Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1925-05-06
ny LOUIS TRACY

Robert looked towards the approach
ing boat She would not land yet for
a couple of minutes.
by the way" he said, will you
tell me your name?"
Playdon-Lieutenant Philip H.
Playdon"
do you know to what nation this
island belongs?"
1T is no-man's land, think. 1t is
marked 'uninhabited' on the chart"
Then" said Anstruther 81 call up
on you, Lieutenant Playdon, and all
others here present, to witness that l,
Robert Anstruther, late of the Indian
Army, acting on behalf of myself and
Miss Deane, declare that we have TAX
en- possession of this island in the
name of His Britannia Majesty the
King of England, that we are the joint
occupiers and owners thereof, and
claim all property rights vested there
in"
These formal phrases, coming at
such a moment, amazed his hearers.
Iris alone had an inkling of the I'M
DERIVING motive.
81 don't suppose any one will dis
pute your title said the naval Off
Ger gravely. He unquestiOnably i'm
agined that suffering and exposure had
slightly disturbed the other mans
senses, yet he had seldom seen any
person who looked to be in more COM
pIete possession of his faculties
Thank you" replied Robert with
equal composure, though he felt in
clined to laugh at Playdon's mystifi-
cation. 81 only wished to secure a
sufficient number of witnesses for a
verbal declaration When / have few
minutes to spare | will affiX a legal
notice on the wall in front of our
cave"
Playdon bowed silently. There was
something in the speakers manner
that puzzled him. He detailed small
guard to accompany Robert and Iris,
who now walked towards the beach,
and asked Mir Jan to pilot him as sug
gested by Anstruther.
The boat was yet many yards from
shore when Iris ran forward and
stretched out her arms to the man
who was staring at her with wistful
despair
Father! Father!" she cried. Don't
you know me?"
Sir Arthur Deane was looking at the
two strange figures on the sands, and
each moment his heart sank lower.
This island held his final hope. During
many weary weeks, since the day
when a kindly Admiral placed the
cruiser Orient at his disposal, he had
secured the China Sea, the coasts OF
Borneo and Java, for some tidings of
the Inflated Sirdar.
He met naught save blank nothing
ness, the silence of the great ocean
mausoleum. Not boat, spar, life
buoy, was cast UP by the waves to
WELD faintest trace of the lost steam
err Every naval man knew what had
happened. The vessel had met with
some mishap to her machinery, struck
a dereIict, or turned turtle, during that
memorable typhoon of March II and
18. She had gone down with all hands.
Her fate was a foregone conclusion.
No ships boat could live in that sea,
even if the crew were able to launch
one. 1t was another of oceans trag-
edies. with the fifth act left to the
imagination.
To examine every sand patch and
tree-covered shoal in the China Sea
was an impossible task. All the Orient
could do was to visit the principal
islands and institute inquiries among
the fishermen and small traders. AT
last, the previous night, a Malay,
tempted by hope of reward, boarded
the vessel when lying at anchor OFF
the large island away to the south,
and told the captain wondrous tale
of a devil-haunted place inhabited by
two white spirits, a male and re-
male, whittier a local pirate named
Taung Sail had gone by chance with
his men and suffered great loss. But
Taung Sail was bewitched by the fe-
male spirit, and had returned there,
with a great force, swearing to capture
her or perish. The spirits, the Malay,
said, had dwelt upon the island for
many years His father and GRANDPA
Their knew the place and feared 1t.
Taung Sail would never be seen
again.
This queer yarn was the first indl-
cation they received of the where
abouts of any persons who might pos
sibly be shipwrecked Europeans, tho
not survivors from the Slrdar. Any
how. the tiny dot lay in the vessels
northward track so course was set
to arrive on the island soon after
dawn.
Events on shore, as seen by the of
ficer on watch, told their own tale
Wherever Dyaks are fighting there is
mischief on 1901, so the OrleHt tooh
a hand in the proceedings.
But Sir Arthur Deane, after an ag-
onized scrutiny of the weird-looklng
persons escorted by the sailors to the
waters edge, sadly acknowledged that
neither of these could be the daugh-
ter whom he sought. He bowed his
head in humble resignation, and he
thought he was the victim of a cruel
hallucination when Iris's tremulous
accents reached his ears
Father, father! Don't you know
me?'
He stood up, amazed and trembling.
YES, father dear. 1t is l, your own
little girl given back to you. Oh dear!
Oh deari 1 cannot see you for my
tears"
They had some difficulty to keep him
Tho nI1llin o.