The watchman and southron. (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, July 05, 1905, Image 2

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^ The sailor had left the crowbar be? neath. He secured a rifle, a spare clip 9&d a. dozen packets of cartridges, fttteaawhile briefly explaining to Iris $he turn taken by events so far as Mir #an was concerned. She was natural ~ ly deligkted and forgot her fears in IG? excitement caused by the appear? ance of so useful an ally. She drank tlis health In a primming beaker of Irater* She heard her lover rejoin Mir Jan ?nd ?aw- the two step out into the Snoont?gh?, while Jenks explained the ?c?en of the rifle. Fortunately Iris ?Was now much recovered from the fatigue and privation of the earlier t??urs. Her senses were sharpened to * pitch little dreamed of by stay-at tiome young ladies of her age, and she <3semed it her province to act as sentry ^hile the two rnen conferred. Hence I ?be was the first to detect, or, rather, to foecome conscious of, the stealthy crawl 'vt several Dyaks along the bottom of ?be cliff from Turtle beach. *'Bobert!" she screamed. "The Dy aks! On your left!" But Iris was rapidly gaining some . knowledge of strategy. Before she Shrieked her warning she grasped a ?iSe. Holding it at the "ready"-about $he level of her waist-and depressing %he muzzle sufficiently, she began firing <?own tiie side of the rock as fast as ?he could handle lever and trigger. ^Two of the nickel bullets struck a pro? jection and splashed the leading sav? ages with molten metal Unfortunately Jenks' rifle beneath %as unloaded, being in Mir Jan's pos? session for purposes of instruction. ?Jenks whipped out his revolver. **To the caver he roared, and Mir .ian's unwillingness to face, a goblin Wild not withstand the combined im $etas of the sahib's order and the on .^^rard mah of the enemy. He darted headlong for the entrance. Jenks, shooting blindly as he, too, Tfcn for. the ladder, emptied the revolv? er just as his left hand clutched a j tong. Three Dyaks were so close that i tt would be folly to attempt to climb. I He threw the weapon into the face of j the foremost man, effectually stopping lt?s_onward progress. -""^Dhe sailor turned to dive into the '??v? and secure the rifle from Mir ?4an, when his shin caught the heavy towbar resting against the rock. The ?ain of the blow lent emphasis to the ?wing with which the implement de? scended upon some portion of a Dy ak anatomy. Jenks never knew where he ?hist the second assailant, but the place stacked like an eggshell. He had not time to recover the bar fer another blow, so he drove the point ta the gullet of a gentleman who'was He drove Hie point in thc gullet. %boofc to make a vicious sweep at him Wth -a parang. The downfall of this "^erthy caused his immediate succes? sor t? stumble, and Jenks saw his op? portunity. With the agility of * cat he l^taiped up the ladder and reached the fedge without injury. Thesfc things . happened with the SSpeed ot thought. Within forty seconds <i? rife" shrill cry the sailor was breast i^lgh with the ledge and calling to her: ***A.B right, old girl! Keep it up!" "Sut here he was close to her. unhurt iYfid -cannily jubilant, as was his way "when a stiff fight' went well. Ile was 5>y her side now. firing and aiming, too. v . v Dynks l>*.*o':e cover recklessly fe. running for shelter, and one may do fSt?r work by moonlight. She had strength enough left to place tfee rifle out of harm's way before she l&x&e down and sobbed not tearfully, in a paroxysm of reaction. Soon was quiet beneath save for the la tlifered efforts of some wounded men to fast tar away from that accursed rock. 3&?&s was able to turn to Iris. He en %4vored to allay her agitation and .J^oceeded somewhat, for tears came, she clung to him. It was useless tb teproach him. The whole incident unforeseen. She was herself a to it But what an escape I ^SPoa have been a very good little gs of the By LOUIS X$ Q TRACY g| ? Copyright. 1903, by ?S? *r r Edward ?J. Clode girl and have earned your supper," he said. "Oh, how can you talk so callously after such an awful experience?" she expostulated brokenly. "It is a small thing to trouble about, sweetheart," he explained. "You spot ted the enemy so promptly and blazed away with such ferocity that they nev er got within yards of me." "Are you sure?" "I vow and declare that after we have eaten something and sampled our remaining bottle of wine I will teli you exactly what happened." ..Why not now?" "Because I must first see to Mir Jan I bundled him neck and crop into the cave. I hope I did not hurt him." "You are not going down there again?" "No need, I trust" He want to the side of the ledge, re? covered the ladder which he had has tily hauled out of the Dyaks' reach aft? er his climb, and cried: "Mir Jan." "Ah, sahib! Praised be the name of the Most High, you are alive. I was searching among the slain with a sor? rowful heart" The Mohammedan's voice came from some little distance on the left "The slain, you say. How many?" "Five, sahib." "Impossible! I fired blindly with the revolver and only hit one man hard with the iron bar. One other dropped near the wood after I obtained a rifle." "Then there be six, sahib, not reckon tag the wounded. I have accounted for one, so the miss sahib must have* "What is he saying about me?" in quired Iris, who had risen and joined her lover. "He says yon absolutely staggered the Dyaks hy opening fire the moment they appeared." "How did you come to slay one, Mir Jan ?" he continued. "A son of a black pig followed me into the cave. I waited for him in the darkness. I have just thrown his body outsider .' Well done! Is Taung S'Ali dead by any luckychance?" "No, sahib, if he be not the sixth. I will go and see." "You may be attacked.' "I have found a sword, sahib. You left me no cartridges." Jenks told him that the clip and the twelve packets were lying af the foot of the rock, where Mir Jan speedily discovered them. The Mohammedan gave satisfactory assurance that he un? derstood the mechanism of the rifle by filling and adjusting the magazine. Then he went to examine the corpse of the man who lay in the open near the quarry path. The sailor stood in instant readiness to make a counter demonstration were the native assailed. But there was no sign of the Dyaks. Mir Jan returned with the news that the sixth victim of the brief yet fierce encounter was a renegade Malay. He was so confident that the enemy had enough of it for the night that, after recovering Jenks' revolver, he boldly went to the well and drew himself a supply of water. During supper Jenks told Iris so much of the story as was good for her -that is to say, he cut down the casu? alty list. It was easy to see what had hap? pened. The Dyaks. having missed the Mohammedan and their water bag. searched for. him and heard the con? versation at the foot of the rock. Knowing thal their presence was sus? pected, they went back for re-cnforce? ments and returned by the shorter and more advantageous route along Turtk beach. Iris w'ould have talked all night, but Jenks made her go to sleep by pillow? ing her head against his shoulder and smoothing her tangled tresses with his hand. He managed to lay her on a com? fortable pile of ragged clothing and then resumed his vigil. Mir Jan of? fered to mount guard beneath, but Tenks bade him go within the cave and remain there, for the dawn would soon ';e upon them. Left alone with his thoughts, he won? dered what the rising sun would bring .n its train. He reviewed the events )( the last twenty-four hours. Iris and he-Miss Deane, Mr. Jenks, to eac!: other- were then undiscovered in their refuge, the Dyaks were gatherer] around a roaring fire in the valley, and .Mir Jan was keen in the hunt as the keenest among them. Now Iris was Lis ii ill a need bride, over twenty of the enemy were k??vd and many wounded, and Mir Jan, a devoted adherent, was so;*/,ed beside the skeleton in the gloom of the cavern. A period of reflection could hardly pass without a speculative dive into the future. If Iris and he were res? cued, what would happen when they went forth once more into the busy world? Not for one instant did he doubt her faith. She was true as steel, knit to him now by bonds of triple brass. But what would Sir Ar? thur Deane think of his daughter's marriage to a discredited and cashiered officer? What was it that poor Mir Jan called himself-"a disgraced man?" Yes, that was it. Could that stain be removed? Mir Jan was doing it. Why not he-by other means, for his good name rested on the word of a perjured woman? Wealth was potent, but not all powerful. He would ask Iris to wait until he came to her unsoiled by slander, purged of this odium cast up? on him unmerited. To awake her he kissed her: he knew nbt, perchance it might be their last kiss on earth. Not yet dawn, there was morning in the air, for the first faint shafts of light were not visible from thei.. eyrie owing to its position. But then was much to be done. Tho canvas awning was rolled back and the stores built into a barricade in? tended to shelter Iris. "What is that for?" she asked when she discovered its nature. He told her. She definitely refused to avail herself of any such protection. "Robert, dear," she said, "if the at? tack comes to our very door, so to speak, surely I must help you. Even my slight aid may stem a rust in one place while you are busy in another." He explained to her that if hand to Now both crowbar and revolver were needed. hand BgEting'were necessary he would depend more upon a crowbar than a rifle to sweep the ledge clear. She might be in the way. "Very well. The moment yen tell me to get behind that fence I will do so. Even there I can use a revolver." That reminded him. His own pistol was unloaded. He possessed only five more cartridges of small caliber. He placed them in tbe weapon and gave it to her. "Now you have eleven men's lives in your hands," he said. "Try not to miss if you must^hoot." In the dim light he%ould not see the spasm of pain that clouded her face. No Dy ak would reach her while he lived. If he fell, there was another use for one of those cartridges. The sailor had cleared the main floor of the rock and was placing his four rifles and other implements within easy reach when a hiss came from beneath. "Mir Jan!" exclaimed Iris. "What now?" demanded Jenks over the side. "Sahib, they come!" "I am prepared. Let that snake get back to his hole in the rock, lest a mongoose seize him by the head." Mir Jan, engaged in a scouting expe? dition on his'own account, understood that the officer sahib's orders must be obeyed. He vanished. Soon they heard a great crackling among the bushes on the right, but Jenks knew even before he looked that the Dyaks had correctly estimated the extent of his fire zone and would keep out of/it. Tlie first physical intimation of the enemy's design they received was a pungent but pleasant smell of burning pine, borne to them by the northerly breeze and filling the air with its aro? ma. The Dyaks kindled a huge fire. The heat was perceptible even on the ledge, but the minutes passed and thc dawn broadened into day without any other result being achieved. Iris, a little drawn and pale with sus? pense, said, with a timid giggle: "This does not seem to be so very serious. It reminds me of my efforts to cook." "There is more to follow, I fear, dear one. But the Dyaks are fools. They should have waited until night fell again after wearing us out by constant vigilance all day. If they intend to em? ploy smoke it would be far worse for us at night." Phew! A volume of murky vapor arose that nearly suffocated them by the first whiff of its noisome fumes. It curled like a black pall over the face of the rock and blotted out sea and sky. They coughed incessantly and nearly choked, for the Dyaks had thrown wet seaweed on top of the burning pile of dry wood. Mir Jan, born in interior In? dia, knew little about the sea or its. products, and when the savages talked of seaweed he thought they meant green wood. Fortunately for him, the ascending clouds of smoke missed the cave or infallibly he must have been stifled. "Lie flat on the rock!" gasped Jenks. Careless of waste, he poured water over a coat and made Iris bury her mouth and nose in the wet cloth. This gave her immediate relief, and she showed her woman's wit by tying the sleeves of the garment behind her neck. Jenks nodded comprehension and fol? lowed her example, for by this means their hands were left free. The black cloud grew more dense each few seconds. Nevertheless, owing to the slope of the ledge and the tend? ency of the smoke to rise, the south side was far more tenable than the north. Quick to note this favorable cir? cumstance, the sailor deduced a fur? ther fact from it A barrier erected on the extreme right of the ledge would be a material gain. Ile sprang up, dragged the huge tarpaulin from its former location and propped it on the handle of the pickax, driven by one mighty stroke deep into a crevice of the rock. It was no mean feat of strength that he performed. Ile swung the heavy and cumbrous canvas into position as if it were a dust cloth. Ile emerged from the gloom of the driven cloud red eyed, but triumphant. Instantly the vapor on the ledge lessened, and they could breathe, even talk. Overhead and in front the smoke swept in ever increasing density, but once again the sailor had outwitted the .Dyaks' ma? neuvers. "We have won the first rubber," he whispered to Iris. Above, beneath, beyond, they could see nothing. The air they breathed was hot and fetid. It was like be? ing immured in a foul tunnel, and al? most as dark. Jenks looked over the parapet. He thought he could distin? guish some vague figures on the sands, so he fired at them. A volley of an? swering bullets crashed into the rock on all sides. The Dyaks had laid their plans well this time. A firing squad stationed beyond the smoke area and supplied with all the available guns commenced and kept up a smart fusil? lade in the direction of the ledge in order to cover the operations of tue scaling party. Jenks realized that to expose himself was to court a serious wound and achieve no useful purpose. Ile fell back out of range, laid down his rifle and grabbed the crowbar. At brief in? tervals a deep hollow boom came up from the valley. At first it puzzled them until the sailor hit upon an ex? planation. Mir Jan was busy. The end of a strong, roughly made ladder swung through the smoke and banged against the ledge. Be/ore Jenks could reach it those hoisting it into position hastily retreated. They were standing in front of the cave, and the Mohammedan made play on them with ? rifle at thirty feet. Jenks, using his crowbar as a lever, toppled the ladder clean over. It fell outward and disconcerted a section of the musketeers. "Well done.'" cried Iris. The sailor, astounded by her tone, gave her a fleeting glance. She was very pale now, but not with. fear. Her eyes were slightly contract**!, her nos? trils quivering, her lips set tight and her chin dimpled. Resting on one knee, with a revolver in each hand, Sj|e seem? ed no puling mate for the gallant man who fought for her. There was no time for further speech. Three ladders were reared against the rock. They were so poised and held below that Jenks could not force them backward. A fourth appeared, its coarse shafts looming into sight like the horns of some gigantic animal. The four covered practically the whole front of the ledge save where Mir Jan cleared a little space on the level. The sailor was standing now, with the crowbar clinched in both hands. The firing in the valley slackened and died away. A Dyak face, grinning like a Japanese demon, appeared at the top of the ladder nearest to Iris. "Don't fire!" shouted Jenks. And thc iron bar crushed downward. Two oth? ers pitched themselves half ou to the ledge. Now both crowbar and revolv? er were needed. Three ladders were thus cumbered somewhat for those be? neath, and Jenks sprang toward the fourth and most distant. Men were crowding it like ants. Close to his feet lay an empty water cask. It was a crude weapon, but effective when wei) pitched, and the sailor had never made a better shot for a goal in the midst of a hard fought scrimmage than he made with.that tub for the head of the uppermost pirate. Another volley came from the sands. A bullet plowed through his hair and sent Iiis sou'wester flying. Again the besiegers swarmed to the attack. One way or the other they must succeed. A man and a woman-even such a man and such a woman-could not keep at bay an infuriated horde of fifty sav? ages fighting at close quarters and un? der these grievous conditions. Jenks knew what would happen. Ile would be shot while repelling the scal? ing party. And Iris! Dear heart! She was thinking of him. "Keep back! They can never gain the ledge!" she shrieked. And then, above the din of the fu? sillade, the yells of the assailants and the bawling of the wounded, there came through the air a screaming, tear? ing, ripping sound which drowned all others. It traveled with incredible speed, and before the sailor could be? lieve his ears-for he well knew what it meant-a shrapnel shell burst in front of the ledge and drenched the valley with flying lead. Jenks was just abie to drag Iris flat against the rock ere the time fuse op? erated and the bullets flew. He could form no theory, hazard no conjecture. All he knew was that a twelve pounder shell had flown toward them through space, scattering red ruin among the amazed scoundrels beneath. Instantly he rose again, lest perchance any of the Dyaks should have gained a foothold on the ledge. The ladders were empty. He could hear a good deal of groaning, the foot? steps of running men and ?orne dis? tant shouting. "Sahib!" yelled Mir Jan, drawn from his retreat by the commotion without. "Yes," shouted Jenks. The native, in a voice cracked with excitement, told him something. The sailor asked a few rapid question * to make quite sure that Mir Jan was rot mistaken. Then he threw his arms round Iris, drew her close and whisperetl: "My darling, we are saved! A war? ship has anchored just beyond the south reef, and two boats filled with armed sailors are now pulling ashore." .Vf. [TO BE CONTINUED.]; To what gulfs a single deviation from the track of human duties leads!-By? ron. Located the Trouble. Tho trout Dy that are being placed in the private p<?:v? at the Langdon farm at Montpelier, Vt., seemed t<> disappear mysteriously soon after they reached the water. The pond was watched, hut no one was seen to approach it. Finally the water was drawn off and a monster English carp, weighing 25 pounds, was found flop? ping on the sand. Lancaster, Pa., June 29.-Lee Fur man and John O'Brien were hanged here today for the murder of Samuel Kessler, an old toll gate keeper. For Infants and Children. The Kind You Have Always Bough! Bears the Signature of PATENTS Promptly obtained or no fee. Write for our CONFIDENTIAL. 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Your patronage solicited. Call bell for night work. Better Fruits-Better Profits Better peaches, apples, pears and berries are produced when Potash is liberally applied to the soil. To insure a full crop, of choicest quality, use a fertilizer containing not less than io per cent, actual Send for our practical books of information ; J UH they are not advertising: pamphlets, booming: I l'A'i 1 SPec'-al feniiizers, but are authoritative treatises. Sent free for tlieaskin?. Jg \/f$ GERMAN KALI WORKS ?AfiS MONEY PICKED UP!! BY Writing Life Insurance In The Penn Mutual Insurance Co. LIBERAL contracts to live agents in unoccupied territory. ADDRESS PERRY MOSES, JR. General Agent, Sumter, S. C. $100,000.00 Capital. THE HIST NATIONAL BANK of Sumter, S. 0. 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Capital stock paid in, $75,000 00 Undivided surplus, 16,000 00 individual liability of stockhold? ers in excess of their stock, 75.000 00 Transacts a general banking business; also has a Saving Bank Department. De? posits of ?1 and upward received. Inter? est allowed at the rate of 4 per cent, per annum, payable semi-annually. W. F. B. HAYNSWORTH, President. R. I. MANNING, W. F. RHASIE, vice-President. Cashier. Jan. 31._ THE SITER Wm Oil. HORACE KARBY, President. I. C. STRAUSS. Vice-president. GEO. L. RICKER, Cashier. Capital Steck, $25,000 Liahilitv of Stockholders, 2s,ooo \mm \ "fe^ i-i?---'^ . ifc't?' ; mil i ll?nH' fife Every Facility For the transaction of business is afford? ed those who deposit their money with The Sumter Savings Bank, lin portant papers can be drawn up and signed in a private room set aside for use of our clients and any information de? sired will be cheerfully furnished by the management. 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