Evening star., 1939-05-28

css1le all of sudden into a sort Of vacuum. The
leat was shut off from this nook 50 that the
comparative cool stunned him. He lowered his
lrm and peered, narrowlidded.
The man was at his feet as if thrown there
md mashed against a bank of dry moss.
Rob St. Gowan sat with his spine against the
moss, one foot stretched and twisted in front
# him. He was shapeless and lolling like some
me in gutter, very drunk His finely sculptured
ace looked like skull vanished red on the
orehead as if with caste mark. He still tried
howl as he stared at the lank apparition in
ront of him. but it was fear of the growing
seat, not the heat itself, that had crushed him.
>ardiff realized this when he held the head
teady and poured water between the shaking
ips. The lips sucked frantically and then
tarted drolling gbberish - something about
"a broken leg - thrown from horse -
raped here - slow oven"
At the mans feet was an empty canteen. his
life and saddle, while further off his two
orses lay in the caked mud of the falls as
|hapeless as those sambar. They had not been
lble to climb to this eddy of cool air. In the
nose of one horse there was bubble of froth
S it tried to suck in the hot air, but the bubble
oke when Cardiff put shot behind the
yes ear.
.s1ith only that fraction of moment lost -
!he squeeze of trigger - he reached with MS
|,ther hand to the ground for piece OF brown
cloth. the puggree that hangs behind a pth
helmet to ward off the sun. The air even IN this
minute
aged and crashed on every side now. Cardiff
wrapped the puggree around the face OF the
escued man. sopping it 50 that the smoke
would not choke him or the heat shrlvel his
yes. He felt as if his own eyes had been gouged
,ut. but he could see in separate flashes like
moving picture film that catches and jerks and
tarts again.
The puggree, as it turned out. was not neoes-
ary Between St. Gowan's place OF refuge ana
he tunnels mouth dry watercourse wound
eep, untouched by fire. St. Gowan, with
ascals internal luck. was unscathed. HIS leg
yas broken yes. but because OF that sanctuary
a the cliffs, and the deep trench Cardiff had
ound leading to the tunnel. not hair OF his
cad was singed!
Cardiff packed him, sung over his shoulders,
b the mouth of the tunnel. This was COM
ietely hidden by giant ferns. wlthered ana
-eaking in the draughts, and no one could nave
,und it without knowing it was there. AS Tor
ardiff he found it with his eyes shut. 1t was
sardonic twist to the old Cliche OF the lame
aiding the blind. In this case the blind was
aeking the lame and likewise leading!
Already in pitch darkness. bounded by the
aiming wind, Cardiff carried his burden INTO
e tunnel The last of the jungle beasts.
,parently had fled through. except one. This
,e followed him a creature that had the
owing light footsteps of a gibbon. 1t gave
m the illusion that the gibbon, dislodging
bibles, actually wore Shoes 1t was cautious
eatue, not like those little rhesus monkeys
at had scurried past him on his way in This
ing was 50 cautious that it stopped every
ne he stopped.
Being in total darkness, his sense OF hearing
,ped into vivid life. 1t told him that ne was
" listening to the echo of his own footsteps,
gibbons steps, he realized could not be
ard. But there was not only the echo OF
owing feet There was gasping and then,
tn deliverance at hand. deep sobbing
When he got out with his burden he knew
fire had been stopped by the ridge. tor ne
,elt balmy air and sandalwood and the scum
DIST rocks of spring. 1t was after slndown
-, hot, ,o~,1o fo1c