Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1917-11-30

sluggish waters Oh the nio uc ="
a worried, brooding light in his gray eyes.
About him the tropical underground closed
in with the encircling oppressivcness OF
the South American jungle. To right ana
left the river led off into the wilderness,
while al his back clustered the buildings OF
the lumber camp under his charge.
Silence, the silence of the woods, the 81
lence Of mystery, hung upon the place, and
he felt it in every fiber Of his body. u
seemed to whisper of other deaths to come,
of q danger that carried no forewarning.
A week before, Dewitt, Morgan's assist
ant, had been found horribly mutilated on
the edge of the camp. To date, with all
the effort possible, the manager had been
unable to put his hands upon the assassin.
lie Knew one of the natives must be re-
sponsible for the outrage, but he could con-
ceive of no way in which to fasten upon
the guilty man.
The thing troubled him even as it stirred
his heart to a wild longing for revenge.
lie had liked Dewitt. His firm had sent the
young fellow out to him when he had asked
for an assistant, and he knew that the tall,
blond haired young giant who had gone TO
death so horribly had been more than a
mere employee Of the company; he had been
a personal friend Of Summerville, the pres
|ident, and Of young Summerville, who had
come down the month before to see how the
work was going.
What news for the presidents son TO
take back to New York! Dewitt done TO
death. and he, who was actually respon-
sible for the safety of the men, as well as
getting out the hardwood, unable to see
THAT the crime was fastened upon the guilty
person.
He raised his head and shook it, slowly
a q mar might who was troubled in mind
and heavy of heart. For the past week he
had thought of Dewitt in each waking mo-
ment, and dreamed Of him in his sleep.
The native crew were a clannish a half
breeds are: he could get nothing out of
them. They stood together, man to man.
and disclaimed all knowledge Of the crime.
Young Summerville would be going
downstream the coming day, and after the
long, slow journey down the Rio de la Ma
deira had been accomplished he would
catch the English river steamer on the
Amazon. head for Para, and, in time. be
back home. What n report for him to
| carry to his father: Dewitt, who had been
like n son To the older Summerville, lone
to death and his murderer gone scot free,
Morgan rose slowly and surveyed the
camp. his own quarters, the crew build
ing in n second clearing beyond. and then
he turned to study once again the silent,
| sluggish river flowing on with its slow,
measured glide. The river told no secrets.
What had happened to poor Dewitt must
pass unatoned for. Ii seemed 80.
Morgan turned into n path leading off
TO the left and walked on with bowed head
until he came to n spot where the worn
ground ended at the swamp. II was vir-
tualIy impossible to venture farther. for
the soft, oozy muck would, in n dozen
steps. give under the weight of a man and
suck him down to a horrible death.
AT the very edge Morgan halted. and.
with an attempt to shake off his brooding
thoughts, studied the situation. He wanted
TO build n causewav across the swamp. and
30 reach a high ridge of heavily timbered
ground.
He and Summerville had studied the
question a number of times since the presi-
dents son had been in camp, and had
about decided that the effort could only
prove impossible of accomplishment. Per-
haps it was for that very reason that he
turned to it now. In its perplexities he
found some opportunity to throw aside the
thoughts that filled his brains.
II he couldn't lay hands on Dewit's muir
derer, he must forget the thing and turn
to his duties, which he had sadly neglected
this past week. Summerville had prac-
tically taken charge of the work for him.
In the morning Summerville would be gone,
and, alone, must catch his poise, and get
down to the business in hand.
But what q lonely task, lie would be
alone with a crew Of natives, the only
white man for mile upon mile, buried in the
heart Of q forest whose vast extent few
dreamed.
But the task of spanning the quagmire
did not prove tempting enough. Morgan
sank down upon the ground and forgot
work and everything else lie was think
ing only of Dewitt, and he sat with sunken
head, ~lifeless eyes, and brooding brow, as
he had watched the Rio dc In Madeira roll
by him the better part of the morning.
A sleepy bird stirred in the brush; n
chattering monkey swung down and
studied the silent figure. Off in the tam
gled underground where, for the festoon
upon festoon of creeping vine, the eye
could hardly penetrate at all, Il sound told