The Wilmington morning star., 1947-02-10
NO PLACE. WOMEN
omyh p~ hnmem kNEAN1 L
pabuedb KIM Eu Syndicate. EN8yv I(1M Gil

III oil IlSnt, ne said, anc
started forward.
She squirmed in his arm. ~ %,
me-.
lei as II she we're a Willful child,
her a sif she were a willful child,
then, feeling her body relax, hur.
RED on. His heart and muscles
protested against this added task,
out even under the burden OF
Janet's weight he was makine
cetter time. and a few minutes
AFTER noon he saw a long, straight
Stretch OF water shimmering in the
sun. With a prayer that it might
be the landing-place Pablo had Sc
lected, he let Janet sink down on
the sand, and stepped out upon a
narrow spit Of gravel to get a full
view of the sky.
No sign Of plane in all that
cloudless blue expanse - Pablo
night easily have come and gone.
Dog-tired and almost void of hope.
Cliff started back toward Jane,.
then froze to immobility-at the
lower bend of the river three riders
were wading upstream, and in that
instant they caught sight of him.
A far-oH shout; an answering call
from above, and Cliff saw their
quirts rise as they wheeled their
horses toward him-the hunt was
closing in.
Desperately he turned to his last
refuse-the green wall of jungle
that lined the river bank. No hope
there. He would leave a trail Sc
plain the horsemen could run him
down within a mile. He stared at
Janet's crumpled figure in the
sand and faced the bitter truth
they were done.
Then, for the first time he heard
it-a thin. high drone in the sky
and every nerve within him began
singing, but il sudden panic he re-
membered Pablo's words: LAY
out something white" Unless
Pablo knew they were waiting, he
would not risk a landing. Cliff
glanced down at his own tan shirt
and khaki trousers-they blended
almost perfectly with the river
sand. Pablo would never see them.
Racing to Janet's side, he knelt
down. "Your blouse" He lifted
her up. LET me have your
blouse"
Bewildered, yet sensing his
need, she tried to rouse herself,
but her fingers, trembling with ex-
hsustion, fu m b l e d futilely. aud
Cliff pushed her hands aside.
Clumsily he unfastened the buttons
and tried to slip the blouse from
her shoulders, but it caught in the
strap OF her brassiere. He gave a
frantic tug. the strap broke, and
clutching the blouse, he ran to the
end of the sand-bar. Violently he
waved the tiny white fragment
back and forth, striving to make
up by motion what his signal
lacked in size.
The planes droning had come
closer. Face to the sky, eyes ach-
ing, Cliff stood longing for some
sign. but the drone of the engine
stayed unchanged, and already The
plane was passing.
He cast al anxious glance up
stream. Two more riders had
joined the others and were lashing
their horses through the shadows,
the animals churning the water to
muddy froth. Even if Pablo saw
him, there would be little time to
Cliff gave a shout of utter joy.
The plane had turned. Motor
idling, it began gliding lower and
lower in a tight spiral, until Cliff
heard the whistling of the wires
The Blacklanders heard it too-five
abreast they we're galloping toward
him, their foam-flecked horses
| gaining speed as the water grew
more shallow.
Still holding the blouse. Cliff ian
back to Janet, gathered her in his
| arms and half swimming, halt
wading, made his way out to mid
stream. The plane, like a great
bird, h a d leveled, and skimming
the water. settled slowly until the
pontoons touched. In a wide r it