South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1919-06-13
In the Crocodile's Jaws
By Robert Carleton Brown

ingly above his master. and his huge
hairy fist shot out like a steel spring
and grasped the foremost Of the
sailors
Another agonized screami A wild
animal cry.
"Babo, Babo," yelled Jock in a
throaty rattle above the din. "Sacre
bleu. L diable, Jesu-"
Poe poised for a leap TO the aid
Of the sailor in the monkeys mang-
ling clutch. when he suddenly saw
the ape swing loose with its other
hand and grasp a second believing.
striking seaman. The mainland
ling was hellish Poe's hand fled
20 his hip-pocket
The devil face OF the ape. blood.
thirsty, swan before his eyes: his
hand jerked back from his hip
pocket, empty. Jock had attended
70 the gun that was there
There was a sudden ringing ex-
plosion. The tight little room re-
verberated with it, Splitting hre had
leaped from Poe's revolver in the
black mans hand.
There was crash of feet in the
passage without: headed by a huge
lamp, rushed Frau Klittenlein. fol-
lowed by the rema,nin OUNCE :
the smOke-hlled atmosphere. Poe
was suddenly mashed against the
passage wall by the believing sail
ors bursting forth from that hid
eous black hole OF a room
There was a resOunding crash Of
glass. Poe leaped through the pass
age, knocking down two numbering
fellows who strove to stop him. He
shot down the stairs and outside.
around TO the ground beneath Jocks
window.
There lay a crumpled form, moan
ing. He turned the man on his back.
ignited the cigar lighter and gazed
into the black face of the sailor
from Borneo. his lips working VIC
lently in excruciating agony. and
covered with white foam. Poe
caught sight of his feet; a bloody
bandage on one had worked up to
his ankle and the manned foot lack
ed two toes
a quick motion from beside the
huddled form made Poe spin around
just in time to evade the snap Of
ferocious teeth. Babo. the ape. con-
fronted him, struggling toward him
weakly, evidently injured.
Poe leaped upon the ape. caught
him fairly about his hairy throat
and struggled for a violent half
minute with him. Then the mon
keys steel-gripping hands relaxed
their hold. Poe jumped to his feet.
turned hastily toward a mass of
frenzied men bursting from the front
door of the lodging house and, gath
ering up the dead weight OF the pow
erful monkey clutched II close and
managed with difficulty to stagger
down the winding alley to the water,
turning but once 10 find that the
group had stopped at the insensible
form of the black man.
He jumped into the waiting skiff,
threw his heavy burden in the bot
tom and pushed off, telling the man
20 row like the devil back to Hag-
gerup wharf. During the trip Poe
wound rope around the orang -utan's
muscular limbs and noted with re-
lief that the animal was still alive
and beginning to struggle again.
The member OF the firm was wait
ing for him within tire big Haggeup
warehouse. in which order had now
been restored
Poe gave Babo TO the keepers. and
not stopping for explanations. grasp
ed the astounded member Of the firm
by the arm and rushed him into the
street
They found a cab some blocks
away and drove at once TO the hos
pital nearest Heirs Quarter.
In answer to the Germans breath
less demands for an explanation,
/ Poe sketched the following briefly
during the ride:
That black man your assistant
keeper described and called Jock
pulled off the trick. l thought il
from the first, when l found he had
moved the glass tank into the sun.
Chats why l asked YOU TO wait be-
fore sending out the news Of Babo's
escape: 1 didn't want the thief 10
take alarm too quickly) The ma
tives OF Borneo are shrewd. they
have 10 make ire by rubbing sticks
together and with the suns rays
through glass or crystals. He saw
the power OF that tank and figured
out the inevitable result. Providing
himself with hood and a shawl he
went alone in a rowboat this after
noon 10 the end of your warehouse,
where he climbed 10 the narrow
ledge along il and worked at the
window bars while he was waiting
for the fire 10 start in the straw he
had attended TO. placing where il
would catch the suns rays and sure
~ ignite; possibly he put something
there 10 hurry matters. some
matches or anything similar.
When he saw the fire finally