The Daily Alaska empire., 1934-02-28
Chapter fl
NEW PROBLEMS

NEW PROBLEMS DUT Langton had developed a cun- D ming in the hunt. With a long fiber rope, his club and his stone sling he brought them quantities of game which Frank dissected and put in the sun to dry. Their meat diet was augmented by fruits from. a variety of trees.
 Here the ahkin helped them. He spurned their offerings of meat, but once after he had expressed will ingness to Frank to help them to the discovery of fruits and roots. they varied a diet of saltless meat that daily was becoming more repugnant to them.
 One day Frank suggested to Lang. ton that the high-priest might be- come a problem to them when once they decided they were able to leave the valley.
 He's physically helpless. Suppos- ing we did get him to the top of the cliff, we could never take him with us through the jungle. We'd have all we could do to-get through ourselves without any such hindrance. If we decided to use the raft and float downstream-the what? We might be taking him to his death."
 "If we leave him he dies anyway" muttered l.angton. "Pm damned if I'm so concerned about him. He's crazy as a loon. Remember l tried to kill him once. If I had it would have been good riddance."
 But you wouldn't leave a dog here if you saw a chance to get out"
 "If it were mad dog, I'd kill it" said Langton significantly.
 But not mad man."
 "No," replied Langton soberly. Not a mad man. At that he might prove useful to us. 1 have a funny hunch that he knows how to get out of here"
 Frank passed a hand over his streaming brow. q hope not" he muttered. "I hope not. That would mean he'd get to his friends and then we'd"
 Be out of the frying pan,N com pleted Langton. "A pleasant thought. I'm working on a jacket of balsa wood. I'll have it finished in a day or two, and then.
 q hope it fits me-" said Frank significantly.
 Langton repliedsgrimly. "It is not intended to fit you"
 Frank put his hand on the arm of the other Billy, once or twice you got little bitter with me. Said you're half man. and all that. and it didn't matter whether or not you made the trip successfully through the caverns.
 That's the bunk, and you know It. old man. A good bone doctor back home would have you strengthened out in jiffy. You've got people back home: 1 haven't any. You've got lots to live for; wonder a little about myself.
 I've been paid to take chances all my life. One more won't matter much If l survive this one and get to the coast, I'll get down to Cozumel where the mail planes stop and have you both out of here within a week after l start.
 ITS a good gamble. Billy. This stream runs from four to six miles an hour-more than we could make in day in the jungle. We're not more than eight or ten hours from the coast by way of the stream
 'I'm going to try 1t. There may be a lot of swimming to do; you couldn't do that. Billy, it's my gam ble. I tell you. you've got to let me do it."
 And Janice Kent?" queried Lang ton softly.
 Grahame looked a little set-faced "lt is very important to me that she gets out of this somehow"
 And isn't 1t important to her that you come out all right?"
 Frank laughed shortly Not any, Bill. Oh, don't misunderstood me. she's not that callous. just sensed in your question that you suspected a romance, and answered 1t as if you implied that she had more than an ordinary interest in me other than seeing a fellow companion in diff culty get out of his jam. Truly. Bill. r."
 You gabble too much. Frank. Me. thinks the lady-or rather the gen. | tleman-doth protest too much" he quoted.
 As they talked Janice came up from the streams edge with bundle of wet cactus fibers. She smiled gailv as she passed them.