Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-06-07

swarm Of mosquitoes
Walk on your toes, my boy. walk
on your toes | smell something COOK
ing, and it ain't supper.
When food was served ONeil MADE
n pretense of eating but rose suddenly
in the midst Of it with the words:
"rll stretch my legs Bit His
voice was strangely listless. In his
eyes was the same abstraction which
had troubled Appleton during the aft
ernoon. He left the camp and disap
pcared up the bank Of the stream.
Nice place to take walk" the en-
cineer observed. Hell bog down in
half mile or get lost among the
sloughs."
Darkness had settled when O'Neil re-
appeared. He came plunging out of
the brush. drenched. muddy. stained
by contact with the thickets. but his
former mood had disappeared. and in
its place was a harsh, explosive en-
ergy.
Tom" he cried. you and Appleton
and l will leave at daylight. The men
will wait here until we get back" His
voice was incisive. Its tone forbade
question.
The youthful engineer stared at him
in dismay, for only his anxiety had
triumphed over his fatigue, and day,
light was but four hours away ONeil
noted the expression and said more
gently:
You're tired. Appleton. know, but
in working for me you'll be called
upon for extraordinary effort now and
then. l may not demand more than
| an extra hour from you; then again
may demand a week straight without
sleep I'll never ask it unless it's nee
essary and unless I'm ready to do my
/ share"
Yes. sir"
The sacrifice is big. but the pay is
bigger Loyalty is all require"
I'm ready now. sir"
I'VE can't see to travel before dawn
Help Tom load the lightest boat witt
rations for FIVE days. If we run short
We'll 'siwash it." He kicked off his
rubber boots. upended them to drain
the water out. then flung himself upor
his bed of boughs and was asleep al
most before the two had recovered
from their surprise.
Five days or longer" Slater said
gloomily as he and Dan began theil
preparations. And me with indiges
ton"
What does it mean?" queried Ap
pleton.
1t means III probably succumb."
NO. no, What's the meaning of thi:
change of plan: l can't understand
it,"
You don't need to-" Happy Ton
informed him CURLY. There was lool
Of solicitude in his face as he added
Il wish Id made him take off his we
clothes before he went to sleep"
Let's wake him up"
But Slater shook his head. I'D soon
err wake a rattlesnake." said he.
ONeil reused the members of his eX
petition while the sky was reddenin:
family. for he had a mind which work
ed like an alarm clock. All excep
Appleton had worked for him before
and the men accepted his orders t
await his return with no appearance o
surprise.
With the first clear light he and hi!
two companions set out. rowing up tht
estuary of the Salmon until the cur
rent became too swift to stem in tha
manner. Then landing. they rugged {
birdie" for the skiff. fitted their shoul
ders to loops in ninety foot tow ROPE
and began to track" their craft III
against the stream. 1t was heart
breaking work Frequently they were
waist deep in the cold water Lon!
''sweepers" with tips awash in thu
food interfered with their efforts. Tit
many branches of the stream forced
TEN to make repeated crossings. 70
the delta was no more than an endless
series Of islands through which tn
current Swirled. When dusk overtool
them they We're wet. weary and veal
from hunger With the dawn the,
we're Up and at it again. but their tasl
became constantly more difficult be
cause of the floating glacier ice. which
increased with every mile. They wer
obliged to exercise the EXTREMIST eau
ton. Hour after hour they strained
against the current until the ropes bi
into their aching flesh. bringing raw
places out on neck and palm. Hou
after hour the ice went churning past
and through 1t all came the intermit
tent echo of the caving glaciers ahea,
Of them.
Dan Appleton realized very 500
whittier the journey was leading. an,
at thought Of actually facing those ter
rors which doomed so large in conjec
ture his pulses began to leap. He ha
suspicion Of O'Neil's intent hu
dared not voice it Though the Schem
seemed mad enough. its very audacit
fascinated him. 1t would be wort
while TO take part in such an under
taking. even If it ended in failure
And somehow, against his judgmen,
he felt that his leader would find
way.
For the most part O'Neil was As s.
lent as a man of stone. and only o.
those rare occasions when he crave
relief from his thoughts did he encoul
age Dan to talk. Then he sometime
listened. but more frequently he di
! not Slater had lonr sinca hacnnnn