I
■ _
.BY ROBERT AMES BEJVWT V
LU<JTRA77On'S BY RAY WALTERS. J l;>
tcpyaic/ir no&. Br /t.c r+'ciuac «< co.
SYNOPSIS.
CHAPTER 1 Th«' story opens with the
v hip wreck of the steamer on which Miss
«if nevleve Leslie, nn American heiress,
Lord Winthrope. an Englishman, and Tom
Blake, a brusque American, were passen
gers. The three were t< ised upon an Utl
Inhabited Island and were the only ones
not drowned. Blake recovered from a
drunken stnnor
CHAPTER li B1 1 < shunned on tl •
1 '-at, because of 1 is roughness, became
> hero ns preservers of the helpless pair.
I he Englishman w as suing for tlie hand
f Miss Leslie. Blake started to swim
• ack to the ship to recover what was
• it.
CHAPTER TT1 B’ake returned safely.
Winthrope wasted h's last match on n
igarette. for whb h he was scored by
Btnke. Their first n ■ a l was a dead fish.
CHAPTER IV Til** trio started a ten
■ !•• hike for high* r 11nd. Thirst at
lacked them. Blake was compelled to
arry Miss Leslie <>n aecount of weari
ness. He taunted Winthrope.
CHAPTER V.
The Re-Ascent of Man.
I
KTKRNOON was far ad
vanced and Winthrope was
beginning to feel anxious
when at last Blake pushed out from
among the close thickets. As he ap
l oached he swung an unshapely club
of green wood, pausing every few
paces to test Us weight and balance
up a bush or knob of dirt.
By Jove!” called Winthrope; “that’s
not half bad! You look as if you could
howl over an ox."
Blake showed that he was flattered.
Oh, I don't know,” he responded;
the thing's blamed unhandy. Just the
same, 1 guess we’ll be ready for callers
to night.”
How’s that?”
Show you later, Pat, me b’y. Now
tiot out some nuts. We’ll feed before
we move camp.”
Miss Leslie is still sleeping.”
Time, then, to roust her out. Hey,
Miss Jenny, turn out! ’Time to chew.”
Miss Leslie sat up and gazed around
In bewilderment.
It's a’l right, Miss Genevieve,” re
assured Winthrope. "Blake has found
a safe place for the night, and he
wishes us to eat before we leave here.”
'Save' lugging the grub,” added
Blake. “Get busy, Pat."
\s Winthrope caught up a nut the
giil began to arrange her disordered
hair and dress with the deft and grace
fid movements of a woman thoroughly
Pained in the art of self-adornment.
There was admiration in Blake’s deep
eyes as he watched her dainty preen
ii.g. She was not a beautiful girl—at
piesent. she could hardly be termed
pretty; yet even in her draggled, mud
dy dress she retained all the subtle
(harms of culture which appeal so
tdrongly to a man. Blake was sub
dued. His feelings even carried him
so far as an attempt at formal polite
ness when they had finished their
meal.
Now. Miss TiCslie.” he began, “it’s
liitle more than half an hour to sun
down: so. if you please, if you’re ready,
we'd best be starting.”
Is it far?”
Not so very. Rut we ve got to
chase through the jungle. Are you
sir-e you’re quite ready?”
Quite, thank you. But how about
Mr. Wi nth rope’s ankle?”
He’ll ride as far as the trees. 1
can't squeeze through with him.
though.”
1 shall walk all the way,” put In
■Winthrope.
No, you won't. Climb aboard,” re
f led Blake, and catching up his club
Ik stooped for Winthrope to mount his
hark. As he rose with his burden
Miss Leslie caught sight of his coat
which still lay in a roll beside the
palm trunk.
How about your coat, Mr. Blake?"
'he asked. “Should you not put
It on?”
No; I'm loaded now. Have to ask
yen to look after it. You may need
■ before morning, anyway. If ihe
news here are like Iliose in Central
America they are d-darned liable to
bring on malarial fever.”
Nothing more was said until they
bad crossed the open space between
the palms and the belt of jungle
along the river. At other times Win
tb ope and Miss Leslie might have
teen interested in the towering screw
palms, festooned to the top with
climbers, and in ihe huge ferns which
they could see beneath the mangroves
in the swampy ground on their left.
Now, however, they were far too con
fined with the question of how they
should penetrate the dense tangle of
thorny brush and creepers which
rose before them like a green wall
Even Blake hesitated as ho released
Winthrope and looked at Miss Leslie’s
estume, Her white skirt was ol
stout duck; but the flimsy material ol
her waist was ill-suited for rough
usage.
Better put the coat on unless you
want to come out on the other side In
full evening dress,” he said. “There's
no use kicking, but I wish you’d hap
pt ned to have on some sort of a jacket
when we got spilled.”
•'Is there no path through the thick
et?” inquired Winthrope.
“Only the hippo trail, and it don'l
go our way. We've got to run our
own line. Here's a stick for your
game ankle."
Winthrope took the half green
branch which Blake broke from the
nearest tree ami turned to assist Miss
Leslie with the coat. The garment
was of such coarse cloth that as Win
thrope drew the collar close about her
throat Miss Leslie could not forego a
little grimace of repugnance. The
crease between Blake's eyes deepened
and the girl hastened to utter an ex
planatory exclamation: "Not so
tight, Mr. Winthrope, please! It
scratches my neck.”
"You'd find those thorns a whole lot
worse,” mmtored Blake.
"To he sure: nml Miss Leslie fully
appreciates your kindness,” interposed
Winthrope.
"I do indeed, Mr. Blake! I'm sure 1
never could go through here without
your coat."
"That's all right. Got the handker
chief?"
"1 put it in one of the pockets.”
“It’ll do to tie up your hair.”
Miss Leslie took the suggestion,
knotting the big square of linen over
her fluffy brown hair.
Blake waited only for her to draw
out the kerchief before he began to
force a way through the jungle. Now
and then he beat at the tangled vege
tation with his club. Though he held
to the line by which he had left ties
thicket, yet all his efforts failed to
open an easy passage for.the others.
Many of the thorny branches sprang
back into place behind him, and as
Miss Leslie, who was tlie first to fol
low, sought to thrust them aside the
thorns pierced her delicate skin until
her hands were covered with blood.
Nor did Winthrope, stumbling and hob
bling behind her, fare any better.
Twice he tripped headlong into the
brush, scratching his arms and face.
Blake took his own punishment as
a matter of course, though his tougher
and thicker skin made his injuries less
painful. He advanced steadily along
the line of bent and broken twigs that
marked bis outward passage, until the
thicket opened on a strip of grassy
ground beneath a wild fig-tree.
"By Jove!” exclaimed Winthrope,
“a banyan!”
"Banyan? Well, if that’s British for
a daisy, you’ve hit it,” responded
Blake. "Just take a squint up here.
How's that for a roost?”
Winthrope and Miss Leslie stared up
dubiously at the edge of a bed of
reeds gathered in the hollow of one of
the huge flattened branches at its
junction with the main trunk of the
banyan, 20 feet above them.
"Will not the mosquitoes pester us
here among the trees?” objected Win
thrope.
’’Storm must have blown 'em away.
I haven't seen any yet.”
"There will be millions after sun
set."
"Maybe; but I bet they keep below
our roost.”
"But how are we to get up so high?”
inquired Miss Leslie.
"I can swarm this drop root, and
I’ve a creeper ready for you two,” ex
plained Blake.
Suiting action to words, he climbed
up the small trunk of the air root and
swung over into the hollow where he
had piled the reeds. Across the
broad limb dangled a rope-like creeper,
one end of which he had fastened to a
branch higher up. He flung down the
free end to Winthrope.
"Look lively, Pat,” he called. "The
sun's most gone, and twilight don’t
last all night in tiiese pails. Get the
line around Miss Leslie, and do what
you can on a boost.”
“I see; but, you know, the vine la
too stiff to tie.”
Blake stifled ati oath ami jerked the
end of the creeper up into his hand.
When he threw it down again it was
looped around and fastened in a bow
line knot.
“Now, Miss Leslie, get aboard and
we ll have you up in a jiffy,” he said.
“Are you sure you can lift me?”
asked the girl, as Wlnthrope slipped
th*i loop over her shoulders.
Blake laughed down at them. "Well,
I guess yes! Once hoisted a fellow nut
of a 50-foot prospect hole—big fat
Dutchman at that. You don’t weigh
over 120.”
He had stretched out across the
broadest part of the branch. As Miss
Leslie seated herself in the loop he
reached down and began to haul up on
the creeper, hand over hand. Though
frightened by the novel manner of as
cent the girl clung tightly to the line
above her head, and Blake had no dif
ficulty In raising her until she swung
directly beneath him. Here, how
ever, he found himself In a quandary.
The girl seemed as helpless as a child,
and he was lying flat. How could he
left her above the level of the branch?
“Take hold the other line,” he said.
The girl hesitated. “Do you hear?
Grab it quick, and pull up hard if you
don’t want a tumble!”
The girl seized the part of the
creeper which was fastened above and
drew herself up with convulsive en
ergv. Instantly Blake rose to his
knees, and grasping the taut creeper
with one hand reached down with th«
other to swing the girl up beside him
on the branch.
“All right. Miss Jenny,” he reas
sured her as he felt her tremble. “Sor
ry to scare you, but l couldn't have
made it without. Now, if you'll just
hold down my legs we'll soon hoist
his ludship."
He had seated hot- in the broadest
part of the shallow hollow, where the
branch joined the main trunk of the
fig. Heaped with the reeds which he
had gathered during the afternoon it
made such a cozy shelter that she
at once forgot her dizziness and fright.
Nestling among the reeds, she leaned
over and pressed down on his ankles
with all her strength.
The loose end of the creeper had
fullen to the ground when TUnko lifted
her upon the branch and Wlnthrope
was already slipping into the loop,
niake ordered hint to take it off a td
send up the club. As the creeper was
again flung down n black shadow
swept over tile jungle.
'Hello! Sunset!” called Hlake.
“Look sharp, there!”
' All ready,” responded Winthrope
Blake drew In a full breath, and be
gan to hoist. The position was an
awkward one, and Winthrope weighed
.10 or 40 pounds more than Miss ra‘s
lie. But as the Knglishmau came
within reach of the descending loop
he grasped ii and did what he conM
to ease Blake's efforts. A few mo
ments found him as high above the
ground as Blake could raise him.
Without waiting for orders, lie swung
himself upon tin- upper part of the
creeper and climbed the last few feet
unaided. Blake grunted with satisfac
tion as he pulled him In upon the
branch.
You may do, .after all, he said.
“At any rate, we re all aboard for the
night; and none too soon. Hear that?"
••What ?"
“I,ion. I guess Not that yelping.
Listen'"
Th.* brief twilight was already failing
into the darkness of a moonless night,
and as tlie three crouched together In
their shallow nest they were soon
made audibly aware of the savage im
Hire of their surroundings. With the
gathering night tlie jungle wakened
into full life. From all sides came tlie
harsh squawking of birds, the weird
cries of monkeys and oilier small crea
tures, the crash of heavy animals
moving through the jungle, and above
all the yelp and howl and roar of
beasts of prey.
After some contention with Win
thrope, Blake conceded that the roars
of his lion might be nothing worse
than the snorting of the hippopotami
as they came out to browse for the
night. In this, however, there was
small comfort, since Winthrope pres
ently reasserted his belief in the
climbing ability of leopards, and ex
pressed his opinion that, whether or
not there were lions in the neighbor
hood, certain of the barking roars they
could hear canie from the throats of
the spotted climbers. Kven Blake's
hair bristled as his Imagination pic
tured one of the great rats creeping
upon them in the darkness from the
far end of their nest limb, or leaping
down out of the upper branches.
The nerves of all three were at their
highest tension when a dark form
swept past through the air within a
yard of their faces. Miss Leslie ut
tered a stifled scream and Blake
brandished his club. But Winthrope,
who had caught a glimpse of the crea
ture's shape, broke into a nervous
laugh.
“It's only a fruit bat,” he explained.
“They feed on the banyan figs, you
know.”
In the reaction from this false alarm,
both men relaxed and began to yield
to the effects of the tramp across the
mud-flats. Arranging the reeds as
best they could they stretched out on
either side of Miss Leslie and fell
asleep In the middle of an argument
on how the prospective leopard was
mostly likely to attack.
Miss Leslie remained awake for
two or three hours longer. Naturally
she was more nervous than her com
panions, and slie had been refreshed
by her afternoon's nap. Her nervous
ness was not entirely due to the wild
beasts. Though Blake had taken pains
to secure himself and his companions
in loops of tlie creeper, fastened to
the braneh above, Winthrope moved
about so restlessly in his sleep that
the girl feared he would roll from the
hollow.
At last her limbs became so
cramped that she was compelled to
change her position. She leaned
back upon her elbow, determined to
rise again and maintain her watch
the moment she was rested. But
sleep was close upon her. There was
a lull In the louder noises of the jun
gle. Her eyes closed, and her bead
sank lower. In a little time it was ly
ing upon Winthrope's shoulder and she
was fast asleep.
As Blake had asserted, the mos
quitoes had either been blown away
by the cyclone or did not fly to such
a height. None came to trouble the
exhausted sleepers.
CHAPTER VI.
Man and Gentleman.
I^^^JIGHT had almost passed, and
I ^B all three, soothed by the re
^ freshing coolness which pre
ceded the dawn, were sleeping their
soundest, when a sudden fierce roar
followed instantly by a piercing squeal
caused even Blake to start up In panic.
Miss Leslie, too terrified to scream,
clung to Wlnthrope, who crouched on
his haunches, little less overcome.
fctiaae was the firnt to recover and
puzzle out the meaning of the crashing
In the jungle and the ferocious growls
directly beneath them.
"Lie •till." he whispered. "We’re
all right. It's only a beast that killed
something down below us."
All sat listening, and as the noise of
the animals In the thicket died away
they could hear the beast beneath
them tear at the body of its virtlm.
The air feels like dawn," whispered
Winthrope "We’ll soon he able to see
the brute."
“And lie us." rejoined lilake.
In tills both were mistaken. During
the bi'lcl false dawn they were puz
?.let 1 bv the odd appearance of the
ground. The sudden flood of full day
light found them staring down Into t<
dense while fog
"So they have that here!" mut
tered Blake- "fever-fog!"
"Beastly shame'" echoed Winthrope.
T in sure the creature has gone off "
This assertion was met by an out
burst of snai ls and yells that made all
"It's Only a Beast That's Killed Some
thing Down Below.”
start l)at'l> anti crouch down again In
their sheltering hollow. As before
Ulake was the first to recover.
‘‘Bet you’re right," he said. ‘‘The
big one has gone off, and a pack of
these African coyotes are having a
scrap over the bones.”
"Y'ou mean jackals. It sounds like
the nasty beasts.”
"If it wasn’t for that fog I'd go down
ami get our share of the game.”
"Would it not be very dangerous,
Mr. Blake?" asked Miss Leslie. “What
a fearful noiBe!”
‘T’ve chased coyotes off a calf with a
rope; but that's not the proposition.
Y’ou don't find me fooling around in
that sewer gas of a fog. We'll roost
right where we art; till the sun does
for it. We’ve got enough malaria in
us already.”
“Will It be long, Blake?" asked Win
thrope.
"Huh? Getting hungry this quick?
Wait till you’ve tramped around a
week, with nothing to eat but your
shoes.”
"Surely, Mr. Blake, it will not be so
bad!” protested Miss Leslie.
“Sorry, Miss Jenny; but cocoanut
palms don't blow over every day, and
when those nuts are gone what are we
going to do for ihe next meal?”
“Could we not make bows?” sug
gested Winthrope. "There seems to
be no end of game about.”
"Bows—and arrows wliliout points!
Neither of us could hit a barn door,
anyway.”
"We could practice."
“Sure—six weeks' training on air
pudding. I can do belter with a hand
ful of stones.”
"Then we should go at once to (he
cliffs.” said Miss Leslie.
"Now you’re talking—and It's Pike
Peak or bust for ours. Here's one
night to the good; but we won't last
many more if we don't get fire. It's
flints we’re after now.”
"Could we not make fire by rubbing
slides?" said Winthrope, recalling his
suggestion of the previous morning.
"I’ve heard that natives have no
trouble—”
“So’ve I, and what's more, I’ve seen
'em do it. Never could make a go of
it. myself, though.”
•'But if you remember how it. Is
done we have at least some chance—"
"Give you ten to one odds! No; we’ll
serntch arounfi for a flint good and
plenty before we waste time that
way.”
"The mist is going,” observed Miss
Leslie.
That s no lie. Low for our coyote*.
Whera’s my club?”
“They've all left,” said Winthrope,
peering down. “I can see the ground
clearly, and there Is not a sign of the
beasts.”
"There are the bones—what’s left of
them,” added Hlake. "It’s a small deer,
I suppose. Well, here goes.”
He threw down his club and dropped
the loose end of the creeper after It.
As the line straightened he twisted the
upper part around his leg and was
about to slide to the ground when he
remembered Miss Leslie.
"Think you can make it alone?” he
asked.
The girl held up her bands, sore and
swollen from the lacerations of the
thorns. Hlake looked at them,
frowned, and turned to Winthrope.
“Uni! you got It, too, and In the
face.” he grunted. “How's your
ankle?”
Winthrope wriggled his foot about
and felt the injured ankle.
“1 fancy It Is much better,” he an
swered. "There seems to be no swell
ing. and there is no pain now.”
"That’s lucky; though it will tune
up later. Take a slide, now. We’ve
got to hustle our breakfast and find
a way to got. over the river."
'How wide Is It?" inquired Win
thiope, gazing at his swollen hands
"About 300 yards at high tide May
be narrower at ebb."
"Could you not build a raft?" sits
guated Miss Leslie.
Blake smiled at her simplicity. "Why j
not a boat ? We've '<ot a penknife."
"Well, then, 1 can swim.”
"Bully for you! Luess. though, we'll
try something else. The river Is chuck
full of alligators. What you waiting
for. Pal? Wh haven’t got all day to
fool around here."
Winthrope twisted the creeper about
his leg and slid to the ground, doing
all ho could to favor his hands. Ho
found that he could walk without pain,
and at once stepped over beside
Blake's club, glancing nervously
around at the jungle,
Blake jerked up the end of the
creeper, and passed the loop about
Miss Leslie. Before she had time to
become frightened he swung her over
and lowered her to the ground lightly
as a feather. He followed, hand under
hand, and stood for a moment beside,
her, staring at the dew dripping foil
age of the jungle. Then the remains
of the night's quarry caught, his eye,
and ho walked over to examine them.
"Say, Pat," he called, "these don't
look like deer bones. I’d say—yes;
there's the feet—It's a pig."
"Any tusks?” demanded Wlnthrope. |
Miss Leslie looked away. A heap ol
bones, however cleanly gnawed, Is not
a pidasant sight. Tho skull of the
animal seemed to ho missing; but
Itlake stumbled upon it In a tuft of
grass and kicked it out upon the open
ground. Kvery shred of hide and
gristle had been gnawed from It by the
jackals; yet if there hud been any
doubt, us to the creature's identity
there wa - evidence to spare in the sav
age tusks which projected from the
Jaws.
",le rusalem!" observed itlake; "this
old hoar must have been something
of a scrapper his own self."
"In India they have been known to
kill a tiger. Can you knock out the
tusks?”
"What for?"
"Well, you said we hud nothing for
arrow points—"
"Good hoy! Well cinch them and
ask questions later.”
A few blows with the club loosened
Hie tusks. Hlake handed them over to
Winthrope, together wilh the whisky
Mask, and led Hie way to the half
broken patch through tho thicket. A
free use of his club made the path a
little more worthy of the name, and
as there was less need of haste than
on the previous evening, Wlnthrope
and Alias Leslie came through with
only a few fresh scratches. Once on
open ground again, they soon gained
the fallen palms.
At a word from lllake, MIsh Leslie
hastened to fetch nuts for Winthrope
to husk and open. Blake, who had
id ticked three leaves from a fan palm
near the edge of the jungle, began to
split long shreds from one of the
huge leaves of a eocoanut palm. This
gave him a quantity of coarse, stiff
Hber, part of which he twisted in a
cord and used to tie one of I he leaves
of the fan palm over her head.
"How's that for a bonnet?" he de
manded.
The Improvised headgear bore so
grotesque a resemblance to a recent
type of picture hat that Winthrope
could not repress a derisive laugh.
Miss Leslie, however, examined the
hat and gave her opinion without a
sign of amusement. "I think it Is
splendid, Mr. Blake. If we must go
out In the sun again, it is just the thing
to protect one.”
"Yes. Here's two more I've Hxed for
you. Heady yet, Winthrope?"
The Knglishman nodded, and the
three sat down to their third feast of
coeoanuts. They were hungry enough
at the start, and Blake added no little
keenness even to his own appetite by
a grim joke on the slender prospects
of the next meal, to Ihe effect that if
in Hie meantime not eaten themselves
they might possibly find their next
meal within a week.
"But if we must move, could we not
lake some of the nuts with us?" sug
gested Winthrope.
Blake pondered over this as he ate.
and when fully satislied he helped him
self up with his club he motioned the
others to remain seated.
"There are your hats and the
strings,” he said, "but you won't need
them now. I'tn going to take a pros
pect along the river, and while I'm
gone, you can make a try at stringing
nuts on some of this leaf fiber.”
"But, Mr, Blake, do you think it's
quite safe?” asked Miss Leslie, and
she glanced from him to the jungle.
"Safe?” lie repeated. "Well, noth
ing ate you yesterday, if that's any
thing to go by. It's all I know
about it.”
lie did not wait for further protests.
Swinging his club on his shoulder he
started for the break in the jungle
which marked the hippopotamus path.
The others looked at each other, and
Miss Leslie sighed. "If only he were
a gentleman!” she complained.
Winthrope turned abruptly to the
cocoanuts.
Continued next week.
To the Ladies
I am prepared to do all
kinds of Hair Work. If
in need of a Switch, Puffs,
Curls, or anything in Hair
Hoods, give me a trial.
Mrs.C. McCoy
Phone 370
Listen,
Mr. Farmer
When in Falls City, and you
feel a spasm of gnawing of
the inner man hunger the
best place in town to get full
satisfaction for two-bits 25
cents . In a square meal is at
The City Hotel
F P. SHIELDS, Proprietor
DR. C. N. ALLISON
L) Hx N 'F i S 'P
Phone 248 Over IUchariLon County
Bank.
FALLstUTY, N E BRASKA
C. H. MARION
AUCTIONEER.
Sales conducted in
scientitic and busi
nesslike manner
C. H. MARION
Palls City, Nebraska
D. S. TlcCarthy
DRAY AND
TRANSFER
Prompt attention piven
to the removal of house
hold poods.
PHONE NO. 211
Passenger Trains
South Bound
Tr. 104—St. Louis Mail and Ex
press .1:23 p. m.
Tr. 106—Kansas City Exp., 3:41 a. m.
Tr. 132 x—K.C.local leaves. .7:30 a. m.
Tr. 138 x—Falls City Hrrives 9:00 p. ra.
x—Daily except Sunday
North Bound
Tr. 103—Nebraska Mail and Ex
press.1:52 p. m.
Tr. 105—Omaha Express. . .2:23 a. ra.
Tr. 137 x- Omaha local leaves 0:15 a.m.
Tr. 131 x—Falls City local ar
rives.8:45 p.ra.
x—Daily exceot Sunday
Local Frl. Trains Carrying Passengers
North Bound
Tr. 192x—To Atchison .11:10 a.m.
South Bound
Tr 191 x — To Auburn.1:23 pm.
J. B. VARNER. Agent
Magnetic Healing
Miss Lizzie Heitland, a gradu
ate of the Weltnier School of
Magnetic Healing at Nevada.Mo.
I am prepared to treat diseases of
all kinds. I'hone 27'>. Located
at Mrs. Morris’ residence, south
of the convent. 44 5t
PORTLAND, MAINE, CHILD
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“Our little daughter, six years of age,
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Vinol cures conditions like this be
cause in a natural manner it increases
the appetite, tones up the digestive
organs, makes rich, red blood, and
strengthens every organ in the body.
A. G. WANNER. Falls City! Net
