Evening star., 1923-04-23
BY LAURA JEAN LIBBEY.

Stick to your post, man! This is not
time for vengeance."
With might and main Casey strug
gled to free himself from the others
grasp. Rhodes clutching him with
his one disengaged hand in steel
like wise.
Then followed a one-handed battle
in mid-air, terrific battle, the like
OF which was never before fought on
land or sea.
Casey struggled like a madman TO
reach the dirk knife in his belt, the
other interpreting the action. he
knew that in his frenzy casey
would, not realize that II meamt
! With q deft movement Rhodes. win
| that one hand which he was about
| to loosen for An instant, seized tne
shining blade. breaking 1t at the nit,
below. Half hundred huge mon
sters saw the shining thing descend
ing, simultaneously making leap
| for it.
Both men glanced down and the
awful sight made the blood In their
| veins fairly turn to ice; each aroppsu
his hold of the other: 1t brought
Casey suddenly to his senses; as
nothing else in this world could have
done. For an instant they looked INTO
each others eyes: peither spoke lnen
suddenly over the water rose Hhpoes
cry: Look. God be praised. Lano
ahead"
The words sounded trumpet like
| through the Wilderness of air. The
trouble is righting itself-she shoot-
| ing straight ahead.
Both noticed that the huge mon,
sters were turning back; this told
them that the water was now so
shallow they could advance no fur
ther. Land was indeed close at hand.
The knowledge was like draught
of strong wine to Casey. The ra adiance
that lit up both haggard faces was
like nothing human; il put new life
i'm them, gave them false strength.
They bent their combined efforts to
hold out d little longer and send the
plane ahead. The great seaplane
to settle. gliding downward like
swift arrow from the bow.
The water was missed by narrow
margin: the plane had landed on
grassy slope scarcely rod from the
"Out with the body" exclaimed
Casey. ITS by miracle we've been
saved"
Quickly they relieved themselves
OF their passenger; to whom they at
Life. though but a feeble spark,
was still in him as they laid him
down in the long grass. Their chart
showed them TO be far out of theT
course, Iney ndu idH0cO dI hohoi' oii
the Arabian coast.
Rhodes found the engine to be not
nearly as badly off as he had sup
posed. Both agreed that their wisest
plan. on account of the dying stow
away, was to make getaway from
, that locality and its people without
delay.
They were men of deeds. not words.
At the last moment Rhodes turned
to the silent figure with its death
fiat,, al
lnelt. and placed a flask to his lips:
I'll give him the last of it; it may
give him a fighting chance 10 last
until someone comes across him."
Casey was plainly annoyed. Hes
done for and you've wasted a finger
bled
""I'll feel the better for doing it,"
said Rhodes
A moment more and the giant plane
| was Off again in the direction Of the
rising sun. Nothing remained to show
how the stranger had come to Katar.
From all that he held dear. For a mo-
ment, after the life giving draught had
been administered to him. the stow
away. as the aviators had dubbed him
| body, ceased ebbins: the cool dew Of
the grasses Iaved his burning brow and
fevered hands. and his eyes opened
slowly. He tried to rise, but his rigid
llIlDS IdlIeu 10 peTlOTl1 IQuCtlCHs
Overhead he saw a flock of vultures
wheeling about in the upper air. He was
confused-dazed.
All that he realized was that he was
suffering intense pain. An hour passed ;
nearer and nearer wheeled the vultures
Even they seemed to sense-it was not
quite time to pounce upon their prey
to devour him.
He saw the huge flock of birds draw
ing nearer and nearer, one Of them
alighting on the branch Of the tree di-
rectly above him. but he was too far
gone to realize what that meant. Slow
II. one by one. the entire flock de-
scended to the overspreading branches.
each craning his neck to look down
upon him.
A great silence reigned. In that mo-
ment heaven was kind to him; he lapsed
into the deep Inconsistencies which
precedes the end.
Both Casey and Rhodes noted the
vultures as they flew in a cloud past
the plane toward the shore, heading
for the spot where the unconscious
stranger lay. There isn't much Diff
ference between being swallowed whole
by the sharks and being attacked and
devoured alive by those wolves of the