Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-07-28
THE 1CKER By EDGAR RICE BURROUGHS
lL VlOANAANk1C Author o. the TARZAN and MARS STORIES

Are you still on the trall?" he called
| to the man before him.
Sure" replied Byrne. IT'S dead easy
| They must a. been dozen of 'em. Ever
a mutt like me couldn't miss It,"
we must go carefully, Byrne," cautioned
| Therlere. II have had experience with these
| fellows before and I can tell you that yo,
| never know when one is near you until yoI
| feel a spear in your back, unless you are
| most watchful. We must make all the
haste we can of course, but we shall be oi
no aid to Mile Harding IL we rush into
an ambush and our heads are lost"
Byrne saw the wisdom Of his compan.
IONS advice and tried to profit by 1t but
something which seemed to dominate him
today carried him ahead at reckless, break.
neck speed-the flight of an eagle would
have been all too slow TO meet the require
ments of his unaooountabe haste.
Once he found himself wondering why he
was rislting his life to avenge or rescue
this girl whom he hated so. He tried to
think that It was for the ransom-yes, that
was It. the ransom. II he found her alive
and rescued her he would claim the lions
share Of the booty.
Theriore, too wondered why Byrne, of all
men upon the Halfmoon. the last that he
should have expected to risk thing for the
sake of Miss Harding, should be the fore
most In pursuit of her captors.
HOW IHT Denlnu BnOulu DC ChnueTb anu
Wilson," he remarked to Byrne after they
had been on the trail for the better mart
OF an hour. SHOULD we not wait for them
to reach us7 Four may do much more than
two"
Not wen Billy Byrne's one of de two
replied the mucker, and continued doggedly
along the trail.
Another half-hour brought them sudden
ly in sight of q native village.
Billy Byrne was for dRshing straight Into
the center of It and cleaning IL up" as he
put It ; but Theriere put his foot down firmly
on that proposition. and finally Byrne saw
that the other was right.
THE trail leads straight toward that
place." said Therlere, 80 1t shall be here
that they carried her. But which Of the
huts she is In now we should try to decide
before we make an attempt to save her.
sacre nom dun pipe Now, what think you
of that2"
"T'ink o. wot?' asked the mucker.
''Wot's eatin' yeh?"
"Observe those three men down there
In the village Byrne?" asked the French
man. "They are no more aboriginal head
hunters than am /. They are Japanese
There must be something wrong with our
trailing, for It is most certain that the
Japanese are not head-hunters."
There amt been nothin' phoney about
our trailin', So," insisted Byrne ''an'
whether Japs or bean collectors or not,
here's where de ginks dat copped de doll
hiked her. II dey ain't dere now it's because
dey went trough an out de odder side
see?"
Hush. Byrne! whispered Theriero. Lie
down behind this bush Some one is coming
along this other trail to the right Of us"
and as he spoke he dragged tho mucker
down beside him.
For moment they crouched, breathess
and expectant and then the slim figure OF
an almost nude boy emerged from tho foli-
age close beside and entered tho trail
toward the village. Upon his head he bore
a bundle of Rrewood.
When he was directly opposite the watch
ers Theriere sprang suddenly upon him.
clappng a silencing hand over the boys
mouth. In Japanese he whispered COM
mand for silence
I'VE shall not harm you II you keep
STILL" he said "and answer our questions
truthfully. What village is that?'
'It is the chief city of Oda Yorimoto.
Lord OF Yoka," replied tho youth. II am
Oda Iseka. his SON."
And the large hut in the center of the
village s the palace of Oda Yorimoto?"
guessed Theriere shrewdy.
d at is"
The Frenchman was not unversed in the
ways OF orientals, and he guessed also that