Jasper County Democrat, Volume 8, Number 19, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 August 1905 — The Wings of the Morning [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

The Wings of the Morning

By LOUIS TRACY

SYNOPSIS. Chaitbb I—The Sirdar, having among her passengers Iris Deane, daughter of the owner of the ship, and Robert Jenks, who is working as a waiter, is wrecked. ll All are lost save Mias Deane and Jenks, who-are cast ashore on an islet in the Pacific. Jenkins recovers stores and weapons from the wrecked vessel. He finds the skeleton of a European on the island. IV—A cave on.the island is fitted up as a habitation. A chart of the island, mysteriously marked, is found on the skeleton. V —Jenks finds a hollow filled with human skeletons, the remains of a mining party. He is rescued from an octopus by Iris while recovering rfles from the wreck of the Sirdar. Vl—Jenks tells Iris that his real name is Anstruther and that, through the machinations of Lord Ventnor, he has been unjustly dismissed in disgrace from the Engiieh army. Lord Ventnor has been mentioned on the Sirdar as affianced to Iris. Vll—lris is attacked by a party of fierce Dyaks (Polynesian natives). They are beaten off by Jenks, three, however escaping in their boat. The castaways dread their return. Vlll—Anstruther prepares to defend Iris and himself, fortifying a ledge of rock above their cave. IX—A rich gold mine, indicated on the mysterious chart of the island, is discovered in the cave. X and Xl—The Dyaks attack the island. Among them is an escaped convict, an Indian Musselman. They discover the hiding place, but are defeated by the Englishman. XII. An unlucky shot costa Jenks and Iris their water supply A truce with the savages, the Mussulman speaking Hindoo to Anstruther, acting as interpreter. Mir Jan, the Indian, agrees to aid Anstruther and supply him with water. Xlll—lris and Robert, in the midst of peril, avow their love for each other. The fight continues. XlV—Mir Jan is true to his word and aids the beleaguered couple. At the critical moment the three are rescued by the British warship Orient, which has been attracted to the island by the firing.

CHAPTER XV. mHE drifting smoke was still so dense that not even the floor of the valley could be discerned. Jenks dared not leave Iris at such a moment. He called to Mir Jan: “Take off your turban and hold it above your head if you think they can see you from the warship.” “It is ail right, sahib,” came the cheering answer. “One boat is close inshore. I think, from the uniforms, they are English sahibs, such as I have seen at Garden Reach. The Dyaks have all gone.” Nevertheless Jenks waited. There was nothing to gain by being too precipitate. A false step now might undo the achievements of mauy weeks. Mir Jan was dancing about beneath in a state of wild excitement. “They have seen the Dyaks running to their sampans, sahib,” he yelled, “and the second boat is being pulled in that direction! Yet another has Just left the ship.” A translation made Iris excited, eager to go down and see these winders. The boom of a cannon came from the sea. Instinctively the girl ducked for safety, though her companion smiled at her fears, for the shell would have long preceded the report had it traveled their way. “One of the remaining sampans has got under way.” he explained, “and the warship is firing at her.” “Poor wretches!” murmured Iris. “Cannot the survivors be allowed to escape?” “Well, we are unable to Interfere. Those caught on the island will probably be taken to the mainland and hanged for their crimes, so the manner of their end is not of much consequence.” To the girl’s manifest relief, there was no more firing, and Mir Jan announced that a number of sailors were actually on shore. Then her thoughts turned to a matter of concern to the feminine mind even in the gravest moments of existence. She laved her face with water aud sought her discarded skirt

Soon the steady tramp of boot clad feet advancing at the double was heard on the shingle, and an officer's voice, speaking the crude Hindoostanee of the engine room and forecastle, shouted to Mir Jan: “Hl, you black fellow! Are there any white people here?’’ Jenks sang out: “Yes, two of us! Perched on the frock over your heads. We are coming down.”

lie cast loose the rope ladder. Iris was limp and trembling. “Steady, sweetheart,” he whispered. “Don't forget the slip between the cup and the lip. Hold tight, but have no fear. I will be just beneath.” It was well he took this precaution. She was now so unnerved that an unguarded movement might have led to an accident But the knowledge that her lover was near, the touch of his hand guiding her feet on to the rungs of the ladder, sustained her. They had almost reached the level when a loud exclamation and the crash of a heavy blow caused Jenks to halt and took downward. A Dyak, lying at the foot of one of the scaling ladders and severely wounded by a shell splinter, witnessed their descent. In his left band be grasped a parang; bls right arm was bandaged. Though unable to rise, the vengeful pirate mustered his remaining strength to crawl toward the swaying ladder. It was Taung S’All, inspired with the hate and venom of the dying snake. Even yet he hoped to deal a mortal stroke at the man who bad defied him and all his cutthroat band. He might have succeeded, as Jenks was so taken up with Iris, were it not for the watchful eyes of Mir Jan. The Mohammedan •prang at him, with an oath, and gave him such a murderous whack with the butt of a rifle that the Dyak chief collapsed and breathed out bis fierce spirit in a groan.

At the first glance Jenks did not recognize Taung S’All owing to Ills change of costume. Through the thinner smoke he could see several sailors running up. But, with the passing of the chief, their last peril had gone. The next Instant they were standing on the firm ground, and a British naval lieutenant was saying eagerly: “We seem to have turned up in the nick of time. Do you, by any chance, belong to the Sirdar?” “We are the sole survivors,” answered the sailor. “You two only ?” — — • “Yes. She struck on the northwest reef of this island during a typhoon. This lady, Miss Iris Deane, and I were flung ashore”— “Miss Deane! Can it be possible? Let me congratulate you most heartily. Sir Arthur Deane is on board the Orient at this moment” “The Orient!” Iris was dazed. It was all too wonderful to be quite understood yet. She turned to Robert: “Do you hear? They say my father is not far away. Take me to him.” “No need for that, miss,” interrupted a warrant officer. “Here he is coming ashore. He wanted to come with us, but the captain would not permit it, as there seemed to be some trouble ahead.” Sure enough, even the girl’s swimming eyes could distinguish the gray bearded civilian seated beside an officer in the stern sheets of a small gig now threading a path through the broken reef beyond Turtle beach. In five minutes father and daughter would meet.

Meanwhile the officer, intent on duty, addressed Jenks again. “May I ask who you are?” “My name is Anstruther—Robert Anstruther.” Iris, clinging to his arm, heard the reply. So he had abandoned all pretense. He was ready to face the world at her side. She stole a loving glance at him as she cried: , “Yes; Captain Anstruther of the Indian staff corps. If he will not tell you all that he has doue, how he has saved my life twenty times, how he has fought single handed against eighty men. ask me!” "Captain Anstruther does not appear to have left much for us to do, Miss Deane,” the officer said. “Indeed,” turning to Robert, “is there any way in which my men will be useful?” “I would recommend that they drag the green stuff off that fire and stop the smoke. Then a detachment should go round the north side of the island and drive the remaining Dyaks into the hands of the party you have landed, as I understand, at the farther end of the south beach. Mir Jan, the Mohammedan here, who has been a most faithful ally during part of our siege, will act as guide.” The other man cast a comprehensive glance over the rock, with its scaling ladders and dangling rope ladder, the cave, the little groups of dead or unconscious pirates—for every wounded man who could move a limb had crawled away after the first shell burst —and drew a deep breath. “How long were you up there?” he asked.

“Over thirty hours.” “It was a great fight!” “Somewhat worse than it looks,” said Anstruther. “This is only the end of it. Altogether we have accounted for “nearly twoscore of the poor devils.” Robert looked toward the approaching boat. She would not land yet for a couple of minutes. “By the way,” he said, “will you ’tell me your name?” “Playdon Lieutenant Philip H. Playdon.” “Do you know to what nation this island belongs?” “It is no man’s land, I think. It is marked ’uninhabited’ on the chart.” “Then,” said Anstruther, “I call upon you. Lieutenant Playdon, and all otfiers here present to witness that I, Robert Anstruther, late- of the Indian army, acting on behalf of myself and Miss Iris Deane, declare that we have taken possession of this island in the name of his Britannic majesty the king of England, that we are the Joint occupiers and owners thereof and claim all property rights vested therein.” These formal phrases, coming at such a moment, amazed his hearers. Iris alone had an inkling of the underlying motive. “I don’t suppose any one will dispute your title,” said the naval officer gravely. He unquestionably imagined that suffering and exposure had slightly disturbed the other man’s senses. “Thank you,” replied Robert with equal composure, though he felt inclined to laugh at Playdon’s mystification. "I only wished to secure a sufficient number of witnesses for a verbal declaration. When I have a few minutes to spare I will affix a legal notice on the wall in front of our cave." Playdon bowed silently. There wa* something in the speaker’s manner that puzzled him. He detailed a small guard to accompany Robert and Iris, who now walked toward the beach, and asked Mir Jan to pilot him as suggested by Anstruther. The boat was yet many yards from

■bore when Iris ran forward and stretched out her arms to the man who was staring at her with wistful despair. “Father! Father!” she cried. “Don’t you know me?” Sir Arthur Deane was looking at the two strange figures on the sands, and each moment his heart sank lower. This island held bls final hope. During many weary weeks, since the day when a kindly admiral placed the cruiser Orient at his disposal, he had scoured the China sea, the coasts of Borneo and Java for some tidings of the ill fated Sirdar.

To examine every sand patch and tree covered shoal In the China sea was an impossible task. All the Orient could do was to visit the principal Islands and Institute inquiries among the fishermen and* small traders. At last, the previous night, a Malay, tempted by hope of reward, boarded the vessel when lying at anchor off the large island away to the south and told the captain a wondrous tale of a devil haunted place Inhabited by two white spirits, a male and a female, whither a local pirate named Taung S'All had gone by chance with his men and suffered great loss. But Taung S’All was bewitched by the female spirit and had returned there with a great force, swearing to capture her or perish. The spirits, the Malay said, had dwelt upon the island for many years. His father and grandfather knew the place and feared It. Taung S’All would never be seen again. This queer yarn was the first Indication they received of the whereabouts of any persons who might possibly be shipwrecked Europeans, though not survivors from the Sirdar. Anyhow, the tiny dot lay In the vessel’s northward track, so a course was set to arrive off the island soon after dawn. Events on shore, as seen by the officer on watch, told their own tale. Wherever Dyaks are fighting there Is mischief on foot, so the Orient took a hand in the proceedings. But Sir Arthur Deane, after an agonized scrutiny of the weird looking persons escorted by the sailors to the water’s edge, sadly acknowledged that neither of these could be the daughter whom he sought. He bowed his bead in humble resignation, and he thought he was the victim of a cruel hallucination when Iris’ tremulous accents reached his ears: “Father, father! Don’t you know me?” He stood up, amazed and trembling. “Yes, father, dear, it is I, your own little girl given back to you.” They had some difficulty to keep him In the boat, and the man pulling stroke smashed a stout oar with the next wrench.

And so they met at last, and the sailors left them alone To crowd round Anstruther and ply him with a hundred questions. Although he fell in with their humor and gradually pieced together the stirring storywhich was supplemented each instant by the arrival of disconsolate Dyaks and the comments of the men who returned from cave and beach, his soul was filled with 'the sight of Iris and her father and the happy, inconsequent demands with which each sought to ascertain and relieve the extent of the other's anxiety. Then Iris called to him: “Robert, 1 want you.” The use of his Christian name created something akin to a sensation. Sir Arthur Deane was startled, even in his immeasurable delight at finding his child uninjured, the picture of rude health and happiness. Anstruther advanced. “This is my father,” she cried, shrill With Joy. “And, father darling, this

1* Captain Robert Anstruther, to whom alone, under God's will, 1 owe my life many, many times since the moment the Sirdar was lo*t.” It was no time for questioning. Sir Arthur Deane took off his hat and held out his band. “Captain Anstruther,” he said, “a* I owe you my daughter’s life I owe you that which I can never repay. And I owe you my own life, too, for I could not have survived the knowledge that she was dead.” Robert took the proffered hand. "I think, Sir Arthur, that of the two I am the more deeply Indebted. There are some privileges whose value cannot be measured, and among them the privilege of restoring your daughter to your arms takes the highest place.” Then he turned to Iris. “I think,” he said, “that your father should take you on board the Orient, Iris. There you may perhaps find some suitable clothing, eat something

and recover from the exciting event* of the morning. Afterward you must bring Sir Arthur ashore again, and w® will guide him over the Island. lam sure you will find much to tell him meanwhile.” The baronet could not fall to not* the manner In which these two addressed each other, the fearless lov® which leaped from eye to eye, th® calm acceptance of a relationship not to b® questioned or gainsaid. Robert and Iris, without spoken word on the subject, had tacitly agreed to avoid th® ■lightest semblance of subterfuge aa unworthy alike of their achievement* and their love. [TO BB CONTI NUBD.I

And so they met at last.