The Wateree messenger. (Camden, S.C.) 1884-1942, August 02, 1933, Image 3
FORLORN
ISLAND
By *
EDISON MARSHALL
WNU Sorvlco
Copyright by Edison Marshall
SYNOPSIS
?Vlth his yacht, the Intrepid, aban
doned by Its crew, Felix Horton, mil
lionaire, with his mother, his daugh
ter Nan, and Roy Stuart, puts into
Squaw Harbor, Alaska, to recruit.
Falling' to secure sailors, Horton en
I gages a bunch of nondescripts strand
ed there. A gigantic Pole. Sandomar,
is their leader. Captain Waymlre, the
Intrepld's skipper, Is an old friend of
Eric Ericsson, unemployed, but hold
ing master's papers, and he engages
to sail as chief officer. Horton is
seeking unchartcd islands. Nan and
Eric Indulge in a moonlight flirtation,
which brings them both to the thresh
old of interest in each other, if not
of love. The Intrepid is wrecked by
one of Sandomar's crowd. Eric takes
command of a small boat, with Horton,
his mother and daughter, Nan's maid
Marie, and Roy Stuart. Unablo to
help, they watch Sandomar kill Cap
tain Waymlre and leave the ship with
his crowd. Waymlre has thrown Eric
a revolver. From one of the Aleuts,
ashore, speaking a little English,
Eric learns there Is no communication
with the outside world. Fireheart,
priestess of the Island, descended from
a white man In the remote past, also
knowing a little English, welcomes
th? castaways.
CHAPTER IV? Continued
. ? 6?
"Like 'ell we're going out together."
Garge's tone dripped with malice; bet
hind him the faces of the gang were
darkening and twisting. "You'll go
your way, and we'll go ours. We know
the tricks you'd play! You'd have
Sandy and the boys In the first jail
you come to, for mutiny and killing on
the 'Igh seas."
Horton still hoped to make peace.
"It's furthest from my mind. If you
behave well here on the Island, the
rest will be forgotten when you leave."
"We don't 'ave to leave. We're as
flafe 'ere as any place In the world.
And If we do leave, you won't ? you
understand that? If you let us 'ave
our way,, and we're going to 'ave It
anyhow, you and your pals may still
be on top of the ground when that
time comes ? if not, ye'll be where you
can't 'arm us any more."
Before Horton could answer, the
whole aspect of the situation changed.
It was only threatening before, now
the storm had begun to break. A long
arm, the same thickness from wrist to
elbow, swept about Garge's shoulders
and hurled him back. Now Sando
mar himself stood before his pack,
his sunken eyes agleam, his black hair,
growing in a curious swirl, erect like
the hackles of a beast.
To go with such a face and form, his
voice should have been a hoarse growl,
his speech debased. Instead he used
ft dull monotone, cold as a line of
print ? and his words told of long
nights' reading and deep thought. It
was like meeting an educated gorilla.
Nan felt a stir at the base of her
scalp that was the nearest to real
horror her life had known.
"I am Sandomar," he began. "I
?peak for these men. I do not hear,
but I speak. We no longer work for
you. It's every one for himself, now.
The ship has gone down; everything Is
?wept away. There Is no more civili
sation. There is no morn law."
No one answered him. Apparently
there was no answer possible. All
that Horton had stood for was at the
bottom of the sea. Ills checkbook
was a useless scrap of paper. His sky
had fallen down upon his head, and
his earth was crumbling under his
feet. All, all was gone.
"I will be In no hurry to leave
here," Sandomar's monotone ran on.
"It Is the first time In my life that I
am free." Then, without a change of
?olce or expression: "Always I have
been denied what Is best in life: the
pick of the food, the pick of the
women. I have eaten scraps, I have
handled only ugly-faced, old, and
worn-out Jadee. That Is all over now
and tonight T will make a new start."
The blood left Horton's cheek, but
it piercing light was In his eyes. That
he had made up his mind to fight to
the finish Krlc knew well. "Give me
that revolver," he whispered.
Rut Krlc shook his head. "Walt.
It's not time yet."
Sandomar saw ,the message pass,
and his luminous eyes moved quickly
to Garge's right hand. The lean little
fingers flickered briefly, fast a swal
low's wings; Sandomar's Hp curled
In contempt.
"No one will Interfere with me," he
?aid. "One of you has a gun, but he
will keep It to guard his own life. I,
Sandomar, will not hurt any of you
If you let me have my way ? and I will
have It anyhow. Tonight I will take
one of the glrla ? the mistress or the
?ervant, I do not c^re ? for my pleas
ure." ' . ? . ?
The threat would not have been
quite ao terrifying had he apokeli In
v, a man's voice, Instead of the dull
monotone like a gorilla that had
learned to talk. Marie uttered a low
cry, and running to Nan, clutched her
hind. But Nan stood erect, her dusky
blanched but calm, her glittering
*yes moving slowly troia one of the
principals to another: Sandomar, his
unstable feet far apart, leaning for
wa?d, with his great arms bowed, his.
chin thrown up ; Horton, gray and
.desperate; Roy, cold, speculative, and
rational as always; at last Eric, his
brown hair blowing in the wind, his
long body supple and relaxed, waiting,
waiting. Behind these, Mother Horton
stood quivering not with fear but
rage. The Aleuts stared with sunken,
dull eyes.
Horton, turned fiercely to Eric.
"Curse you, give me that gun!"
Eric shook his head absently. Only
on one condition could he have obeyed
this order, that Horton was a stronger
man and a better shot than himself,
and it was not true. Eric's only pos
sible rival was Ray, cold-nerved, long
headed, cautious, and calculating, but
which of the two was greater was yet
to be shown. Anyway, Eric believed
In his own destiny. A sense of power
swept through him that would yield
to no man here. The gun might yet
prove, the scepter of empire, and he
would keep It himself.
This decision made, he stepped out
of the fading light Into the ruddy
glow of the fire. Sandomar's gang,
now edging slowly forward, stopped In
their tracks.
"You'd better stay out of this 'ere,"
Garge said shrilly. The absurd voice
grated on every nerve In the crowd.
"Sandy'll bust you open."
Eric did not look at him. His blue
"I Am Sandomar," He Began, "I
Speak for These Men. I Do Not
Hear but I Speak."
eyes were fixed on the little glowing
triangles under Sandomar's bony, pro
truding brows. There was no hatred
fn that clash, but a passionless and
Implacable enmity. Both were keen
Judges of men ; both knew fear.
"Get out of my way," Sandomar
muttered. "There are eight of us ?
perhaps nine ? and you are only one."
He reached hia Immense long arm,
picked up a boulder the size of a
coconut, and held It low to the ground.
"You can not kill more than one of
us with your gun before your ribs will
be caved In. You had best stand
aside and save your shells for your
own need."
"If I can kill only one, that one will
be you." Eric spoke slowly and clear
ly. "You can't have the girl, Sando
mar. Now or any time!"
Sandomar glanced aside to the quiv
ering claws of his Jackal. Ills own
wrist grew tense, the boulder shook a
little In his grasp, and Eric's hand
went to his revolver butt. For an In
stant he toyed with the thought of
killing the creature here and now. It
was the rational thine: to do ? Roy and
he would agree on this point ? pro
vided the red-eyed pack would scatter.
But Garge and the rest were crazed
with a Irink more debasing than rum,
new-found freedom from all law. One
act of violence might turn this firellt
scene Into a shambles. Their drawn
black faces told that when Sandomar
fell they would not cower, but would
charge in a howling mass, break Eric
down, find wipe out everyone who
stood between them and their prize.
He made no move to fire. Perhaps
this was a fatal mistake, but he must
follow his pilot star. !
"You want one of the girls for your
self?" Sandomar asked.
"One of them, yes." There seemed
nothing rttrange in this answer, even
to Nan, so swiftly an:l utterly had
every old form passed away, nnd so
simple and direct had all things be
come. "But that's not my reason. No
man can have any woman on this
Island save by her own consent.
That's the law."
Garge's fingers flickered again. "But
there Is no law hero!" Sandomar's
monotone was pitched higher, giving a
strange, startling effect of emphnslfi.
"All law Is gone."
"There Is a new law." Eric spoke
quietly, but his voice had resonance
and his face a light never present bo- I
fore, the deep exultation born of con- 1
sclous power.
When Garge had Interpreted, Sando
mar spoke a single syllable, a question
pregnant with meaning and event.
"You?"
With a single syllable, Eric an
swered "I."
Then, with a cnsualness that some
how held a new and sober dignity,
much as one of his viking forebears,
In a winged tint, might speak to a
conquered tribe on the Saxon const:
"Anyone toho breaks the law will be
killed."
CHAPTER V
Eric had no nee^i to show his re
I volver. To behold I. aw, drowned tnd
dead In ft* ?w? rise up calia and
siroiiA seemed to stun bis enemies.
They were set for a bloody flgbt and
loss of life on botb sides, but not for
this ghost of the past, this sublime,
eternal force that Eric had taken Into
his hands.
Sandomar dropped his stone, then
his eyes. Eric knew that tonight he
was master. "You'd better go now, to
your sleeping quarters," he said. 'Til
meet you all In the morning, and give
you the line-up. It will be a hard
ddy tomorrow."
Sandomar hesitated a second or two,
opened his Immense drooping mouth as
though to speak, then turned with a
grunt. Quickly he hobbled away, his
men following him without one back
ward glance.
His eyes luminous and his heart
leaping, Eric returned to the flre. His
exultation was dying swiftly, cold
clutched his bones, and he feared to
speak lest his shaking voice would be
tray his now-faltering faith. Nan was
eyeing him half In wonde^, half In de
fiance. Hoy calmly lighted a smoke,
and turned with a sardoaJc smile.
"I hand It to you, EHtssen. That
was a tine bluff."
Eric pulled himself together and
steeled his heart. "It wasn't a bluff.
I'm In command of the Islnnd. It's
going to be under marine law and I'm
' the captain. I don't fancy the Job,
but someone's got to do It, to save
the girls and all our lives. You can
get that through your heads right
now."
Nan found herself between two fires.
Her eyes were lustrous, and she re- i
membered with a strange, sweet faint
ness of heart Eric's breast crushing
hers and the warmth of his lips; but
her head was up aud her cheeks dark
ly glowing. This was a challenge she
could not refuse. The native enmity
of two fre*e souls fiAined up again.
"I'm not to get It. through
my head," was her cold reply. "I'm
grateful to you, too, for k magnifi
cent bluff, but don't spoil It by carry
ing It too far."
Eric's shoulders sagged. He could
fight no more tonight, he was dog
: tired. "I'll take the matter up with
you In the morning. Now I'm gOTng to
j bed and I think you'd better do the
i came. As long as you stay here, It
will be an Invitation for that gang to
make more trouble."
Uneasy lies the head that wears the
crown; and that night the devils of
fear and worry rode Erie hard.
Had he acted for the best? Could
he finish what he had begmi? Should
he have killed Sandomar, when he had
the chance? Wouldn't It have been
better to have shared responsibility
with Roy and Horton? In comman
deering the Island, would he not an
tagonize the natives, whose help was
vital to his ultimate victory? And
what on earth did he mean by telling
Sandomar that he wanted one of the
girls for himself?
Of all his follies, this was the worst.
Surely It was not true. His only aim
and hope was to save the expedition.
He would have no time or energy for
day-dreaming of the unobtainable.
Yet she kept haunting his thoughts
. . . the deep, still pools of her eyes,
glamorous in their heavy fringe of
lash . . ^ the dusky gloss of her
hair, blowing In the wind . . . the
warm golden tan of her sntin flesh
? . . the exquisite curved lines of
her form.
He slept at lpit, to be awakened
by a hand on his shoulder. Silently
Roy beckoned him to the open turf
house door. As dawn stretched a pale
arm over the eastern sea, the Aleut
hunters gathered on the creek-bank
to perforin a heathen rite.
They were naked save for a kind of
loin-cloth, probably mad? of blrdskln.
Forming a circle, with tawny arms
upraised, they chanted slowly In uni
son. Presently they waded Into the
stream, and with their cupped hands,
splashed the Icy wafer three time*
over their bodies, In rhythm with the
chant. Then they sprnng out and
sprinted to their huts.
Hoy's cold eyes were fairly glittering.
"Eric, Isn't this the beginning of the
lunar month ? the new moon?"
"There'll he a new moon tonight."
i "This Is a wonderful thing. I'v?
i-eofl about the ceremony, the Russians
recorded It on their first visits to th?
Aleut Islands, but It was thought to
have passed from the earth. It's a
pagan rite; you notice the prlestes#
took no part In It."
"I'd like to know what they w*nw
saying," Eric said.
"I'll tell you, and I bet when you
ask Chechaquo, he'll back mo up. The
first part of the chant was an Invoea
| Hon for the sun to rise ? the source of
all life. When they were splashing
I themselves, each man was saying: 'I
am not dead ? I am not asleep ? I am
alive I' "
I And now Eric, too, must show that
he was not dead, not asloep, but alive,
[ Banishing all doubt and fear, bellev
! In? in his destiny, he sent word hy
i Ohochaquo that every soul on the
J Island must gather on the beach. What
If someone, native or white, refuntfrl
to come? The answer was?force.
There could he no half-way measured
now, no compromise. Ho had gone
loo far to back down.
Every soul came. In his blue, offi
cer's roat, his eyes the hue of the sea
behind him, Eric stood before the
crowd and announced the new admin
istration, the dictatorship of Forlorn
Island, the coming of tlio White Mnn'a
Law.
First, native and alien must work
together, to make the Island fruitful, j
There could be no Idle hands. Th*
children must help within their pow- j
ers; the white women, as well as th* 1
squaws, must do their part. No on*
could be supported In Idleness.
(Tc coKTJVur.r>.>
j. V ?- ? '* '
How I Broke Into
The Movies1
Copyright by Hal C. Herman
By HOOT GIBSON
I AM sorry thnt I cannot relate a
tale of hardships and prlvatldn, but
my entry Into motion pictures was ac
complished with comparative ease ?
after I decided to work In them.
~ I can't exactly say that I broke Into
the movies. It all seemed to happen
systematically. The movies seemed
like an opportunity, and when they
opened their doors to me. I rode In.
I'm a native of Nebraska, was born
In the small but ambitious town of
Tekamah, which was smaller then than
It Is now, but It was large enough to
please me when I started life under
the less fa lit astlc name of ICdward ?
and it gave me my education. My
education completed, 1 began to wan
der, and Inasmuch as the only thing
I knew, anything about was ranch
work, I wandered to different ranches.
I have been riding horses as far
back as I can remember and 1 was as
much at home In the saddle as on the
ground. Relng an adventurous youth
I began to try various difficult and
during ? feats of horsemanship, and
after plenty of hard work and bumps,
I got so I could handle a horse well
enough to get a Job wrangling cattle,
which I did for several years.
1 found the task of pursuing cattle
over large and dusty prairies quite an
unexciting employment. So when I
met up, with a traveling Wild West
show I was overjoyed at the oppor
tunity of Joining It as. one of the star
trick and stunt riders. It was known
then as Dick Stanley's Congrea* of
Hough Riders.
In 1012, I entered the annual lJen die
ton (Ore.) round-up as one of tvio
Hoot Qlbson.
175 contesting riders. When the dust
hnd settled on the rodeo I found my
self holding the nll-around cowboy
championship.
It was a tougn Job, and I worked
hard to get It, but I kept right on rid
ing, for I left with the American dele
gation of cow-punchers for" Australia
where I rode In the foreign meets for
seven months.
About this time motion pictures were
Just beginning to show some signs of
development and after reaching this
country again I found myself talking
with motion picture producers. They
happened to have n field for western
pictures so I started directing "pro
gram" or short length westerns.
I might have continued on this un
pretentious status for the rest of my
career but seeing the opportunities In
the acting end of the game, I decided
to get Into the grease paint and see
what would develop. I had directed
about 40 pictures and had a fair knowl
edge of what the Industry wanted In
the line of western productions.
I have always had what some poo
pie call a sense of humor and 1 want
ed to use It to advantage If possible. I
saw tremendous possibilities In mak
ing westerns that went off the beaten
path of melodramatic action pictures.
I wanted to Intersperse the exaggerat
ed netlon of my pictures with comedy
and human touches. I found a direc
tor nnd together we conspired to do
comedy and human touches. The re
sult was a better and more populur
brand of pictures.
I know of no other business where
merit Is rewarded as It Is In the
movies ? hut merit must be aided by
labor, and plenty of It.
WNIJ Sorvlc?
Joan Needs No Glycerine
Drops to Simulate Tears
In the sad business of weeping he
fore the camera Joan Itlondcll has
It all over her more sober sisters
of the clnemn. They resort to glycer
Ine drops, stinging lotions for the
eyes and even, at times, to the low
ly onion to generate their screen tears.
All except Miss Illotidell.
Joan will use none of these subter
fuges. When the time comes for her
to cry In a picture she Just cries, nnd
the glycerine bottle, the camphor
spray and the restanrnnt onion are
never called upon to double for real
emotion.
An !mm?diata Succ*u
Miss Kay Wray started her film ca
reer In 1025. She ftprang Into Itnme
dlate prominence with her first appear
nnce and counts among her many otb
er successful vehicles, "Finger Points,"
"Not Kxnctly Oentlomen," "Conquer
1ng Horde," "Captain Thunder," "T.nw
ver's Secrets," "Unholy Harden." *"1*111'
Vampire Bat" and "King Kong."
OBEDIENT
The doctor smilingly entered the
rtjotn where his femule putient was
reclining In a chair.
"Ah," he murmured,. "I see you
are looking very much better today."
"Yes, doctor," the patient said, "I
have very carefully followed the in
structions on that bottle of medicine
you gave me."
"Let me see, now," said the doc
tor thoughtfully. 'What were they?"
"keep the bottle well corked."
came the reply. ? Somerset (Eng.)
Standard.
Maybo on WLS
A bemrd was testing the mentality
of a negro.
"Do you ever bear voices without
being able to tell who Is speaking or
where the sound comes from?"
"Yessuh," answered the negro.
"And when does this occur?"
"Over the radio."
Two Way*
"TI1I3 vest Is too big for me now."
"I can tighten It for a half-crown."
"I would rather spend the money
on a good meal and make the vest
fit me- again." ? Olten Woche im Blld.
Happy Thought
Miss Snlpp ? Take back your ring.
Mr. Sharped I love another!
Mr. Shnrpe ? Please mention that
I have a ring for sale ? the sucker's
got to have one!
A Golfer'* Wife
Mrs. ? You're going to drive me out
of my mind !
Mr. ? That nln't no drive, my dean;
that's n putt.
Foxy
Ilank ? If your watch don't go why
do you carry It?
Bill ? Whist ! Nobody knows It bill
myself ? Brooklyn Daily Eagle.
ENTHUSIASTIC
It was a wretched play. Long be
fore the interval the audience began
to boo ana hiss. But there was on?
man who clapped his hands vigor
ously.
"I say," said the man next to hlra,
"you've got a nerve to applaud this
shocking play. What can you see
In it?"
The man smiled.
"It's not the play I'm applauding,"
he replied heartily, "It's the hissing."
? London Answers.
Ouch !
Spinster ? Why don't you get mar
ried, Mr. Oldbach?
Oldbaeh ? Why marry a woman
when I can buy a purrot for $5?
Spinster ? Yes, that shows once
more how the men have the ad
vantage of us women. We can't buy
any kind of a bear for less than $200.
? Pathfinder Magazine.
PRACTICAL
"Talking about people who put
everything to use, Mrs. B. Is the
limit."
"Is site?"
"Why that woman would use th?
family skeleton for a dress form." ^
Eggs-actly
flrooer ? Do you want white or
brown eggs, ma'am?
Bride ? The kind I want are white,
with a yellow polka dot in the mid
dle.
Household Song
flrandma? It is lovely, dear. You
have tuned in excellently.
(Jranddaushter ? But. grandma, that
Is the^vacuum cleaner.
Naturally
Student ? I hear Brown got 0." In
nst ronomy.
Professor ? Yes, lie's our star gazer.
? Clrit.
CROSSWORD "TEASERS"
Horizontal.
1 ? Metal cylinder spirally grooved
6 ? Essential oil of roBes
11 ? Justice of the peace
12 ? Critical momenta (pi.)
14 ? Twofold
16 ? Reply 18? Hefore
19 ? Rapturous excitement
22? Wrath
23 ? Male deer 25 ? Instruct
26 ? Cut with abort strokes of scis
sors
27 ? Ovens for burning brick
29 ? Part of the body
30 ? Ingenious
31 ? Compass point
82 ? Smallest Imaginable portion "f
matter 34-? Very black
36 ? SufTlx used to form adverbs
37? Any open space
38 ? Homeless street wanderer
89 ? In contact with the u it per side
41 ? Inland body of water
43 ? An entrance
44 ? I?lko 46 ? Fray
48 ? Part of the face
50 ? Shell blown nn a horn
52 ? Orating of parallel bar
53 ? Parsonage 55? A roster
56 ? Atmosphere 57 ? Honest
59 ? Gift of money to a servant
60 ? Fastened with a nail
62 ? Composed of el^ht
6* ? South American wooly animal
68 ? Stick fast
67 ? To llv#
68 ? I<arge prurden flower
Vertical.
1 ? Shrill, prolonged crjr
2 ? Young bear
3 ? Vex
4 ? Construct
5 ? Personal pronoun
6? Army corps (abbr.)
7 ? Rubbish
8 ? Very Rrnnll
9 ? Ileast of burden
10 ? To wind nun In
11 ? Kally of troops
13 ? Uterary composition published
In parts In successive Issue* of
a periodical
14 ? Articles of office furniture
1 5 ? Celestial body
17 ? Answer 20 ? Flssur#
21 ? Perfection 24 ? Knotty
26 ? Member of legislative body
ZH ? Take feloniously
30 ? Type of Creek architecture
3 3 ? Shade tree
35 ? Not wholesome or Rood
39 ? l,argd musical Instrument
40 ? Pertaining to the nostril*
41 ? Hrllllant Impetuos rush
4 3 ? 'Altar end of a church
4 4 ? A k 1 1 e
45 ? Outward form
47 ? Ifnvlng the vigor of manhood
49 ? T.lneal measure
51? -An officer empowered to admin
ister oaths
53 ? King of the golden touch
54 ? Wear away
57 ? Prefix meaning half
5* ? Imitate ?| ? Hlnok
B3 ? Number
B5 ? Town highway (nbbr.)
86? -Prefix meaning "to"
u
The finest
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