Gilpin observer., 1917-09-13
Baron Huroki under close but unos-
tentatfOuS surveillance

tentatious surveillance.
Late In the afternoon Huroki was
surreptitiously waylaid by low-caste
Japanese, from whom he received q
message which seemed to cause the
baron considerable perturbation. The
messenger was duly identified as one
Of the colony Of fishermen on Limbo;
he returned to a little sloop, which
had just come in from the island and
made fast to a dock on the business
waterfront of the community. Baron
Huroki himself returned to his hotel
and remained there, closeted with Juan
de Lima, till nightfall. Under cover
of darkness he sailed forth, closely
dogged by Donald Parr, made cir
cuitous way to the waterfront and
boarded the sloop, which Immediately
cast of and set sail for the harbor
mouth.
Now what pressing business dragged
Huroki away to Limbo island by
night?
Parr made it his own business to
find out. If there were something on
Limbo that interested Baron Huroki
SO profoundly. 1t was sure to prove no
whit less interesting to the United
States secret service.
| Within fifteen minutes of the time
when the slOop had sailed, Donald
launched his seaplane and rose to an
altitude whence he could espy the
island, fOrmless blur of darkness on
the face Of waters silvered by moon
| light.
THE HUMAN BOMB.
| Half-buried in the side of the larg-
est dune on Limbo island, the dwelling
which Senor Juarez had shared with
his Japanese associate. Captain HAIKU
seki, was a shack of single room,
with one window and two doors. OF
these last one, like the window, opened
upon the hollow in which the other
huts of the station were gathered to-
gether; the remaining door led, by way
of a short, timbered tunnel, to huge
vault followed out in the heart of the
dune, wherein very considerable store
of arms, ammunition, mines and high
explosives was sheltered. On the far
ther side of the dune-here n concave
bluff, wave-eaten-the vault had two
great doors behind which biplane
stood lightly poised, ready for instant
use in emergency.
By this means alone Patria Chan
ming hoped, with the aid Of the Mexi-
can, to contrive an escape from the
refuge which had proved so quickly the
cell of two condemned prisoners.
For the shack was in state Of siege.
Since the dispute between Juarez and
Hakuseki the hollow had been picketed
with armed Japanese. AS yet these |
had made no offensive move; but the |
understanding was implicit, that neith-
er prisoner might set foot outside the
shack save at penalty Of death. Patria,
condemned by Baron Huroki's ukase |
that no stranger might visit the island |
and live to tell of it, Juarez' death |
sentence signed by his own act of
mutiny. Thus the interests of the two
were one, in bonds of common peril. |
Juarez had schemed scheme to |
hoodwink the enemy which Patria had |
indorsed. She waited now, alone in |
the shack, for the Mexican's return |
from making all things ready at the |
far side Of the vault.
There was no light other than |
feeble glimmer of moonshine filtering |
In through cracks around window and |
door. The girl sat in a corner, the tin |
of nitroglycerin ON the table before her,
automatic pistol in hand, her pose one
Of tense vigilance.
Noiselessly in his bare feet, Juarez
returned, preceded by the flicker Of an
electric torch, bringing with him
modern magazine rifle newly flched |
from the stores in the vault.
"Are you ready" he whispered.
Patria arose with a nod of assent, |
and picked up the tin of explosive in
a cautious hand.
"Follow the aisle between the pack
ing cases." he instructed with ges-
ture toward the tunnel. ut leads to
the hangar doors. II the guards on
the beach run off to see what's the
matter when I begin shooting, unbar
the doors-but don't open them till l
Join you"
She nodded again, and entered the
tunnel as Juarez tiptoed to the window
and stealthily unbarred it.
Picking her way cautiously, she ar
rived beneath the wings of the biplane
before the silence of the island night
was shattered by a ripping fuslllade.
An eye to the crack between the
great doors, she saw two armed Japa-
nese who had been patrolllng the beach
turn and, after momentary hesitation,
run Off in the direction of the disturb
ance.
Working swiftly, she had lifted down
the last heavy bar Of wood that held
the doors together before Juarez ap-
peared ut her side.
"GoodW he breathed, eye to the
crack. II got one Of them. The others
are preparing to storm the shack.
We've got perhaps two minutes. ;"