Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-05-17

shore and was the last to leave them
when the small boats, having filled the
ships casks with fresh water. were
| pushed out toward the waiting Fuwalda'
AS the boats moved slowly over the
smooth waters Of the bay, Clayton and
his wife stood silently watching their
| departure-in the breasts of both a feel
ing Of impending disaster and utter hope
| lessness,
And behind them over the edge of
| lowridge, other eyes watched-close set,
| wicked eyes, cleaning beneath shaggy
brows.
AS the Fuwalda passed through the
narrow entrance to the harbor and out
| of sight behind a projecting point, Lady
Alice threw her arms about Clayton's
neck and burst into uncontrolled sobs.
Bravely had she faced the dangers on
| the mutiny; with heroic fortitude she
| had looked into the terrible futurei but
now that the horror of absolute solitude
was upon them, her overwrought nerves
| gave way and the reaction came
| He did not attempt to check her tears
1t were better that nature have her way
in relieving these long pent UP emotionss
| and II was many minutes before the girl
little more than child she was-could
again gain mastery OF herself.
"Oh, john she cried at last. the
horror of It. What are we to do? What
| are we to do?"
There is but one thing to do, Alice
and he spoke as quietly as though they
were sitting In their snug living room at
home, land that ie work. Work must
be our salvation. We must not give our-
| selves time to think, for in that direction
! lies madness.
I'VE must work and wait. l am sure
that relief will come, and come quicklyd
when once 1t Is apparent that the Fu7
walda has been lost, even though Blach
Michael does not keep his word to u.s."
But John, IL II were only you and t.
she sobbed, I'VE could endure 1t Know
| but"
Yes, dear" he answered gently n
have been thinking OF that, also; but we
must face 1t, as we must face whatever
comes, bravely and with the utmost con-
! fidence in our ability to cope with circum7
stances whatever they may be.
Hundreds of thousands of years ago
our ancestors of the dim and distant past
faced the same problems which we must
face, possibly in these same primeval for-
ests. That we are here today evidences
| their victory.
What they did may we not do? And
even better, for are we not armed with
ages of superior knowledge, and have we
not the means of protection, defense and
sustenance which science has given us,
but of which they were totally ignorantn
What they accomplished. Alice, with in
bone, surely that may we accomplish
| also"
| "Ah, John, l wish that / might be al
man with mans philosophy, but I am
but a woman. seeing with my heart
rather than my head. and all that cam
| see is too horrible, too unthinkable to
| put into words.
II only hope you are right. John. I
will do my best to be brave prlmeval
woman. a fit mate for the primeval man.
| Claytons first thought was to arrange
| D sleeping shelter for the night: some7
thing which might serve to protect them
from prowlng beasts of prey
| He opened the box containing his rifles
and ammunition, that they might both
| be armed against possible attack while at
work, and then together they sought q,
location for their first nights sleeping
| place.
| hundred yards from the beach was a,
| little level spot, fairly free of trees
and here they decided eventually to build,
| a permanent house. but, for the time
being. they both thought 1t best to con-
struct a little platform in the trees out
of reach of the larger of the savage
| beasts in whose realm they were.
| To this end Clayton selected four trees
which formed rectangle about eight
feet square. and cutting long branches
from other trees he constructed a frame
work around them, about ten feet from
the ground, fastening the ends of the
branches securely to the trees by means
of rope, quantity OF which Black
Michael had furnished him from the hold
of the Fuwalda.
Across this framework Clayton placed
other smaller branches quite close to-
gether. This platform he paved with the
huge fronds of elephants ear which grew
in profusion about them, and over the
fronds he laid q great sail folded into
several thicknesses.
Seven feet higher he constructed SIM
liar, though lighter platform to serve as
roof, and from the sides of this he
suspended the balance of his sailcloth
for walls.
When completed he had rather snug
little nest to which he carried their blan-
kets and some of the lighter luggage.
1t was now late in the afternoon, and
the rest of the daylight hours were
devoted to the building of rude ladder,
by means of which Lady Alice could
mount to her new home.
All during the day the forest about
them had been filled with excited birds
of brilliant plumage. and dancing, chat
tering monkeys, who watched these new
arrivals and their wonderful nest-building
operations with every mark of keenest
interest and fascination.
Notwithstanding that both Clayton and