Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1922-04-14

envy, and the enemy fled In wild dis
order. pursued by the syndicate. After
a chase Of half mile Mr.. Gibney led
his cohorts back to the beach,
Lets build a fire-not that we
need it, but Just for company-and
sleep till mornin'. BY that time my
imaginationu be In workln' order and
I'll scheme a breakfast out of this
Ciodforsaken hole"
At the first hint of dawn Mr.. Glib
oey, true TO his promise, was up and
scouting for breakfast. He found
some gooneys on d rocky crag and
killed half a dozen of them with
club. On his way back to camp he
discovered a few handfuls of sea salt
In crevice between some rocks, and
the syndicate breakfasted an hour
later on roast gooney. 1t was oily and
fishy but an excellent substitute for
nothing at all, and the syndicate was
grateful. The breakfast would have
been cheerful, in fact, If Captain
Scraggs had not made repeated ref
erence to his excessive thirst. Nc
Guffey lost patience before the meal
was over, and cuffed Captain Scraggs,
who thereupon subsidized with tears In
his eyes. This hurt McGuffey. 1t was
like salt in a fresh wound, so he pat
ted the skipper on the back and
humbly asked his pardon. Captain
Scraggs forgave him and murmured
something about death making them
all equal.
1.-THE next business before the syn
dicate," announced Mr.. Gibney, us a
search of this island for water"
They searched all forenoon. AT To-
tervals they caught glimpses of the
two cannibals skulking behind sand
dunes, but they found no water
Toward the center of the island, how
ever, the soil was less barren, and
here a grove of coconut palms lifted
their tufted crests lnvitingly.
ave will camp In this grove" said
the commodore, "and keep guard over
these green coconuts. There must be
nearly a hundred of them and / no
tice a little taro root here and there
AS those coconuts are full Of milk
that insures us life for a week or two
If we go on a short ration. By bath
in several times a day we can keep
down our thirst some and perhaps
tin rain"
''What If 1t doesT' snapped Captain
Scraggs bitterly. "We amt got moth
In but our hats to catch it in"
"Well. then, Scraggsy, old stlck-in
the mud" replied the commodore
quizzically. "it's cinch youll &C
thirsty. Your hat looks like a cul.
lender"
Captain Scraggs choked with rage
and Mr.. Gibney, springing at the near.
est palm, Skinned to the top Of 1t In
the most approved sailor fashion. A
moment later, instead of coconuts
rich unctuous curses began to de
scend on McGuffey and Scraggs.
"Gib, my dear boy" inquired
Scraggs, whatever is the matter of
your"
"That hound Tabu-Tabu's been
strippin' our coconut grove" roared
the commodore. "He must have spent
half the night up in these trees"
"Thank the Lord they didn't take
'em ALL" said McGuffey pously.
"Chuck me down nut, Glib" said
Captain Scraggs. "Tm famished."
In conformity with the commodore's
plans, the castaways made camp In
the grove. For a week they subsist-
ed on gooneys, taro root, coconuts
and coconut milk, and a sea-turtle
which Scraggs found wandering on
the beach. This suggested turtle
eggs to Mr.. Gibney, and a change Of
diet resulted. Nevertheless, The un-
accustomed food, poorly cooked as it
was, and the lack of water. told cru
ely on them, and their strength
failed rapidly.
At the end Of week, all hands were
troubled with indigestion and McGuf-
fey developed a low fever. Jlay had
lost much flesh and were a white, bag
gard-loOking trio. On the otternoon
of the tenth day on the island he sky
clouded up and Mr.. McGuffey predict
ed a williwaw. Captain ScraEgs In
CURED feebly II it was good TO eat.
That night II rained, and to the
great Joy of the marooued marlners
Mr.. Gibney discovered, in the center Of
big sandstone rock, a natural reser-
voIr that held about ten gallon OF wa
ter. They drank to repletion and felt
their strength return a th0lsand-fold.
Tabu-Tabu and the king came into
camp about this time, and pleaded for
a ration Of water. Mr.. GibneT swear
ing horribly at them, granted their re-
quest, and the king, in his gratitude,
threw himself at the commodore's feet
and kissed them But Mr.. G1ney was
not to be deceived, and after turnish-
ing them with a supply Of water In
coconut calabashes, he ordered them
to their own side Of the island.
On the eighteenth day the iast drop
of water was gone, and on the JWenty-
second day the last Of The eoconuts
disappeared. The prospects OF more
rain were not bright. The gooneys were