The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1923-01-07

~'A'ASeJ obl VI L ti dh TIE iOdQ
ended abruptly, an oriental habit
roads have in the east, and became
mere beaten path through a be-
wildering tropical jungle. There was
rise, too, as they went forward
toward the mountain range, which
IS the backbone of Malacca.
Now they must travel by day and
make camp at night. More than
once they found themselves being
stalked by tiger or black panther.
One of the horses died of snake
bite, and they had to take turns
riding the packmule. This, naturally,
made the journey more tedious.
Whenever native village appeared
in the distance. Corrigan would roll
up his trouser-Ieg and consult his
marvellous map, turn to the right
or TO the left, as the situation ne
ceSsitated
"Corrigan. how the deuce do gu do
it2"
II told you. Every one of those
dots represents a village. The main
thing is to avoid them by going
around"
On the evening of the twelfth day,
Corrigan tethered the horse and
mule, put on his ammunition belt.
motioning Cathew to do the same,
and in a whisper, said:
mo talkin' from now on. No
fire. When the moon rises III show
you picture that'l make
your heart thump like bilge-3ump.
Wen lay low till 10 o'clock; and
then =. Well. Gawd help us if
we're caught
Now, I'm goin'' t give you the
right dope. l told you the other
mans bones were bleachin' in the
Gulf of Siam. lied. They're
bleachin' up yonder, half a mile
away. They hamstrung him, but 1
got away.
Those rubies and the emerald
were his, honestly his. He wasn't
a thief; no more than am l. The
old sultan had promised these priests
the idol upon his death, because the
idol meant nothing to him, he being
Mohammedan.
my pal saved his sons life. And
when the old boy croaked. the young
chap gave Heine the idol, the rubies
and the emerald. not carin a boot
about what the priests wanted.
Heine opened the bottom of the idol
and took out the prayers and put
in the stones. But the dirty beg
gars stole the idol, not then KNOWN
what was inside. Heine got away
by the skin of his teeth. Four years
after he told me, and we went back.
"An' that's the Gawd's truth; for
this amt no time to lie. Y can go
with me with an easy conscience"
Cathew took hold of Corrigan's
hand, pressed 1t, and pointed east.
There's another thing" pursued
Corrigan. "We1l have to leave the
horse and mule here. A panther
may smell them. In that case, good
night! We're tough; but we can't
walk back to Perak. 1t would take
us more than month. not counting
the fever which you're more likely
to get on foot than on the back
of a horse.
There's my cards. boy, and there
isn't an ace in the deck. Five hun
dred devils over there, a possible
loss of the nags. =. Never mind; let's
eat and drink hearty I'm glad
had the souse in Colombo
Seven pigeon-bloods and an emer-
aid"
Worth a hundred thousand if
cent. Our shoes are hollow-heeled.
Well divide. I'll take five rubies
and you take two and the emerald"
All this conversation was held in
the softest of whispers.
AT $ o'clock the two climbed
tree. and Corrigan swung his bin
oculars. Cathew heard a faint curse.
ION this night of all nights!"
What is it?"
Look and see for yourself"
Cathew beheld through the glasses
the ruined facade of a temple. Be-
fore this there was a clearing, and
this clearing was covered with genu-
fleeing bodies.
Some rotten old fcte. and it may
hold US up for hours. We get in
at the back. Same way we got in
before. We weren't quick enough.
Never laid hands on the idol. God!
1 can hear his cries yet. and they
were all for me to run. found
one of the horses alive. and I rode
him till he dropped dead. I walked
s2 miles. What blasted fools men
are! We might as well roost here
and watch the proceedings"
From time to time the slight east
wind carried to them a wailing of
tom-toms and a vague spicy incense.
Occasionally a flicker of light ap-
peared beyond the = temple doors.
Higher rose the moon; and deeper
and deeper became Cathew's convic-
ton that this was not real, only
Pigment of some dream, and that
presently he would wake as of old.