The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1933-12-23
FORBIDDEN VALLEY
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81 Mi6os,. B9,loA &c

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a dead silence fell. II lsngthspsd to
| i've minutes.
What do you make OF 1T" Psa;
whispered.
II don't know. Maybe they're pull
Ing themselves together for the
rush."
Curt bent down beside Nichols
again and tried to rouse some sign
Of life, Ralph stili LAP. motionlesa,
limp and stricken Il was ell Curt
could do. Hs straigbtensd up to help.
Paul watch,
Seen anything OF EN-"
mot a glimpse. heard noise
down near the tents but saw moth.
Ing
| Curt sprang over the barricade.
secured Ralph's two guns and the
cartridges, came back. waited.
When the deadlock did break, it
broke suddenly. Down at the lower
tip. the canoes VIII ~ had reached
shore all at once went darting 1t
through the shallows--escaping.
Launched on the run. they were out
upon the open lake and disappear
ing at top speed before Curt and
Paul could realize what was taking
| place.
They stared at each other In
amazeh1eIit.
They're gone!" Paul gasped.
Curt was more skeDtical. He sim.
ply could not believe 1t. Maybe
they're gone. This thing has got the
earmarks of a trap. to me-"
But we saw them 60"
a. Suspicion Of the truth striick
Curt.
How many canoes did you see?s
six"
That's what counted. Only five
boats reached shore. Where'd they
get that extra cancer"
They left the barricade and hur-
ried down to the camp site. Curtis
heart sank as he, glanced, about. All
their supplies had been destroyed.
With Paul at his heels he turned and
ran out to where they had aban..
doned their canoe. 1t was not there.
It was the loss of their canoe that
| really frightened them. Food. sup.
plies, tents--those were not matters
Of life or death. But with. a. mile
Of water all around, them and no
craft to get away in, they were help.
less prisoners on that bare strip Of
sand and boulders.
| IN FRONT Of the tents Paul hunted
around and found one. OF the pine
knots. which they had used for start
ing fires quickly. Over IN the barri-
cade, Curt III It with . double match.
wedged the. taper between two rocks.
and bent over Ralph's crumpled
form.
| Curtis hand shook and his eyes
grew misty as he worked with his
stricken fxiend. He decided. to cut
4off the shaft Of the.arEow and let the
rest remain. for he could mayer en-.
tract the dart without starting an
internal bleeding that wouldsspsed-
lily be fatal When he had done that,
he brought water and hathed
Ralph's face and loosened his
clothes 70 make him more comfort
liable. That was al they could do for
lhim.
| The remainder OF the short night
passed quietly. Several times Curt
heard signal calls drifting across
1.-THE lake. but be did not even bother
to keep lookout. for he knew they
would not be molested. The Kloso.
hees would sit around on those
ineighboring islands and wait and
walt TIL starvation and exposure
lhad done the work for them.
His thoughts az Sonya were bitter
thoughts. not 90 much because Of the
suffering sha had brought him -
what she had donA 70 Ralph. With
lno thought Of self he had accompa.
MED her on her trip. helping her al
The could; and then. withonk scrpple
or hesitation. she had abandoned
him when Il snlted her coavenience.
To sit there In terrible helpless
ness and watch HE life ebb away
when he might have q chance to live
was the most maddening experience
that Curt had ever undergone.
At creek mouth on The mainland
shore . wisp Of smoke stood mp
above the trees frof0 the central
camp. Canoes cana and went freely
across the water. Once. when one
OF them came dancing past six hun.
dred yards away. Paul seissd hin
rife IN q fury. screwed up the sight
on the long-rangs Savage. sank the
craft with hla ricocheting bullets,
and sent It's three occupants swim
ming Tor the nearest island. After
that the canoes kept Q respectful
distance.
/ The MONDAY sun was . torture. II
beat down on the rocks and sand
like the glare from. . furnace door.
/ There was not . square inch of
shade on the island. not . breath Of
air stirring. Their only relief was %
immerss themselves repeatedly IN
| the shadows and sprinkle water
around The shAltsE who're Ralph lay.
(copwieAf. Isss. wulsem .. kewsysl
ears seslsss; Tssssas. e relieve