Evening star., 1925-06-22

~Oh." said the General, 'in tina
case-But why discuss that now
Three days hence we can discuss Il
over . bottle of Neuve Clicquot, un
less"
The General slipped his wine.
Then a hnsinesslike air anima &c
him. Ivan he said to RainSford
will supply YOU with hunting clothes
food, a knife. | suggest YOU Weal
moCCaSins: they leave a poorer trail
] suggest. too that you avoid the big
swamp in the southeast corner of the
island. We call it Death Swamp
There's quiCksand there. One foolish
fellow tried it. The deplorable part OF
II was that Lazarus followed him. You
can imagine my feelings, Mr.. Rains
ford. | loved Lazarus; he was the
finest hound in my pack. Well, | mus,
beg You to excuse me now. / always
take a SieSta after lunch. Youll hard
ly have time for a nap, | fear. You'll
want To start. no doubt. | shall not
follow till dusk. Hunting at night is
so much more exciting than by day
dont You think? Au revoir, Mr.
Ralnsford, au reVoir."
Gen. Zaroff, with a deep, courtly
bow, Strolled from the ROOM
From another door came Ivan. Tn
der one arm he carried khaki hunting
clothes, haVerSaCk of food, a leather
sheath containing long -bladed hunt.
Ing knife: his right hand rested on a
cooked revolver thrust in the crimson
sash about his waist.
Rainsford had fought his way
through the bush for two hours. Il
must keep my nerve. ] must keep my
nerve, he said through tight teeth.
He had not been entirely clear
headed when the chateau gates snap
ped shut behind him. His whole idea
at first was To put distance between
himself and Gen. Zaroff. and TO this
end. he had plunged along. spurred on
by the sharp rowels of something very
like panic. Now he had got a grip on
himself, had stopped, and was taking
stock of himself and the situation.
He saw that straight flight was fu-
tile: inevitably it would bring him face
TO face with the sea. He was in a
picture with a frame of water, and his
operations. clearly, must take place
within that frame
III give him n trail to follow" NUT.
tered Rainsford. and he struck off
from the rude path he had been fol-
lowing into the trackless wilderness
He executed a series of intricate loops:
he doubled on his trail again and
again, recalling all the lore of the fox
hunt. and all the lodges of the fox
Night found him leg-weary, with hands
and face lashed by the branches. on a
thicllly wooded ridge. He knew ii
would be insane to bIunder on through
the dark, even if he had the strength.
His need for rest was imperative and
he thought: II have PLAYED the fox.
now l must play the cat of the fable .
A big tree with a thick trunk and out
spread branches was nearby. and,
taking care to leave not the slightest
mark he climbed up into the crotch
and stretching out on one of the broad
limbs, after a fashion. Rest brought
him new confidence and almost a feel
ing of security. Even so jealous a
hunter as Gen. Zaroff could not trace
him there, he told himself; only the
devil himself could follow that COM
plicated trail through the jungle after
dark. But, perhaps. the General was
a devil
An apprehensive night crawled slow
ly by like wounded snake. and sleep
did not visit Rainsford, although the
silence of a dead world was on the jun
gle. Toward morning when a dingy
gray was vanishing the sky. the cry
of some startled bird focused Rains
ford's attention in that direction.
Something was coming through the
bush, coming slowly, carefully. COM
ing by the same winding way Rains
ford had come. He f1attened himself
down on the limb. and through a
screen of leaves almost as thick as
tapestry. he watched. The thing that
was approaching was a man. 1t was
Gen. Zaroff. He made his way along
with his eyes fixed in utmost concen-
tration on the ground before him. He
paused. almost beneath the tree, drop
ped to his knees and studied the
ground. RainSford's impulse was to
hurl himself down like a panther. but
he saw that the Generals right hand
held something metallic-a small auto
matte pistol.
The hunter shook his head several
times. as if he We're puzzled. Then he
Strengthened up and took from his
case one of his black cigarettes: its
pungent incenselike smoke f1oated up
to Rainsfords nostrils.
Rainsford held his breath. The
Generals eyes had left the ground and
were travelling inch by inch up the
tree. Rainsford froze there, every
muscle tensed for a spring. But the
sharp eyes of the hunter stopped be-
fore they reached the limb where
Rainsford lay: smile spread over his
brown face. Very deliberately he blew
a smoke ring into the air; then he
turned his back on the tree and
walked carelessly away, back along
the trail he had come. The swish of
the underbrush against his hunting
boots grew fainter and fainter.
The pent-up air burst hotly from
Rainsford's lungs. His first thought
made him feel sick and numb. The
General could follow trail through
the woods at night: he could follow
an extremely difficult trail: he must
have uncanny powers; only by the
merest chance had the Cossack failed
TO see his quarry.
Rainsfords second thought was
even more terrible. 1t sent "a shudder
of cold horror through his whole
being. Why had the General smiled ?
Why had he turned back
Rainsford did not want to believe
what his reason told him was true,
but the truth was as evident as the
sun that had by now pushed through
playing with him! The General was
The Cossack was the cat; he was the
mouse. Then 1t was that Rainsford
knew the fun meaning of terror.
Il will not lose my nerve. / will
not"
He slid down from the tree, and
struck off again into the woods. His
face was set and he forced the ma
chinery of his mind to function. Three
hundred yards from his hiding place
he stopped where a huge dead tree
leaned preCarlously on a smaller. hv-
ing one. Throwing off his sack of
food Rainsford took his knife from
its sheath and began to work with all
his energy.
he threw himself down behind a. fallen