The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1916-07-11
CHAPTER III.
The Honey Hunters.

SAaThA 4 i-It
i The Honey Hunters.
The dredge worked monotor-
ously, but with many stoppings,
all that forenoon. After a silent
dinner in the quarterboat, Virgil
/ came to me,
There isn't any place for you
here, Doctor Dick. I'm goin to
unload you on the baron. The
old fool asked you to stay a
l year"
But that's just his extrava-
CANT way of putting it."
Well call his bluff. Be-
sides" his thumb went over his
shoulder to the forest; maybe
you can find out what's happen
In to my natives so curiously
And honey bees" he added.
You'll make a plume fine de-
tective."
He smiled and passed on to his
work. l left them, padding the
cooks johnboat back the mile of
canal to the glade of the flooded
forest where hung the baron's
aerial roost. The platform camp
was untenanted. | was noticing
its clever construction, the clay,
shells and palm withes bound
about with bamboo brier. when
on its near side | saw a scrap of
paper stuck over a thorn of the
brier vine. 1t read merely: I'VE
got another one this morning"
reached my hand up over the
first rough support for that pa
per, and as | did so there came
the crash Of a shot so startling
near that | all but tipped clumsi-
ly from the boat.
And down past my arm
writhed the ugliest black mecca
| sin | had yet seen-down into
the water; where he twisted to
his death. | was staring and
shifting the powder of that shot,
when a voice spoke pleasantly
from behind:
II was just passing this way"
| l turned to see our saint of Isle
Bonnie. She stole across the
black water in her light green
pirogue.
Congo snakes are very bad
for Yankee fel-los,' she drawled
on amiably.
"Mademoiselle, you have saved
my life!"
Her laughter followed-but
her eyes were on that note.
rs til inquired with dig
nifty at length--"a good day for
honey bees?"
Some, truly, messieur. Big
bees for honey, but little bees for
singing"
That internal snake" | MUIR
INJURED. at quite upset me.
Where's the baron? Do you
suppose he has any brandy"
"Oh, oui!" With one long
swift whirl of the paddle she shot
her light craft to the platform;
was up on 1t and in the shack,
ere I had managed to teeter to
the piling and climb out. She
was extending a flask to mean
exquisite but furnished thing of
silver. l noted coat-of-arms
and date: 1880.
Thank you" I said dryly, and
reached over the platform to
fetch up my suit case.
You going back out front,
m'sieu?"
mo. I" and | placidly
| opened the case and took out my
last cigar. 81 have come to ac-
cept the baron's invitation"
Invitation, m'sieu
"You heard him, this morning,
most enthusiastically insist that
/ stay year,"
But, m'sieu!"
The saint was wide-eyed. furi-
/ Gus, incredulous. ] had her GO
ing! She stepped closer, her
clean-cut. ingenious face chang
ing to utter dismay.
"M'siu-the Congo snakes!"
"Ah, here is mademoiselle to
shoot them!"
THE fever"
II am proprietor OF a famous
remedy myself-and shall a ply
stefan fear his own dose?"
She looked at me as she might
a lunatic. THE old pirate
| folkses!"
"Who?"
Pirates, messieur!"
They are most excellently
dead, mademoiselle. / am not a
swamp negro to be scared out of
Barataria woods by any ghost
tales. What, by the way, have
you done with Hogjaw-the one
you got this morning?"
She was absolutely dumb
founded. you've scared or
coaxed or waylaid every native
Mr.. Williams has ever been able
to bring down in this Internal
place of pirate yarns and buried
treasure fakes"
She looked demurely at me.
You are wise man, Doctor
Rainey."
Wait" I boosted, until you
know me-"
The return Of. my host put q
stop to our conversation.
passed an uncomfortable
night. The bed was lumpy, and
the eerie cry OF the swamp owls
did not invite sleep.
Allesjandro appeared in the
morning and served coffee. I was
smoking out on the platform