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SYNOPSIS.
The story opens with the shipwreck of
tli* steamer on which Miss Genevieve
l.»*lie, an American Ucin s», Loiil Wln
tt.rope. an Knglishiuan, anil Tom Blake,
- brusque American, were passengers.
The three were tossed upon an uriinhab
linl Island and were the only ones not
drown'd. Blake recovered from a drunk
en siupor. Blake, shunned on the boat. ,
of his roughness, became a hero
w* preserver of the helpless pair. The
I 'iiilshman was suing tor tiie nand of I
MUs Leslie. Blake started to swim back
to the ship to recover what was left.
JtlaUe returned safely. Wlnthrope wasted
tin. Inst match on a cigarette, for which
>ir win scored by Blake. Their ilrst meal
<• a dead tish. The trio started a ten
(n * hike for higher land. Thirst at
i.K d them. Blake was compelled to
carry Miss Leslie on account of weari
«!»•*.•* He taunted 'Winthrope. They en
tered ihe jungle. That night was passed
roosting high in a tree. The next morn-
Int; ihey descended to the open again.
.'I three constructed hats to shield them
►elves from the sun. They then feasted
en cocoanuts, the only procurable food.
M's-s Leslie showed a liking for Blake,
lint detested Ills roughness. I/ed by Blake i
1 (iey established a home in SOntO cliffs.
B'i«.ke found a fresh wuter spring. Miss
faced an unpleasant situation, i
CHAPTER Vlll.—Continued.
"They'll be dry In a day or two.
Pay, Winthropc, you might fetch some
of those stones —size of a ball. I used
to be a fancy pitcher when I was a
kid, and we might scare up a rabbit or I
something."
"I play cricket myself. But these
•tones —"
"Better'n a gun, when you haven't I
got the gun. Come on. We'll go in a
bunch, after all, in case I need stones."
' With due consideration for Win
thrope's ankle —not for Winthrope—
Blake set so slow a pace that the half
mile's walk consumed over half an
ihour. But his smouldering irritation
(was soon quenched when they drew
near the green thicket at the foot of
the cleft. In the almost deathlike
■stillness of mid-afternoon, the sound
,of trickling water came to their ears,
"clear and musical.
I "A spring!" shouted Blake. "I
guessed right Look at those green
plants and grass; there's the channel
where it runs out in Ihe sand and
dries up."
The others followed him eagerly as
he pushed in among the trees. They
saw no running water, for the tiny
prill that trickled down the ledges was
matted over with vines. But at the
foot of the slope lay a pool, some ten
yards across, and overshadowed by the
surrounding trees. There was no
underbrush, and the ground was
trampled bare as a floor.
"By Jove," said Winthrope; "see the
tracks! There must have been a drove
of sheep about."
"Deer, you mean," replied Blake,
bending to examine the deeper prints
at the edge of the pool. "These ain't
sheep tracks. A lot of them are
larger."
"Could you not uncover the brook?"
asked Miss Leslie. "If animals have
been drinking here, one would prefer
cleaner water."
j "Sure," assented Blake. "If you're
game for a climb, and can wait a few
minutes, we'll get it out of the spring
Itself. We've got togo up anyway, to
«et at our poultry yard!"
"Here's a place that looks like a
path," called Winthrope, who had cir
cled about the edge of the pool to the
farther side.
Blake ran around beside hira and
•tared at the tunnel-like passage which
wound up the limestone ledgeß be
neath the ove-arching thickets.
1 "Odd place, is it not?" observed
Winthrope. "Looks like a fox run,
only larger, you know."
"Too low for deer, though—and
their hoofs would have cut up the
moss and ferns more. Let's get a
close look."
As he spoke, Blake stooped and
climbed a few yards up the trail to an
overhanging ledge, four or five feet
high. Where the trail ran up over
this break in the slope the stone was
bare of all vegetation. Blake laid his
club on the top of the ledge, and was
about to vault after it, when, directly
beneath his nose, he saw the print of
a great catlike paw, outlined in dried
mud. At the same instant a deep
prowl came rumbling down the "fox
run." Without waiting for a second
warning, Blake drew his club to him,
end crept back down the trail. His
stealthy movements and furtive back
ward glancis filled his companions
with vague terror. He himself was
hardly less alarmed.
"Get out of the trees —into the open!"
exclaimed in a hoarse whisper, and
as they crept away, white with dreat
of the unknown danger, he followed at
theif heels, looking backward, his clut
raised in readiness to strike.
Once clear of the trees, Winthrop<
caught Miss Leslie by the hand anc
broke into a run. In their terror thej
paid no heed to Blake's command t(
stop. They had darted off so unex
pectedly that he did not overtake then
short of 100 yards.
"Hold on!" he said, gripping Win
thrope roughly by the shoulder. "It":
safe enough here, and you'll knock ou
that blamed ankle."
"What is it? What did you see?'
gasped Miss Leslie.
"Footprint." mumbled Blake, ashamei
of his fright.
"A lion's?" cried Winthrope.
"Not so larg*—'bout the size of s
puma's Must BE N leopard's dea UL
Crept Back Down the Trail.
there. I heard a growl, and thought It
about time to clear out."
"By Jove, we'd better withdraw
around the point!"
"Withdraw your aunty! There's no
leopard going to tacklo us out here In
open ground this time of day. The
sneaking tomcat! If only I had a
match, I'd show him how we smoke
rat holes."
"Mr. Winthrope spoke of rubbing
sticks to make fire," suggested Miss
Leslie.
"Make sweat, you mean. But we
may as well try It now, if we're going
to at all. The sun's hot enough to fry
eggs. We'll go back to a shady place
and pick up sticks on the way."
Though there was shade under the
cliff within some 600 feet, they had
togo some distance to the nearest dry
wood —a dead thornbush. Here they
gathered a quantity of branches, even
Miss Leslie volunteering to carry a
load.
All was thrown down In a heap near
the cliff, and Blake squatted beside it,
penknife in hand. Having selected the
dryest of the larger sticks, he bored a
hole in one side and dropped in a
pinch of powdered bark. Laying the
stick in the full glare of the sun, he
thrust a twig into the hole and began
to twirl it between his palms. This
movement ho kept up for several min
utes; but whether ho waß unable to
twirl the twig fast enough or whether
the right kind of wood or tinder was
lacking all his efforts failed to pro
duce a spark.
Unwilling to accept the failure,
Winthrope insisted upon trying In
turn, and pride held him to the ta9k
until he was drenched with sweat.
The result was the same.
"Told you so," Jeered Blake from
where he lay in the shade. "We'd
stand more chance cracking stones to
gether."
"But what shall we do now?" asked
Miss Leslie. "I am becoming very
tired of cocoanuts, and there seems to
be nothing else around here. Indeed,
I think this is all such a waste of
time. If we had walked straight along
the shore this morning we might have
reached a town."
"We might. Miss Jenny, and then,
again, we mightn't. I happened to
overhaul the captain's chart—Quili
mane, Mozambique—that's all for hun
dreds of miles. Towns on this coast
are about as thick as hen's-teeth."
"How about native villages?" de
manded Winthrope.
"Oh, yes; maybe I'm fool enough to
go into a wild nigger town without
a gun. Maybe I didn't talk with fel
lows down on the Rand."
"But what shall we do?" repeated
Miss Leslie, with a little frightened
catch in her voice. She was at last
beginning to realize what this rude
break in her sheltered, pampered life
might mean. "What shall we do? It's
—it's absurd to think of having to
stay In this horrid country for weeks
or perhaps months —unless some ship
comes for us! > "
"Look here, Miss Leslie," answered
Blake, sharply yet not unkindly; "sup
pose you just sit back and use your
thinker a bit. If you're your daddy's
daughter, you've got brains uotav
CAMERON COUNTY PRESS, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 28, 1909
where down undor the boarding-school
stuff."
"What do you mean, sir?"
"Now, don't get huffy, please! It's
a question of think, not of putting on
airs. Here we are, worse off than the
people of the stone age. They had
lire and flint axes; we've got nothing
but our think tanks, and as to lions
and leopards and that sort of thing,
it strikes me we've got about as many
on hand as they had."
"Then you and Mr. Winthrope
should immediately arm yourselves."
"How?— But we'll leave that till
later. What else?"
The girl gazed at the surrounding
objects, her forehead wrinkled in the
effort at concentration. "We must
have water. Think how we suffered
yesterday! Then there is shelter from
wild beasts, and food, and —"
"All right here under our hands, if
we had fire. Understand?"
"I understand about the water. You
would frighten the leopard away with
the fire; and if it would do that, it
would also keep away the other ani
mals at night. Rut as for food, unless
we return for cocoanu'.s —"
"Don't give It up! Keep your think
er gf'ng on the side, while Pat tells
us our next move. Now that he's got
the fire sticks out of his head —■"
"I say, Blake, 1 wish you would
drop that name. It is no harder to say
Winthrope."
"You're off, there," rejoined Blake.
"But look here, I'll make it Win, if
you figure out what we ought to do
next."
"Really, Blake, that would not be
half bad. They—er—they called me
Wir. at Harrow."
"That so? My English chum went
to Harrow —Jimmy Scarbridge."
"Lord James! —your chum?"
"He started in like you, sort of top
lofty. Rut he chummed all right—aft
er I took out a lot of his Rritish starch
with a good walloping."
"Oh, really now, Rlake, you oan't
expect any one with brains to believe
that, you know!"
"No; I don't know, you know, —and
I don't know if you've got any brains,
you know. Here's your chance to show
us. What's our next move?"
"Really, now, I have had no experi
ence in this sort of thing—don't in
terrupt, please! It seems to me that
our first concern is shelter for the
night. If we should return to your
tree nest, we should also be near the
cocoa palms."
"That's one side. Here's the other.
Bar to wade across—sharks and alli
gators; then swampy ground—ma
laria, mosquitoes, thorn jungle. Guess
the hands of both of you are still
sore enough, by their look."
''lf only I had a pot of cold cream!"
sighed Miss Leslie.
"If only I had a hunk of jerked
beef!" echoed Rlake.
i"I say, why couldn't wo chance it
for the night around on the seaward
i face of the cliff?" asked Winthrope.
"I noticed a place where the ledges
overhang—almost a cave. Do you
think it probable that any wild beast
would venture so close to the sea?"
i "Can't say. Didn't see any tracks;
■ so we'll chance it for to-night Next?"
"Ry morning I believe my artkle will
be in such shape that I could go back
for the string of cocoanuts which we
dropped on the beach."
"I'll go myself, to-day, else we'll
have no supper. Now we're getting
down to bedrock. If those nuts have
not been washed away by the tide,
we're fixed for to-night; and for two
meals, such as they are. But what
next? Even the rain pools will be
dried up by another day or so."
"Are not sea-birds good to eat?" In
quired Miss Leslie.
"Some."
"Then, if only we could climb the
cliff —might there not be another
place?"
"No; I've looked at both sides.
What's more, that spotted tomcat has
got a monopoly on our water supply.
The river may be fresh at low tide;
but we've got nothing to boil water
in, and such bayou stuff is just con
centrated malaria."
"Then we must find water else
where," responded Miss Leslie.
"Might we not succeed if we went on
to the other ridge?"
"That's the ticket. You've got a
headpiece, Mlks Jenny! It's too late
to start now. But first thing to-mor
row I'll take a run down that way,
while you two lay around camp and
see if you can twist some sort of fish
line out of cocoanut fiber. By braid
ing your hair, Miss Jenny, you can
spare us youf hair-pins for hooks."
"But, Mr. Rlake, I'm afraid —I'd
rather you'd take" us with you. With
that dreadful creature so near—"
"Well, I don't know. Let's see your
feet?"
Miss Leslie glanced at him, and
thrust a slender foot from beneath her
skirt.
"Um-m—stocking torn; but those
slippers are tougher than I thought.
Most of the way will be good walking,
along the beach. We'll leave the fish
ing to Pat —er —beg pardon—Win I
With his ankle —"
"By Jove, Blake, I'll chance the
p.nlde. Don't leave me behind. I
give you my word, you'll not have to
lug mo."
"Oh, of course, Mr. Winthrope must
go with us!"
"'Fraid togo alone, eh?" demanded
Blake, frowning.
His tone startled and offended her;
yet all he saw was a politely quizzical
lifting of her brows.
"Why should I be afraid, Mr.
Blake?" she asked.
Blake stared at her moodily. But
when she met his gaze with a confid
ing smile, he flushed and looked away,
"All right," he muttered; "we'll
move camp together. But don't ex
pect me to pack his ludship, if we
draw a blank and have to trek back
without food or water."
CHAPTER IX.
The Leopards' Den.
wLSL/1 RILE Blake made a success
ful trip for the abandoned
» " cocoanuts, his companions
leveled the stones beneath the ledges
chosen by Winthrope, and gathered
enough dried sea-weed along the talus
to soften the hard beds.
Soothed by the monotonous wash o!
the sea among the rocks, even Mis«
Leslie slept well. Blake, who had in
sisted that she should retain his coat,
was wakened by the chilliness pre
ceding the dawn. Five minutes later
they started on their journey.
The starlight glimmered on the
waves and shed a faint radiance over
the rocks. This and their knowledge
of the way enabled them to pick a
path along the foot of the cliff without
difficulty. Once on the beach, they
swung along at a smart gait, invigor
ated by the cool air.
Dawn found them half way to theli
goal. Blake called a halt when the
first red streaks shot up the eastern
sky. All stood waiting until the quick
ly following sun sprang forth from the
sea. Blake's first act was to glance
• from one headland to the other, esti
mating their relative distances. His
grunt of satisfaction was lost in Win
■ thrope's exclamation: "By Jove, look
at the cattle!"
(TO BE CONTINUED.)
The Public Eye.
, In a little more we came to an open
space, very thronged.
"The Public Eye!" shouted the
megaphone man of our party.
There were some curious people
; within the space, but even more curl
1 ous were those just outside.
Of these latter we thought certain
' women especially interesting; they
were busily neglecting their families
1 in order to get into the Public Eye. A
pathos attached to another group ol
t women who had been in the Public
1 Eye and could never be happy out ol
. it, though they couldn't in the least
3 tell why.
j Positively funny were a few met
t who kept trying, by a variety of drol'
devices, to break into the Public Eye
; "Vice-presidential candidates!" o*
' megaphone man explained,—FucJk
S Tbi flaw U Bay Cket) J
J J. F. PARSONS' ?
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