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About The Red Cloud chief. (Red Cloud, Webster Co., Neb.) 1873-1923 | View Entire Issue (July 21, 1905)
w T -J ll &. T iilBliiiisiiiiiiiilfi pm f?:,.w :, ' -.; -- :.. .. i$ ov vv uiga iiic spa S TUB" p By louis ft-Sl Jyorjiiiifi tracy wk V.X- " Cdward J. Clode .V.:V:!V:k '.'i',..V.''i''Vi,!.'"i,, ', .MA :t.: .:'.t..;vi : ':.' !'?.,.: :.! K! ?': ! . :-. i -! - -.t,m -- f--jtv umjaah. miWBfcjwy y py KBB tCOT!I.UED. "Tlicn yon will be gn tilled promptly. Those are our sentinels. Come with me to allot his post to the most dis tant OIR." II" picked up a fagot with Its queer nttiu'hinent, shouldered a rllle and hmilod when he saw the businesslike .iiir with which Iris slung a revolver around her wnlst. They walked rapidly to Smugglers' cove, and the girl soon perceived the iiurenulty of his automatic signal. He securely hound the block of wood to a .tree where It was hidden by the tinder growth. Breaking the bullet out of a cartridge, he placed the blank charge In position in front of the hummer, the case being" (irmly clasped by a bent Inail. To the trigger, the sprivg of which he had eased to a slight pres sure, he attached u piece of unraveled rope, and this he carefully trained iiniong the trees at a height of six inches from the ground, using as car riers nails driven into the trunks. The ultimate result was that a mere tswi-h of Iris' dros uguliist the taut cord exploded the cartridge. "There:" he exclaimed exultantly. "When I have driven stakes into the sand to the water's edge on both sides of the cove. I will defy them to land by night without giving us warning." "Do you know." said Iris, in all se riousness, "I think you are the clever est man In the world." He was manifestly pleased by the success of his ingenious contrivance and forthwith completed the cordon. TTo make doubly sure he set another snare farther within the trees. lie was certain the Dyaks would not pass along Turtle beach If they could help it. Hy this time the light was falling. "That will suillce for the present," he told the girl. "Tomorrow we will place other sentries In position at strategic points. Then we can sleep la tie castle with tolerable safety." Hy the meager light of the tiny lamp they labored sedulously nt the rope ladder until lrt.V eyes were closing with sheer weariness. Neither of them bad slept much during the preceding night, and they were both completely tired. The first streaks of dawn were tip ping the opposite crags with roseate itlnts when the sailor was suddenly nroused by what he believed to be a gunshot. He could not be sure, lie was still collecting his scattered senses, straining eyes and ears Intensely, when there came a second report. Then he knew what had happened. The sentries on the Smugglers' cove post were faithful to their trust. The enemy was upon them. At such n moment Jenks wns not n man who prayed. Indeed, he was prone to invoke the nether powers, a habit long since acquired by the British nr my In Flanders, it Is believed. There was not a moment to be lost. He rushed Into Iris' room and gathered lier In his arms. He explained to the j Z Up he went, hand over hand, girl as ho ran with her to the foot of the rock that she must cling to his shoulders with unfaltering courage while he climbed to the ledge with the aid of the pole and the rope placed there the previous day It was a mag nificent feat of strength that he essay ed In calmer moments he would have shrunk from Its. performance if only i . Hfflfcj , : 33 '.i,r2k. i:.i-. ),- v.-'V s i'"ii ..' raw. , i'wi(ftWwWs A Lm&$1 A. X, G Wm viSP! . ,wu I I on the score of danger to the precious burden he carried. Now there was no time for thought. Up he went, hand over hand, clinging to, the rough pole with the tenacity of a limpet and tak ing a turn of the rope over his tight wrist at each upward clutch. At last, breathless, but triumphant, be reached the ledge and was able to gasp his In structions to Iris to crawl over his bent back and head until she was safely lodged on the broad platform of rock. Then before she could expostulate he descended, this time for the rltles. These he hastily slung to the rope, again tfwarmed up the pole and drew the guns after him with Infinite care. "Now we are ready for tlioin," lie growled, lying prone on the ledge and eagerly scanning both sides of Pros pect park for a first glimpse of their assailants. For two shivering hours they waited there until the sun was high over the cliff and filled sea and land with Its brightness. At last, despite the girl's tears and prayers, Jenks Insisted on making a rcconnoissance In person. Let this portion of their adventures be passed over with merciful brevity. Both watch guns had been tired by a troop of tiny wou-wou monkeys, his did not know whether to laugh or cry, when Jenks, with much dlfllculty, low ered her to Mother Farth again and marveled the while how he had man aged to carry forty feet into the air a young woman who weighed so solidly. They sat down to a belated break fast, and Jenks then became conscious that the muscles of his arms, legs and back were aching hugely. It was by that means he could Judge the true ex tent of his achievement. CHAPTER IX. mllE sailor went after those mon keys in n mood of relentless severity. Thus far the regular denizens of Rainbow island hnd dwelt together in pence and mu tual good will, but each diminutive wou-wou must be taught not to pull any strings he found tied promiscu ously to treeB or stakes. As a pre liminary essay Jenks resolved to try force combined with nrtlllce. Falling complete success, he would endeavor to kill every monkey in the place, though he had in full measure the in herent dislike of Anglo-India to the sillying of the tree people. Tills, then. Is what he did: After filling a biscuit tin with good sized pebbles he donned a Dyak hat, blouse and belt, rubbed earth over his face und hands and proceeded to pelt the wou-wous mercilessly. For more than un hour he mnde their lives misera ble until at the more sight of him they lied, shrieking and gurgling like a thousand water bottles. Finally lie constructed several Dyak scarecrows nnd erected one to guard each of bis alarm guns. The device was thor oughly effective. Thenceforth, 'when some adventurous monkey, swinging with hands or tall among the tree tops in the morning search for appetiz ing nut or luscious plantain, saw one of those fearsome bogles, he raised such a hubbub that all his companions BcampervC. l.hs'iV. frwn Hit tontines of the wood to the Inner fastnesses. During each of the two daily exami nations of the horizon, which he never omitted, Jenks minutely scrutinized the sea between Rainbow island and the distant group. It was perhaps a needless precaution. The Dyaks would come at night. With a favorable wind they need not set sail until dusk, and their fleet sampans would easily cover the intervening forty miles In live hours. He could not be positive that they were actual inhabitants of the Islands to the south. The China sea swarms with wandering pirates, and the tribe whose animosity he had earned might be equally noxious to some peaceable fishing community on the coast. Again nnd again he debated the advisability of constructing a seaworthy raft and endeavoring to make the passage. But this would be risking all on a fright ful uncertainty, and the accidental dlS' covery of the eagle's nest had given him new hope. Here he could make a determined and prolonged stand, and In the end help must come. So he dis missed the navigation project and de voted himself wholly to the perfecting of the natural fortress In tlie rock. That night they finished the rope lad der, indeed Jenks wns determined not to retire to rest until It was placed. lie did not care to try a second time to carry Iris to that elevated perch. One of the first things he contem plated was the destruction If possible of the point on the opposite cliff which commanded the ledge. This, however, was utterly Imuractlcable with the au- pllances at his command. The Top of j the rock sloped slightly toward the west, and nothing short of dynamite or regular quarrying operations would render it untenable by hostile marks men. During the day his rltles at ninety yards' range might be trusted to keep the place clear of Intruders. But at night that was the dlfllculty. He partially solved It by fixing two rests on the ledge to support a rllle In exact line with the center of the enemy's supposed position, and as a variant on the outer rest he marked lines which corresponded with other sections of the entire front available to the foe. lSveu then lie was not satisfied. When time permitted, he made many experl incuts with ropes reeved through the pulley and attached to a ritle action. He might have succeeded in his main object had not his thoughts taken a new line. His aim was to achlevo Home method of opening and closing the breech block by means of two ropes. The dllllculty was to secure the preliminary and final lateral movement of the lever bolt, but it suddenly oc curred to him that If he could manage to convey the Impression that Ills and he had left the island the Dyaks would go away after a fruitless search. The existence of ropes along the face of the rock -an essential to his mechanical scheme would betray their where abouts or at any rate excite dangerous curiosity. So he reluctantly abandoned his original design, though not wholly, as will be seen in due course. In pursuance of ills latest Idea he sedulously removed from the foot of the cliff all traces of the clearance effected on the ledge, and, although he provided supports for the tarpaulin covering, he did not adjust it. Iris and he might lie perdu there for days with out their retreat being found out. This development suggested the necessity of hiding their surplus stores and am munition, and what spot could he more suitable than the cave? So Jenks began to dig once more In the Interior, laboring inaufully with pick and Hhovol in the locality of the fault with Its vein of antimony. Rainbow Island had given hlni the one thing a man prizes above all else a pure yet passionate love for a woman beautiful alike In body and mind. And now It was to endow hlni with riches that might stir the pulse of even a South African magnate, for the sail or, unmindful of purpose other than providing the requisite cache, shovel ing and delving with the energy pecul iar to all his actions, suddenly struck a deep vein of almost virgin gold. To facilitate the disposal at a dis tance of the disturbed debris lie threw each shovelful on to a canvas sheet, which he subsequently dragged among the trees In order to dislodge Its con tents. After doing this four times he noticed certain metallic specks in the fifth load which recalled the presence of the antimony. But the appearance of the sixth cargo was'so remarkable when brought out Into the sunlight that It Invited closer inspection. Though his knowledge of geology was slight, he was forced to believe that the specimens he handled so dubiously contained neither copper nor iron pyrites, but glittering yellow gold. Their weight, the distribution of the metal throiiL'h uuartz In a transition state between an oxide and a telluride, compelled recognition. Somewhat excited, yet half skeptical, he returned to the excavation and scooped out yet another collection. This time there could be no mistake. Nature's own alchemy had fashioned n veritable Ingot. There were small lumps In the ore which would only need alloy at the mint before they could be issued as sovereigns, so free from dross were they. Iris had gone to Venus' bath and would be absent for some time. Jenks eat down on a tree slum), lie held In his hand a small bit of ore worth per haps 20. Slowly the conjectures al ready pieced together In his mind dur ing early days on the Island came back to til id . The skeleton of an Englishman ly ing there among the bushes near the well, the Golgotha of the poison filled hollow, the mining tools, both Chinese and European; the plan on the piece of tin ah, the piece of tin! .Mechan ically the sailor produced It from the breast pocket of his Jersey. At last the mysterious algn ".TJ divided by 1" revealed its hlgiilflcance. Measure thirty-two feet from the mouth of the tun nel, dig one foot in depth, and you came upon the mother lode of this gold bearing rock. Tills, then, was the se cret of the cave. The Chinese knew the richness of the deposit and exploited Its treasures by quarrying from the outer side of the hill. But their crass ignorance of mod ern science led to their undoing. The accumulation of liberated carbonic acid gas in the workings killed them In scores. They probably fought this un seen demon with the tenacity of their i race until the place became accursed I and banned of all living things. Yet had they dug n little ditch and per mitted the Invisible terror to flow quiet ly downward until its potency was dis j sipated by ben and air they might have mined the whole cliff with Im punity. The unfortunate unknown, .7. S. ho of the whitened bones might luivo done this thing too. But ho only pos sessed the half. knowJedg.ej)f. the work- Frtm Here to There On First and Third Tuesdays ,of , May, June, July, August, September, October and November TO Missouri, Arkansas, Territory One Fare Plus $2 J. C. LOVKBIN, Ass'tGen'l Passenger Agont, Kansas City, Mo. A.B.(ha$E For "VNO DurhiR all tlicao years A. B. CHASE Pianos h.ivo boon acknowledged to be of the very highest (trade. The most critical and them unsurpassed in Tone, Action and Durability Wo nro district distributors Mauos, and will gladly put you our representatives, or mail and special prices. 0LNEY-GAST0N MUSIC CO. St. Joseph, Succrniiorn to T. J. WASIIHURN. Cstubllfthcil In 186K. lug miner and while shunning the plague stricken quarry adopted the more laborious method of making an adit to strike the deposit. He succeed ed, to perish miserably in the hour when he saw himself a millionaire. Was this a portent of the fate about to overtake the latest comers? Jenks, of course, stood up. Ho always stood square on his feet when the volcano within him fired ills blood. ".No!" he almost shouted. "I will break the spell. I am sent here by Providence, not to search for gold, but to save a woman's life, and If all the devils of China and Malay are In league against me I will beat them!" The sound of his own voice startled him. What was all the fuss about V With a barrow load of gold he could not buy an Instant's safety for Iris, not to mention himself. The language dlfllculty was Insuperable. Were It otherwise the Dyaks would simply humbug him until lie revealed the source of Ids wealth, and then murder him as an effective safeguard against foreign interference. Iris! Not once since she was hurled ashore in his arms had Jenks so long forgotten her existence. Should he tell her? They were partners in everything appertaining to the Island. Why keep tills marvelous Intelligence from her? Yet wns he tempted, not ignobly, but by reason of his love for her. Once years ago, when his arduous pro fessional studies were distracted by a momentary Infatuation for a fair face, a woman had proved fickle when tempted by greater wealth than he possessed. For long he was a con firmed misogynist, to his great and lasting gain as a leader of men. But with more equable Judgment came a fixed resolution not to marry unless his prospective bride enred only for him and not for his position. To a staff corps ofllcer, even one with a small private income, this was no unattainable Ideal. Then he met with the shame and ngony of the court mar tini. Whllo his soul still quivered under the lash of that terrible down fall Iris came Into his life. He knew not whnt might happen if they were rescued. The time would quickly pass until the old order was resumed, she to go back to her position In society, he to become again a disgraced ex ofllcer, apparently working out a mere existence before tho mast or handing plates in a saloon. Would It not be a sweet defiance of adversity were he able, even under such conditions, to win her love and then disclose to her the potentialities of the Island? Perchance he might fail. Though rich as Croesus, he would still bo under tho social ban meted out to a cashiered ofllcer. Sho wns a girl who could command the gift of coro nets. Wjth restoration to her father Homeseekers Excursions Oklahoma, Indian and Texas for Round Trip A. HILTON, Oon'l Passenger Agont, St. Lot is, Mo. Send for our convincing booklet. WHY." Twenty Years... expert musicians find of tho A. 11. C1IASI3 In touch with ono of you catalogues ',.! Wa Mo. $&m -iA, -r. and" home, gratitude to Her preserver would assuredly remain; but, alas, love might vanish like a mirage! Then he would act honorably. Half of the stored wealth would be hers to do as she chose with It. Yes, this was a possible alternative. In case of accident to himself nnd her ultimate escape he must Immediately write full details of his discovery and Intrust the document to her, to be opened only after his denth or six months after their release. The Idea possessed him so thorough ly that he could brook no delay. lie searched for one of the notebooks tak en from the dead officers of tho Sir dar and scribbled the following letter: Prnr Miss Donne Whether I am llvinu or dead when you rend theso llnca, you will know that I lovo you Could I re pent that avowal n million tlmca In as many varied forms I Bhould llnd no butter phrnHu to expresH tho dream I havo cher ished nlnco n hnppy fwto permitted mo to Hnntch you from death. Bo I simply say, "I love you." I will continue to lovo you whllo llfo liints, nnd it Is my dearest liopo that In tho llfo beyond tho trravo I may Bttll ho able to voice my love for you. Dut perhaps I am not destined to be loved by yon. Therefore, In tho event of my death before you leuvo the Islund. I wIhI to give you Instructions how to llnd a gold mine of KT'iit value which Is hidden in the rock containing thu cave Von re inemhur the bIkii on the piece of tin which wo could not understand. Tho lluuro 3J denotes tho utmost depth of the excava tion, ar.d tho i signifies that one foot be low tho surface, on reaching tho face of the rock, thcio Is a rich vein of gold. Tho hollow on tho other side of tho cliff be came Idled with anhydrato gas, and this stopped the operations of tho Chinese, who evidently knew of tho existence of the mine. This Is all tho Information tho experts employed by Sir Arthur Dcano will need Tho facts are unquestionable. Assuming thnt I am alive, wo will, of course, he copartners In the mine. If I nm dead, I wish ono-slxth share to bo given to my uncle, William Anstruther, Crossthwnlto Manor, Noithnllerton, York shire, as a recompense for Ida Ulndncsi to me during my early life. The remain der Is to be yours absolutely ROUUHT ANSTRUTHEU. He read this remarkable document twice through to make sure that It ex actly recorded his sentiments. He even hinlled sarcastically at the endowment of the uncle who disinherited him. Then, satisfied with the perusal, he tore out the two leaves covered by tiie letter and began to devise a means of pro tecting It securely while in Iris pos session. At that moment he looked up and saw her coming toward him across tho beach, brightly flushed after Iter bath, walking like a nymph clothed In tat tered garments. Perceiving that ho was watching her, she wnved her hand and instinctively quickened her pace. Kven now, when they were thrown to gether by the exigencies of each hour, she disliked to he long separated from him, (Continued on Sixth Pago ) i i ,i li 1 'i i ,: M m K r i i i! I . 'TrygjTwrrj