SYNOPSIS.
CHAPTER I.—The story opens with the
shipwreck of the steamer on which Miss
Jenevleve Leslie, nn American heiress.
Lord Winthrope. an Englishman, and Tom
Blake, a brusque American, were passen
gers. The three were tossed upon a?i un
inhabited Island and were the only ones
not drowned. Blake recovered from a
drunken stunor
CHAPTER II Blake, shunned on the
boat, because of bis roughness, became
-• hero as preservers of the helpless pair.
I'he Englishman was suing for the hand
of Miss Leslie Blake started to swim
lack to the ship to recover what was
left.
CHAPTER 111. Blake returned safely.
Winthrope wast'd his last match on a
* igarette. for wide)- l.o was scored by
P,'ake. Their first meal was a dead fish.
CHAPTER IV.
A Journey in Desolation.
I TUEf
I /3LI, ORXIX'R was well advanced
IB and the sun beat down upon
the three with almost over
powering fierceness. The heat would
have rendered llieir I hirst unendurable
1 ad not Blake hacked off for them bit
ffter hit of the moist ooryphene flesh.
In a temperate climate ten miles
over firm ground is a pleasant walk
for one accustomed to the exercise.
Quite a different matter is ten miles
across mud-flats, covered with a tan
gle of reeds and rushes, and frequently
dipping into salt marsh and ooze. Be
fore they had gone a mile Miss Leslie
would have lost her slippers had it
not been for Blake’s forethought in
tying them so securely. Within a lit
tle more than three miles the girl’s
strength began to fail.
"Oh, Blake,” called Winthrope, for
the American was some yards in the
i* ad, ’’pull up a bit on that knoll We’ll
have to rest a wh'le, I fancy. Miss
Leslie is about pegged.”
‘What’s that?” demanded Blake.
"We're not half-way yet!”
Winthrope did not reply. It was all
he could do to drag the girl up on the
hummock. She sank, half-fainting,
upon the dry reeds, and he sat down
h« side her to protect her with the
shade. Blake stared ai the miles
of swampy flats which yet lay between
lhem and the out-jutting headland of
giay rock. The base of the cliff was
screened by a belt of trees; hut the
nearest clump of green did not look
more than a mile nearer than the
h* ndland.
Hell!” muttered Blake, despondent
ly "Not even a short four miles.
Mush and sassiety girls!”
Though he spoke to himself the
others heard him. Miss Leslie flushed
nod would have risen had not Win
ihrope put his hand on her arm.
"Could you not go on and bring
hack a flask of water for Miss Leslie?”
he asked. "By that time she will be
routed.”
"No; I don't fetch back any flasks
of water. She's going when I go, or
you can come on to suit yourselves.”
Mr. Blake, you—you won’t go and
leave me here! If you have a sister
—f your mother—”
She died of drink, and both my
fi.sters did worse.”
My God. man! do you mean to say
you'll abandon a helpless young girl?”
Not a bit more helpless than were
Toy sisters when you rich folks’ guar
dians of law and order jugged me for
tlie winter ’cause I didn't have a job
and turned both girls into the street
—onto the street, if you know what
that means—one only 16 and the other
17 Talk about helpless young girls—
Ta nutation!”
Miss Leslie cringed back as though
she had been struck. Blake, however,
seemed to have vented his anger in
the curse, for when he again spoke
there was nothing more than impa
tience in his lone. ‘Come on. now:
vet. aboard. Winthrope couldn't lug
you a half-mile, and long's it’s the
•only way don't be all day about it.
Here, Winthrope, look to the fish.”
But, my dear fellow, I don’t quite
take your idea, nor does Miss Leslie, I
fancy,” ventured Winthrope.
Well, W'e've got to get to water or
dit ; and as the lady can’t walk she's
going on my back. It's a case of
have-to.”
No! I am not—1 am not! I’d sooner
<5ie!”
I’m afraid you'll find that easy
enough later on. Miss Jenny. Stand
by. Winthrope, to help her up. Do
you hear? Take the knife and fish and
lend a hand."
There was a note in Blake’s voice
that neither Winthrope nor Miss Les
li< dared disregard. Though scarlet
v.uh mortification, she permitted iter
s'If to be taken pick-a-back upon
P’ake’s broad shoulders and meekly
obeyed bis command to clasp her
bands about bis throat. Yet even at
that moment, such are the inconsis
tencies of human nature, she could not
but admin the ea.-e with which he
rose under her »v*-’ in.
Now that he no longer had tlx slow
pace of the girl to consider, he ad
vanced at his natural gait, the quick,
tireless stride of an American railroad
surveyor. His feet, trained to swamp
travel In Louisiana and Panama,
teemed to find the firmest ground as
by instinct, $n£ vyhqther on tfco half
—f-rf /<—^—J rmu-'
--
dried mud of the hummocks or in the
ankle-deep water of the hogs, they felt
their way without slip or stumble.
Winthrope, though burdened only
with the half-eaten cory phene, toiled
along behind, greatly troubled by the
mud and the tangled reeds, and now
and then flung down by some unlucky
misstep, ills modish suit, already
much damaged by the salt water, was
soon smeared afresh with a coating of
greenish slime. Tlis one consolation
was thnk Blake, alter jeering at his first
tumble, paid no more attention to
him. On tin1 other hand, ho was cut
by the seeming indifference of Miss
Leslie. Intent on his own misery, he
failed to consider that the girl might
ho suffering far greater discomfort and
humiliation.
More than three miles had been cov
ered before Blake stopped on a hum
mock. Releasing Miss Leslie, he
stretched out on the dry crest of the
knoll and called for a slice of the fish.
At his urging the others took a few
mouthfuls, although their throats were
so parched that even tlie moist flesh
afforded scant relief. Fortunately for
them all, Blake had been thoroughly
trained to endure thirst. He rested
less than ten minutes; then taking
Miss Leslie up again like a rag doll,
he swung away at a good pace.
Stopped. Utterlv Sotni
The trees were less than half a
mile distant when he halted for the
second time. He would have gone to
them without a pause, though his mus
cles were quivering with exhaustion,
had not Miss Leslie chanced to look
around and discover that Winthrope
was no longer following them. For
the last mile he had been lagging
farther and farther behind, and now
he had suddenly disappeared. At the
girl's dismayed exclamation, Blake re
leased his hold and she found herself
standing in a foot or more of mud and
water. The sweat was streaming
down Blake's face. As he turned
aroflnd, he wiped it off with his shirt
sleeves.
“Do you—can it be. Mr. Blake, that
he has had a sunstroke?" asked Miss
Leslie.
“Sunstroke? No; he's just laid
down, that’s all. I thought he had
more sand—confound him!”
“But the sun is so dreadfully hot,
and 1 have his shade.”
“And he’s been tumbling into every
i other pool. No; it’s not the sun. t've
! half a mind to let him lie—the paper
1 legged swell! It. would no more than
square our aboard-ship accounts.”
"Surely, you would not do that, Mr.
| Blake! It may be that he has hurt
| himself in falling.”
“In this mud?—bah! But 1 guess
I I’m in for the pack-mule stunt all
around. Now, now; don’t yowl, Miss
Jenny. I'm going. But you can't ex
pect me to love the snob.”
As he splashed away on the return
trail, Miss Leslie dabbed at her eyes
to check the starting tears.
"Oh, dear—Oh, dear!” she moaned;
“what have I done to be so treated?
! Such a brute. Oh, dear!—and I am so
thirsty!
In her despair she would have sunk
down where she stood had not the
sliminess of the water repelled her.
She gazed longingly at the trees, in
the foi'e of which stood a grove of
stately palms. The half-mile seemed
an insuperable distance, but the ride
on Blake’s back had rested her and
thirst goaded her forward.
Stumbling and slipping she waded
on across the inundated ground, and
came out upon a half-baked mud-flat,
where the walking was much easier.
But the sun was now almost directly
overhead, and between her thirst and
the heat she soon found herself falter
ing. She tottered on a few steps
farther, and then stopped, utterly
spent. As she sank upon the dried
rushes she glanced around and was
vaguely conscious of a strange, double
headed figure following her path
across the marsh. All about her be
came black.
The next she knew Blake was
splashing her head and face with
brackish water out of the whisky flask.
She raised her hand to shield her
taee, and sat up, sick and dizzy.
"That's It!" said Blake. He spoke
in a kindly tone, though Ills voice was
harsh and broken with thirst. "You’re
all right now. Bull yourself together
and we’ll got to the trees In a jiffy."
"Mr. Winthrope—?"
“I’m here, Miss Genevieve. It was
only a wrenched ankle. If I had a
stick, Blake, I fancy I could make a
go of it over this drier ground."
"And lay yourself up for a month.
Come, Miss Jenny, brace up for an
other try. It's only a quarter-mile,
and I've got to pack him."
Tie girl was gasping with thirst;
yet she made an effort, and, assisted
by Blake, managed to gain her feet.
She was still dizzy; but ns Blake
swing Winthrope upon his back, lie
(old her to take hold of his arm. Win
thrope held the shade over her head.
Thus assisted, and sheltered from the
direct beat of the sun-rays, she tot
tered along beside Blake, half-uncon
scious.
Fortunately the remaining distance
lay across a stretch of bare dry
ground, for even Blake had all but
reached the limit of endurance. Step
by step ho labored on, staggering un
der the weigtit of the Knglishman and
gasping with a tHirst which his ex
ertions rendered even greater than
that of his companions. But through
the trees and brush whlrh stretched
away inland In a wall of verdure he
had caught glimpses of a broad stream
and the hope of fresh water called out
every ounce of his reserve strength.
it last tiie nearest palm was only a
listant Blake clutched
.trm and dragged her
forward with a rush in a final outburst
of energy. A moment later all three
lay gasping in th • shade. I!ut (he
river was yet anoiher 100 yards dis
tant. Blake waited only to regain his
breath; then he staggered up and went
on The others, unable to rise, gazed
after him in silent misery.
Soon Blake found himself rushing
through the jungle along a broad trail
pitted with enormous footprints; but
he was so near mad with thirst that
he paid no heed to the spoor other
than to curse the holes for the trouble
they gave him. Suddenly the trail
turned to the left and sloped down a
low bank into the river. Blind to all
else, Blake ran down the slope and
dropping upon his knees plunged his
head into the water.
At first his throat was so dry that
he could no more than rinse his mouth.
With the first swallow his swollen
tongue mocked him with the salt,
bitter taste of sea-water. The tide
was flowing! He rose, sputtering and
choking and gasping He stared
around. There was no question that
he was on the bank of a river and
would be certain of fresh water with
the ebb tide. But could he endure the
agony of his thirst all those hours?
He thought of his companions.
“Good God!” he groaned, “they’re
goners, anyway!”
He stared dully up the river at the
thousands of waterfowl which lined Its
banks. Within close view were herons
and black ibises, geese, pelicans, fla
mingoes, and a dozen other species of
birds of which he did not know the
names. But he sat as though in a
stupor, and did not move even when
one of the driftwood logs on a mud
shoal a few yards up-stream opened
an enormous mouth and displayed two
rows of hooked fangs. It was other
wise when the noontime stillness was
broken by a violent splashing and
loud snortings down-stream. He
glanced about and saw six or eight
monstrous heads drifting towards
him with the tide.
‘‘What In— Wheel a whole herd of
hippos!" tie muttered. "That's what
the holes mean."
The foremost hippopotamus was
headed directly for him. He glared
at the huge head with sullen resent
ment. For all his stupor he perceived
at once that the beast intended to
land: and he sat in the middle of its
accustomed path. His first impulse
was to spring up and yell at the crea
ture. Then he remembered bearing
that a white hunter had recently been
killed by these beasts on one of the
South African lakes. Instead of leap
ing up he sank down almost flat and
crqwled back around the turn iu the
path. Once certain that he was hid
den from the beasts he rose to his
feet and hastened back through the
jungle.
He was almost in view of the spot
where he had left Winthrope and Miss
Leslie, when he stopped and stood
hesitating.
"I can't do It,” he muttered; "I can’t
tell her—poor girl!”
He turned and pushed into the
thicket. Forcing a way through the
tangle of thorny shrubs and creepers
until several yards from the path he
began to edge towards the face of the
jungle, that he might peer out at his
companions unseen by them.
There was more of the thicket be
fore him than he had thought, and he
was still fighting his way through it
when he was brought to a stand by a
peculiar cry that might have been the
bleat of a young lamb: "Ba—ba!”
"What’s that?” he croaked.
He stood listening, and in a moment
he again heard the cry, this time more
distinctly: “Blak!—Blak!”
There could be no mistake. It was
Winthrope calling for him, and call
ing with a clearness of voice that
would have been physically impossible
half an hour since. Blake’s sunken
eyes lighted with hope. He burst
through the last screen of jungle and
stared towards the palm under which
he had left his companions. They
were not there.
Another call from Winthrope di
rected his gaze more seaward. The
two were seated beside a fallen palm,
and Miss Leslie had a large round ob
jert raised to her lips. Wlnthrop was
waving to him.
“Cocoanuts!” ho yelled. "Come on!”
Three of the palms had been over
thrown by the hurricane, and when
Blake came up he found the ground
strewn with nuts, lie seized the first
he came to; but Wlnthrope held out
one already opened. He snatched li
from him and placed the hole to his
swollen lips. Never had champagne
tasted half so delicious ns that cocoa j
nut milk. Before he could drain the j
last of It through (lie littlo opening
Wlnthrope had the husks torn from j
the ends of two other nuts, and the
convenient germinal spots gouged
open with his penknife.
Blake emptied the third before he
spoke. Kven then his voice was
hoarse and strained. "Mow'd you
strike ’em?”
"I couldn't help it," explained Wln
thrope. "Hardly had you disappeared
when T notieed the tops of the fallen
palms and thought of (lie nuts. There
was one in the grass not 20 feet from
where we lay."
“Lucky for you—and for me. too. I
guess," said Blake. "We were all
three down for the count. But (his
settles the fkst round in our favor.
How do you like the picnic, Miss
Jenny?”
"Miss Leslie, If you please,” replied
Ihe girl, with hauteur.
"Oh, say, Miss Jenny!" protested
Blake, genially. "We live In the same
boarding house now. Why not be
folksy? You’re free to call me Torn.
Pass me another nut, Wlnthrope.
Thanks! By the way, what’s your
front name? Saw it aboard ship—
Crrtl—’’
"Cecil,” corrected Wlnthrope, In a
low tone.
"Cecil Lord Cecil, eh" or is it only
the Honorable Cecil?”
"My dear sir, I have intimated be
fore that, for reasons of or—state—”
"Oh, yes; you're traveling incog., in
the secret service. Sort of detect
ive—”
"Detective!” echoed Winthrope, In
a peculiar lone.
Blake grinned. "Well, it is rawther
a nawsty business for your honorable
ludship. But there's nothing like call
ing things hy their right names.”
"Right names—er—I don’t Quite
take you. 1 have told you distinctly
my name is Cecil Winthrope!”
"O-h-h! how lovely!—See-sill! See
seal!—Bet they called you Sissy at
school. English chum of mine told me
your schools are corkers for nick
names. What’ll we make it—Sis or
Sissy?"
"I prefer my patronymic, Mr. Blake,”
replied Winthrope.
“All right, then; we'll make it Pat.,
if that’s your choice. 1 say, Pat, thiB
juice is the stuff for wetness, but it
Blake Pushed Out from Among the
Close Thickets.
makes a fellow remember his grub.
Where’d you leave that fish?”
"Iteally. I can’t just say. but it must
have been where 1 wrenched my
ankle.”
"You cawn't just say! And what
are we going to eat?"
"Here are the eocoanuts.”
"Bright boy! go to the head of the
class! Just take some more husk off
those empty ones.”
Winthrope caught up one of the
nuts, and with the aid of his knife
stripped it of its husk. At a gesture
from Blake he laid it on the bare
ground and (lie American burst it
open with a blow of his heel. It was
an Immature nut, and the meat proved
to be little thicker than clotted cream.
Blake divided it Into three parts, hand
ing Miss Leslie the cleanest.
Though his companions began with
more restraint, they finished their
shares with equal gusto. Winthrope
needed no further orders to return to
bis busking. One after another the
nuts were cracked and divided among
the three, until even Blake could not
swallow another mouthful of the
luscious cream.
Toward the <^d Miss Leslie had be
come drowsy. At Winthrope’s urg
ing, she now lay down for a nap,
Blake's coat serving as a pillow. She
fell asleep while Winthrope was yet
arranging ft for her. Blake had
turned his back on her and was staring
moodily at the hippopotamus trail
when Winthrope hobbled around and
sat down on the palm trunk beside
him.
“I say, Blake,” he suggested, ”1
feel deuced fagged myself. Why not
all take a nap?”
"'And when they awoke, they were
all dead men,’ ” remarked Blake.
“By Jove, that sounds like a joke,”
protested th# Englishman. "Don't rag
me now.”
eRBj\M ;
BAKING
PIWDGR
For making quickly and perfectly
delicious hot biscuits, cake and
pastry. Renders the food more
tasty, nutritious and wholesome.
No alum, no lime phosphate ,
The government and food authorities have
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They require that the label shall give her
warning. She must buy from the label and
decline any powder which the label does
not show to be made from cream of tartar.
"Joke!” repeated Blake. "Why,
that's Scripture, Vat, Scripture! Any
way, you'd think it no Joke to wake
up and find yourself going down the
throat of a hippo.”
"Hippo?"
"Dozens of them over in (lie river.
Shouldn't wonder if they’ve all landed
and're tracking me down by this
time."
"But hippopotami are not carnivor
ous—they're not at all dangerous, un
less one wounds them, out In the wa
ter.”
"That may be; but I'm not taking
chances. They've got mouths like
sperm whales—I saw one take a yawn.
Another thing, that bayou Is chuck full
of alligators, and a fellow down on
the Hand told me they’re Ilka the Cen
tral American gavials for keenness to
nip a swimmer.”
"They will not come out on this dry
land.”
"Suppose they won't—there’re no
other animals In Africa but sheep,
eh?”
"What can we do? The captain
told me that there are both lions and
leopards on this coast.”
"Nice place for them, too, around
these trees,” added Blake. "Lucky
for us, they’re night-birds mostly—
If that Hand fellow didn't lie. He was
a Boer, so 1 guess he ought to know.”
"To be sure It’s a nasty flic we're
In for to-night. Could we not build
some kind of a barricade?”
“With a penknife! Guess we'll roost
In a tree."
"But cannot leopards climb? It
seems to me that I have heard—"
"How about lions?”
"They cannot; I’m sure of that."
"Then we'll chance the leopards.
Just stretch out here and nurse that
ankle of yours. I don't want to be
lugging you nil year. I'm going to
hunt a likely tree.”
I'ontinuftd noxt wwk.
Foley’s Orino Laxative cures chronic
constipation and stimulates the liver.
Orino regulates the bowels so they
will act naturally and you do not have
to take purgatives constantly. Kerr's
Pharmacy.
Listen.
Mr. Farmer
When in Falls City, and you
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F. P. SHIELDS. Proprietor
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Austlnburg. Ohio.
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“THE OLD RELIABLE "
