The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1938-04-04
Ia EMPIRE FOR A LADYrzNdW
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strokes more. So 1t went, all the
way as we boiled down that black
river.
Whether the Malays faltered be-
cause of that insane song, or only
turned aside to scout the beach
that we had left. | do not know;
but presently we could no longer
hear them behilI4 us.
Then, as our bankong swung
into the Siderong's many chan
neled delta, where the jungle
dropped away Oh either side, so
that we were alone upon the emp
ty water, we sighted Blair1s, whale
boat. drifting idly with lifted oars.
And the fool had struck a light!
/ sent my paddlers frothing up
to the whaleboat. What the he'll
do you think" 80
"For Gods sake" Blair said,
'come here" He's bleeding. Paul.
he's bleeding bad"
| heSitated, and glanced back
along the river | could detect 10
signs of pursuit. But now up the
Siderong, above the jungle, glow
was rising. a golden diffusion
spreading upward. fan wise into
the smoky sky. Against that glow
we could see the ShadoWy heads
of tall nibung palms standing out
high above everything else, far up
the stream; and they looked tiny
against the immensely of that dim
spread of light.
Pull on to the ship" ! decided.
"It's all we can do"
This is going to finish him.
Paul. Right quick now. think.
Blair's light was masked hur-
ricane lantern, so guarded that II
dropped a little cone of yellow
into the bottom of the boat. In this
cone, detached By the surrounding
inky dark, could see Blair's hand
Ia big muscularaAand with q
spouting whale tattooed upon the
back. But from where | sat,
could not see my uncle.
Pull on, anyway. The best we
can do for him is to get him onto
his ship"
He's Gone
DLAIR grunted 60 the oarsmen
ID and their blades chugged in the
water as they pulled. Still fear
full that other praus might come
on from the Tivel or the shore, ]
held the bankong back.
had thought that two miles OF
the Siderong river was a long,
long way, but the river had been
nothing compared to that last dis
lance in the bay. Blair's dim Ian
tern vanished. leaving both our
boats lightless again, and in that
starless midnight the bay was no
longer bay at all--it was such
an emptiness as could only have
existed before time or light were
ever created.
Then. in the dark we almost
barged into Blair's whaleboat
again, its men resting on their
oars once more; and this time |
knew at once, without asking. why
Blair had stopped.
We swung close, and Blair spoke
&c me very low across the little
| space.
"He's gone, Paul"
"Are you sure
"Sure. | thought you might want
to know before you went aboard.
Thanks. Where's the ship?"
"She's dead ahead. You better
| go on board first, to tell the girl"
"All right"
| A little later q white flash split
the sky above the jungle, so
bright that | saw the black hulk
of the Linkang ahead for an in
| slant, thrown in silhouette against
shadowless water, as in a light
ming flash. And instantly after
ward the sky ana the jungle and
| the sea shook with the slam of Q
terrible thunder.
| Until James Clyde was under
| the water. | did not begin to reai-
ize how much ! had depended on
him. | had done much of our least
comfortable work myself, and !
had not always agreed with his
ways. But he had always been
| there, solid as rock, affording a
certainty of decision which was a
fixed thing. such. as man can
chart his course by. | missed that
now.
But was discovering also what
myriad Of things my uncle's end
ed life had left undone.
| | sat now at the bolted-down
table under the Avon's afterdeck
awning. making lists of the people
i needed to see, aid sorting out my
\ plans. The Avon and the Linkang
We're proceeding in convoy TO
| Singapore. 1 needed delay while
| tried to plan. aisa Iswas glad that
adverse winds alternated with un-
timely Gains.
| When the weather allowed,
Christine slept In a long deckchair
near where | worked. All the
| hours of rest she had missed dur
| ing the siege OF Balingong, and
before, were now being made up.
| was very glau
And | was touched. too, that she
seemed 10 like to be near me as
she slept
(cesYrrIs. 1888. afss LeEsyl
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