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liquid was uiiiHly, having booh In tho
kln nearly two days. Otherwise It
awemed to bo nil right. With a sigh of
profound relief ho gave IrlH the cup
aiiid mulled at the moot unlndyllko
IniHtc with which she emptied It.
"Drink yourself and give mc Borne
more," she said.
"No more for yon at present, madam.
In n few minutes, yeH."
"Oh, why not now?"
"Do not fret, dear one. You ran
liuvc nil you want In a little while.
Itut to drink much now would mako
.you very 111."
Iris waited until he could speak
siguln.
"Why did you" alio begnn.
But he bent over the parapet.
"Hello!"
"Sahib!"
"You have not been followed?"
"I think not, sahib. Do not talk too
loud. They arc foxes In cunning. You
Jiavc a ladder, they flay, sahib. Will
nut your honor descend? I have much
to relate."
Iris made no protest when Jcnks cx
Iiluined the man's request. She only
stipulated that he Hhould not leave the
ladder, while she would remain within
asy earshot. The sailor, of course,
carried his revolver. lie also picked
up a crowbar, a most useful and silent
weapon. Then he went quietly down
ward. Nearlng the ground, he saw
the native, who salaamed deeply and
was unarmed. The poor fellow seem
il to be very anxious to help them.
"What Is your name?" demanded the
allor.
"Mir Jan, sahib, formerly corporal In
the Kumnoii regiment."
"'When did you leave the regiment?"
"Two years ago, sahib. I killed
"What was the name of your colo
nel?" "Kurnal I-shpencc-sahlb, a bravu
man. hut of no account on a horse."
leaks well remembered Colonel
45;once a fat, short legged warrior,
who rolled olT his charger If the ani
mal ho much as looked Hide ways. .Mir
.Tan was telling the truth.
"You are right, Mir Jan. Whut Is
Tuang S'AH doing now?"
"Cursing, Hahlb. for the most part,
ails men are frightened. He wanted
tthoin to try once more with the tubes
that shout poison, but they ret used. Ho
could not come alone, for he could not
use his right bund, and he was wound
ed by the blowing up of the rock. You
nearly killed mc, too, sahib. I w::s
there with the bazaar-born whelps. By
the prophet's beard, It waa u tine
troke."
"Are they going away, then?"
"No. sahib. The dogs have been
whlpjKul so sore that they snarl for re
venge. They say there Is no use In
ilrlng at you, but they are resolved to
kill yon and the miss sahib or carry
Eior off If she escapes the assault."
"What assault?"
"Protector of the poor, they are build
ing scaling ladders four In all. Soon
aifler dawn they Intend to rush your
Xosltlon. You may slay some, they
way. hut you cannot slay threescore.
Tilling S'AH has promised gold to every
man who survives If they succeed.
"They have pulled down your signal on
the high rocks and are using the poles
for the ladders. They think you have
charm, sahib, ami they want to use
.your own work against you."
This was serious news. A combined
mttack might Inoccd be dangerous,
though it had the excellent feature that
tiiougn it nm tne excellent feature tuat
If It failed the Dyaks would certainly
V , m. i , ' ",K" ,llV
royed That was bad. Had a vessel
ebnueed to pass the swinging letters
would surely have attracted attention.
jlu)v uvvii iimi iiiiiiL iiujiu was ills-
polled
"Sahib, there Is a worse thing to tell,"
said Mir Jan.
"Say on, then."
-Before they place the ladders against
tthe cliff they will build a fire of green
wood so that the smoke will bo blown
by the wind into your eyes. This will
tielp to blind your aim. Otherwise you
.never miss."
"That will assureilly be awkward,
2kHr.Tan."
"It will, sahib. Soul of my father, If
we uau nut nan a troop witn us"-
But they had not, and they were both jectlon and sphiHhcd the leading snv
i Intent on tho conversation that they . ages with molten metal,
were momentarily off their guard. Irlsj Unfortunately Jcnks' rifle beneath
was more watchful. She landed there was unloaded, being in Mir Jnu's pos
wiih a light rustling amid the under- session for purposes of Instruction.
growth beneath the trees ou the right.
And she could hiss, too, if that were
the correct thing to do.
So she hissed.
Jenks swarmed halfway up the lad
der.
"Yes, Iris," he said.
"I am not sure, but I Imagine some
tiling moved among the bushes behlud
the house."
"All right, dear. I will keep a sharp
lookout Can you hear us talking?"
"Hardly. Will you be long?"
"Another minute."
He'descended und told Mir Jan whnt
the miss sahib said. The native was
afooufto make a search when Jcnks
stopped him,
'Here" lie handed the man his re-
volwr "I suppose you can use this?"
Mir Jnn took lt without a word, and
Souks felt that the Incident atoned for
jnovlous unworthy doubts of his dark
friend's honesty. Tho Mohammedan
cautiously examined the back of the
fy in.se, the neighboring shrubs and the
upon beach. After n brief absence ho
reported all safe, yet no man lias ever
2pen nearer death and escaped It than
hu during that reconnolssance. lie, too, I
lorgoi mai uio uyiiKH wero nixes, aim
foxes can He close when hounds are a I
a Ai...i i ,. tt . m .. , '
trltlo stale.
Mir Jan returned the revolver.
"Sahib." he said, with another Ba
laam, "I am a disgraced man, but if
you will take me tip there with you I
will light by your side until both my
arms are hacked off. I am weary of
these thieves. Ill chance threw mo In
to their company. I will have no more
of them. If you will not hnve me on
the rock, give mc a gun. I will hide
among the trees, and I promise that
Home of them shall die tonight before
they find me. For the honor of the
regiment, sahib, do not refuse this
thing. All I nnk Is If your honor es
capes that you will write to Kurnal
I-shpence-snlilb and tell him the last
act of Mir Jan, corporal In B troop."
.Teaks was profoundly moved. He
reflected how best to utilize the serv
ices of this willing volunteer without
exposing him to certain death in the'
manner suggested. The nntlve mlsln
terpteted his silence.
"I am not a rascal, sahib," he ex
claimed proudly. "I only killed a man
bcratiao"
"Listen, Mir Jan. You cannot well
mend what you have said. The Dyaks, j
you arc sure, will not come before
morning?"
"They have carried the wounded to
the boats and are making the lad
ders. Such was their talk when I left
them."
"Will they not miss you?"
"They will miss the goatskin, sahib.
It was the last full one."
"Mir Jan, do as I bid and you shall
see Delhi airaln. Have you over used
a I.ee-MctfordV"
"I have seen them, sahib, but I bet
ter understand the Mahtlnl."
"I wl'l ;;!-e ym a rifle, with plenty
of ammunition. Do you go Inside tho
cave, there, and"
Mir Jan was startled.
"Where the ghost Is, sahib?" be said.
"Ghost! That Is a tale for children.
There Is no ghost, only a few bones
of a man murdered by these scoun
drels long ago. Have you any food?"
"Some rice, sahib; sulliclent for n day
or two nt a pinch."
"Good! We will get water from the
well. When the fighting begins at
dawn fire at every man you see from
tho back of the cave. On no account
come out. Then they can never reach
you If you keep a full magazine. Walt
here."
"I thought you were never coming,"
protested Iris when Jcnks reached the
ledge. "1 have been quite crtepy. I
nm sure there Is some one down there.
And, please, may I have another
drink?"
The sailor had left the crowbar be
neath. He secured a rifle, a spare clip
and a dozen packets of cartridges,
meanwhile briefly explaining to Iris
the turn taken by events so far as Mir
Jan was concerned. She was natural
ly delighted and forgot her fears In
the excitement caused by the appear
ance of so useful an ally. She drank
his health In a brimming beaker of
water.
She heard her lover rejoin Mir Jan
and saw the two step out Into the
moonlight, while Jcnks explained the
action of the rifle. Fortunately Iris
was now much recovered from the
fnURUe nml privation of the earlier
J hourHi e. HeuHM wen B,mrneIlwl to
a pitch little dreamed of by stny-at-
homo ,m,Ips of her a,m ,,
deelucd lt hw )rovlnce t0 uct M Hentry
whllp t, two men conf(rml Henco
she was the first to detect, or, rather, to
become conscious of, the stealthy crawl
of several Dyaks along the bottom of
the cliff from Turtle beach.
"Itobert!" she screamed. "The Dy
aks! On your left!"
ut Irls waa rnpkny gnlnIuB flomo
knowlwlge of strategv. Before sho
j Bhrieked her warning" she grasped a
rltle. Holding it nt the "ready" nbout
the level of her waist and depressing
the muzzle sufficiently, she begau firing
down the side of tho rock as fast as
fihe could handle lever and trigger.
Two of ti,0 nU.kei bullctH struck a nro
Jenks whipped out his revolver.
To the cave!" he roared, and Mir
Jan's unwillingness to face n goblin
could not withstand the combined Im
petus of the sahib's order and the on
ward rush of the enemy. He darted
headlong for the entrance.
Jenks, shooting blindly as he, too,
rau for the ladder, emptied the revolv
er just as his left hand clutched a
rung. Three Dyaks wero so close that
lt would be folly to attempt to climb.
He threw the weapon Into tho face of
the foremost man, effectually stopping
his onward progress.
The sailor turned to dive Into the
cavo and secure the rltle from Mir
Jan, when his shin caught the heavy
crowbar resting against tho rock. The
pain of the blow lent emphasis to tho
swing with which the Implement do
scended upon some portion of a Dyak
anntomy. Jenks never know where ho
hit the second assailant, but the place
cracked like an eggshell.
Ho had not time to recover tho bar
for another blow, so ho drovo the point
In the gullet of a gentleman who was
worthy caused his immediate succcs-
i - ..!....,.,-. ...., T.,... ..... t.t.. -... '
nor iu hiuiuuji-, mm juiium tmw ins uy .
portunlty. With the agility of a cat he
Jumped up the Inddcr and reached the
led so without Injury.
These things happened with the
speed of thought. Within forty seconds
of Iris' shrill cry the sailor was breast
high with the ledge and calling to her:
"All right, old girl! Keep It up!"
Hut here he was close to her, unhurt
and calmly Jubilant, as was his way
when n stiff light went well. He wan
by her side now, firing and aiming, too,
for the Dyaks broke cover recklessly
lie drove the point In the gullet.
In funning for shelter, and one may do
fair work by moonlight.
She had strength enough left to place
the rifle out of harm's way before she
broke down and sobbed not tearfully,
but in a paroxysm of reaction. Soon
all was quiet beneath save for tho la
bored efforts of some wounded men to
get far away from that accursed rock.
Jenks was able to turn to Iris. He en
deavored to allay her agitation and
succeeded somewhat, for tears came,
and she clung to him. It was useless
to reproach him. The whole incident
was unforeseen. She was herself a
party to it. But what an escape!
"You have been a very good lltt!
girl and hnve earned your supper," he
Bald.
"Oh, how can you talk ho callously
after such an awful experience?" sho
expostulated brokenly.
"It is a small thing to trouble about,
sweetheart," he explained. "You spot-
ted the enemy so promptly and blazed
away with such ferocity that they uev
er got within yards of me."
"Are you sure?"
"1 vow and declare that after we
have eaten something and sampled our
remnlnlng bottle of wine I will tell you
exactly what happened."
"Why not now?"
"Because I must first see to Mir Jan.
I bundled him neck nnd crop into the
cave. I hope I did not hurt him."
"You are not going down there
again?"
"No need, I trust."
Ho went to the side of the ledge, re
covered the ladder which he had has
tily hauled out of the Dyaks' reach aft
er his climb, and cried;
"Mir Jan."
"Ah, Hnhlb! Praised be the name of
the Most High, you are alive. I was
searching among the Blaln with a sor
rowful heart."
The Mohainmedatt's voice cume from
some little distance on the left.
"The slain, you say. How many?"
"Five, sahib."
"Impossible! I fired blindly with the
revolver and only hit one man hard
with tho iron bar. One other dropped
near the wood after I obtained a rifle."
"Then there be six, aahlb, not reckon
inc the wounded. I have accounted
for one, so the miss sahib must have"
"What is he saying about me?" In
quired Iris, who had risen and Jolneu
her lover.
"He says you absolutely staggered
the Dyaks by opening fire the moment
they appeared."
"How did you come to slay one, Mir
Jan?" he continued.
"A- son of a black pig followed mo
Into the cave. Iwalted for him In tho
darkness. I have just thrown his hotly
outside."
"Well doue! Is Taung S'AH dead by
any lucky chance?"
"iNo, sahib, If he be not the sixth. I
will go and see."
"You may be attacked."
"I have found a sword, aahlb. You
loft me no cartridges."
Jenks told him that the clip and tho
twelve packets were lying at the foot
of tho rock, where Mir Jnn speedily
discovered them. Tho Mohammedan
i Hiif j h in n
. c4 I U ill 1 1 1 1 1 1
-"y . I 111 III If II
I T JryJ& ft
Take Laxative Bromd Quinine i Tablets.
Seven Million boxes sold In past 1 2 months. This Signature,
gave satisfactory assurance that ho un
liaf fw.l tlifi ntfw.lio ,t Iti 111 rf
derstood the mechanism of the rifle by
uvmiuw m- ...i.v.......r,... ..
filling and adjusting the
magazine.
Then he went to examine the corpse of
the man who lay in the open near the
quarry path.
The sailor stood In instant readiness
to make a counter demonstration were
the native assailed. But there was no
sign of the Dyukfl. Mir Jan returned
with the news that the sixth victim of
the brief yot fierce encounter was n
renegade Malay. He was so confident
that the enemy had enough of It for
the night that, after recovering Jenks'
revolver, he boldly went to the well
and drew himself a supply of water.
During supper Jenks told Iris so
much of the story as waa good for her
that is to say, he cut down tho casu
alty list.
It was easy to see what had hap
pened. The Dyaks, having missed tho
Mohammedan nnd their water bag,
searched for him and heard the con
versation at the foot of the rock.
Knowing that their presence was sus
pected, they went back for re-enforcements
and returned by the shorter and
more advantageous route along Turtle
beach.
Iris would have talked all night, but
Jenks made her go to sleep by pillow
lug her head against his shoulder and
smoothing her tangled tresses with his
hand.
He managed to lay her on n com
fortable pile of ragged clothing and
then resumed his vigil. Mir Jan of
fered to mount guard beneath, but
Jcnks bade him go within the cave and
remain there, for the dawn would soon
be upon them.
Left alone with his thoughts, ho won
dered what the rising sun would bring
In Its train. He reviewed the events
of the last twenty-four hours. Iris and
he Miss Deane, Mr. Jenks, to each
other were then undiscovered In their
refuge, tho Dyaks were gathered
around a roaring fire In the valley, and
Mir Jan was keen In the hunt as the
keenest among them. Now Iris was
his afilanced bride, over twenty of the
enemy were killed and many wounded,
and Mir Jan, a devoted adherent, was
seated beside the skeleton In the gloom
of the cavern.
A period of reflection could hardly
pass without a speculative dive Into
the future. If Iris and he were res
cued, what would happen when they
went forth unee more Into tho busy
world? Not for one Instant did he
doubt her faith. She was true as
steel, knit to him now by bonds of
triple brass. But whnt would Sir Ar
thur Deane think of his daughter's
marriage to a discredited and cashiered
officer? What wiih It that poor Mir
Jan called himself "a disgraced man?"
Yes, that was lt. Could that stain be
removed? Mir Jan was doing it. Why
not he by other means, for ids good
name rested on the word f a perjured
woman? " Wealth was potent, but not
I nn powerful. He would ask Iris to
, Wrtlt until he came to her unsolled by
slander, purged of this odium cast up
on him unmerited.
To awake her he kissed her; he knew
not, perchance lt might be their last
kiss on earth. Not yet dawn, there was
morning in the air, for the first faint
shafts of light were not visible from
their eyrie owing to Its position. But
there was much to be done.
Tho canvas awning was rolled back
and the stores built Into a barricade in
tended to shelter Iris.
"What Is that for?" Bhe asked when
she discovered its nature. He told her.
She definitely refused to avail herself
of any such protection.
"Robert, dear," she said, "If the at
tack comes to our very door, so to
speak, surely I must help you. Even
my slight aid may stem a rush In one
plnce while you are busy in another."
He explained to her that If hand to
hnnd lighting were necessary he would
depend more upon a crowbar than a
rifle to sweep the ledge clear. She
might be in the way.
"Very well. The moment ;rmi tell
me to get behind that fence I will do
so. Even there I can use a revolver."
That reminded him. His own pistol
waa unloaded. He possessed only five
more cartridges of Bmnll caliber. He
placed them in the weapon nnd gave it
to her.
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"Now you have eleven men's lives in
your hands," he said. "Try not to miss
If you must shoot."
In tho dim light he could not see tho
spasm of pain that clouded her face.
No Dyak would reach her while hu
lived. If he fell, there waa another use
for one of those cartridges.
The sailor had cleared the main floor
of the rock and was placing his four
rifles and other implements within easy
reach when a hiss came from beneath.
"Mir Jan!" exclaimed Iris.
"What now?" demanded Jenks over
the side.
"Sahib, they come!"
"I nm prepared. Let that snako
get back to his hole In tho rock, lest a
mongoose selzo him by the head."
Mir Jan, engaged in a scouting expe
dition on his own account, understood
that the officer sahib's orders must bo
obeyed. Ho vanished. Soon they heard
a great crackling among the bushes on
the right, but Jenks knew even before
he looked that the Dyaks had correctly
estimated the extent of his fire zone
and would keep out of lt.
The first physical Intimation of tho
enemy's design they received was a
pungent but pleasant smell of burning
pine, borne to them by the northerly
breeze and filling the air with Its aro
ma. The Dyaks kindled a huge fire.
The heat was perceptible even on the
ledge, but the minutes passed and the
dawn broadened Into day without any
other result being achieved.
Iris, a little drawn and pale with sus
pense, said, with a timid giggle:
"This docs not seem to be so very
serious. It reminds mo of my efforts
to cook."
"Theie Is more to follow, I fear, dear
one. But the Dyaks aie fools. They
should have waited until night fell
again after wearing us out by constant
vigilance all day. If they Intend to cm
ploy smoke It would be far worse for
us at night."
Phew! A volume of murky vapor
arose that nearly suffocated them by
the first whiff of Its noisome fumes. It
curled like a black pall over the face of
the rock and blotted out sea and sky.
They coughed Incessantly and nearly
choked, for the Dyaks had thrown wet
seaweed on top of the burning pile of
dry wood. Mir Jan, born In Interior In
dia, knew little nbout the sea or Its
products, and when the savages talked
of seaweed he thought they meant
green wood. Fortunately for him, tho
ascending clouds of smoke missed the
cave or Infallibly he must havo been
stifled.
"Lie tint on the rock!" gasped Jenks.
CareleBs of waste, he poured water
over a coat and made Iris bury her
mouth and nose in the wet cloth. This
gave her lmmedlnte relief, and she
showed her woman's wit by tying the
sleeves of the garment behind her neck.
Jenks nodded comprehension and fol
lowed her example, for by this means
their hands were left free.
The black cloud grew more dense
each few seconds. Nevertheless, owing
to the slope of the ledge and the tend
ency of the smoke to rise, the south
side was far more tenable than the
north. Quick to note this favorable cir
cumstance, the sailor deduced a fur
ther fact from it. A barrier erected on
the extreme right of the ledge would
be a material gain. He sprang up,
dragged the huge tarpaulin from its
former location and propped it on the
handle of the plcknx, driven by one
mighty stroke deep Into n crevice of
the rock.
It was no mean fent of strength that
he performed. Ho swung the heavy
nnd cutnbrouB canvas Into position as
if it were u dust cloth. He emerged
from the gloom of the driven cloud red
eyed, but triumphant, lnstnntly the
vapor on the ledge lessened, and they
could breathe, even talk. Overhead
and in front the smoke swept in ever
increasing density, but once again the
sailor had outwitted the Dyaks' ma
neuvers. "We have won the first rubber," he
whispered to Iris.
to be cormrruKD,
.
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(l&
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