The Waterbury Democrat., 1934-04-07

oNOSAAs
With a sneer on his wide mouth,
Paul Trenholm pushed out into the
black current of the Rio Chararo
and resumed his course toward the
mighty Orinoco. 1t had been a
narrow escape.
One hundred yards above the
swirling junction of the rivers, the
little steamer Dona Blanca rode at
anchor. Plying between Ciudad
Bolivar and Urbana, the head of
navigation, it carried traders
goods, coffee from the jungle plan
tations. barrels of tartaraga oil
pressed from the eggs of the great
arrau turtles, and sometimes deck
loads of logwood "seats"-huge
drenched English violets.
Paul Trenholm tied his piragus
at the steamer side. He looked up
into the serious, welcoming
eyes of a pretty Jewess, daughter
of the river trader, Father Abra-
ham.
Hello honey, I brought part of
it," whispered Trenholm. Your
Dads along as usual isn't he?"
"A kiss first, l have brought
HAL Ol Sdlu OIL aIilD-
ling to the lower deck and catching
the girl in his arms.
She did not struggle as he en-
braced and kissed her feverishly;
but her eyes smouldered. She did
parent had thought him an up and
coming river man. She broke away
as quickly as she could and hur-
ried below.
HE WENT DOWN TO
THE PIRIGUS AGAIN
Trenholm went down to the
piragus again. CHANGING furtively
to make sure he was not observed,
he removed the two end struts
from the dugout. These struts were
thick joints of bamboo, and were
totally unnecessary in this sort of
canoe. But not many people re-
membered that fact or noticed
them. Paul Trenholm used the hol-
low joints to carry treasure-a
treasure worth more, ounce for
ounce, than 24-carat gold.
When he returned now to the
lower deck swarthy man in trim
whites nodded a curt greeting. 1t
was Enrique de Campostella, cap
tain of the river boat, a man eight
years younger than Trenholm, the
Englishman.
Trenholm's lip curled. He STROBE
to the companionway, descended,
and knocked on the fidst of the four
cabins below, where Father Abra-
ham would be waiting. The black
bearded Jew responded. He was
wearing skull cap, and his greet
ing was courteous. His eyes fell
Immediately upon the two thick
bamboos, with their water-tight
parrafin seals at the ends.
Enter, my son. What have you
brought this timer"
"Aigrettes!" whispered Tren-
holm, ending the word with a lin
gering hiss of pleasure. 1.-THE fin
est plumes from the shoulders of
mother birds! Three full pounds
of them"
Father Abraham scanned his
eager, lustful visage, as Trenholm
took his. knife and pried out the
cakes Of parrafin.
but / thought-was it not you
who got up the petition to the au-
thorities at Caracas? Did you not
agitate for this new law, making
the deSpoiling of mother egrets
penal offense?" asked Father Abra-
ham in a gentle voice. did you not
cite the humanity of Uruguay and
Colombia and Bolivia, and ask that
Venezuela preserve the few she had
left of these lovely herons?"
Trenholm laughed shortly. "Ah-h.
you and l are clever men. Father
Abraham!" he retorted. "You drive
close bargains and call them
closed bargains. I ask for close
season-why? Just so none but L
and you-will share in the great
! profits!
"Why, you know now of the new
State of Manchukuo? How the old
child Emperor Pu-Yi is now Man
chu Emperor under the Japanese?
! And surely you know that every