Evening star., 1938-02-10

OF the native bounded into the
4 room, the glittering, yard-long
blade lifted for the blow.
The young Americans reaction was
swift and decisive and before the ex-
plosion had ceased ringing in Denise's
ears and the acrid tang Of burnt
powder stung her postrils, the crazed
head-hunter lay kicking on the floor, .
5000 slug in his stomach.
Quick" Pearson commanded
briskly. Get into the cable room
and contact Batavia. Tell 'em that
the natives have risen" AS he spoke.
he strode swiftly across the room to
the opposite doorway through which
his attacker had come.
Denise fumbled with the various
implements In the cable room office
clicking the transmitter in = clumsy
effort to obey Pearson's directions.
There wasn't any answering crackle
In the head phones.
A quick series Of shots sounded
from the other room. She leaped to
her feet and rummaged about Mac
Cauley's locker for a pistol she had
once seen there. Her hand fell al
most Immediately upon the cool re-
assuring steel and she was in the Of
flee before the echo of the shots had
ceased reverberating in the hollow
tin-roofed building.
Pearson was kneeling In the door,
way slumped against the frame to
give himself as much protection as
possible. Smoke curled from his rifle
and he peered out into the heavy
rain.
Denise came beside him. What
happened?" She demanded excitedly.
Pearson reached sideways, seized
her ankle and tumbled her onto the
floor The gun clattered from her
hand as she smothered an angry
ejaculation. Stay down." he warned.
She shook her head. dazed by the
Earring fall. John! What are you
doing?" she asked, controlling her
temper.
Pearson stared out into the murk
at several still brown forms that had
come bearing spears but a few mo-
ments before. He grinned nervously
- his hand pulled down on the eject
ing lever Of his repeating rifle, jerking
an empty cartridge case onto the
floor
Flat on her stomach, Denise re-
garded the bright little cylinders that
were scattered about Pearson as he
knelt at the doorway. Her eyes wan
dered to the lifeless figure sprawled
Just few feet away from her. A deep
crimson mass spread In puddle about
him. A link between that ruddy pool
and the bright little cases formed in
her mind. Each one OF the empty
shells on the rough planking meant
that somewhere, out there in the
torrential downpour, there were other
brown-skinned men who were Just as
limp and motionless as the one before
her eyes. She tainted.
Her brain throbbed and she was
conscious OF a great thirst when she
1t last recovered her senses. Pearson
glanced at her quizzically as she daz-
edly shook her head to clear her mind
OF the repugnant parallel it had
drawn.
Haven't seen any more Of them"
he remarked. 80 I suppose we won't
Be troubled much more. Feel better
now?"
What's happened?" Denise asked
6emulously.
Pearson's lips compressed for
moment.
Lane was right" he said briefly,
''MacCauley has been expecting too
much"
Denise crawled to the doorway,
Outside, the trees bent down under
the Furnishing burden of water flung
down from the leaden skies The
ground had formed several pools and
little rivulets trailed through the
shrubby inclines to the loading plat
form OF the warehouse. It was diff
cult to see through the normal dark
ness OF twilight, and the range of
vision was restricted to few hundred
feet.
Pearson was straining his eyes to-
ward the river, which was barely per-