The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1917-02-16

\ hAoic nights uSuOTe, Uut Wutcueu Gull
tinually for the slightest hint of rebel
lion. Early the next morning when
the cocoanuts began to arrive ON the
big bamboo RATS | noted with a grin
OF satisfaction that all hands set to
work packing them into the hold with
an alacrity which they had never be-
iOre manifested in my service.
Taking ON cargo occupied a week.
aud during that time l never left the
ships deck farther than the cabin.
The following evening we put out to
ia. the men working like demons to
ret away before night shut down,
Shackleford laughing all the while at
their cagerness to be rid of what he
declared to be the finest spot east of
Suez." His Chinamen-I shall never
forget that last glimpse Of them
squatted upon the empty bamboo RATS.
their cues wound about their I'M
shaved heads. the sweat still stream
ing down their naked bodies to the
flimsy cotton pantaloons corded about
their waists. and viewed our departure
out of their narrow eyes with features
as ifnpassive as those of stone Bud.
dha. What did they know about the
two rusty hulks, the gray thing that
haunted them, and what had they told
my crew? wondered. Worn out with
| n trying week, turned In.
A shock hurled me from my berth,
and as l CROPPED about In the darkness
for the key of the door the sound Of
h yer xtn,b ar nf hroy oh
ing across the cabin window made me
guess my surroundings. Springing Oh
deck. turned instinctively to the
Wheel and there, bowed over 1t like
an old man and clutching the spokes
with hairy hands, was huge gray
ape--the very monster Shackieford and
had failed to bring down the night of
the raid upon the cocoanut grove!
At sight Of me 1t relinquished its
hold upon the wheel and sprang at
me, barring Its teeth in sudden rage.
Whipping out my pistol, began to fire
and back away and brought 1t down
with shot In it's gaping mouth just
as it was reaching out its horrible
corded arms to seize me. AS 1t col
lapsed with gasping shudder at my
very feet sprang backward from sheer
repulsion and in doing so fell into the
lagoon through a hole in the railing
that the thick branch OF q tree had
carried away.
Not till then did the full Significance
of what had transpired dawn upon
me. Crew there was none, but apes
from the surrounding trees and the
two rusty hulks that had SO puzzled
me and that now lay on either side
came swarming upon the steamer
till they covered everything inches,
fOrecastle head, the empty davits. the
spare anchors, the very rigging with
a gray, writing mass that struggled
and fought and screamed In a wild
rush for the cOcOanuts. which could
easily be reached through the main
hatch. left open to prevent overheating
Swimming round to the rudder, now
completely out Of water above the mad
ly racing screw, ! climbed up beyond
the reach OF sharks and listened to
the appalling pandemonium till the
last cocoanut must have been removed
from the hold, when the brutes grad
ually dispersed through the forest.
Afraid to venture back on deck,
at daylight 1 mounted a piece Of the
round house that had been swept over
board and made my way on the In
coming tide up the channel which led
to the plantation. On the edge Of the
grove paused In incredulous wonder
and then the truth came home to me.
Under q fierce attack of the apes the
wire fence had at last given way.
and the cOcoanut grove was In ruins
Shacklefords bungalow l found In
state of pillage so complete that only
the four upright posts remained, and
the fiimsy huts occupied by the Chi
nese iaborers were scattered about as
If struck by a typhoon.
Not far from the ruins l found
Shackleford's beautifully stained meer
schaum pine tramDled into the earth
by host of passing feet, and protrud
ing from under a tattered Cocoanut
leaf was a Chjnam0ns cue, reaked
with gray. but no Celestial at the sew
cred end Prepared for the worst. ]
was naStenlnS GOWN tue newly DedlcH
path toward the jungle when groan
to my left attracted my attention, and.
rushing over. found Shackleford and
his Cinnamon neatly trapped under the
barbed wire fence.
You sec," Shackleford explained
when | had pricd up the edge of the
deadly netting. which they were un
able TO raise with their bare hands be
cause of the inch long barhs. 1--WE were
poking the bally brutos off the fence
with sharpened bamboos and having
no end Of fun when their weight
doubled the whole thing over and shut
us into as fine Il little fort as a fellow
could wish for Ha. ha"'
Shackleford, followed by a score of
bedragglcd Cinnamon. crawled out
stifIly from his involuntary but lucky
Imprisonment and looked ruefully at
his blood spattered clothes They rip
ped and tore at the netting like lot
of mad devils" he continued, land the
blood from their lacerated feet came
through on us ike shower Of warm
rain. but none of us was hurt except
All Cong over there He was a BIT