Out of the Primitive

was here closed in on each side with sheer walls of rock from twenty to thirty feet high. At the point where this small box canon intersected the middle of t

cket of bamboos, around which the spring ri

n-seared strips of flesh were curing over a smudge fire. Looking to his left, he saw a hut hardly larger than a dog kennel but ingeniously thatched with bamboo leaves

?-hollow tre

e gully to drive out the family. All stayed at home and got smothered 'cept old Mr. Leopard. He ran the gantlet. Lord, how he squalle

say now! A bit different,

different, Jeems-a tr

you been through!" bu

oo, went through it

to shine on! If she thinks now I can't realize-that I'm not going to do the square thing by her! I'

on a crossbar. Almost at a touch, the lower part swung up and outward and the upper half down and inward. He stepped in under

ss sand-glazed earthenware set on a bamboo rack beside the open stone fireplace, at the rough-woven but strong baskets piled together near the foot of the baobab, at the p

sheath beside a quiver full of long feather-tipped arrows. He was balancing the club when Blake came out of the tree-cave, carrying a young coc

commented, "you've out

uff as a starter, while we didn't have anything exc

of steel set in a bone back. "How's that for a blade? Big fla

tell me the rascal was imbecile enough to keep those keys in hi

Then the duke he cleaned

eet. From amidst the shattered fragments he caught up a dirty cloth t

ompliments and more or les

g eagerly at the cloth. "You got the

hidden. You'll find he hadn't been too daffy to melt the settings-keys or

sold or pawned any of the best stones after w

oken, his lordship drew out a resplendent

"A stone in every one-must be all of the really valuable loot! The s

But he wasn't responsible-poor devil! He must have been dotty all along. It didn't show muc

orrified surprise. "Yo

ain Blake clenched his teeth and the

se than the snake!"

ke. "I had gone off north, exploring. The beast was crawling

Englishman, tugging nervously at t

to him. Cyclone struck like a tornado. Door whirled

he had

n down to the beach after eating a poison fish. Barricade hadn't been finished. He was down with the fever.

e young ladies I've ever known, she wa

et her before?"

Bayrose was one of my old friends, y'know. Met 'em abo

lake, in blank astoni

with her through the Mediterranean and down the Red Sea. But Lady Bayrose got

" queri

nt to India. But he doubled ba

didn't get here s

board her until after I learned you'd thrown up the management of that Rand mine. Traced yo

a member of Lady Bayrose's party. He had already wormed himself into her favor. As for me-well, they had come to look at the m

any reason to-surely,

n't beli

I am! But I couldn't help it-I just couldn't help myself, Jimmy. Knew her father, too-all about his millions and how

generosity: "Gad, old man! If it's true-if she really-er-has come to love you, I own that you've won her fair and squar

a little while ago, there on the cliff edge when we saw your steamer, she-s

aculated L

out at him. I got the grass fired before he screwed up courage to tackle me.-Don't cut in!-It was then that Jenny-she-she tried

caught his friend's big, ill-used hand in a cord

nder his thick coat of tan. "I-I suppose I've got to tell

eated the Englis

k home, among her own people. You see she wants to-She-she says that ship captains can-" He caught his breath, and bent n

I shipped a stewardess to wait on the women-had hoped they would all have been saved. She'll do for lady's maid. Also brought along some women's togs, in

own of self-disgust. "Lord! for me to forget for a second! Look here, Jimmy, you're clean off. You don't savvy a little bit. D

ring gaze, and answered steadily: "That all depe

e-there on the ship. I was two-thirds drunk when the cyclone flung us ashore. No excuse-except that all of them had turned me down from the first-there at Cape Town. Yes, she

sidered eligible!" exclaimed Lord James. "I know

man is that, far as she's conc

yourself. But about this plan th

aboard and steam away, fast as you can hike. You can run into Port Mozam

! Mad as a hatter! Can you fancy for a

ell you, I've figured it all out. I won't go aboard and let her do-what she's planning to do. You ought to know. Jimmy, th

. It's a thing few men would have the bigness to do. You're giving up a certainty, because your love for her is great enough, unself

nough-for her!

clean breast of it all. I should be no less candid. You know now that I met her befo

of course! I don't blame

ay be a new deal, Tom? If you don't come aboard, she and I will be together at least as far as Zan

nk I don't know you're square, after

But she'll never be more in need of some one, if you insist upon your plan. I say! I have it-We'll slip you aboard after dark. You can lie in cov

ersuaded. "I could slip ashore, soon as we ran i

you'll stay aboard with us, under cover. Of all the steamers that touch at Aden, one will soon come along with parties whom either sh

" hesitated Blake. "

"You'll be aboard the same steamer with her a

yo

Tom! don't you realize

ry for myself.

t a show, do you

all this occurred. I at least should have been in t

nt and eyes fixed upon the ground. When he looked up a

he and I've been living in the Cave Age, and I've proved myself an A-1 cave-man, if I do say it myself. It may b

est and best qualities, in circumstances that did not call f

ve to fight that out before I'll be fit to let her do anything. Think I don't know the difference between us? No! I'm going to go the limit,

l not hear

house and in through the door. Understand? I don't make a single condition. You're to try your best to win;

give her up without a fight

s true she loves me-God! no! I'

more, should the event prove she is mistak

r the uselessness of persuasion. "Think I'd let her marry me

Leslie's trip up the coast; and I stand ready to do so-on two conditions. In the first place; you're to come ab

myself parading around your ancest

ep in covert till Miss Leslie is safe off the ship. But you'll do the rest-you'll not stay here. Another thing-you have my

square-to me, I mea

n presented-at Court, y'know. If she stays over on this side a bit, there'

't know," he

ail with us, else I s

and come ba

But are you sure you can keep he

ensive, I'll put it that you'd rather be

You said there's a stewardess aboard. Jenny will sure be

you bunk forward, under cover, till Aden; then home with me for a visi

. He turned to hasten away along the gorge, past the b

h at the base in such manner that the top had fallen over against the edge of the rocky wall. A pile of stones offered an easy means of

tion of the nesting sea birds. Blake came back at a jog-trot, regardless of the fie

other's look of inquiry. "She sewed that leopard-skin dress all by hers

he Englishman. "Wit

adder and back along the cleft to the baobab.

. He pointed to the blackened strips of flesh on the cu

I've a previous engageme

anuts, and then, just when we were whetting our teeth for a nice fat snake or an entree of caterpillars, I landed that old papa leopard. Managed to haggle some of the india rubbe

vieve went thr

he grittiest little gi

all! . . . Well, she's

going to suffer any b

it! Come on. Got y

nside p

hink I'm aching to hang 'round this cu

shoulder, thrust the signal flag in

before him, with

or home and America-a fair

the proffered hand. "May she get