The Tomahawk., 1920-03-11
Jorge AGNEW CHAMBERLAIN


His eyes had fallen on a group OF
carriers, newly arrived, and the crew
of his freight boat. The negroes were
squatting in a circle on guard, waiting
to make delivery to their master of
various cases. Some of them evident
ly contained cloth, cutlery and knick-
knacks dear to the native heart, but
one, at least, brazenly proclaimed in
deeply burnt stenciling its contents to
be gin. 1t was on this small square
box that MacClosters eyes were ri7-
eted. He turned and spoke to Andrea
in an oily tone that for some inexpllca-
BILE reason froze her blood. 1t was as
though he had suddenly assumed
new and strange personality upon
| which her twelve hours Of brave inter-
course with him had had no occasion
to establish it's grip. He became a
stranger within stranger and hope
lessly inaccessible.
"Come with me, my DEAR" was all
he said.
She followed him slowly, an unac-
customed weakness In her knees. He
entered the monster Gaia and waited
for her. For some moments the gloom
was impenetrable to her eyes but as
their pupils dilated she began to dis
cover shadows within the shadow until
she was able to make out the entire
scheme Of interior arrangement. The
ground floor with the exception OF an
open space around the trunk of the
tree, was devoted to series OF vast
sleeping rooms into which, she gath
cred from a muttered phrase Of Mac
Closter's, were herded nightly all the
girls of marriageable age, accompn'
MED By a few of those old harridans
| who in certain tribes act as govern
esses with the qualification that it is
their duty to instill all the knowledge
which the mentors of the young of
civilized peoples are supposed to with
hold.
Around the trunk of the tree, which
was twelve feet or more in diameter,
rough spiral stairway had been con.
structed to give access to platform
which was built on and around the
main intersection Of wide-spreading
limbs. This platform was inclosed
and lighted by oil lamps. A glance
within told her that it was the abode
Of Manchester himself, the well.nigh
impregnable center Of the spiders web.
From every side Of it extended the
sturdy limbs of the tree and up each
Of them climbed series of projecting
cleats which served as ladders to reach
q vast system Of smaller platforms,
built wherever the natural disposition
of the branches afforded adequate sup
port. These lesser rooms were used
as storehouses for merchandise, pro-
visions and ivory; and few Of them
near the very top Of the tree, were
fitted out as guest chambers especially
| adapted to the safe-keeping OF doubt
full strangers US also for the effective
hiding of chattel, human and other
wise, which for one reason or another
Manchester desired to keep out OF
sight.
| Into one Of the latter Andrea was
finally ushered, breathless from her
climb. On it's floor was fresh grass
mat, clean blanket, clay pot OF
drinking water with dipper made out
of a coconut shell and square box
filled with sand, evidently intended for
the bed u: cooking-f1re. The oniy
light came from a cotton wick laid In
an open vessel filed with oil from the
castor bean.
"There you are, Sissie," said Mac
| Closter, in his new oily voice, "every+
thing you can possibly need and when.
ever you want to 60 out, all you have
to do is to climb down and go through
my room. You won't have to do your
own cooking for day or two; I'll send
your scott up"
Andrea's heart sank to depths that
it had never reached before; her lower
lip trembled and drew down at the
corners.
"Now, don't look so glum," said Mac
Closter, leering at her. "Just remem-
Der that you couldn't be safer in b.
than you are here!"
he turned and left her with q laugh
at his own joke. The measured "Ha!
Ha! Ha !--Ha! Hal Ha" reverberat-
ed through the interminable mazcs OF
the entombed tree. More than ever it