Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-09-06
CHAPTER uI-tContlnued)

existence-things 1 never heard of"
'Broiled ham and biscuits - for In
stance7"
At another time iris would have snapped
at him for the rotort. still humbly regret
full for her previous attitude she answered
neeky---
Yes in this manner of cooking them,
mean. But there are other items-methods
of lighting fires, finding water, knowing
what fruits and other articles may be found
on a desert island such as plantalns and
cocoanuts, certain sorts of birds-and
beChe -de-mer."
For the life of her she could not tell why
she tackled on that weird item to her list.
The sailor inquired, more civilly-"Then
you are acquainted with trepang?"
"who2'
''Trepang-bcche-d e-de-mer, you know"
Iris made desperate guess Yes she
said, demurely. '1t makes beautiful backs
for hair brushes And II looks so nice as
frame for platinotype photographs.
have"
jerks swallowed large piece of ham
and became very red At last he managed
to say beg your pardon. You are think
ing of tortoise shell. Beche-de-mer Is
sort of marine slug"
How odd 7" said Iris.
She had discovered at an early age the
tactical value of this remark, and the ex-
perience of maturer years confirmed the
success of juvenile efforts to upset the
equanimity of governesses. Even the sailor
was silenced.
Talk ceased until the meal was ended.
jerks sprang lightly to his feet. Rest and
food had restored his faculties The girl
thought dreamily, as he stood there In his
rough attire, that she had never seen a
finer man. He was tall, sinewy and well
formed. In repose his face was pleasant,
IL masterful It's somewhat sulen, self
contained expression was occasional and
acquired. She wondered how he could be
so energetic. Personally she was consumed
with sleeplness.
He produced n revolver
Do you mind II 1 fire n shot to test
these cartridges?" he inquired. The
powder is all right. but the illuminate in the
caps may be damaged"
She agreed promptly. He pointed the
weapon az a cluster of cocoanuts, and there
was loud report, Two nuts fell to the
ground, and the air was filled with shrill
screams and the Tapping of innumerable
wings. Iris was momentarily dismayed,
but her senses confirmed the sailors eX-
planation-"Sea birds"
He reloaded the empty chamber and
was about to say something, when . queer
sound, exactly resembling the gurgling of
water poured from a large bottle, fell upon
their ears 1t came from the interior of
the grove. and the two exchanged look
of amazed questioning. jerks took hasty
step in the direction OF the noise, but he
Iris liked the sound of his mirth. II was
genuine, not forced
II remember now" he explained. ''The
wou-wou monkey cries in that peculiar
warbe. The presence of the animal here
shows that the island has been inhabited
at some time"
''You remember?" repeated the girl Then
you have been in this part of the world be-
fore?"
mo. 1 mean I have read about It,"
Twice in half an hour had he curtly de-
clned to indulge in personal "reminiscences.
"Can you use a revolver?" he went on.
MY father taught me. He thinks every
woman should know how to defend her
self II need be-"
Excellent Well, Miss Deane, you must
try to sleep for couple of hours. 1 pur-
pose examining the coast for some distance
on each side Should you want me, a shot
will be the best sort of signal"
'I am very tired" she admitted. but
you?"
"oh, am all right. feel restless; that
is, / mean l will not be able to sleep until
night comes, and before we climb the hill
TO survey our domain I want to find better
quarters than we now possess"
Perhaps, were she less fatigued she would
have caught the vague anxiety, the note
OF distrust in his voice. But the carpet
of sand and leaves on which she lay was
very seductive Her eyes closed. She
nestled into a comfortable position, and
slept.
The man looked at her steadily for little
while Then he moved the revolver out of
harms way to a spot where she must see
1t instantly, pulled his souwester well over
his eyes and walked off quietly
They were flung ashore on the northwest
side Of the island. Except for the cove
formed by the coral reef. with its mysterious
palm tree growing apparently in the midst
aha 81 fha oaaf
roughly that OF the concaYs side of bow.
the two visible extremities being about
three-quarters OF mile apart.
He guessed. by the way in which the sea
raced past these points, that the land did
not extend beyond thsn. Behind him, it
rose steeply TO considerable height $50
or 200 feet. In the center was the tallest
hill, I,zahieh seemed to end abruptly toward
the hthwest On the northeast side it
was Connected with a rocky promontory
by a ridge of easy grade. The sailor turned
to the southwest as offering the most
likely direction for rapid survey,
He followed the line OF vegetation; there
the ground was firm and level There was
no suggestion of the mariners roll in his
steady gait. Alter his clothing, change the
heavy boots into spurFed Welingtons, and
he would be the beau ideal of a cavalry
soldier the order Of Melchisedec in the pro
fession OF arms
He was not surprised 10 nnd that the MIL
terminated in a sheer wall Of rock which
stood out, ominous and massive, from the
wealth of yerdure clothing the remainder of
me ridge Facing the precipice. and sep
a4ated from II by a strip OF ground not
twenty feet above the sea level In the high
sst part was another Tock-built eminence,
quite bare OF trees, blacksned by the
weather and Scared in q manner shat
attestsd the attacks Of lightning.
He whistled softly. by JoveF' he said.
'FVolcanlc and highly mineralized."
The intervening belt was sparsely dotted
with trees, casuarinas, pOon, and other
woods he did not know, resembling ebony
and cedar. A number OF stumps showed
that the axe had been at work. but not re-
Gently He passed into the cleft and
climbed a tree that offered easy access. AS
NJ expected. after rising a few feet from
the ground, his eyes encountered the solemn
blue line Of the sea, not half a mile distant.
he descended and commenced a systs-
rnatic search Men had been here. Was
there house2 Would he suddenly snooun-
ter some hermit Malay o. chinamanf