Gilpin observer., 1915-10-21

ciasping her IN his arms beside nm.
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 at once to Central America
to rescue the loveliest woman alive
But the mad fellows!" Gauht now
said. Where are Ell Toro and Cha
cha?"
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. l witnessed the
whole fearful combat. And, oh John!
The worst happened-the worst that
you and 1 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, l found my strength
waning, till finally-well. I must have
sunk into unconsciousness 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.
They found the bodies lying just be-
yond Joan's cage, locked in each 9TH
er's embrace-each in the death grip
They buried them decently, then or
dered the blacks to prepare at once
for 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
I'm going to tell you something
first that really may surprise you,
John," Joan said. THE negro, Chacha
he was not mad at all. He was per-
fectly sane-just as l had often be-
lieved he was. His whole game was
a waiting game. He pretended insan-
ity merely in order to remain with
| I'm OF An hic to
remain in the company of the really
truly madman was simply to discover
the hiding place of the old mans gold
We'll, from what heard the black
man say to the naturalist on the
morning of their fight, it seems that
the black man had that morning at
last discovered the scientist in the
very act of gloating over his gold. 1t
was that room in the hut which you,
John, know of-the room in which |
slept last night
1T appears that the negro stole
upon his master unaware, and that the
black man at once tried to secure pos
session of the gold. The white man
must have fought off the negro-driv-
ing him out of the hut. The negro's
spear stood near my cage, where he
had left it the night before, and that's
how he came to run to the cages. while
the white man pursued him. Once in
possession of his spear the black man
turned on his master to give battle.
The white man was armed only with
knife. AS they fought heard the
negro, painting for breath. saying to
Ell Toro:
80. Senor Ell Toro. this is your
last hour. You thought me insane
Well. I'm not insane. I'm as sane
as you were when | first found you
counting your gold in the coast vii
lage. And now you are about to die
and l am going to get the gold, and
I'm going to take that girl in the cage
for my wife
Can you imagine. John. my terror
when l heard that negro express his
intentions thus in regard to myself.
There was knife in my cage-a knife
they permitted me to keep for cutting
chunks of meat. determined now to
use that knife on myself II the negro
won the fight.
In terrible anxiety / watched them
through the bars of my cage. Back
and forth they drove each other. the
negro cursing and the mad scientist
always laughing in demoniacal glee.
till finally-oh, horrors! the negro's
spear pierced the back Of the madman,
seemingly mortal wound. The black
rushed to his PROSTATE adversary to
stab him again with the spear. |
seized my knife, with the resolve to
plunge 1t into my heart the moment
the negro gave the madman his death
blow-for death was preferable, as you
will understand, to falling into the
hands OF that bestial negro.