Evening star., 1924-06-15


| There's an old plantation back some
where. Vacant they tell me. except
! for devils and night walkers and
such" He swung round on the stout
one. You wouldn't be at all lone
some. Chris"
Brewer had the measure of Chris
! pima scullion by his trade. Porto
Santo Portuguese, dull and malignant.
"Devils?' he stammered.
Forest devils. the natives say. 1t
| looks a proper home for 'em among
these queer places-what?
There was no wind, the flame Of
| their rude lantern stood straight as
| nail, yet a chill air came and
passed as if a great black wing
| had brushed them The wilderness
pressed in with strange sounds and
scents. They shrank from it-even
the cynical Brewer himself-from its
| unguessed possibilities.
George scrambled to his feet.
For any sakes. what are we doing
here?' he cried, swaying. Let's get
! out of this hole. They're bound to
be after US: and it's-it's awful here
so deathly-and alive, too. We got
to run-run-keep running, Let's get
away. Let's get out"
Dibdin nodded with a drunken
mans sudden gravity.
George, l believe you're right. 1t
does seem a bit crowded for pleas
ure; besides doocid unhealthy. And
as for devils. d'y see"-he reached for
| the rum gourd-1 got enough of my
| own"
So at the last they were all wait
ing for Chrispim. He stayed half
| kneeling, but there was no defiance
about him now. Under his breath he
called some forgotten saint and his
face. turned upward in the splash of
yellow lantern light, was awed and
stricken. And following his gaze,
they could see what he saw-the
stubby foretop of the vessel lined
sharp against the fading sky. 1t
made sign above them there to
speed their voyage, an omen-like
cross, as it might have been-or like
| the frame OF a gallows, if they, cared
to take it SO. 'Sagrada Framilia" he
| mumbled. IF only we don't carry
none of them devils alon' wit u.s.
MO man saw her go. At midnight
the weather broke with season.
able tropic rains. Some scraps of
canvas quicked her pace on the wet
| and rising gusts; she fled like a
ragged wrath. 1t was close on dawn
| before she found another inlet among
the mangroves where she could lie
up in hiding and her crew, drenched
and stupefied. could fall asleep on her
sopping deck.
Brewer awoke to find the sun
standing high. glowing through the
Jungle like the hot spot in a crown
sheet. With genial impulse. he kicked
the others into consciousness. They
| sat with haggard faces, listless, silent.
Brewer looked them over and
| laughed.
Gentlemen o. leisure" he observed,
| "Ain't you beginnin' pretty early?
tell you straight, you get no pam
| perrin on any ship with me. 1t don't
go-understand? once we're through,
you can snivel all Jsu like. but till
we are-you jump. &et that
They reused themselves lanGuidly,
but when they sat to breakfast on
the hatch a little later he sprang his
first bombshell of surprise.
Say, who's tn funny bloke around
herer' he began gruffiy. where's
George?
Faith, have you lost that young
ster again. inquired Dibdin. why
don't you tie him up?"
.I'n tie him fast enough if he had
a hand in this" declared Brewer
"One of them bags of gold dust is
gone."
Here was word to jolt them out
of lethargy.
IT left 'em atop of the transom
there last night-four of 'em. in plain
sight You can see for yourselves
only three left! And, by Jimmy, II
you lads been playin' any tricks
among you@
chrispim rose like a prodded
buffalo.
"Ah, that's right! You come holler
to us because tha' boy run away.
Didn't 1 tell you two, three, twenty
time he is no good? Only let me
catchm~
.Tn let you do nothin," snapped
Brewer. "And where would he run
to. I'd like to know? It's cinch ne
can't ha' gone very far"
In fact. he had gone no farther
than the tiny mildewed cabin. where
presently they found him stretched in
the one bunk.
"well?'
George raised a lusterless gaze.
I'm SICK" he murmured.
NYcYn I'M
WONDER
But they wondered still more when
they came to paw about the bunk.
George had no gold dust with him
seemed not even to understand their
angry questioning.
"Chris, where'd you Sleep chal-
lenged Brewer.
ME? Ri here in d. doorway.
What? Don you say done it!'
"Charlie-'
"Come off it! I slept beside Chris" "
whoever he is" scowled Brewer,
.I can tell him now this little joke
won't do him any good
whoever he is" echoed Dibdin.
Brewer turned upon him
Are you gettin' at me? You don't
think If wanted to be crooked with
you chaps I couldn't do better than
that?
.'Yes, but d. gold is gone" Chrispim
| intervened.
1t was undeniable-a' leather sack
| like a plump sausage, weighing some
| thirty pounds, and worth possibly
$4,000.
| X
! GO they started their search Of the
~ Jorguina. They made quick work
| of her bare cabin. In the forward