The Elk Mountain pilot., 1924-11-27
He continued to examine the skull,

He continued to examine the skull.
with puzzled brows.
There are some curious holes which
l cannot understand" he said. "They
might have been caused by bullets. But
1t is doubtful If natives would possess
bullets here"
DO you think there are any here
now-any natives?
He met the eyes raised in trepida-
| tion to his own. 81 can't tell. vet. But
they are friendly enough to white peo-
pie" Throwing away the skull, he
went on tward the open space.
The apparent caves proved to be
moss-covered ruins of bamboo huts.
| Many had fallen into rough heaps upon
the ground; of others. bits of all re-
| mained standing, guarding like senti-
nels the broken portions resting wear
lily against their base. Lying about,
half-hidden in underground. were odd
ly shaped household utensils made of
wood or rough kind of pottery; also
large shells. rude cups fashioned from
coconut shell. broken spears.
The scene was desolate, giving the
impression of Death. of the relentless
hand of Time sweeping away to extinc-
tion what once had seemed strong and
full of life.
ITS quite possible" he said, that
the whole colony which lived here has
died out. Populations dwindle very
much in the Pacific islands,"
She gave little shudder.
ITS horrible here-I don't know
why Let's go down to the shore.
There seems to be hut standing
down there" She pointed toward a
small, sheltered structure halfway
down the lower slope, sheltered be-
meath the hill which they had climbed.
Croft hurried in its direction.
1t consisted of one small room. The
bamboo walls were intact, but the
thatch forming the roof showed large
rents; on the ground within, amid
musty. dead leaves, were scattered
utensils similar to those which they
had already seen.
Croft glanced round critically, then
at the girl. who had followed him, then
out through the opening seward
1--WE can make this sufficiently hab-
table to carry on with" he observed.
His words went out into silence.
They brought instantly vivid reallza-
tion of the immediate present to her
mind. followed quickly by thoughts of
the future. A new fear shot up,
| clutching her heart with horrible.
clammy hand. She looked with sudden
dread at her companions profile; and
something about his tense lips seemed
to confirm the awful foreboding. The
faint color revived in her checks by
exercise ebbed away. leaving her
white. She clenched her teeth and her
hands; then, with an effort, put her
dread to the test.
| "We-shall soon be rescued? Ships
are certain to-call here? 1t will only
mean a few hours-or days?"
The moment which Croft had dread
ed, yet known to be inevitable, was at
hand and he felt the utter inadequacy
Of his sex in dealing with delicate stu
ations.
From his prolonged silence Barbara
guessed the truth of his convictions !;
words were unnecessary. She clasped
her hands in agony, uttering little
moaning cry like some dumb animal
receiving Its death-wound
Croft turned quickly. He looked down
at the quivering, girlish form, meeting
the frightened eyes turned to him.
trusting in his judgment and resource
And all at once he realized that, In
this CHASTITY predicament, her very life
lay In his hands. He leaned forward
and took her clasped hands in both Of
his.
Don't give up hope" he said earn
estly. Its very doubtful If ships call;
but they may pass this way. We will
do all we can"
She clung to his hands, breathing
hard. seeming to find the old mag
netism of his personality draw her up.
deriving mental as well as physical
support from his grip. Her eyes fixed
upon his, as If searching for help. {. E.
Suddenly, like plucky ray of sun
shine in a stormy sky, faint smile
fitted tremulously across her pale
lips.
I'VE must-as you said-buck up,"
she whispered, the trembling words
scarcely audible.
n