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

Had venomous snake colled its glis-
tening folds around his leg he would not
have been more startled. But this man
of iron nerve soon recovered. He frowned
deeply after tho first involuntary heart
throb
With the stick he cleared away the under
growth. and revealed the skeleton Of a
man. The bones were big and strong but
oxidized by the action of the air. jerks
had injured the left tibia by his tread,
but three fractured ribs and smashed
shoulder blade told some terrible unwrltten
story.
Beneath the mournful relics were frag-
ments of decayed cloth. 1t was blue serge.
Lying about were a few blackened objects
brass buttons marked with an anchor. The
dead mans boots were in the pest state
of preservation, but the leather had shrunk
and the nails protruded like fangs.
A rusted pocket knife lay there, and on
the left breast of the skeleton rested n
round piece of tin, the top OF a canister
which might have reposed in coat pocket
jerks picked ii up. Some curious MARKS
and figures were punched into It's surface
After hasty glance he put 1t aside Tor
more leisurely examination.
No weapon was visible. He could form
no estimate as to the cause OF the death
of this poor unknown, nor the time since
the tragedy had occurred.
jerks must have stood many minutes
before he perceived that the skeleton was
headless. At first he imagined that in rum
maginE about with the stick he had dis
turbed the skull. But the most minute
search demonstrated that 1t had gone had
been taken away, in fact, for the plants
which so effectually screened the ughter
bones would not permit the skull 70 vanish
Then the frown on the sailors face be-
came threatening thunderous' lie recol-
lected the rusty kriss. Indlstlnet memories
of strange tales Of the China Sea crowded
-, hEa hrafn
"Dyaks :" ne growled fiercely "A ships
officer, an Engllshman probably, murdered
by head-hunting Dyak pirates =
If they carle once they would come again
Five hundred yards away Iris Deane was
sleeping. He ought not to have left her
alone. And then, with the dsvilish ingenu-
ity of coincidence, revolver shot awoke
the echoes, and sent all manner Of wildfowl
hurting through the trees with clamorous
outcry.
Painting and wild-eyed, Jenks was at the
girls side in an inconeeiyably short space
of time. She was not beneath the shelter
of the grove, but on the sands, gazing
paIIid in cheek and lip. at the group OF
rocks on the edge Of the lagoon.
what is the matterY' he gasped
'Oh 1 don't know" she walled bTokenly
IT had a dream, such horrible dream
You were struggling with some awful thing
down there" She pointed to the rocks.
II was not near the place" he said labor
iously. II cost him an effort TO breathe
His broad chest expanded inches with each
respiration.
yes, yes, I understand. But I awoke
and ran to save you. When l got here I
saw something, a thing with waving arms,
and fired. 1t vanished, and then you
came"
The sailor walked slowly TO the rocks.
A fresh chip out Of the stone showed where
the bullet struck. One huge boulder was
wet, as IL water had been splashed over il.
He halted and looked intently into the wa
ter. Not q hsh was to be seen. but small
spirals Of sand were eddying up from the
bottom. where L shslyed steeply from the
shore.