Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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pliiiiiliil f a Sfe Win |jf Mornin j*:?: .*^.' "Is it really true that all the ship's compauy except oucgelves are lost?" she brokenly demanded. The sailor's gravely earnest glance fell before hers. "Unhappily there Is no room for doubt," he said. "Arc you quite, quite sure?" ^ "I am sure?of some." Involuntarily he turned seaward. She understood him. She sank to her knees, covered her face with her hands and broke into a passion of weeping. With a look of iuflnite.plty lie stooped and would have touched her shoulder, but he suddenly restrained the Impulse. Something had hardened this mau. It cost him an effort to bo callous, but he succeeded. IIi9 mouth tightened, and his expression lost Its tenderness. "Come, come, my dear lady," lie exclaimed, and there was a tinge of studied roughness in his voice, "you must calm yourself. It is the fortune of shipwreck as well as of war, you know. We are alive and must look after ourselves. Those who have gone are beyond our help." "Hut not beyond our sympathy," walled Iris, uncovering her swimming eyes for n fleeting look at him. Even in the utter desolation of the moment she could not help marveling that this queer mannered sailor, who spoke like a gentleman and tried to pose as her inferior, who had rescued her with the utmost gallantry, who carried his quixotic zeal to the point of first supplying her needs when he was in far worse case himself, should be so utterly Indifferent to the fate of others. He waited silently until her sobs ceased. "Now, madam," be said, "it is essential that we should obtain some food. I don't wish to leave you alone until we are better acquainted with our whereabouts. Can you walk a little way toward the trees, or shall I assist you?" Iris Immediately stood up. She pressed her hair hack defiantly. "Certainly I can walk," she answered. "What do you propose to do?" ' WcJL junil'i _ "What is your name?'1 she interrupted Imperiously. "Tenks, madam. Robert .Tonka." "Tlinnk you. Now listen, Mr. Robert Jenks. My name is. Miss Iris Denne. On hoard ship I was a passenger and 3*011 wore a steward?that is, until you became a seaman. Here we are equal; in misfortune, but in.all else you nr< the loader. I am quite useless. I car only help In matters by your direction Plodding together through the Hand *' so I do not wish to be addressed 'madam* In every breath. Do you i derstand me?" "As you wish, Miss Deane," he so "The fact remains that I have ma things to attend to, aud we really mi eat something." "What can we eat?" "Let us find out," he replied, sc; nlng the nearest trees with keen sc tiny. They plodded together through sand In silence. Physically they w a superb couple, but In raiment tl resembled scarecrows. Both, of cou were bareheaded. The sailor's jer and trousers were old and torn, i the sen water still soughed loudly his heavy boots with each step. But Iris was In a deplorAtue pllj Her hair fell In a eneat wave of g en brown t'ands over her neck i shoulders. Every hairpin had van ed, but with a few dexterous tw , eite coital- ?i6 flying treason int< -wjselfTTot. Her beautiful muslTh dj Y*tl>nt and draggled. It wus drj Vdly under the ever Inerentflng p ^ho^the sun, and sho surreptltloi ?t t'rfared Y> complete the fastei Sudd^J-^bortlou about her neck. /. J?re, gave a glad shout. **TI ThX We are in lu The p/mA^ n ?ne Plantain tree.' ^>f hugger ceyld not t>< ;.?'i *:' : *< " ?: : ? i ." : '.* ? :" ? fr*',; \"; " *'?' I igsoftheg , By LOUIS i 0 TRACY | Copyright. 1903. by ; EdTv.rd J. Clode Eisted. Although the fruit was hardly ripe, they tore at the great bunches and ate ravenously. Iris made no pretense In the matter, and the sailor was in worse plight, for he had been on duty continuously since 4 o'clock the previous afternoon. At last their appetite was somewhat appeased, though plantains might not appeal to a gourmand as the solitary Joint. "Now," decided Jenks, "you must rest here a little while, Miss Deane. I'm going back to the beach. You need not be afraid. There are no animals to harm you, and I will not be far away." "What are you going to do on the beach?" she demanded. "To rescue stores, for the most part." "May I not come with you. I can bo of some little service surely?" He answered slowly: "Please obllgo me by remaining here at present. In less than an hour I will return, and then perhaps you will find plenty to do." She rend his meaning intuitively and shivered. "I could not do that," she murmured. "I would faint. While you are away I will pray for them, my unfortunate friends." As he passed from her side he heard her sobbing quietly. When he reached the lagoon he halted suddenly. Something startled him. He was quite tertaiu that he had counted fourteen corpses. Now there were only twelve. The two Lascars' bodies which rested on the small group of rocks on the verge of the lagoon had vanished. Where had they gone? CHAPTER III. mHE sailor wasted no time in idle bewilderment. He searched carefully for traces of the missing Lascars. He came to the conclusion that the bodies had been dragged from off the sun dried rocks thn Iactaau V?*? ~ ? uj ouuiu u^ucy im? uua ture of which he could not even conjecture. v TllfkV ITAcn lT-lnnr manv fnnt oj.nt.. sea level when he ioRt naw them, little more than half an hour earlier. At that point the beach shelved rapidly. Ho could look far Into the depths of the rapidly clearing water. Nothing was visible there save several varlc1 ties of small llsl). 1 The Incident puzzled and annoyed 1 hlui. Still thinking about It, h? sat 5 down on the highest rock and pulled 1 off his heavy boots to empty the wa? ter out. He also divested himself of his stockings and spread them out todry. The action reminded lilm of Miss Deane's necessities. He hurried to a point whence he could call out to her and recommend her to dry some of her clothing during his absence. lie, retired even more quickly, fearing lest he should be seen. Iris bad already displayed to the sunlight a large portion of ber costume. Without further delay be set about a disagreeable but necessary task. From the pockets of the first officer and doctor he secured two revolvers and a supply of cartridges, evidently Intended to settle any dispute which might have arisen between the ship's officers and the native members of the I crew. lie iiopcu me curinugcs were uninjured, but lie could not test tlieiu at the moment for fear of alarming I Miss Denue. Both officers carried pocketbooks and pencils. In one of these, containing ? dry leaves, the sailor made a careful Inventory of the money and other val uable effects he found upon the dead besides noting names and documents where possible. Curiously enough, tlx | capitalist of this island morgue was t | Lascar, who In a belt around his wals | hoarded more thnn a hundred pound! ' In gold. The sailor tied in a handker / chief all the money he collected an< ranged pocketbooks, letters and Jew elry in separate little heaps. Then h aa stripped the men of their hoots an< m. outer clothing. He could not tell lio\ long the girl and he might be detalne jq on the island before help came, an ny fresh garments were essential. 1 Jgt would be foolish sentimentality t trust to stores thrown ashore from th ship. nn_ Nevertheless when it became nece to. BMT to search and disrobe the woine he almost broke down. For an instai he softened. Gulping back his em ere tlons with a savage Imprecation, 1 hey doggedly persevered. At last he pau rse, Ml to consider what should be dot ?! with the hodles. His first Intent was Buy ? find scoop n large hoio lu the sand with In Pice of timber, but when lie took In consideration the magnitude of the 1 jht. b?r involved, requiring many hours old- hard work niul a waste of preeioi find time which might l>e of infinite vnli Ish- to his helpless companion and hlmse lata he was forced to abandon the proJe< > a It was not only impracticable, but da ress gerous. ring Again he had to set his teeth wl ow- grim resolution. One by one the be iisly ies were shot into the lagoon front t ting little quay of rock. He knew th would not be seen again. "By He arose and shook himself like ck's dog. There was much to be done. 1 gathered the clothes and other artlc! I ye- into a heapjand placed portions of sh " ~ toroa pncklng cases near to mislead Iris. While thus engaged he kicked up out of the sand a rusty creese, or Malay sword. The presence of this Implement startled him. ne examined It slowly and thrust it out of sight. Then he went back to her, after donning ills stockings and boots, now thoroughly dry. "Are you ready now, Miss Deano?" he sang out cheerily. "Itcady? I have been waiting for you." Jenks chuckled quietly. "I must guard my tongue; It betrays me," he said to himself. Iris joined him. By some mysterious means she had effected great improvement in her appearance. Yet there tvere manifest gaps. "If only I bad a needle and thread"? she began. "If that is all," said the sailor, fumbling in his pockets. lie produced a shabby little hussif containing a thim ble, scissors, ncedjes and some skeins I of unbleached thread. Case and contents were sodden or rusted with salt water, but the girl fastened upon this treasure with a sigh of deep content. "Now, please," she cried, "I want a telegraph otlice and a ship." When they reached the sands she caught sight of the pile of clothes and the broken woodwork, with the small heaps of valuables methodically arranged. The harmless subterfuge did not deceive her. She darted a quick look of gratitude at her companion. How thoughtful he was! After a fearful glance around she was reassured, though she wondered what had become of?them. "I see you have been busy," she said, nodding toward the clothes and hoots. ! "Yes," he replied simply. "Lucky find, wasn't It?" "Most fortunate. When they are quite dry I will replenish my wardrobe. What is the first thing to be done?" "Well, Miss Deane, I think our programme is, in the first place, to examine the articles thrown ashore and see if any of the cases contain food. Secondly, we should haul high and dry everything that may be of use to us, lest the weather should break nirntn and the next tide sweep away the spoil. Thirdly, we should eat and rest, and, finally, we must explore the island before the light fails. I am convinced wo are alone here. It is a small place at the best, and if any Chinamen were ashore, they would have put in an appearance long since." "Do you think, then, that we may remain here long?" "It is impossible to form an opinion on that point. Help may come in a day. On the other hand"? "Yes?" "It is a wise thing, Miss Deane, to . prepare for other contingencies." "that/we may bo imprisoned here f^ weeks, pomnps ? .?.? "If you c ist your mind back a few hours you will perhaps admit that wo are very fortunate to bo here at all," Bhe whisked round upon him. "Do not fence with my question, Mr. Jenks. Answer me!" Ho bowed. There was a perceptible return of his stubborn cynicism when he spoke. v "The facts are obvious, Miss Deane. The loss of the Sirdar will not be definitely known for many days. It will be assumed that she has broken down. The agents in Singapore will await cabled tidings of her whereabouts. She might have drifted anywhere in that typhoon. Ultimately ?.211 /\iif n I'Oeeol fo uno l*r?l 1 Iuvy Will BCUU V/Ul (1 > COOCl vu OVU1VU, j Impelled to that course n little earlier by your father's anxiety. Pardon me. I did not Intend to pain you. I am speaking my mind." "Go on," said Iris bravely. "The relief ship must search the entire China sea. The gale might have driven a disabled steamer north, south, east or west. A typhoon travels in a whirling spiral, you see, and the direction of a drifting ship depends wholly upon the locality where she sustained damage. The coasts of China, Java, Borneo and the Philippines are not equipped with lighthouses on every headland and cordoned with telegraph wires. There are river pirates and savage races to be reckoned with. Casting aside all other possibilities and assuming that a prompt search is made to the ^ south of our course, this part of the ocean is full of reefs and small islands, ' some Inhabited permanently, others visited occasionally by fishermen." He was about to add something, but clicck" ed himself, "To sum up," he continued hurriedly, " "we may have to remain here for many .j days, even months. There is always a chance of speedy help. We must act . however, on the basis of detention foi ^ an indefinite period. I am discussing t appearances as they are. A survey o1 Q the island may change all these views.' e "In what way?" ' Ho turned and pointed to the sum mlt of the tree covered hill behirw s" them. n "From that point," he said, "we ma; 14 gee other and larger islands. If sc they will certainly be Inhabited. I an 10 surprised this one Is not." 8" He ended abruptly. They were lof ie ing time. Before Iris could Join hir 10 he was already hauling a large ui a damnged case out of the water. He laughed unmlrthfully. "Chan a" pagne!" he said. "A good brand too!" This man was certainly an enlgmi lls Iris wrinkled her pretty forehead 1 |1C the effort to place lilm in a fitting cat gory. Ills words and accent wei those of an educated gentleman, y n* j his actions and manners were studiou ! ly uncouth when ho thought she wi * observing him. The veneer of roug i ness puzzled her. That ho was no urnlly of refined temperament si ey knew quite well, not alone by perce tlon, but by the plain evidence of li a earlier dealings with her. To the best of her ability she silent '?? helped in the work of salvage. Tin Mr- made a queer^cobectlon. ^A case ... ^H greater yield of cotto H * " the-acreage' and inc W B J 3,000 carloads of F B| This volume of busi: I LOOt Va. J- { Columbia, S.C. | i cnaiupapnc ana nnotticr of brandy, a P' box of books, a pair of night glasses, a 81 compass, several boxes of ship's bis- P( cults, coated with salt, but saved by 01 their hardness, having been immersed cc but a few seconds; two large cases of lu limns in nnimllv i?nm1 nnmlitUn n"""" - 1?? v VUIHIIIIVII, OUIUU huge dish covers, u bit of twisted iron- 8t work and a great quantity of cordage 01 and timber. cr There was one very heavy package, bl which their united strength could not cc lift The sailor searched around until ni he found an iron bar thai could be wrenched from Its socket. With this te Iwu-nrJeji nut,,,. cover tt boxes 'Ammunition, each containing - tOO rounds. . "Ah!" he cried. "Now we want some rifles." ^ "What good would they be?" inquired Iris. b He softly denounced himself as a r fool, but lie answered at once: "To ^ shoot birds, of course, Miss Deane. ^ There are plenty here, and many of them are edible.". They worked In silence for another j liour. The sun' was Hearing the zenith. They were distressed with the lncreasing heat of the day." Jenks secured a ^ ham and some biscuits, some pieces of driftwood and the binoculars and invited Miss Deane to accompany him to j the grove. She obeyed without a word, i ( though she wondered how lie proposed I to ligut a lire. io coiuriouie some- i thing toward the expected feast she picked up a dish cover and a bottle of , champagne. ^ The sailor eyed the concluding item with disfavor. "Not while the sun la up," he said. "In the eveping, yes." "It was for you," explained Iris coldly. "I do not drink wine." "You must break the pledge while you aro here, Miss Denne. It is often e. The bodies were shot into the layoon. re very cold nt night In this latitude. A et chill would menu fever and peclinps ?- death." is ! She covertly watched his prepnrah tlons. He tore a dry leaf from a note1 book and broke the bullet out of a ie cartridge, damping the powder with p- water from a pitcher plant. Smearing Is the composition on the paper, he placet I It in the qiin, where It dried nt once ly He gathered a small bundle of with ey ercd spines from the palms and urrang ot^ed the driftwood cm i?JPi choking, i rger Yiel )f acres fertilized with Farmers' n, than the same acreage with o more than that. It makes it p< :rease the yield. Try it this \ Made With Fish 1 rs of fertilizer experience back 'oyster fertilizers were used on t ness stamps Farmers' Bone the C AT OUR TWENTY YEARS' RECORD / v X 1806-250 TONS f 1890-1,500 TONS 1895?12,000 TONS 1900-58,455 TONS ^ 05-130,091 TONS 5 DflVCTCD nilAUA An #i nuboitn uumhu uu ace for liis bonDro just within the inde. Then inserting the touch pair among tlie spines he unscrewed * le of the lenses of the binoculars, ' 8 inverted it into a burning glass and ! K id a fine blaze roaring merrily in a J ^ \v minutes. With the aid of pointed 1 icks he grilled some slices of ham, j it with his clasp knife, which he first j 1 irefully cleaned in the earth. The i 1 sen its were of the variety that be- i 1 ime soft when toasted, and so he bal- } * iced n few by stones near the fire. < Iris forgot her annoyance in her in- 1 rest. A most appetizing smell filled le air. They were having a picnic delightful surroundings. Yes- ! > a rush or Beimun-u., . , ack with Instant determination. Tears j rere a poor resource, unmindful of J lod's goodness to herself and her conianion. Without the sailor, what rould have become of lier, even wore he thrown ashore while still living? lie knew none of the expedients which eemed tabc at Ills command. "Can I uo nothing to help?" she ex laimed. So contrite was her tone that enks was astonished. "Yes," he said, pointing to the dish :over. "If j*ou polish the top of that vith your sleeve it will serve as a date. Luncheon is ready." lie neatly dished up two slices of lam on a couple of biscuits and handid them to her with the clasp knife. "I can depend on my fingers," lie explained. "It will not be the first time." "Have 5*ou led an adventurous life?" die asked, by way of polite conversation. "Nof he growled. "I only thought so because you appear to know all sorts of dodges for prolonging existence?things I never heard of. "Broiled ham?and biscuits?for instance?" At another time Iris would have snapped at him for the retort. Still humbly regretful for her previous attitude, she answered meekly: "Yes, in this manner of cooking them, I mean. But there are other itemsmethods of lightiug fires, finding water, knowing what fruits and other articles may be found on a desert island, such as plantains and cocoanuts and certain sorts of birds." When the meal was ended .Tenks sprang lightly to his feet. Rest and food had restored his faculties. The girl thought drcamil}', as he stood there in his rough attire, that she had never seen a finer num. lie was tall, sinew5* and well formed. In repose his face was pleasant, if masterful. Its I somewhat sullen, self contained expression was occasional and acquired. She wondered how he could be so energetic. Personally she was consumed with sleepiness. He produced a revolver. "Do you mind if I fire a shut to test these cartridges?" he inquired. "The powder is all right, but the fulminate in the caps may be damaged." She agreed promptly. 11c pointed the weapon at a cluster of cocoanuts, and there was a loud report. Two nuts fell to the ground, and the nir was filled with shrill screams and the flapping of innumerable wings. Iris -was mo mentarily dismayed, but her sense* confirmed the sailor's explanation "Sea birds." "Can you use a revolver?" he asked. "My father taught me. lie think every woman should know how to dc fend herself if need be." "Excellent. Well, Miss Deane, yoi ! must try to slpcp for a couple of hour? t I purpose examining the const for som I distance on each side. Should yo want me, a shot will be the best sor . of signal." "I am very tired," she admitted "But you?" . 'JtA.? L. . _ .Mv -v l w-ifeV8 'Wi* 26 Bone produce a HI rdinary fertilizer. |H Dssible to reduce pear. The man of him. Ovm he crops of 1905. jH best. H | Tarboro, N.C. Pa Macon, Ca. "Oh, I un all right! I fool restless ? hat is, I moan 1 will not he able to ileep until night conies, and before we ilnib the lilll to survey our domain I vant to liud hotter quarters than wo low possess." Perhaps wore she less fatigued slio vouid have caught the vague anxiety, lie note of distrust, in his voice. Itut lie carpet of sand and leaves on which die lay was very seductive. Her eyes iosed. She nestled into a comfortable nosition and slent. The man moved llie revolver out of liana's way to a spot where she must see it instantly, pulled his ?otTwo-*<mu,i' h eVv&\'-1 v*1 V?,. 9s nnd wnlkeu off west side of the island. Except ror the eove formed hy the coral reef, with its mysterious palm tree growing apparently in the midst of the waves, the shape of the const was roughly that of the concave side of a how, the .two visible extremities being about threequarters of a mile apart. lie guessed by the way in which the sea raced past these points that the land did not extend beyond them. Fteliind him it rose steeply to a considerable height, 130 or 200 l'eet. In the center was the tallest hill, which seemed to end abruptly toward the southwest. On the northeast side it was connected with a rocky promontory by a ridge of easy grade. The sailor turned to the southwest as offering the most likely" direction for rapid survey. lie was not surprised to find that the hill terminated in a sheer wall of rock, which stood out, ominous and massive, from the wealth of verduro clothing the remainder of the ridge. Facing the precipice and separated from it hy a strip of ground not twenty feet above the sen level in the highest part was another rock built eminence quite bare of trees, blackened by ti:e weather and scarred in a manner that attested the attacks of lightning. The intervening belt was sparsely doited with trees, casuariuas, poon and other woods he did not know, resembling ebony^and cedar. A number of stumps showed that the ax had been at work, but not recently. lie passed Into the cleft and climbed a tree that offered easy access. As be expected, after rising a few feet from the ground his eyes encountered the solemn blue line of the sea, not half a mile distant. lie descended anil commenced a systematic search. Men had been here. Was there a house? Would he suddenly encounter some hermit Malay or Chinaman? At the foot of the mniu cliff was a cluster of fruit bearing trees?plantains, areca nuts and cocoa palms. A couple of cinchonas caught his eye. In one spot the undergrowth was rank and vividly green. The cassava, or tapioca plant, reared its high passion tlower leaves above the grass, and some sago palms thrust aloft their thick stemmed trunks. "Here is a change of menu, at any rate," he communed, i Breaking a thick branch off a poon tree, lie whittled away the minor stems. A strong stick was needful to explore that leafy fastness thoroughly. ? A few cautious strides and vigorous - whacks with the stick laid bare the tn f? CW*11 UlUSC Ui 7)1*111 |?l UUI^?UU j m II ovil Wf cred with drifted snnd and lumps of s black and white speckled coral. The - trees and bushes Inclosed a well?safeguarded, in fact, from being choked with sand during the Qrst gale that ' blew. 0 ftcllghted with this discovery, more 11 precious thun diamonds at the iuo* uiout ?for be-doubted the advisability Continued on page 6.