The Winslow mail., 1924-07-18
Up1RIotTT ~ VIC cnAPr1An

succession.
Each turned upon the feasibility of
rush, the snatching up of a spear
after he had fired his remaining bull
lets, and hopeless fight with the
object of at least killing De Witt.
Zach plan was hopeless but then ev
erything else was hopeless.
The minutes seemed Iengthening into
hours. AT last Winton's plans had
simmered down to this: he would not
risk discovery until he was assured
that Sheila was in imminent danger.
For the present she was probably safe.
He felt sure she was not in De Wits
tent. Where, then, was she?
AS his eyes travelled from spot to
of rock at the summit of the noun
tain. The leaping flames of the fire
Illuminated the interior of what seemed
a little cave. And somehow WintOn
sensed that Sheila was within that.
1t was some thirty yards away, and
he saw little chance of reaching it un-
observed. There was fringe of grass
through which he might crawl for the
greater part of the journey, but for
the last few feet he would have to
OF the fire Yet he began his task. and
it was infinitely arduous and slow. 1t
was matter of inch-long move
ments-frst of one arm, then Of the
other, then of the corresponding lower
limbs The dry blades OF grass
cracked under the slightest movement.
The natives were doing over the
fire. Winton had gone perhaps six feet
when one Of the HottentOts raised
himself suddenly to a kneeling posi-
ton and thrust out his head toward
him, peering intently through the
grass. Winton, perfectly motionless,
stared for at least five minutes into
the yellow face within few feet of
his own. The man knelt like statue,
the eyeballs cleaning in the moon
light, the fingers encircling the spear
shaft.
Suddenly the. sight faded. The
moonlight was cut off abruptly, plung-
ing the land into immediate darkness
Then few drops Of rain began to fall.
In half minuts a torrent was de-
scending.
1t was the characteristic beginning
of one of the seasonal thunderstOrms.
AS Winton crOuched near the cave,
preparing to cross the open space,
there came a flash Of lightning that
made the world as bright as day. 1t
showed him the form of the Hottentot,
mOtiOnless where he had been watch
ing, the fingers still about the spear.
But it showed him another sight that
drove the blood from his heart
He saw De Witt crossing from the
tent to the cave.
So momentary was the flash that the
mans attitude, his gesture, and the
movement of his body and limbs
seemed caught as on a Photographic
plate. He was halfway to the cave,
hurrying with head bent down to shield
his face from the rain. But Winton
could still see the look Of anticipation
OAA Ills ACuLuA anu IL was IAoL NAilSh
gave him, for the second time the
lust for murder.
1t was borne in upon him then that
by no possibility could De Witt and he
live in the same world together.
The flash, which had given WintOn
his final clue to Sheilah's hiding
place, had shown him the topography
of the mountain cleft The place was
a natural fortress The only apparent
approach was the narrow neck along
which he had come. Beyond the
mountain dropped in vertical cliff,
and beyond that was the stony desert
where no tree grew and nothing could
live.
In the interval between two sue
ceeding flashes Winton crept noiseleSs-
ly across the open space in front of
the cave and crept forward into the
darkness of the interior. AS he gained
the shelter of the projecting wall, and
croucHed behind it. hidden alike from
the sight of the HottentOts without
and from those within, he heard Sheila
speaking and knew that his search
was ended
Continued Next Week.