The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1925-02-19
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a woui or two ~ which each Of
The threc understood. they man
AGED 10 convex 90 the chief The In.
formation that Kraski Had dlsap
pearod. and that thry wanted 10
know what had become % him,
Tho chief was. 81 course. as much
puszlcd a. they. and immediately
Instituted thoro search of the
village with the result that Il was
soon found that Kssk was not
within the palisade, and shortly
aftervard footprints were discovered
leading thru the village gateway
into tho Jungle
"Mcln Gotty' exclaimed nluber,
he vent out derc. und he vent
alone. In der middle OF der night
lie must have been crazy"
"Gord- cried Throck. 'Nyhai d'd
he want TO DO that forT'
You amt missed nothin. hav1
yous" asked PEBBLES OF the other
two, "E might ave stolen some
thin"
"oE o. Vot have Ne got to
stcal7" cried Bluhcr. "our guns.
our ammunition -dey are here De.
side tls. Tie did not take them.
Beside dose We have nothing Of
value except my twenty guinea
suit"
but what did e do il rort' de.
manded PEBBLES.
"E must ave been walkin' IN
Is bloomin' sleep" said Throck And
that was as near 10 an explanation
OF knskrs mysterious disappear
ancc as the three could reach. An
hour later they set out toward the
coast under the protection Of a
company OF the chiefs warriors
Kaski. his MO amng over his
shoulder moved doggedly along the
Jungle tan. heavy automatic
pistol Erasped In his right hand
HIS ears were constantly strained
FOR tho first intimation OF pursuit
as well as for whatever other dan
gers might lurk before or upon
either side. Alone in the mysterious
jungle he was experiencing nIBht-
mare OF terror. and with each mile
that he Travelled the value OF the
diamonds became less and less by
comparison with the trighiful ordeal
that he realized he must pass thru
before he could hope TO reach the
coast.
once Hstah the snake. swinging
from n lowhung branch across the
trail barred hin way. and the man
dared not fire az him for feag u
attracting possible pursucns 20 his.
position lie was forced. therefore
20 make q detour thru the tangled
mass Of undorbrush which grew
closely upon either side % the
narrow trail When he reached
10 again. beyond the snake. hE
clothing WAS more torn and tattered
than before. and his flesh was
tcratchcd aud cut and bleeding from
the innumeuble thorng past which
be had been compelled 70 force his
way He was soaked with per-
spiution and painting from exhpus.
ton. and his clothing was filled
with ants whose vlcious attacks
upon hl flesh rendered him half
mad with pain.
Once again IN the clear. ho tore
his clothing from him and sought
franHcaily to rld himself u the tor
turing pests.
So thick were tho myriad ants
upon his clothing that he dared not
attempt 70 reclaim H. Only the
sack of diamonds. his ammunition
and his weapons did he snatch
from tho rnvcninv horde Whose
numbers were rapidly increasing.
apparently by mliiionE as they
sought 10 aRnin lay hold upon him
and dcvour him
Sinking tho pulk OF the ants from
the articles he had retrieved. Kraski
dashed madly along tho trail as
naked az the day nc was born. and
when. n half hour later. stumbling
and at last falling exhausted. he
lay painting upon the damp jungle
earth. he realized the utter futllity
Of his mad attempt to reach the
coast alone. even more fully than
he ever could have under any other
circumstances. since there Is moth.
ing that 80 paralyzes the courage
and seif.confidence OF a civilized
man as to be deprived Of his cloth
ing.
However scant the protection that
might have been afforded by the
torn and tattered garments he had
discarded. he could not have felt