The Skyland post. [volume] (West Jefferson, N.C.) 193?-1988, 1936-12-03
Cougi1t
in the
Wild :
BY Robert
Ames Bennett
WNU Service
Copyright by
Robert Ames Bennett
CHAPTER VIII
WOOdcraft

first dimly conscious thoughts were
or water. He was still in swimming
-. No, the water was only on his
face. Not rain, nor poured water
something wet sopping his forehead.
He opened his eyes, blinked the
dazS from them, and found himself
gazin&up into pair of sunken blue
eyes. hey were clouded and dark
with misery. Yet with strange sud-
denness they frightened. At that the
realized they were the eyes of Lilith
Ramill.
"What's-happened?" he murmur-
ed. Even as his lips moved, he re-
membered. "Huxby-his pistol. Must
4 have-shot me-"
Eyes. Dad also"
Garth sought to tense his flaccid
muscles, ready to bound up. She
laid a restraining hand on his fore
head. 'Lie still. He went"
"Went?"
Right after. Be quiet, else you
may 60 unconscious again. The bull
let cut across the back of your head.
All these two days you've lain there
IN that frightful Stupor. could not
wake you up. felt sure you'd die"
"Stupor-two days?" he muttered.
"ConcuSsion-brain."
He made deliberate trial, and found
he could move his legs and arms.
"Luck-no paralysis. Soon be all
right. But-your father? You said,
father also.' Can't see why. Wolf
was rabid only for my claim-not
blood mad"
''Of course! The cowardly beast
meant only to murder you. But
when he fired again, Dad jumped up
between"
'Bad?"
mot if there was a doctor. It's
through the shoulder. The coward
to run off with the canoe, instead of
shooting himself like a mani"
"Ran off, did he? Thought he had
killed your father?"
'tNo, he said it wasn't serious. All
we needed was to take Dad in the
canoe and get that man Toxins med
ical kit"
''Yet he ran off without your"
Il made him 60. drove him off,
the beastly sneaking coward"
: Garth stared, perplexed. "You did
that? Yet he wanted to take your
father where he could receive treat
ment."
She frowned. "He thought you
dead. But after / nearly tainted, I
pushed against you to get up. I felt
you were still alive. I was afraid
you'd come to-would move. He
would have-finished you. So I
drove him Off"
Leaving yourself and your father
marooned here"
The girl stiffened. Her mouth went
hard. Don't fancy 1 did it for you!
1t vast was because I was not 60
ing to let him finish his sneak muir
der. I would have been the same if
I'd gone off and let you die. You
can see that. You must!'
He smiled up at her frown. Gall
the more sporting of you. Not half
bad, I'd say"
'Oh, but it is bad-frightfully
bad! No food-not a thing to give
Dad all this time. No chance of get
ting any for either of you. And now
his fever, too. No medicine for it,"
A sudden thought jerked Garth
up to a sitting position. He Swayed
from dizziness. Then his head clear
ed. He was only rather weak from
blood-loss and sore about the back
of his head. An exploring hand
found a wad of moss, tied upon his
wound with band of plated grass.
He heard the girl murmur::
Il fixed Dads the same way
ashes and the the moss to hold it on.
4lAshes or soot-I once heard about
something like that for cuts"
He pointed to the scattered ashes
of the dead fires. BE quick. Build
big blaze and throw on green wood.
That southbound plane! Must signal
it. Even if he's aboard, he can't keep
the pilot from coming down"
Lilith Ramill's head dropped de-
spondently. 81 saw'it this morning
way out across the sky First there
was the drone of the motor. Then I
saw it-way off, Only, I could do
nothing. Yesterday I used your last
match. wanted to boil for Dad the
one pinch of tea that's left. A puff
of wind blew out the flame. Now
there's no hope. He took your rifle
too. No fire or food or gun, or any
chance of rescued"
Garth looked around and saw her
father tossing in feverish sleep un-
der the shade of slight brush can
opy. He gave the overweight girl
a bantering smile.
s'What, merely a matter OF fire,
medicine. food. and escape? If only
YOU were a boy scout! How about
becoming Campfire Girl? Fetch
me two-foot willow branch the size
of your forefinger, thong, one
straight dry stick, and that chunk OF
dead birch trunk"
A little sand increased the friction
of the fire-drin point at the bottom
of the shallow hole he made In the
block of wood. The dry birch soon
began to smoke. Lilith had gathered
finder of dead inner bark. In wide
oved wonderment. she watched the