The Delta independent., 1916-07-21

instead of that it started them on
new line. They all jabbered and chat
tered together. Then one of them stood
out beside Challenger. You'll smile
young fellah. but 'pon my word they
might have been kinsmen. l couldn't
have believed it If hadn't seen it with
my own eyes. TlEs old ape mamie
was their chief-was n sort of red
Challenger. with every one of oui
friends beauty points. only just tribe
more SO. He had the short body. the
big shoulders. the round chest. no neck
great ruddy frill of beard. the tuft
ed eyebrows. the What do you want.
hang you.' look about the eyes and
the whole catalogue. When the ape
man stood by Challenger and put his
paw on his shoulder the thing was
complete. Summerlee was bit hys-
terical. and he laughed till he cried
The ape men laughed. too. or at least
they put up the devil Of a cacklin'. and
they set to work to drag us or through
the forest. They wouldn't touch the
guns and things-thought them danger
Gus. expect-but they carried away
all our loose food. Summerlee and
l got some rough handlin on the way
there's my skin and my clothes to
prove it-for they took us bee line
through the brambles. and their own
hides are like leather. But Challenger
was all right. Four of them carried
him shoulder high. and he went like
Roman emperor"
They got us soon to this town of
theirs. about n thousand huts OF
branches and leaves in a great grove
of trees near the edge Of the cliff. Its
three or four miles from here The
filthy beasts fingered me all over. and
| feel as If l should never be clean
again. They tied us up-the fellow
who handled me could tie like n bo'sun
and there we lay with our toes -
beneath tree while a great brute
stood guard over US with a club in his
hand. When / say we / mean Sum-
merlee and myself. Old Challenger
was up tree catin' pines and havin'
the time of his life. I'm bound to say
that he managed to get some fruit to
US, and with his own hands he loos-
ened our bonds. II you'd seen him
sitting up in that tree hobnobbin' with
his AMlu DIblltI anu NllEAA III AA4uA
rollin bass of his. Ring out. Wild
Bells cause music OF any kind seem
ed to put 'em in good humor. you'd
have smiled. but we weren't I'm much
mood for laughin'. as you can guess.
They were inclined within limits TO let
him do what he liked. but they drew
the line pretty sharply at us. 1t was
mighty consolation to us all to know
that you were runnin' loose and had
the archives in your keepin'.
We'll, now. young fellah. I'll tell
you what will surprise you. You say
you saw signs Of men and fires. traps
and the like. Well, we have seen the
natives themselves. Poor devils they
were. down faced little chaps. and had
enough to make them so. 1t seems
that the humans hold one side Of this
plateau-over yonder. where you saw
the caves-snd the ape men hold this
side. and there Is bloody war between
them all the time. That's the situation
so far as l could follow 1t. Well. yes
terday the ape men got hold Of IA dozen
OF the humans and brought them In as
prisoners. You never heard such
jabberin' and shriekin' In your life.
The men were little red fellows and
had been bitten and clawed SO that
they could hardly walk. The ape men
put two of them to death then and
there-fairly pulled the arm or one Of
them-it was perfectly beastly. Plucky
little chaps they are and hardly gave n
squeak. But It turned us absolutely
sick. SummerIce tainted. and even
Challenger had as much as he could
stand. ! think they have cleared. don't
youT'
We listened intently. but nothing
save the calling of the birds broke the
deep peace of the forest Lord Roxton
went ON with his story.