Evening star., 1926-12-12

Then we turned to look back over our
shoulders. The savaEes were charg-
ing now. brandishing their weapons.
yelling fiercely.
"Treachery, ma ster, treachery" yell
ed Constable Markell. Muris has led
us into a trap"
Then for the first time l saw the
little guide move. He thrust the
woman away from him and bent over
40 that the little netted bag around
his neck dangle6 free. Into il he
plunged his hand. and when he drew
1t out again he placed 1t to his mouth.
High above the tumult of the chsrg
ing savages the shrill blast of
whistle cut the air--once. twice, three
times.
Upon the villagers the effect was
electrical AS one man they halted In
their tracks and dropped to their
launches!
Muria was shrieking AT them now.
The words fairly poured from his lips
as he walked toward the squatting
warriors. and. pausing a few yards
from them, he shouted some last
command.
The whistle went to his lips again
Once II sounded, and the savages
spranE to their feet. whrled and went
back the way they had come.
The woman had made her way to
the side of the little cannibal now. He
signed her to follow the warriors.
Then Muria turned toward us. and
from his lips came a burst of laughter,
loud, triumphant. mocking. The next
instant he, too. was Logging 1t for the
far gate as fast as he could go.
What does It mean?' What did he
say to them?" asked Hnmphries ex-
citedly in Motuan
Constable Markell shook his head.
He was so far away l understood
only a few words" he replied. He
told them to listen to the whistle of
the master and obey and then he
told them to CO."
HUMPHRIEs stroked his chin
thoughtfully and sszed down the
village street toward the gate through
which Muria had just vanished.
so far as chasing the Kapatea peo-
pie Is concerned, we are, as the ma
tives say, all finish" he said. with
out some kind of q guide we'd simply
run ourselves around in circles and
get nowhere, in addition to eating up
the small amount of food we have
left"
ION the other hand. here we are at
Tavivi. No white man ever has pene-
trated beyond 1t, to my knowledge
over there to the east lies the Pole
range. What Is between here and
there we don't know. What IL to be
found on the Pole we don't know. If
we can get UP to 1t and follow 1t
southwark. we'll get to the coast in
time"
1t didn't take long to decide. Down
ing voiced my own thoughts. and /
knew that Humphries was of the same
mind.
"Luck's with u.s." said Downing. the
photogra pher. Lets push on to the
Pole range, TO the east. and take a
| chance"
Our way one morning lay along the
top OF the ridge, and it puzzled us tha t
We saw no blacks. But l could not rid
myself of a feeling that the jungle
| about us was not as deserted as 1t
seemed
An ominOus sort of quiet hung over
1t. and walking behind the two police
men who were leading, I noticed that
they, too. seemed uneasy.
Suddenly the leading policema n
stopped abruptly and pointed a shak-
Ing finger Not a hundred yards dis
tant the rise was covered with armed
natives. SiihOuetted against the sky!
Only for a minute or two were they
in sight before they disappeared
We moved onward cautiously and
came suddenly into a little clearing.
As we entered 1t there was a crack
ling of the underbrush, savage yells
burst upon our ears, and the Jungle
about us, only q moment before
| devoid OF all sound or movement, be.
came literally alive with natives and
bristled with their weapons.
| In the one brief look which I flashed