. One Of them lay
was hardly large enough to crawl
through. he guarded II cfYiciently.
Toward 4 o'clock In the morning II
found tho time by feeling tho hands
OF my watch). the presentlment OF
coming trouble got hold OF mo 40
completely that ] resolved to mako an
attempt at getting away. cost what
II mieht. Tho moro thought about
that liberal supper. the less ] liked
". Tho more I considered those long
stono ovens on tho hill. the ora like.
~ ! thought n that they would be-
tilled on the morrow-if We did not
get away. =.
| felt for thu MARQUIS In tho dark:
III IN I,,,e AA
not sleeping. I put my mouth to bis
ear and whispered q iittle. Then I
got out my knife and began cutting
away tho himsy bamboo flooring. Il
was tho time of tho waning moon:
I knew that w0 should have light
enough 10 SEQ by. onco we rot out
side. and that II would last tiii dawn
came up. by dawn We might hope to
bs out Of tho way.
u was easy enough to cut tho floor
without waking tho Koiroros, since all
natives are heavy sieepers, ana these
men had fed full before they slept.
Getting through was moro difficult; I
gritted my teeth at tho creakinR
Noise made by tn" Marquis's weight
az No lowered himself altar me.
Where I had cut through there WAS
sloplnR soil underneath; we got hold
OF tho supporting piles that were
thrust Into II. and holding on by
them. made our way very cautiously
down tho precipice to tho place where
the trees and lianas bssan onca more.
Inc anEle here was awful. but wa
had plenty OF hand hold. and crept
along securely enon~h In tho vaterv
moonlight, The rain was over now
ana tho river far below us at tho
potion or tn" gorge roarcd fulfilled
along its way.
Not a sound cams from the toad.
stool eiuhp Of houses above Ks va
crept down tho precipice. We were
out OF earshot before long, and able
10 speak ~ wa mounted the next
great wall CT rock. keeping always In
tho direction OF the far-ofY Govern.
ment station. which ! now began to
hope We should reach. by the lay Of
the land. guessed wa had forty miles
or more to 90. and that might mean
week In this country Of precipices.
Still. II we could find anything 10 oat
on tho way, and II the Koiroros aid
not recapture US. It was-just-poss,-
Ole to get through.
Dawn, rising red through the table,
iand OF white cloud. like spilled blood
spreading on snow. came up and
caught us sooner than I iiked. we
were out OF sight OF the village, hav.
.nB crossed Two ridges, but our POSI-
ton. climbing ZIP the bare rock at the
Side OF a waterfall. was dangerously
exposed should any Of the Koiroros
be within sight. I stopped where I
was. on q Ledge OF stone overgrown
with white butterfly orchids, and
looked over the tossing pillows Of tree
tops that lay behind.
There was small satisfaction In that.
An army might have been hidden In
the bush, following us up Silicon.
sidering tho speed the Koiroros could
keep up In this mountain country
when they chose--it certainly did look
~ II they were not pursuing US. The
Marquis was jubilant.
They are not spiritual, these peo-
ple." he declared. scrambiins like a
cockroach In my rear. by gum! ]
think their mentality II far back In
the scale OF evolution: they are blessed
IDIOTS. They lock the stable door when
the milk Is split. can figure how
they are saying injuries to ono an
other about our invasion. now we are
safe away
] did not say anything, for tho rea.
son that ] was not very sure we were
safc nw8y--yet. There was some-
thing | did not understand about this
easy letting go. All the Same, there
vas only one thing to do--go on as