Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-06-12

the Island Lady came under the lee
| of Compass. and saw that the camp
was gone, and even the native villages
deserted, they made considerable pro
test. They had wives in the Sullivans
| they told Cantrell, the Captaln) ana
some of them had children, too.
| Where was the sense of running rlgat
into danger, when any one could see
| that the place was empty as a turtle
shell the night after feast?
That's all right" said Cantrell OBJ
stinately. Get to your work. You
| don't do the thnkin' this trip. I've
no use for native when he takes to
thinkin'," he went on, addressing one
of his two passengers. He's not built
for that sort of cargo; it strains his
bilge, if he tries to load it. Whereas.
if you keep him to light, fioatable sort
OF stuff, he Yes. I'm goin' ashore
myself. Yes, you can both come with
me, if you like; your lives is your own
concern. | don't reckon there's as
much as flea left alive in the place.
or we'd have been signaled somehow
or other, but owners orders is owner <
orders; and the manager, he sad | was
to get up to Plummer's pub and have
a look round. Good customers of the
firm. those Plummers-We'Ne shipped
it would surprise you"
Think there's any of it left by any
chance? asked the younger of the
two men. who was, like the immortal
Pepys' Gumbleton. "a good natured.
fat young gentleman" and not much
more.
Cantrell, tough old sailor. with eyes
like blue pins set in brown, wrinkled
pincushion, and careless, upturned
face that had looked at death and dan
ger too often to set more than a just
value on either, answered him briefly;
Probably a drop or two OF Dutch
coudage, if any of us needs it,
The young gentleman, whose name
was not Gumbleton but Blackett,
laughed at what he conceived to be a
joke.
He was very gay this afternoon. He
was the son of a largish commercial
house, travelling for experience of
island trade" 1t seemed to him that
he was enjoying a terrific adventure.
He would have something to boast
about when he got back to Sydney.
Overhead the majesty of Compass
expressed itself in occasional thun
ders laced with red lightning. There
was that about it which seemed to
make the noble feelings of commercial
young gentlemen and others look very
small,
Perhaps the third man thought so.
At any rate. he said nothing at all as
they landed and began making their
way up the long, steep track that led
to Plummer's bar.
x x x x
WITHIN the shelter of the shut
w tered room Suzanne began to
wake from the heavy lethargy that
held her during the hot
hours of noon. There was no sun to
be seen today. An ugly early dusk
had gripped the island. In the OBJ
longs of the open shutters the glory
of sea and palms, had faded to black
set on gray. 1t was little
cooler, but the sounds of boiling un-
derfoot went on, and far above every
few minutes the mountain sent forth
an angry below.
She seemed to be warning, holding
herself in, with impotence, yet hold
ing for the time.
The noises of the day had not very
much troubled Black-eyed Susan, who
had so nearly done with it all. Still.
moved by the feverish awakening that
came with afternoons, she stirred
little, lifting the smooth arms and
hands that lay on her lace robe and
turned her head. Like dead feet, the
tiny arched feet on the cushion kept
still.
From her hair. onyX-bIack, piled
high in Spanish fashion, the native,