SYN jf^io.
y John Davis and Hawk Morgan, executors
of the estate of John Carr,
miner, disagree over the disposition of
the profits of the mine. Morgan seeking
the gold and Ethel. Carr's adopted
J ?UA?- "U; w* onrl 11 n<n
ilil Ug II Itl, iUi xiiuiocii uitvt
by Davis, whom Ethel really loves,
makes several sensational attempts
Upon the life of Davis. Suspicion is diverted
to a mysterious hermit. They
all go to San Francisco to get machinery
for the mine. There Davis miracu*
lously escapes more attempts upon his
life. Morgan conspires with a dock
. foreman to imprison Davis in a diving
-bell. from which he escapes. Davis,
Sthel, Morgan and Spider are kidnaped
by vengeful Hindus.
. EPISODE 11.
I : i. IN THE OCEAN'S GRIP.
J
The Spider, John, Ethel and Morgan,
wakened by the heat and smoke
fumes from the blazing brush without
the woodland temple of Siva, opened
^ _ their eyes to see the grim visage of
that god glariag down upon them and
seeming to grin as he watched their
impotent writhings beneath the Increasing
heat blasts. Outside, the incantations
of the Hindus grew louder.
Rising above the tree tops, the
?A# +->1^ /innetimin? tPmnlfi TOSe
OULlVIiC VI CUV VVUCUuwug 4 - to
the heavens as the outpourings of
a living volcano. Far in the distance
i the trailing Rainface, seeing this evil
sign and instinctively knowing that it
v was the place for which he was in
search, glanced about with despairing
eyes. His own feet would never bear
/ -v him there in time.
He had left the city far behind him
and was passing a country house.
Standing before it, hitched to the fence
> paling, was a saddled horse, and with
a grunt of satisfaction he leaped upon
the animal and went speeding upon
' his way to the clatter of hoofs and the
protesting y^fls of the steed's owner,
who had emerged from the building
just in time to witness the seeming
larceny. Riding as he seldom had before,,
the Indian arrived upon the scene
just as the flames were approaching
their zenith. Absorbed in their incantations,
and with the roar of the blaze
# In their ears, the Hindus remained unconscious
of the hoof beats of the
' . steed that was charging madly upon
them.
- As a bomb bursts upon its mark, so
4 \ did Rainface burst upon his un-suspectx
ing audience. Without the waste of a
second he opened fire upon the group
before him.
? . Shallum, throwing up his hands,
reeled back into the arms of two of
his companions, who lifting him bodily
went speeding through the trees with
their burden. Again the great revolver
rdared and a second Hindu with
a yell leaped into the air and fell, a
moment later, however, regaining his
feet and disappearing in the wake of
his fellcrws.
Having got rid of his enemies, the
Indian ran swiftly around the burning
\ building. The fiercely blazing fire before
the door made any attempt to enter
by that means unthinkable, and his
. eyes flew upward. Instantly they lighted
upon the strong limb that overhung
the doomed structure, and with a leap
he secured the lariat that hung at the
saddle of his purloined beast. To
9J- ? J-'u 1: n?rl rnnnnf i f*
tiirow 11 OV'Cr 11.' iimu nuu uiuuui
K was but the work of a dozen seconds.
From the branch he peered down
. through an opening in the roof upon
\ the four tortured victims of the altar,
v A glance told him that not a second
was to be lost. Binding the handkerchief
he had found about his nose and
mouth he drew up the rope and
dropped it into the interior of the now
blazing building.
He slid down the rope until his feet
\ rested upon the stone altar. In the
terrible heat the quickest action was
necessary, and slashing Ethel's bonds
apart he raised her to her feet. As he
did the same for John, the girl tore
strips from her petticoat which she
wet in a jar of perfumed water which
stood upon the altar, then 'bound it
over her face as the Indian had protected
his own.
As John arose giddily and covered
his nose and mouth in the same manner
he saw Rainface standing knife in
hand over the still twisting forms of
Morgan and the Spider. Plainly the
ancient one was debating whether he
should release them or leave them to
the mercy of the flames, and with a
commanding motion of his hand Davis
bade him set them free. Plainly actN
/.
- * v:~ ...ill mnn
log against ms> win me icu iuuu
obeyed, and the last of the four victims
struggled to his feet. In the atmosphere
of the place speech was impossible.
A<s Morgan andyBellas were
masking themselves. John pointed first
to the girl and then to the opening in
the roof. Nodding his understanding,
the Indian swarmed the length of the
* * lasso until he gained the limb. At another
motion from John the Spider
followed, and a loop was swiftly made
in which the girl could sit. Before
the strength of the four arms above
she was hoisted clear of the inferno
and seated in safety. At once the rope
was dropped to the remaining two.
With the fire roaring on all sides anc
their clothing beginning to smoke. i1
would be but the matter of a minute
1 J
V* / . y . '.
ALBERT nE. S:
' NOV
or two more beiore life within the
place was impossible. Yet there were
two men to make the ascent. Knowing
that the chances were against the
last one's ability to withstand the furnace
heat until his turn came, John
signaled Morgan to go ahead. Without
waiting any second invitation, that
party seized the rope and climbed and
was hauled from the fiery pit to the
breathable air above.
Leaving the two other men upon the
limn tr. hnnl nn Davis Rainface as
Illiil/ IV v?* ? * -j
sisted the girl to the ground, where
i she stood wringing her hands as she
| Implored them to hasten and draw her
! lover forth. Morgan, flattening out
j upon the branch, dropped the rope to
the remaining one and bade him climb,
I at the same time slipping an open
! knife from his wrist and holding it
! concealed in the palm of his hand. As
| the lariat fell uncurling before, him, i
! Davis seized it and began hauling J
himself upward hand over hand, red
; tongues of flame caressing his limbs j
as he mounted foot by foot. Crouching j
above him upon the limb like a pan!
ther above his victim, the traitor Mor- j
I gan glued his eyes upon the slowly as- j
j cending figure.
Weakened by the terrible heat and i
| his hands hot and dry, it required
! every ounce of Davis' strength to raise i
his body from out the roaring mass, j
Yet little by little he fought his way i
upward until his head and shoulders j
! appeared above the opening. Upon the j
ground below Ethel was standing with j
outstretched arms, and at his appear- j
ance a glad cry burst from her lips.
Morgan, eyes still fastened upon I
i mm ana noping every si-omu iu i
him succumb to the heat and ?0 turn- j
bling back to his tenth, uttered a savage
curse beneath his breath as he saw
that the other, despite his terrible
handicap, was about to gain the limb.
Already the climbing one was but two
yards beneath the bough and in a moment
more would reach safety. Were
the Hawk to send him back into that
roaring hell he must act both quickly
and skillfully, and with a cry of encouragement
to the man he hated he
extended his arm down the rope as
though to lend a helping hand. And as
John with a look cf gratitude raised
one arm to grasp the proffered palm
Morgan pressed the edge of the keen
blade to the rope. With a cry of despair
the betrayed one plunged straight
down into the heart of the furnace.
Paralyzed by horror at the sight,
Ethel covered her face with her hands
and stood swaying but unable to move.
Released from the weight of John's
body by his fall, the limb containing
the Spider and Morgan whipped itself
sharply upward. The Spider , was
thrown headlong to the ground and
Morgan, also dislodged, only saved himself
from following his victim into the
fire by a fortunate clutch of the limb.
The knife in its release twisted in his
hand, cutting a gash in his palm; then
disappeared into the flames below. :
Regaining tfce branch by a desperate
effort, Morgan crawled tt$ length with
his limbs trembling beneath him until
he reached the trunk, from which he
dropped to the ground. At the same
time the rafters gave way before the
gnawing of the fire and fell into the
seething pit below with a crash that
sent the sparks flying upward in a
spout of flame.
Morning found the girl still prostrated
and the red man sitting beside
her with a face as impressive as
though carved from stone. The Hawk
got upon his feet and thrust one hand
1 into his coat pocket.
"He's gone and we can do nothing
more. We must get Ethel away from
here as quickly as possible. Rainface
and I will take her back to the hotel.
Bellas, you stay around until the fire'
is out and see that nothing else
catches. Keep the Indian's horse until
everything is safe, then come and report
what you find."
"All right," returned the Spider, and
Rainface acquiescing by a nod they endeavored
to lead the girl away. Strug|
gling and protesting that she would
! never leave the place until her lover's
| body had been recovered, she at last
| broke down and permitted herself to
| be supported to the van.
j When Joljn was cut loose by the
villainous Hawk he dropped like a
plummet, striking one corner of the big
center stone of the altar. Instinctively
throwing out his hand he clutched
one arm of the figure, and at that
wrench the idol, which was pivoted in
the middle, swung on its balancing
point, thus revealing a hole into which
the body of the man dropped. In his
fall he dragged after him the image
j of Siva, which burst into pieces, some
i of the fragments wedging the pivoted
I stone so that it could not spring back
' and close the opening.
John, stunned for the moment by tin
' | fall, presently aroused himself. In'
spection showed that he was in a rude
1 cellar, the roof of which was upheld by
' big columns formed of logs. Boxes
' were scattered about and an ordinary
lantern hung from a peg. This he
took <1owd, lighted and negan an ex
I plorarion of the place. A few mot
ments' search revealed a rough,
> | puncheon door at a far corner, and
MITH and C
ELIZED FROM VITA
CopyrtotU. 19t0.
,tl.c>ing ilS IUICaI llC iiOiu iiiiS iuUhU?i*
high ana gazed ahead. An earthen
tunnel, sloping down, lay before him.
"So. this is how the fakirs got away
with the valuable offerings given Siva
by the god's dupes," he murmured.
Closing the door behind him he stepped
Into the passageway. A short distance
farther on the tunnel broadened into
a shallow cave, with broken walls and
boulders scattered about. Here John
halted. Seeing nothing suspicious and
becoming aware that a subdued light
was entering the place from the op
posite side, he again stepped forward.
Before, him was an entrance well
screened by vines, and parting these
he peered out. At that instant from
behind him four Hindus, rising from
their places of concealment where they
had dropped as they saw his light coming
down the passageway, threw themselves
upon him. Hearing their swiftly
approaching steps he whirled to
meet this new danger, but was an instant
too late. A club in the hand of
a herculean oriental fell upon his head
with a crash and he fell senseless upon
the ground.
Quickly he was bound, and this done
the giant who had felled him, and who
was addressed by his companions as
"Shere-Khan," motioned with one
hand. Instantly two of the smaller men
disappeared, returning a moment later
with the bod^ of Shellum. This they
deposited at the side of the fallen one.
From a corner of the cave a rude litter
was brought and upon this the
senseless body of Davis was placed.
Shellum's turban was fitted upon his
head and the pointed native shoes of
the dead Hindu drawn upon his feet.
Then draping his body with the tunic
so that only the head and feet proI
jected at either end, they left him and
I devoted their attentions to their for!
mer companion who had perished be|
fore the Indian's big gun. Placing
I T'' 2
I J Oil II S coal over oncnuiu, uicj v.<m itvi
the corpse to a niche in the wall and
there left it.
Returning: to the unconscious one,
two seized the front of the improvised
! litter, two the rear and gravely left
i the cave, not noticing that their bare
! feet left more or less distinct imprints
| upon the soft ground.
' Left alone in his vigil beside the
! now smoldering fire, the Spider sat
j under a tree smoking lazily. Present|
ly his eyes wandered upward to the
! limb, and as they did so a thought
i seemed to strike him, for putting his
| pipe aside he arose. Shinning up the
j tree he worked his way out on the limb
until he came to where the remnant of
the rope still dangled, there pausing
! and looking down. Followed a moment's
reflection, whereafter he pulled
up the fragment of rope and inspected
it Extending half way through it he
saw a cut such as could only have been
fuade by a sharp-edged instrument. A
frown crossed his face.
"He's lower down than even I
thought him." he muttered as he let
the rope end fall.
Next he looked down into the ruins
of the temple. The blaze was dying
^Wm^aaBoQ^^ lvv%?S8
^^.-f ^ ^Jili
?: g|| >
%$pf^^?. \ .mg^ ??;, " ; p Pp
J
Peered Through an Opening in the R
%
tow
GRAPH PHOTO PLA
bu VllaaT5Dh
, juu the top of the altar, ashes covered,
I was plainly revealed. A second glance
1 showed him the pivoted stone still
I partly open, and he uttered an exclamation
of astonishment.
"Well. I'll be hanged if he ain't got
away again!"
Marveling over his discovery he de- j
scended to the ground, cut down a few j
saplings and began making a sort of j
bridge which started upward from the j
ground and ran to the altar top, over
which the still hot debris was smoking, i
This done, he began mounting it cautiously.
Gaining the top of the altar
he saw how a part of the arm of the
god had wedged the pivot, and began
kicking into the ashes, at the same
time saying:
"Well, you were some good after all,
nl/1 mon j
ViU JLX4C4.XJ.
Next he tested the pivot and found j
It firm, and being satisfied that it j
would not close upon him and make i
him a prisoner, he dropped into the j
cellar as John had done.
The place was still dimly lighted by :
the glow from above, and a short J
search discovered to him a fragment
of candle. This he lighted and pro-'
ceeded down the passageway, follow
ing in the tracks of Davis. He arrived !
at the cave and proceeded to search :
the same, soon later running across the '
dead body of Shellum which was cov-1
ered by John's coat. The coat he at i
once recognized. Looking at the torn 1
and footprint-marked floor, he saw the .
heavy imprints of John's shoes mingled
with the tracks of the bare feet of the 1
natives; further exploration revealing!
where the Hindu's had cut poles and j
made a litter. He began soliloquizing.
"Davis fell through the altar and
came here. He was attacked by the i
Hindus and put up a big fight, but j
they made liim a prisoner, put some !
of the dead man's clothes on him and
took him away. Now I wonder why?" '
Not being able to solve the proposi- j
tion further, he retraced his steps,
climbed out of the altar and rode;
away. Meeting a man upon the road
the Spider stopped him.
"Seen any Hindus passing this way,
partner?" he asked as he reined in his \
horse. The man nodded.
"Yep. I seen four heathens carrying
another man on some poles about a 1
mile ahead where the big cluster of
trees grows by the cross roads." |
On rode the Spider to the Mackenzie j
hotel, throwing open the door of the j
apartment and looking in. Ethel, still i
nearly prostrated by grief, was lying j
on a couch, with Morgan roughly trying
to console her and Ralnface sit- j
ting silently in a corner. At the
Spider's entrance all started to their
feet, the girl first of all. Bellas approached
her with a smile.
"I've got good news for you, miss.
Davis didn't die in the fire," he said.
She threw up her hands, sobbing, crying
hysterically.
"Oh. thank God U Thank God!"
"What do you mean?" demanded
Morgan, a devil of rage in his heart at
this news. .The Spider began explain.
ing. ,
I g
tififlfSk^y>'vwMKW^^^^^KeSSSSoSS^^^SKySSSs^^SoKSa^yyBoSSoS^^H
maWS?';: ;*;*
[oaf Upon the Four Tortured Victims
faulty
Y
Finally 1 reached a cave ana saw
evidences rrf his having been attacked
there and captured* My guess is that
the Hindus jumped him, knocked him
out, put Shellura's clothes on him and
took him away. They raaj have ;
brought him to the city for some rite.
Anyway, they started in this direction, j
for I saw their footprints in the mud." |
Rainface pricked up his ears.
"Then me trail ub," he said as he
left the room. Ethel, starting to follow
him, was detained by the Hawk.
"You'd only embarrass him, and we
must hustle. He will travel twice as
fast alone." Knowing the latter state
X_ V- - X iV. ? -I _1
mem iu ue irut;, tut; gin u^um oaim
into her seat.
Once outside the Indian quickly secured
a taxi and started for the scene
of the fire. Arrived there, he dismissed
the machine and went to where
the footprints were still visible in the
mud. Standing erect, he shaded his
eyes with his hands and scanned the
country about with the gaze of an
eagle. This done he started off on an
Indian trot.
Rainface gone, Morgan turned to the
girl.
"Bellas and I will have to go to the
depot and tell that bunch of miners
that we can't start today." Leaving
her with the assurance that they would
soon return, they departed. Out in
the corridor the Spider turned upon'
the Hawk.
"Did you cut that rope?" Morgan
started back.
"No?" The other laughed sneeringly.
"Funny, ain't it? First, there is a
cut on your hand, then another on the
limb where a knife twisted and a third
on the rope. Say, Morgan, I'll take
off my hat to you. There are some
4 V\ i n rrc an lr?vtr PVPTI 1
UllLl^O OU UUJLUU IVIf UVIIU W?IV?W V T %>? ?. J
ain't equal to them. However, that's
all over, and what next?"
"We will put the girl in safety and.
then find out where he is. Meanwhile
go and get old Doc Fake and his pal
and explain to them what we want, i
They'll do anything for the coin. Bet-j
ter rig yourself up as chauffeur and
take them back to the hotel for the
girl." Briefly he explained his plan as
Spider listened.
In her room Ethel started as a knock ,
sounded at her door. Opening it, she
saw two professional-looking men'
standing at the entrance. The foremost
bowed.
"You are Miss Carr?" She nodded.
"I am sorry to say that we have bad
; news for you. Mr. John Davis?"
\ "Is he dead?" she cried, falling back.
The other hastened to reassure her. j
"No, it is not so bad as that?at
least he was not when I left. But he
| is at St. Luke's hospital and badly cut
i up. As soon as he recovered conscious;
ness he asked for you. We had better1
hurry. My car is outside."
In an instant she had seized her hat
and was hurrying after them. Gently
assisting her into the machine, Doctor
Fake turned to the disguised Spider;
! who sat at the wheel in front,
j "St. Luke's hospital?quick, James,"
; he commanded. Touching his cap re|
spectfully the rascally driver switched
: on the current.
John Davis, bound and unconscious
and carried on the litter by the Hindus,
came to his senses to find himself
6ittlng in a chair in a farmhouse on a
I Kln-flP ArorlrtnUnor tho con Rp.
lllgu UlUU WMV
fore him, partaking of a meal of rice,
were the farmer, his son, two servants
and the four other Hindus who had!
i borne him here. Seeing that they were !
! deeply engrossed with their eating and
! paying no attention to him, he steadily
j worked away until he had freed one
I hand. This done he slipped it behind,
bin*, where he carried a small sheath'
knife concealed in the waistband of
bis trousers, and drawing it forth
quickly severed his remaining bonds.
At the table Shere-Khan was telling
the farmer what had happened.
"The great master. Ram Chunder, is
dead and so is Shellum. We do not
know the fate of Joost-Singh. Also,
the shrine of Siva is burned. What
shall we do with the captive?"
"Let the foreign dog die."
A slight movement on John's part
drew their attention to him, and all j
sprang to their feet. As they did so |
ae leaped from his chair and darted i
past them, and seeing stairs leading
upward, bounded up them. A door j
confronted him, and throwing it open j
be entered, closing it behind him only
to find that it had no lock. The next
second his pursuers threw themselves i
against it.
Bracing himself against a piece of j
furniture he placed his shoulder,
against the panel as he pitted his sole
strength against their combined J
weight, Rut though f<rr .several minutes
he managed to hold them at bay he
well knew that the unequal contest
must soon end. Already his back was
bonding beneath the terrific strain, and
it would be but the matter of another
minute before he must be bent backward
as a willow withe. Realizing ;
that his only hope was to catch them !
off their guard, he suddenly released
the door and sprang aside. Caught off j
their balance they fell sprawling upon j
I
\
"I
113V I
tne n</oi\ ana leaping over their prostrate
forms the pursued one dashed up
anotln-r fiisrlit of stairs to find himself
in a garret filled with boxes and miscellaneous
furniture. Quickly tossing'
the heaviest or" these against the door
he rhrew his weight upon his barricade
and grimly waited.
His respite was brief. In lie hall
without sounded the patter of bare
feet and the next instant there was a
great heave upon the door. Again he
threw all his strength in opposition to
theirs, and so great was his effort, andf
so greatly was he assisted' by the;
heavy furniture,before him, that after
a moment's futile struggle the ones
outside relaxed their efforts and the
pressure ceased. Taking advantage;
of the opportunity, John wrenched a
leg from a table and laid it beside him
for instant use.
Finding themselves baffled in this direction,
the Hindus resorted to stratoorom
Sopnrincr p InrMpr nnp nf thfUr.
number placed it against the outside of,
the building and mounted to the rook
Then creeping along until he was over
a window of the garret, he made a rope
fast to a chimney and began lowering
himself. At t^e signal of Shere-Khan;
who was watching all from the ground,
those in the hall again attacked the
barricaded room. As the lone defender
was forced to pit his strength,
against the assault, the Hindu on the
rope swung himself to a window of the
room ami lifted it.
Within the room the door was slowly
giving way before the combined attack.
Flashing a glance over his shoul-;
der, the defender saw the man enter-'
ing the room behind hira and thus
found himself confronted by two evils.
Either he must be attacked from behind
and be unable to defend himself,
or else he must leave the barricade
and confront this new foe. Choosing
the chance which he thought most
promising, he abandoned his shaving,
leaped to the window and sent the incomer
flying to the ground by a ferric
blow upon the jaw. As he turned
to again face the door, his barricade
came tumbling down with a crash and
his assailants swarmed^into the room.
He braced himself to meet thenv
Rainface, still a considerable distance
away, saw the Hindu hanging
from the rope outside the window,
oonorVif q orlimrWP of .Tohn RS he
111CU vuu^ilt w W- ?
sent the oriental flying to the ground.
Knowing that his friend was in dire
distress he redoubled his efforts.
Throwing open the door of the house,
and guided by the uproar above, he
went bounding up the stairs like an enraged
catamount.
Within the room John was putting
up the fight of his life against hopeless
odds. As his foremost antagonist
leaped the barrier which had helped
hold the door the lone defender met
him with a blow in the face that sent
him flying into a corner as though
thrown from a catapult, then made a
jump for the table leg which he had
laid aside for close work such as this. ' .
But before he could reach it a lithe
body wrapped itself serpentlike about v
him, and from all sides blows fell upon
him like wintery rain. Protecting his ,
head as'best he could, and using his
fists right and left, for a moment he
beat them off. But no mortal man
could long have endured sucn an attack
single handed, and with a final
heave that sent another of his foes N
flying against the side of the building
he went down beneath the mass as a
stag is dragged down by wolves. Believing
that his end had come and
that further resistance was futile he ,
still fought doggedly on.
-3 V. : O y_
xiuiiiiuce, uuMuiig xiuu txic ivvm, thrived
there just as his friend was
pulled to the floor. Gun in hand he
went leaping about them, but so swiftly
did the struggling mass roll and
change that he dared not shoot lest
the heavy bullet of his forty-five
should pass through the body of an
enemy and also kill the man whom he
so {nuch desired to save. Then suddenly
seeing his chance he raised his
weapon.
Shere-Khan, bursting i^ito the room
just at this instant, took in the scene
at a glance. At the very instant the \
Indian wars in the act of pulling the
trigger, "The Tiger" swung a heavy
club upon the red man's head, and old
Rainface dropped like a stunned crx?
going down as had his ancestors, fighting
bravely and in the midst of battle.
John also had been beaten into senselessness,
and battered and torn the
unconscious pair were dragged to a
lower room and pinioned. Shere-Khan
spoke:
"We'll waste no more time on these
pariah dogs. Get the sacks."
^ 4-Vwv fnrrymr* hrAllprbf
f rum a mc lanun
forth two long gunny bags, and into
these the senseless victims were thrust.
Raising them upon their shoulders,
four of the Hindus carried them to
the edge of the sheer bluff which overlooked
the sea. For a moment they
swung them back and forth as a hammock
swings in order that sufficient
momentum might be attained, then released
them.
End over end they hurtred in their
dizzy piunge toward the sea.
(end of Eleventh episode.)
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A - /