Richmond Palladium (Daily), Volume 31, Number 209, 26 August 1906 — Page 3

Page Threa A Romance of Love and Adventure That SfeWin3 gf the The People in the Story are Real and Net Is Ordinarilv Told and Will Hold the Read Puppets, and the Plot Mr. Tracy Has er's Attention From the Opening Chapter S Moroill By LOUIS TRACY Copyright. 1903. by Edward J. Clde r.;.V;;.V.". Wcven About Them is Most Ingenious -.-?-7...:::-W

The Richmond Palladium, Sunday, August 26, 1906.

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tstate of high spirits. "Why were you burrowing In the cavern again?" she inquired. "Are you In a hurry to get rich?" "I Mas following an air shaft, not a lode," he replied. "I am occasionally troubled with after wit and this is an Instance. Do you remember how the flame of the lamp flickered while we were opening up our mine?" "Yes." ' "I was jjo absorbed in contemplating our prospective wealth that I failed to pay heod to the true significance of that incident. It meant the existence of an upward current of air. Now, where the current goes there must be a passage, and while I was busy this afternoon among the trees over there" he pointed toward the valley of death "it came to me like an inspiration that possibly a few hours hewing and delving might open a shaft to the ledge. I have been well rewarded for the effort. The stuff in the vault is so eaten away hy Mater that it is no more solid than hard mud for the most part. Already I have scooped out u chimney twelve feet high." "What good can that be?" "At present we have only a front door u.? the face of the rock. When my work is completed before tomor

row night, I hope we shall have a back door alsa. Of course I may encounter unforeseen obstacles as I advance. A twist in the fault would be nearly fatal, but I am praying that it may continue straight to the ledge." "I r.till don't see the great advantage to us." "The advantages are many, believe me. The more points of attack presented by the enemy the more effective will be our resistance. I doubt if they would ever be able to rush the cave were we to hold it, whereas I can go up and down our back staircase when ever I choose. If 3 u don't mind being j left In the dark I will resume work i now by the light of your lamp." But Iris protested against this ar-J raugement. She felt lonely. The long . hoius of silence had been distasteful! to her. She wanted to talk. j "I agree," said Jenks, "provided you ! do not pin me down to something I told you a month ago." "I promise. You can telf me as much or as little as j-ou think fit. The subJcet for discussion Is your court mar-j

tial." ' my bitter foe. Poor woman! I have it He could not see the tender light in heart to pity her. Well, that is her eyes, but the quiet sympathy of all. I am here!" her voice restrained the protest prompt J '"Can a man be ruined so easily?" on his lips. Yet he blurted out after a 1 murmured the girl, her exquisite tact slight pause: leading her to avoid any direct expres"That Is a very unsavory subject." sion of sympathy. "Is it? I do not think so. I am a "It seems so. But I have had my refriend. Mr. .Ter.ks. not an old one. I ad-1 ward. If ever I meet Mrs. Costobell

mit, but during the past six weeks we J have bridged an ordinary acquaintanceship of as many years. Can you not trust me?" Trust her? He laughed softly. Then, choosing his words with great deliberation, he answered: "Yes, I can trust you. I intended to tell you the story : some day. Why not tonight?" Unseen in the darkness, Iris hand sought and clasped the rold locket suspended from her neck. She already knew some portion of the story he would tell. The remainder was of minor importance. "It is odd," he continued, "that you should have alluded to six years a mo- J ment aco. It is exactly six vears al-: most to a day since the trouble began." i "With Lord Yentnor?" The name slipped out Involuntarily. "Yes. I was then a staff corps subaltern, and my proficiency in native languages attracted the attention of a friend in Simla, who advised mo to apply for an appointment on the political side of the government of India. I did so. He supported the application, and I was assured of the next vacancy in a native state provided that I got married. I was not a marrying man. Miss Deane, and the requisite qualification nearly staggered me. But I looked around the station and came to the conclusion that the commissioner's niece would make a suitable wife. I regarded her "points, so to speak, and they tilled the bill. She was smart, good looking, Hvely, understood the art of entertaining, was first rate in sports and had excellent teeth. Indeed, if a man selected a wife as he does a horse, she" "Don't be horrid. Was she really pretty?" "I believe so. Feople said she was." "But what did you think?" x "At the time my opinion was biased. I have seen her since, and she wears badly. She is married now and after thirty grew very fat." Artful Jenks! Iris settled herself comfortably to listen. "I have jumped that fence with a lot In hand." he thought. "We became engaged," he said aloud. "She threw herself at him,' communed Iris. "Her name was Elizabeth Elizabeth Morris." The young lieutenant of those days called her Bessie, but no matter. "Yc!L you didn't marry her, anyhow," commented Iris, a trine sharply. And now the sailor was on level ground again. "Thank heaven, no!" he said earnestly. "We had barely become engaged when she went with her uncle to Simla for the hot weather. There she met Lord Yentnor, who was on the viceroy's sLiff, and if yon don't miad, we will skip a portion of the narrative I discovered then why men in India usually go to England for their wivec While. In Simla on tea days leave I had a foolish row with Lord Yentnor in the United Service club hammered him. In fact,, ia defense of a worthless! woman and" was only saved from a severe reprimand because I had been badly treated. Nevertheless, my hopes of a political appointment vanished, and I returned to my regiment to learn tfter due reflection what a very lucky

person i was." "Concerning Miss Morris, you mean?" "Exactly. And now exit Elizabeth. Not being cut out for matrimonial enterprise, I tried to become a good officer. A year ago, when the government asked for volunteers to form Chinese regiments, I sent in my name and was accepted. I had the good fortune to serve under an old friend. Colonel Costobell, but some malign star sent Lord Yentnor to the far east, this time in an important civil capaci

ty. I met him occasionally, and we found we aid not like each other any better. My horse beat his for the Fagoda Hurdle handicap. Poor old Sultan, I wonder where he is now!" "Colonel Costobell fell ill, and the command of the regiment devolved upon me, our only major being absent in the interior. The colonel's wife, unhappily, chose that moment to flirt, as people say, with Lord Yentnor. Not having learned the advisabilit- of minding ruy own business, I remonstrated with her, thus making her my deadly enemy. Lord Yentnor contrived an official mission to a neighboring town and detailed me for the military charge. I sent a junior officer. Then Mrs. Costobell and he deliberately concocted a plot to ruin me, he for the sake of his old animosity you remember that I had alsa crossed his path in Egypt she because she feared I would speak to her liu:;';und. ' On pretense of seeking my advice she inveigled me at night into a deserted corner of the club grounds at Hongkong. Lord Yentnor appeared, and as the upshot of their vile statements, which created an immediate uproar, I well, Miss Deane, I nearly killed him." Iris vividly recalled the anguish he betrayed when this topic was inadvertently broached one day early In their acquaintance. Now he was reciting his painful history with the air of a man far more concerned to be scrupulously accurate than aroused in his deepest passions by the memory of past wrongs. What had happened in the in- j terim to blunt these bygone sufferings? Iris clasped her locket. She thought she knew. "The remainder may be told in a sentences" he said. "Of what avail were my frenzied statements against the definite proofs adduced by Lord Yentnor and his unfortunate ally? Even her husband believed her and became again I will thank her for a great service." . Iris suddenlj- became confused. Her brow and neck tingled with a quick a'ceess of color. "Why do you say that?" she asked. And Jenks, who was rising, either did not hear or pretended not to hear the tremor in her tone. "Because you once told me you would never marry Lord Yentnor, and after what I have told you now I am quite sure you will not." "Ah, then you do trust me?" she almost whispered. He forced back the words trembling for utterance. He even strove weakly to assume an air of good humored badinage. "See how you have tempted me from work, Miss Deane," he cried. "We have gossiped here until the fire grew tired of our company. To bed, please, at once." Iris caught him by the arm. "I will pray tonight and everyhight," she said solemnly, "that your good name may be cleared in the eyes of all men, as it is in mine. And I am sure my prayer will be answered." She passed into her chamber, but her angelic influence remained. In his very soul the man thanked God for the tribulation which brought this woman into his life. He had traversed the wilderness to find an oasis of rare beauty. It was a beautiful night. After a baking hot day the rocks were -radiating their stored up heat, but the pleasant southwesterly breeze that generally set in at sunset tempered the atmosphere and made sleep refreshing. Jenks could not settle down to rest for a little while after Iris left him. She did not bring forth her lamp, and, unwilling to disturb her, he picked up a resinous branch, lit it in the dying fire and went into the cave. He wanted to survey the work already done and to determine whether it would be better to resume operations in the morning from inside the excavation or from the ledge. Owing to the difficulty of constructing a vertical upward shaft and the danger of a sudden fall of heavy material, he decided In favor of the latter course, although it entailed lifting all the refuse out of the hole. To save time, therefore, he carried his mining tools into the open, placed in position the cheval de frise long since constructed for the defense of the entrance, and poured water over the remains of the fire. This was his final care each night before stretching his weary limbs on his couch of branches. It caused delay la the morning, but he neglected no precaution, and there was a possible chance of the Dyaks failing to discover the eagle's nest if they were persuaded by other indications that the island was deserted. He entered the hut and was In the act of rulling off his boots when a distant shot rang sharply through the air. It was magnified tenfold by the intense silence. For a few seconds, that seemed to be minutes, he listened, cherishing the quick thought that perhaps a' turtle, wandering far beyond accustomed limits, had disturbed one of the spring gun communications on the sands. A SDUtterins volley, which his

trained ear recognized as tne firing or muzzle loaders, sounded the death knell of his last hope. The Dyaks had landed! Coming silently and mysteriously in the dead of night, they were themselves the victims of a stratagem they designed to employ. Instead of taking the occupants of Rainbow island unawares they were startled at being greeted by a shot the moment they landed. The alarmed savages at once retaliated by firing their antiquated w-eapons point blank at the trees, thus giving warning enough to wake the seven sleepers. Iris, fully dressed, was out In a moment. "They have come!" she whispered. "Yes," was the cheery answer, for Jenks face to face with danger was a very different man from Jenks wrestling with the insidious attacks of Cupid. "Up the ladder! Be lively! They will not be here for half an hour if they kick up such a row at the first difficulty. Still, we will take no risks. Cast down those spare lines when you reach the top and haul away when I say 'Ready!' You will find everything to hand up there." He held the bottom of the ladder to steady it for the girl's climb. Soon her voice fell, like a message from a star: "All right! Please join me soon!" The coiled up ropes dropped along the face of the rock. Clothes, pick, hatchet, hammer, crowbars and other useful odds and ends were swung away into the darkness, for the moon as yet did not illumine the crag. The sailor darted into Belle Yue castle and kicked their leafy beds about tlie floor. Then he slung all the rifles, now five in number, over his shoulders and mounted the rope ladder, which, with the spare cords, he drew up and coiled with careful method.

CHAPTER XI. nE sailor knew so accurately the position of his reliable sentinels that he could follow each phase of the imaginary conflict T on the other side of the island. The first outbreak of desultory firing died away amidst a chorus of protest from every feathered inhabitant of the isle, so Jenks assumed that the Dyaks had gathered again on the beach after riddling the scarecrows with bullets or slashing them with their heavy razor edged swords. A hasty council was probably held, and, notwithstanding their fear of the silent company In the hollow, an advance was ultimately made along the beach. Within a few yards they encountered the invisible cord of the third spring gun. There was a report and another fierce outbreak of musketry. This was enough. Not a man would move a step nearer that abode of the ..;dead. The .-next, commotion arose on the ridge hear the North cape. "At this rate of progre'ss," said Jenks to the girl, "they will not reach our house until daylight." "I almost wish they were here," was the quiet reply. "I find this waiting and listening to be trying to the nerves." They were lying on a number of ragged garments hastily spread on the ledge and peering intently into the moonlit area of Prospect park. The great rock itself was shrouded in somber shadows. Even if they stood up none could see them from the ground, so dense was the darkness enveloping them. He turned slightly and took her hand. It was cool and moist. It no more trembled than his own. "The Dyaks are far more scared than you," he murmured, with a laugh. "Cruel and courageous as they are, they dare not face a spook." "Then what a pity it is we cannot conjure up a ghost for their benefit. All the spirits I have ever read about were ridiculous. Why cannot one be useful occasionally?" The question set him thinking. Unknown to the girl the materials for a dramatic apparition were hidden amid the bushes near the well. He cudgeled his brains to remember the stage effects of juvenile days, but these needed limelight, blue flares, mirrors, phosphorus. .The absurdity of hoping to devise any such accessories while perched on a ledge in a remote island, a larger reef of the thousands in the China sea, tickled him. "What is it?" asked Iris. He repeated his list of missing stage properties. They had nothing to do but to wait, and people in the very crux and maelstrom of existence usually discuss trivial things. "I don't know anything about phosphorus," said the girl, "but you can obtain queer results from sulphur, and there is an old box of Norwegian matches resting at this moment on the shelf in my room. Don't you remember? They were in your pocket, and you were going to throw them away. Why, what are you doing?" For Jenks had cast the rope ladder loose and was evidently about to descend. "Ilave no fear," he said. "I will not be away five minutes." "If you are going down I must come with you, I will not be left here alone." "Please do not stop me," he whispered earnestly. "You must not come. I will take no risk whatever. If you remain here you can warn me instantly. With both of us on the ground we will incur real danger. I want you to keep a sharp lookout toward Turtle beach in case the Dyaks come that way. Those who are crossing the island will not reach us for a long time." She yielded, though unwillingly. She was tremulous with anxiety oh his account. He vanished without another word. She next saw him in the moonlight near the well. He was rustling among the shrubs, and he returned to the rock with something white in- his -arms. -

CONTINUED FROM

LAST SUNDAY wnicn he seemingly deposited at tne mouth of the cave. He went back to the well and carried another similar burden. Then he ran toward the house. The doorway was not visible from the ledge, and she passed a few horrible moments until a low hiss beneath caught her ear. She could tell by the creak of the rope ladder that he was ascending. At last he reached her side, and she murmured, with a gasping sob: "Don't go away again. I cannot stand it." He thought it best to soothe her agitation by afoTTSmg Interest. Still hauling in the ladder with one hand, be held out the other, on which luminous wisps vere writhing like glowworms' ghosts. "You are responsible," he said. "You gave me an excellent idea, and I was obliged to carry it out." "What have you done?" "Arranged a fearsome bogy in the cave." "But how?" "It was not exactly a pleasant operation, but the only laws of necessity are those which must be broken." She understood that he did not wish her to question him further. Ferhaps curiosity, now that he was safe, might have vanquished her terror and led to another demand for enlightenment, but at that instant the sound of an angry voice and the crunching of coral away to the left drove all else from her mind. "They are coming by way of the beach,, after all," whispered Jenks. He was mistaken in a sense. Anoth er outburst of intermittent firing among the trees on the north side of the ridge showed that some at least of the Dyaks were advancing by their former route. The appearance of the Dyak chief on the flat belt of shingle, with his right arm slung across his breast, accompanied by not more than half a dozen followers, showed that a few hardy spirits had dared to pass the valley of death, with all its nameless terrors. They advanced cautiously enough, as though dreading a surprise. The ehief carried a bright parang in his left They advanced cautiously. hand; the others were armed with guns, their swords being thrust through belts. Creeping forward on tiptoe, though their distant companions were making a tremendous row, they looked a murderous gang as they peered across the open space, now brilliantly illuminated by the moon. Jenks had a sudden intuition that the right thing to do nowr was to shoot the whole party. He dismissed the thought at once. All his preparations were governed by the hope that the pirates might, abandon their quest after hours of fruitless search. It would be most unwise, he told himself, to precipitate hostilities. Far better avoid a conflict altogether, if that were possible, than risk the immediate discovery of his inaccessible retreat. In other words, he made a grave mistake, which shows how a man may err when overagonized by the danger of the woman he loves. The bold course was the right one. By killing the Dyak leader he would have deprived the enemy of the dominating influence in this campaign of revenge. When the main body, already much perturbed by the unseen and intangible agencies which opened fire at them in the wood, arrived in Prospect park to find only the dead bodies of their chief and his small force, their consternation could be turned into mad panic by a vigorous bombardment from the rock. Probably in less than an hour after their landing the whole tribe would hav.e rushed pellmell to the boats, cursing the folly which led them to this devil haunted island. But it serves no good purpose to say what might have been. As it was, the Dyaks, silent now and moving with the utmost caution, passed the well and were about to approach the cave when one of them saw the house. Instantly they changed their tactics. Retreating hastily to the stiade of the opposite cliff, they seemed to await the coming of re-enforcements. The sailor fancied that a messenger was dispatched by way of the north sands to hurry up the laggards, because the distant firing slackened, and five minutes later a fierce outbreak of yells among the trees to the right heralded a combined rush on the Belle Yue castle. The noise made by the savages was so great, the screams of bewildered birds circling overhead so incessant, that Jenks was compelled to sneak uite loudlr when he said to Iris

"They must think we sleep soundly not to be disturbed by the volleys they have fired already." She would have .answered, but he placed a restraining hand on her shoulder, for the Dyaks, quickly discovering that the hut was empty, ran toward the cave and thus came in full view. As well as Jenks could judge the foremost trio of the yelping horde were impaled on the bayonets of the cheval de frise, learning too late its formidable nature. The wounded men shrieked in agony, but their cries were drowned in a torrent of amazed shouts ffom their companions. Forthwith there was a stampede toward the well, the cliff, the beaches, anywhere to get away from that awesome cavern where ghosts dwelt and men fell, maimed at the very threshold. The sailor, leaning as far over the edge of the rock as the girl's expostulations would permit, heard a couple of men groaning beneath, while a third limped away with frantic and painful haste. "What is it?" whispered Iris, eager herself to witness the tumult. "What has happened?" "They have been routed by a box of matches and a few dried bones," he answered. There was no time for further speech. He was absorbed in estimating the probable number of the Dyaks. Thus far he had seen about fifty. Moreover, he did not wish o acquaint Iris with the actual details of the artifice that had been so potent. Her allusion to the box of water sodden matches had given him the notion of utilizing as an active ally the bleached remains of the poor fellow who had long ago

fallen a victim to this identical mob of cutthroats or their associates. He had gathered the principal bones from their resting place near the well, rubbed them with the ends of the matches after damping the sulphur again and arranged them with ghastly effect on the pile of rubbish at the farther end of the cave, creeping under the cheval de frise for the purpose. Though not so vivid as he wished, the pale glimmering headless skeleton in the intense darkness of the interior was appalling enough in all conscience. Fortunately the fumes of the sulphur fed on the bony substance. They endured a sufficient time to scare every Dyak who caught a glimpse of the monstrous object crouching in luminous horror within the dismal cavern. Not even the stirring exhortations of the chief, whose voice was raised in furious' speech, could induce his adherents to again approach that affrighting spot. At last the daring scoundrel himself, still wielding his naked sword, strode right up to the very doorway. Stricken with sudden stupor, he gazed at the fitful gleams within. He prodded the cheval de frise with the parang. Here was something definite and solid. Then he dragged one of the wounded men out into the moonlight. Again Jenks experienced an itching desire to send a bullet through the Dj-ak's head. Again he resisted the impulse. And so passed that which is vouchsafed by fate to few men a second opportunity. Another vehement harangue by the chief goaded some venturesome spirits into carrying their wounded comrade out of sight, presumably to the hut. Inspired by their leader's fearless example, they even removed the third injured Dyak from the vicinity of the cave, but the celerity of their retreat caused the wretch to bawl in agony. The next undertaking was no sooner appreciated by the sailor than he hurriedly caused Iris to shelter herself beneath the tarpaulin, while he cowered close to the floor of the ledge, looking only through the screen of tall grasses. They kindled a fire near the well. Soon its ruddy glare lit up the dark rock with fantastic flickerings and drew scintillations from the weapons and ornaments of the hideously picturesque horde gathered in its vicinity. They spoke a language of hard vowels and nasal resonance and ate what he judged to be dry fish, millets and strips of tough preserved meat, which they cooked on small iron skewers stuck among the glowing embers. His heart sank as he counted sixty -one, all told, assembled within forty yards of the ledge. Probably several others were guarding the boats or prowling about the island. Indeed, events proved that more than eighty men had come ashore in three large sampans, roomy and fleet craft, well fitted for piratical excursions up river estuaries or along a coast. They were mostly barelegged rascals, wearing Malay hats, loose jackets reaching to the knee and sandals. One man differed essentially from the others. He was habited In the conventional attire of an Indian Mohammedan, and his skin was brown, while the swartfcy Dyaks were yellow beneath the dirt. Jenks thought from the manner In which his turban was tied that he must be a Punjabi Mussulman very likely an escaped convict from the Andamans. ( The most careful scrutiny did not reveal any arms of precision. They all carried muzzle loaders, either antiquated flintlocks or guns sufficiently mod ern to be fitted with nipples for percussion caps. Each Dyak, of course, sported a parang and dagger-like creese; a few bore spears, and about a dozen shouldered a long straight piece of bamboo. The nature of this Implement the sailor could not determine at the moment. In the neighborhood of the fire an animated discussion took place. Though it was easy to see that the chief was all paramount, his fellow tribesmen1 exercised a democratic right of free speech and outspoken opinion. Flashing eyes and expressive ha fids were turned toward the cave and tut. Once when the debate grew warm the chief snatched up a burning branch and held it over the' blackened embers of the fire extinguished by leaks. He seemed to draw some definite conclc-

sion rrom an examination or tne cnarcoal, and the argument thereforth proceeded with less emphasis. Whatever it was that he said evidently carried conviction. Iris, nestling close to the sailor, whispered: "Do you know what he has found out?" "I can only guess that he can tell by the appearance of the burned wood how long it is since it was extinguished. Clearly they agree with htm." "Then they know we are still here?" "Either here or gone within a few hours. In any case they will make a thorough search of the island at daybreak." . t "Will it be dawn soon?" "Yes. Are you tired?" "A little cramped that Is all. "Don't think I am foolish. Can yoxi manage to sleep?" "Slee With those men so near!" "Yes.tYe do not know how long they will remain. We must keep up our strength. Sleep, next to food and drink, is a prime necessity." "If it will please you I will try," she said, with such sweet readiness to obey his slightest wish that the wonder is he did not kiss her then and there. By previous Instruct ion she knew exactly what to do. She crept quietly back until well ensconced in the niche widened and hollowed for her accommodation. Thereto secluded was she from the outer world of horror and peril that the coarse voices beneath only reached her tn a murmur. Pulling one end of the tarpaulin over her, she stretched her weary limbs on a litter of twigs and leaves, commended herself and the man she loved to God's keeping and, wonderful though It may seem, was soon slumbering

peacefully. The statement may sound passing strange to civilized ears, accustomed only to the routine of daily life and not inured to danger and wild surroundings. But the soldier who has snatched a hasty doze In the trenches. the sailor who has heard a fierce gale buffeting the walls of his frail ark, can appreciate the reason why Iris, weary and surfeited with excitement, would have slept were she certain that the next sunrise would mark her last hour on earth. Jenks, too, composed himself for a brief rest. He felt assured that there was not the remotest chance of their lofty perch being found out before daybreak, and the first faint streaks of dawn would awaken him. When the morning breeze swept over the ocean and the stars were beginning to pale before the pink glory flung broadcast through the sky by the yet Invisible sun, the sailor was aroused by the quiet fluttering of a bind about to settle on the rock, but startled by the sight of him. His faculties were at once on the .alert, though he little realized the danger. betokened by the bird's rapid dart into the ..void. Turning first to peer at Iris, he satisfied himself that she was still asleep. Her lips were slightly4 parted in a smile. She might be dreaming of summer and England. He noiselessly wormed his way. to the verge of the rock and looked down through the grass roots. The Dyaks were already stirring. Some were replenishing the fire, others were drawing water, cogking, eating, smoking long thin stemmed pipes with absurdly small bowls or oiling their limbs and weapons with impartial energy. The chief yet lay stretched on the sand, but when the first beams of the sun gilded the waters a man stooped over the prostrate form and said something that caused the sleeper to rise stiffly, supporting himself on his uninjured arm. They at once went off together toward Europa point. "They have found the boat," thought Jenks. "Well, they are welcome to all the information it affords." The chief gave some ordej-, at which they all hung back sheepishly. Cursing them in choice Malay, the chief seized a thick faggot and strode in the direction of the cave. Goaded into activity by his truculent demeanor, some followed him, and Jenks, unable to see, but listening anxiously, knew that they were tearing the cheval de frise from its rssjorts. Nevertheless none of the working party entered the excavation. They feared the parched bones that shone by night. As he had not been able to complete the communicating shaft it was not The monstrous object crouching in lumlnoxiA horror. now of vital importance should the Dvaks penetrate to the Interior. Tet

ne tannked the good luck tnat naa showered such a heap of rubbish ovtr the spot containing his chief stores and covering the vein of gold. Wild as these fellows were, they welrkuewrtho value of the rreeiout metal, and if by chance they -lighted upon such a well defined lode they micht not quit the island for weeks. At last on a command from the chief the Dyaks scattered in various directions. Some turned toward Europa point, but the majority went to he east along Turtle beach or. by way of the lapoon. lrospect park was desertd. They were scouring both section of the island in full force. The quiet watcher on the-ledge took no needless risks. Though' it was Impossible to believe any stratagenr had been plauned for his spirial benefit, an accident might betray htm. With the utmost circumspection he rose on all fours and, with comprehensive glance, examined trees, plateau and both strips of beach for signs of a lurking foe. He need have no fear. 0f all places in the island the Dyaks least Imagined that their quarry had lain all night within earshot of their encampment. Jenks slid back down the ledge and gently waktmed Iris. She sat up Instantly and gazed at him with wondering eyes. Fearful Iest she should forget her surrounding?, he placed a warning finger on hisylips. "OU." she said in a whisper, "are they still here?' He told her what had happened and suggested that they should have something to eat while the coast was clear beneath. She needed na seond bidding, for the long" vigil of thi previous night had math? her very hungry, and the two breakfasted right royally on biscuit, cold fowl, haul .and good twjter. - Ip this, the -inner section of their refj Uge, they could be seen only by a bird or by a man standing on the distant rocky shelf that formed the southern extremity of the opposite cliff, and the sailor kept a close lookout in that direction. . Iris was about to throw the remains of the feast into an empty oil tin provided for refuse when Jenks restrained her. "No," be said smilingly. "Scraps should be the .first course next time. We must not Wiaste an ato.m of .food." "How thoughtless of me!" (jhe exclaimed, "Vlease tell me you think they will go away today." But the sailor flung himself flat on the ledge and grasped a rifle. "Be still,- on you life!" he said. "Squeeze into your corner. There Is a Dyak on the opposite cliff. True enough, a -man had. climbed to that unhappily placed rocky table and was.sliouting something to a confrere high on the cliff over their heads. As yet he had not seen thenj nor even noticed the place where they were concealed. The sajlor imagined' from; the Dyak's gestures that he was communicating the uselessness of further search on the w estern part of the 'island. Wljeu the conversation ceasedhe hoped the loud voiced savage would descend. But no! The scout looked into the valley, at the well, the house, the cave. Still he did not see the ledge. At that unlucky moment three' birds, driven from the trees on the crest by the passage of the'Dyaks, flew down the. face of the cliff and began a circling quest or some saffc perch on which to aljght. Jenks swore with an emphasis inot the less earnest because It was-muto and took steady ajm at the Dyak's left breast. The,-birds .fluttered about In ever smaller circles! ''Then one of them dropped -easily on , to, thei Up of the roclv. Instantly his bright eyes -encountered those of the man, and he darted off with, a 'scream that -brought his mates after him. The Pyak evidently noted the behavior of the birds his only lorewas.tha reading of such 6igns and gazed. intently at the ledge. Jenks he,.could not distinguish bebiud the screen of grass. He might perhaps f see some portion of the tarpaulin coveringtbo stores.-tbut at the distance it must resemble a weather beaten. segment of the cliff. Yet something; puzzled him. After" a steady scrutiny he turned and yelled to others on the beach. The qrucial moment bad arrived. Jenks pressed the trigger, and the Dyak hurtled .through the air, falling headlong oufof sight. The sound of this, the. first shot.of real - warfare,, awoke' Rainbow Island Into tremendous activity. The winged life of the place filled the air with raucous cries, while shouting Dyaks scurried in all directions. Several came into the valley. Those nearest the-fallea man picked-hkn.up-and carried. him to the well. He was quite-dead,' and.. although amid his other : Injuries J they soon fourd the-bullet wound, theyevidently did not know whence' the ishot came, for those to whom he shouted had no Inkling of his motiveand the slight haze from the rifle was instantly swept away by the breeze. Iris could hepr the turmoil beneath, and she tremulously asked: "Are they going to attack us? "Not yet," was the reassuring answer. "I killed the fellow who saw U3 befpre.-he could tell the others." It was a bold risk, and he had taken It, though now the Dyaks, know for certain their prey had not-escaped there was no prospect of their speedy departure. Nevertheless the position was- not utterly hopeless. None of the enemy could tell how or by whom their companion had been shot. Many among the excited horde jabbering beneath actually looked at the cliff over and over again, yet failed to note the potentialities of the ledge, with Its few tufts of grass growing where seeds had apparently been blown by the wind or dronoed bv nassj'ne birds.

(To be Continued Next Sunday.)