Clearwater Republican. [volume] (Orofino, Idaho) 1912-1922, 1919-06-13
CHAPTER !.
PauIvltch and an Ape.

Inc Marjorie WIS long boat was |
floating down the broad Ugambi with
ebb tide and current. Her crew were
lazily enjoying this respite from the
arduous labor of rowing upstream.
Three miles below them lay the Mar
jorie herself, quite ready to sail SO
soon as they should have clambered
aboard and swung the long boat to Its
davits.
Presently the attention of every man
was drawn from his dreaming or his
Igossiping to the northern bank Of the
river. There, screaming at them In a
scracked falsetto, and with skinny arms
outstretched, stood q strange appari-
ton of q man.
"Wot in thunder" calculated one of
the crew.
"A white mani" muttered the mate;
and then: "Man the oars, boys, and
wen just pull over an see what he
wants."
When they came close to the shore
they saw an emaciated creature with
scant white locks, tangled and matted.
The thin, bent body was naked save
for q loin cloth. Tears were rolling
down the sunken, pockmarked cheeks.
The mau jabbered at them in a strange
tongue.
"Rooshun," hazarded the mate.
"Sayvy EnglishT" he called to the
man.
The scarecrow did, and in that tongue,
brokenly and haltingly, as though it
had been many years since he had used
it, he begged them TO take him with
them away from this awful country.
Once on board the Marjorie w. the
stranger told his rescuers pitiful tale
of privation, hardships and torture, ex-
tending over period Of ten years.
How he happened to have come to
Africa he did not tell them, leaving
them to assume that he had forgotten
the incidents Of his life prior to the
frightful ordeals that had wrecked him
mentally and physically. His name, he
said, was Alexis Paulvitch.
A few scraggly, yellow-white locks
had supplanted the thick dark hair that
had once covered his head. His limbs
were bent and twisted he walked with
shutting, unsteady gait, his body
doubled forward. His teeth were gone
knocked out by his savage masters
Even bis mentality was but sorry
mockery Of what it once had been.
They took him aboard the Marjorie
W., and there they fed and nursed him
He gained a little in strength, but his
appearance never altered for the bet.
ter-a human derelict, battered and
wrecked, they had found him human
derelict, battered and wrecked. he
would remain until death claimed him
Alexis Paulvitch could easily have
passed for eighty.
The Marjorie w. had been chartered
by q syndicate of wealthy mnnufac
iturers, equipped with a laboratory and
staff of scientists and sent out tc
search for some natural product which
the manufacturers who footed the bills
had been importing from South Amer
lea at an enormous cost. What the
product was none on board the Mar
1orie w. knew except the scientists
nor Is 1t Of any moment to us, othel
than that 1t led the ship to certain
island off the coast of Africa aftel
Alexis Paulvitch had been takeI
aboard.
The ship lay at anchor OF the coas
for several weeks. The monotony O
life aboard her became trying for tn,
crew. They went often ashore, an,
finally Paulvitch asked to accompan.
them-he, too. was firing of the blight
ing sameness Of existence upon tn,
ship.
The island was heavily timbered
Dense jungle ran down almost to tn
beach. The scientists were far inland
prosecuting their search for the valu
able commodity that native rumo
upon the mainland had led them to be
lieve might be found here In market
able quantity.
The ships company fished, hunte
and explored. Paulvitch shufiled u
and down the beach or lay in the shad
of the great trees that skirted 1t.