Evening star., 1924-04-20

son made out their two dark heads,
surging for shore. His dinghy still
| lay on deck, but he did not wait to
| launch it Darling down through the
| cabin, he came forward at jump and
| cut the lashing of Henry's outrigger
canoe. The fugitives were hardly a
hundred feet to the good when he be-
gan to dig out Few persons had
| ever succeeded in getting much of a
| lead on Joranson.
| y
lWHEN the pursuer dashed into their
| wake Henry dropped back to
| cover the retreat But he need not
have bothered Joranson wanted
something he could hit soon and hit
hard; Joranson took after him first of
{ all The proa bore down on Henry
in kissing spurts Of foam and the
opening of that affray was a vicious
| swipe with a paddle.
| Henry ducked-came up out of
reach. Joranson whirled like wa
ter-beetle and struck again. and again.
Henry slipped from under. This was
! sport for a fisherman. He could have
played it all night Each time he
i drew the chase farther aside from
Tito. 1t kept him cheered to think
that Tito was drawing away with
| every stroke But there was very lit
tie cheer next instant to encounter
Tito herself gliding back almost into
his arms. To find their whole plan
defeated To hear her despairing cry:
"The sharks. Henry! The sharke are
| come! Look out for the sharks!"
Between them and the belted dark
there passed a phantom-the merest
phosphorescent presence through the
water. No mistaking that lean, long
ghost No mistaking the cruel wedge
oe a fin that cleaned at. the same time
inshore from them. Joranson spied it
almost as soon as they did, and his
jubilant below confirmed it Here
| was the sort of amusement that suit
ed Joranson-the sort OF punishment
he might have planned himself He
dropped his paddle and got to his feet,
and as Henry instinctively lifted Tito
toward the proa for support and es-
cape from the greater terror, he
slashed at them.
Bleeding. stupeheld, Henry blinked
up at him. Joranson held a singular
object He had a weapon in his fist
a thing with a wavy blade and a hill
set in colored stones that glittered-
glittered dreadfully above them
Henry saw it Heny knew it. 1t was
the substance of every evil dream ht
had had sfnce childhood-it was the
Malay kris with which Henry Gordon
Shoesmith had been slain. And a.
the Same time beyond the looming
figure of the murdered-over yondel
on vitongo shore, between the jungle
and the lagoon-at the same time h'
saw a marble shaft like a pallid, &C,
) cusing finger in tho moonlight; tn,
tomb of Henry Gordon Shoeshith. OF
which was craven, as he knew s,
we'll, the letters of that prophet,
epitaph:
livery mans work shall be mad.
manifest
Keep or, tell you, By - yor
TRY your tarbrush tricks on ne--tr,
'em on the devilr' With horribl.
mirth-Joranson slashed once more
And than 1t happened: as 1t wa:
bound to happen Something snapped
in Henrys breast Some pent re
through every vein some secre
spring Of hts being. He stiffened IL
the water, tense and tingling. and IL
a voice which might have recalled
which did recaIl-the temper of thai
tough old Scotch trader, his father
. Darn you. Joranson. you big whit.
numbering devil" he said. evenly
without trace OF accent I'm goins
to get your"
| Laying hold on tho proa's thwart
he threw his whole strength back
ward and simply spilled the little
craft over. outrigger and all Joran
son felt himself going. With q snar
he drove at Henry's throat, point fore
most Henry warded. They met
locked and went under In a spangIe6
smother. The rest was convuIsion.
The two went reeling through &
dim immensity: three fathoms deer
where the shadowy corals lay; bach
to the surface in a furious spatter oi
sea-fire. As they rose, Henry called
to Tito to take to the wrecked canoe
He had a glimpse Of her clinging
there-safe. After that he gave him
self to the Job on hand-exultant1y.
With his right arm he hung abou,
the enemy's neck. With the other he
Tended. He did not strike a blow
He did not need to. All he required
was the knife the pledge of destiny
and of victory with which-once he
had won 1t, once he had wrested II
from Joranson's falling grip-he could
meet and scatter . dozen sharks.
Gordon was there to greet them.
Naturally, Gordon was there, vehe-
menently excited from his long. spy
ing vigil on vitongo strand -W'at
was It? Wat 'appened?" he cried.
His sharp little eyes roved from,
Henry to Tito in stricken astonish-
mont as they stepped ashore, drip
ping. from the righted proa II 'eard
something. Where is Joranson? Did
you ave an accidentT'
YES" said Henry, auietly. AN ac-
cident The sharks, you understand
You mean they got i'm! Joran-
son" Gordon's tone rose to a sQueal
of dismay. But in that case-but
IL that is so-!" He saw sall his
schemes ruined-all his hopes of VII
tongo overwhelmed in Henry's in
! credible good fortune "Ah, no-no,-