The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1916-08-16

But he lost no chance to regret
to Miss Leslie In private that
Blake was not a gentleman.
As for the girl herself-it was
impossible for her not to have
misgivings. In spite of Win
thrope's many assurances and
referencesto the fact that he was
a gentleman, she could not for
get that he had been her unwel-
come. sutton on board ship, and
her distrust of him was not who'll
ly overcome. She was alone in an
absolute wilderness with two
practically unknown men.
But even her natural fears
were somewhat forgotten with
the building of their first fire
Instead of trying to find a way
to scale the other ridge, Blake
led them all back to the leopard's
den, where the two men built a
great fire. 1t was not long before
they succeeded in suffocating the
old cat and her pups. These
were skinned with infinite diff
Guilty by Blake with the aid OF
the penknife and some sharp
stones, while Winthrope and Miss
Leslie built an immense fire in
the cave itself and fumigated it.
When at last they had made II
fit shelter for the girl, Blake
called them to a meal of broiled
leopard steaks. Even this rude
food was delicious after their CO.
coanut diet.
During the next few days, sew
eral important things were ac-
complished. not the least being
the burning through, near the
base. tail tree growing near the
cliff wall. This tree, just before
1t fell, the two men pushed over
against the cliff, thus making a
sort of tree ladder by which they
were able to reach the top. Here
they gathered the sea-fowl eggs
which Blake had coveted. These
made welcome change in their
diet, as did the tender bamboo
spouts which Miss Leslie found.
This last find was a great dis.
covery, not only in the way OF
food. or the stout bamboo Blake
was able to make sharp knives
bows and arrows. spears, racks on
which to dry the leopard skins,
and stout screen for Miss Les
lies cave.
Meantime the girl proved the
stuff she was made of by insist
ing upon taking over her share
OF the work. She learned to broil
steaks, and when Blake brought
clay from the river bed with
which to fashion some rude cook
ing utensils. her knowledge of
the firing of hand-painted china
was useful. They succeeded in
producing several uncracked YES
sells in which food could be boil
y ed or stewed. This was very nee
essary, as Blake explained, for a
diet OF meat alone was apt to
cause various serious illnesses,
especially in that tropical climate.
But with this problem solved they
had little to fear since they had
come into sole ownership of the
clear spring.
The days slipped by almost un-
needed. Blake saw to It that not
only himself but his companions
had work to occupy every hour of
daylight. When not engaged In
cooking and fuel gathering, Miss
Leslie was learning by painful ex-
perience the rudiments of dress
making.
At the start she had all but
ruined the beautiful skin of the
mother leopard before Blake
CHANGED to see her and took over
the task of cutting 1t into shape
for a skirt. But when 1t came to
making a waist of the cub fur, he
| said that she would have to puz-
gle out the pattern from her other
one. Between cooking three
meals day over an open fire,
! gathering several armfuls of
wood, and making a dress with a
penknife, thorn and catgut, the
girl had little time to think of
other matters than her work.
Her own skirt of white cloth
was to be hoisted on a tall bam-
boo pole on the top OF the cliff as
a distress signal as soon as the
leopard dress was done.
And while the girl worked few
erishly at the garment, Blake
succeeded in melting up Win
thrope's bunch of keys and max
ing OF them bone-handled knife.
When he came to show the
completed knife to Miss Leslie. he
was fairly aglow with iustifiable
pride.
"How's that for an Eskimo
job?" he demanded. Bunch of
keys and a bone, eh?"
you are certainly very ingen-
ious. Mr.. BIakei"
Milky! There's little of the in
ventor In my top-piece-only
some hustle aud a good memory.
was up In Alaska, you know.
Saw a sight OF Eskimo work"
still, 1t is very skillfullly
done"
That may be- Look out for
the edge! It'd do to shave. No
more bamboo splinters for me-
dull when you hit a bone. Hello