Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-02-23

as frightened The child would certainly die
il he were left there dared not go and leave
him to the mercies Of that merciless place. Yet
dared not handicap my escape with baby.
His parents had been murdered. Now his
grandfather had gone the same way, and I
might follow any moment.
glanced at Keysha once again. and sudden
" saw what he had done for me- Faithful
brave and generous Indian For his unselfish
death I never could repay him, but there,
after putting out my lantern, picked up that
naked Indian baby and carried him through
the utter blackneSS of the jungle down to my
canoe. There was not q sound about us save
the usual night sounds of the tropics and the
whisper of the stream as it flowed through the
bIackness Of its tunnel beneath the trees. Five
hundred miles downstream travel lay before
me-50O miles before could reach safety-500
miles Of jungle and winding rivers, and possible
pursuit and fear.
I hesitated and thought heard a suspicious
sound behind me in the darkness. I put my
hand across the babyis mouth and listened for
moment, tenSely. while my heart beat heavily
in my throat until it almost seemed to sound
like the inSistent throbbing Of n native drum
The devils might leap upon me any moment,
knew, but despite that knowledge I could not
bring myself to move.
How long I stood there listening do not
know, but the sound was not repeated and
presently the squirming of the baby reused me
to action.
A giant FREELY glided slowly over the canoe,
family lighting the leaves that marked the end
Of trailing branch. For moment more I
stood stlent-watching. The FREELY its brilliant
light still glowing passed out over the smooth
surface Of the stream, and I saw its reflection
clearly In the blackness Of the water Down.
stream 1t new, almost as If to lead me on my
way.
Quickly I put the baby among the supplies
that were piled at random in the narrow dug
out. picked up my paddle and showed or
wading for step or two before took my place
In the stern. My paddle gurgled as swung the
craft downstream, and in a moment we were
swallowed up in the silence and the darkness
on the surface of that smoothly flowing Jungle
river, beneath the overhanging foliage that
arched invisibly above our heads
FOR III dark nights padded down stream
For IL days I carefully hid the canoe
among the underground on the bank and slept
almost with one eye open, Of course, for I
could not be certain, until could reach the
Brazilian customs post at the mouth OF the
Putumayo. that my purSuers, If there were any,
would not capture me. Fortunately however
the route was all downstream. and was not
called upon for any very strenuous labors-
save, OF course, in the case of that baby.
Imagine bachelor suddenly launched upon
500 miles Of jungle river with q year-old baby
and no supplies intended for the benefit OF
such companion. OF course in my profession
I had often been called upon to attend babies
and so knew something of what the problem
was. But despite that knowledge, I was still
very inexperienced as q nurse and as have
said my supplies had been laid in without
thought Of such q person.
He was too young to eat the canned goods