^V> j" ? :"^>;V ^V>K"YIi"si}ii" x-fl: fBr-v,V.b jV?:-. .*v?.'.?V- v>r".--V.rv : \*-V-.>;.*. *?"'?VV ;*. "?? .*;??.?'*???''r~: ?%'.:-1.%\? ???'? ?/?.?.Vxv/.'.'i'.vw, *u- .en In tlie skin nearly two days. Otherwise It seemed to be all right. With a sigh of profound relief he gave Iris the cup and smiled at the most unladylike iiaste with which she emptied it. "Drink yourself and give me some taiore," she said. "No more for you at present, madam. In a few minutes, yes." "Oh, why not now?" "Do not fret, dear one. You can have all you want in a little while. Hut to drink much now would make you very ill." Iris waited until he could speak again. ""Why did you"? she began. But lie bent over the parapet. "Hello!" "Sahib!" "You have not been followed?" "I think not, sahib. Do Dot talk too loud. They are foxes In cunning. You have a ladder, they say, sahib. Will *M?t your honor descend? I have much to wOate." iris made no protest when Jenks ex plained the man's request. She only stipulated that he should not leave the -ladder, while she would remain within ?easy earshot Tt>_e sailor, of course, xarrJed Ids revolver. He also picked up * crowbar, a most useful and silent weapon. Then he went quietly down ward. Nearlng tl?e grouDd, he saw the native, who salaamed deeply and was unarmed. The poor fellow seem ed to be very anxious to help them. "What is your name?" demanded the ??Tim ""Mir Jan, sahib, formerly corporal In Che Kumaon regiment" "When did you leave the regiment?" "Two years ago. sahib. I killed"? "What was the name of your colo nel?" "Kurnnl I-shpence-sahlb, u brave man, but of no account on a horse." .leak* well remembered Colonel Spence? a fat, abort legged warrior, wbo rolled off bis charger If the ani mal so much as looked sideways. Mir Jan was telling the truth. "You are right, Mir Jan. What Is Tilling K'AII doing now?" "Cursing, sahib, for the most part. ' His men are frightened. He wanted I them to try once more with the tubes j that shoot poison, but they refused. He ' could not come alone, for he could not [ use his right hand, and he was wound ed by the blowing up of the rock. You nearly killed uie, too, sahib. I was there with the bazaar-born whelps. By the prophet's beard, it was u flue stroke." "Are they going away, then?" "No, sahib. The dogs have been whipped so sore that they snarl for re venge. They say there Is no use in ilrlng at you, but they are resolved to kill you and the miss sahib or carry her off If she escapes the assault." "Whut assuult?" "Protector of the poor, they ure build ing scaling ladders?four in all. Soon after dawn they Intend to rush your position. You may slay some, they say, but you cannot slay threescore. Taung K'AII has promised gold to every man who survives If they succeed. They have pulled down your signal on the high rocks and are using the poles for (he ladders. They think you huve a charm, sahib, and they want to use your own work against you." Thin wiih serious news. A combined attack might Indeed be dangerous, though It had the excellent feature that If It failed the Dyaks Would certainly leave the Island. Hut his sky sign de stroyed! That was bad. Had n vessel chanced to pass the swinging letters would surely have attracted attention. Now even that faint hope was dis pelled. "Sahib, there is a worse thing to tell," said Mir Jan. "Say on, then." "Before they plnce the ladders against the cliff they will build a lire of green wood so that the smoke will be blown by the wind into your eyes. This will help to blind your aim. Otherwise you never miss." "That will assuredly be awkward, Mir Jan." "It will, sahib. Soul of my father, If we had hut half a troop with us"? Hut they had not, and they were both so intent on the conversation that they were momentarily off their guard. Iris was more watchful. She fancied there was a light rustling amid the under growth beneath the trees on the right. And Nhe could hiss, too, if that were the correct thing to do. So she hissed. Jenks swarmed halfway up the lad der. "Yes, Iris," he said. "I am not sure, but I imagine some thing moved among the bushes behind the house." "All right, dear. 1 will keep a sharp lookout. Can you hear us talking?" "Hardly. Will you be long?" "Another minute." He descended and told Mir Jan what the uilss suhlb said. The native was about to mnke a senrch when Jenks stopped him. "Here"?he handed the man his re volver?"I suppose you can use this?" Mir Jun took It without a word, and Jenks felt that the Incident atoned for previous unworthy doubts of his dark Tl?. \l ,1... m .v. 1 .. ?> 11 iruu n iioucsij'. i lit* Jiuuniuuicuau cautiously examined the back of the house, the neighboring shrubs and the open beach. After a brief absence he reported all safe, yet no man has ever been near r depth and escaped It than he durtn In t reconnoissance. He, too, forgot tl t t! e I yaks were foxes, and foxes cn le i !o ;e when hounds are a trifle sta Mir J: n rc'arned the revolver. "Sahib." l e said, with another sa lnani, "I cm a disgraced man. but If you will t kc me up there with you I will Ilgi t ! y your side until both my arms are k icked off. I am weary of these thieve t. Ill chance threw me In to their o you go inside the tare, tbere, and"? Mir Jan was startled. "Where tbe gliost Is. Kahili?" be said. "tii st! That is a tule for children. There Is no ghost, only a few bones ?f a man murdered by these scoitn f-els long ago. Have you uuy food?" "So up rice, sablb; sufficient for a day or tw i at a pinch." "tie ill 1 We will get water from the well. When the lighting begins at dawr lire at every man you see front the l.iclt of the cave. Oo no account come out. Then they can never reach you if you keep a full magazine. Wait here." "I thought you were never coming," protested Iris when Jenka reached the lodge. "I have been quite creepy. I unt sure there Is some one down there. And, please, may I have another drink?" The sailor had left the crowbar be neath. He secured a rltle, a spare clip and a dozen packets of cartridges, meanwhile briefly explaining to Iris the turn taken by events so fur as Mir Jan was concerned. She was natural ly delighted and forgot her fears in the excitement caused by the appear ance of so useful un ally. She drank ills health lu a brimming beaker of water. She heard her lover rejoin Mir Jan and saw the two step out into the moonlight, while Jenks explained the action of the rifle. Fortunately Iria was now much recovered from the futigue und privation of the earlier hours. Her senses were sharpened to a pitch little dreamed of hy stay-at home young ladies of her age, and she deemed It her province to act as sentry while the two men conferred. Hence ahe watt the first to detect, or, rather, to become conscious of, the stealthy crawl of several Ityaks along the bottom of the cliff from Turtle bench. "Robert!" she screamed. "The Dy aks! On your left!" ISut Iris was rapidly gaining some knowledge of strategy. Before she shrieked her warning she grasped a rltie. Holding it at the "ready"?about the level of her waist?and depressing the muzzle sufficiently, she began tiring down the side of the rock as fast as she could handle lever and trigger. Two of the nickel bullets struck a pro jection and splashed the leading sav ages with molten metal. Unfortunately Jonks' rifle benenth was unloaded, being in Mir Jan's pos session for purposes of instruction. Jenks whipped out his revolver. "To the cave!" he roared, and Mir Jan's unwillingness to face a goblin could not withstand the combined im petus of the sahib's order and the on wurd rush of the enemy. He darted headlong for the entrance. Jenks, shooting blindly as he, too, ran for the ladder, emptied the revolv er Just as his left hand clutched a rung. Three It.vaks were so close that It would be folly to attempt to climb. He threw the weapon into the face of the foremost man. effectually stopping his onward progress. The sailor turned to dive Into the cave and secure the rifle from Mir Jan. when his shin caught the heavy I crowbar resting against the rock. The i pain of the blow lent emphasis to the swing with which the implement de i seeuded upon some portion of a D.vak anatomy. Jenks never knew where he hit the second assailant, but the place cracked like an eggshell. He had uot time to recover the bar for another blow, so he drove the point In the gullet of a gentleman who was He drove the point in the gullet. about to make a vicious sweep at him with a parang. The downfall of this worthy caused his immediate succes sor to stumble, and Jenks saw his op portunity. With the agility of a cat he jumped up the ladder and reached the ledge without Injury. These things happened with the speed of thought. Within forty seconds of Iris' shrill cry the sailor was breast high with the ledge and calling to her: "All right, old girl! Keep it up!" But here he was close to her, unhurt and calmly jubilant, as was his way when a stiff tight went well. He was by her side now, tiring and aiming, too. for the Dyaks broke cover recklessly In running for shelter, and one may do fair work by moonlight. She had strength enough left to place me rifle out of harm's way before she broke down and sohlied not tearfully, but 111 a purox.i sm of reaction. Soon all wit quid beneath nave for the la bored efforts of some wounded men to get fur away from that accursed rock. Jenl.s Mat able to turn to Iris, lie en deavored to allay her agitatiou and lUtceciicl somewhat, for tears came, and she clung to him. It was useless to reproach him. The whole lucident was unforeseen. She was herself a party to it. Hut what an escape! "You have been a very good little I frl u:id have earned your supper," he ?aid. "Oh. how can you tulk so callously after such an awful experience?" she expostulated brokenly. "It Is a small tiling to trouble about, sweetheart." he explained. "You spot ted the enemy so promptly and bluzed away with such ferocity that they nev er got within yards of me." "Are you sure?" "I vow and declare that after we I uve eaten something and sampled our remaining bottle of wine I will tell you I exactly what happened." "Why not now?" "Because I must tirst see to .Mir Jail. , I bundled him ueck and crop into the cave. 1 hope 1 did not hurt him." "You are not going down there again?" "Xo need, I trust." He went to the side of the ledge, re- j covered the ladder which he had has tily hauled out of the Dyaks' reach aft- ; er bis climb, and cried: "Mir Jan." "Ah, suhlb! Braised be the name of j the Most lligh, you are alive. I was | search lug among the slain with a sor rowful heart." The Mohammedan's voice came from Borne 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 rifie." "Then there be six, sahib, not reckon ing the wounded. I have accounted for one, so the miss sahib must have"? "What is he saying about me?" In quired Iris, who had riseu and joined her lover. "lie says you absolutely staggered the L>yaUs by opening tire the moment they appeared." "How did yon come to slay one, Mir Jan?" he continued. "A son of a black pig followed me into the cave. 1 waited for him In the darkness. I have just thrown his body outside." "Well done! Is Taung S'Ali dead by any lucky chance?" "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 at the foot of the rock, where Mir Jan speedily discovered them. The Mohammedan gave satisfactory assurance that he un derstood the mechanism of the ritie 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. Itut there was no sign of the Pyaks. Mir Jan returned with the news that the sixth victim of the brief yet tierce eucounter 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 .'.:ew himself a supply of water. I '.'.ring supper Jenks told Iris so much of the story ns was good for her ?that is to say, he cut down tire casu alty list. It was easy to see what had hap pened. The Pyaks, having missed the Mohammedan and their water bag, seurched for him and heard the con versation at the foot of the rock. Knowing that their presence was sus pected, they went bac k for re-enforce ments and returned by the shorter and more advantageous route along Turtle beach. Iris would have talked all nlglit, 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 Jenks bade him go within the cave and , remain there, for the dawn would soon | be upon them. Left alone with his thoughts, he won- I dered what the rising sun would bring | in its train. He reviewed the events j of the last twenty-four hours. Iris and he?Miss Peane, Mr. Jenks. to each other?were then undiscovered in their refuge, the D.vaks were gathered around a roaring tire in the valley, and Mir Jan was keen in the hunt as the keenest among them. Now Iris was | his affianced bride, over twenty of the enemy were killed and many wounded, and Mir Jan, a devoted adherent, was seated 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 ha were res cued. what would happen when they went forth om* more into the busy world? Not for one Instant did he doubt her faith. She was true as steel, knit to him now by 1 >onds of triple brass. But what would Sir Ar thur I>eane think of his daughter's mnrrhige 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 I all powerful. He would ask Iris to wait until he came to her unsoiled bv | slander. purged of tT.!odium cast up- ' on liiiu unmerited. To uwuke her lie kissed her; he knew not, pi.vhuiue It might l>e their last kiss on earth. Not jet dawn, there was morning in the air. I >; the tlrst faint tin: its of light were not visible from their eyrie owing to in p >sitlon. But tl e ? ,is uiueh to li - uoue. 'lie cauvus awning was rolled back at tlie stores t>ui!t into u barrieade la te ,ed to shelter iris. "Wl it Is that for?" sbe asked when j site dlseovered its nature. He told her. She definitely refused to avail herself of any su. It proteetlon. "iiohert. dear." she said, "if the at- | taek eoiues to our very door, so to speak, surely 1 must help you. Even my slight aid may stent u rush in one place while yon are busy in another." lie explained to Iter that if hand to hand lighting were necessary he would depend more upon a crowbar than a ritle to sweep the ledge clear. She might be In the way. "Very well. The moment you tell me to get behind that fence I will do j 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 pla'-ed them in the 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 shoot." In the dim light he could not see ttie spasm of pain that clouded her face. No Dyak 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 wus 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 aide. "Sahib, they come!" "I am prepared. I,et that snake get back to his hole in the pock, lest a mongoose seize him by the head." Mir Jan, engaged In a scouting expe dition on bis 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 PyfifcS bad correctly estimated the extent of his fire zone and would keep out of it. The 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 Uyaks kindled a huge fire. The heat was perceptible even on the ledge, but the minutes passed and the 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. Hut 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 wk!~ :,f 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 stified. "Lie fiat 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. He sprang up, dragged the huge tarpaulin from its former location and propped it oa 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. He swung the heavy and cumbrous canvas into position as if it were a dust cloth. He 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 Bailor had outwitted the Hyaks' ma neuvers. "We have won the first rubber." he whispered to Iris. Above, beneath, beyond, they eould see nothing. The air they breathed was hot and fetid. It was tike be lug immured iu a foul tunnel, and al most as dark. Jenks looked over the parapet. He thought he could distin guish some vague tlgures on the sands, so he tired at them. A volley of an swering bullets crashed into the rock on all sides. The Hyaks had laid their plans well tlds 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 the scaling party. Je iks realized that to expose himself was to court n serious woun>l ami achieve no uaeful purpose. He fell back out of range. luld down liis ride and grabbed the crowbar. At brief in tervals a deep hollow boom cauie ui> from the valley. At first it puzzled item until the sailor lilt upon an ex planation. Mir Jan was busy. The eud of a strong, r Highly made ladder swung through the smoke and banged against the ledge. Before Jenks could reach It those hoisting It Into position hastily retreated. They were standing in front of the cave, and the Mohummedau made play ou them with a rifle at thirty feet. Jenks. using his crowbar us a lever, toppled the ludder clean over, it fell outward and disconcerted a section of the musketeers. "Well done!" cried iris. The sailor, astounded by her tone, gave lier a fleeting glance. She was very pale now. hut not with fear. Her eyes,were slightly contracted, her nos trils uuivering, her lips set tight and tier chin dimpled. Resting on one knee, with a revolver in each hand, she seem eil 110 puling mate for the gallant man who fought for her. There was no time for further speech. Three ladders were reared ag: Inst the r Now both crowbar and revolver were needed. rock. They were so poised and held below tliat 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 iiring 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 tire!" shouted Jenks. And the iron bar crushed downward. Two oth ers pitched themselves half on 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 nnd 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 well pitched, and the sailor lntd 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 his 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. He would be shot while repelling the scal ing party. And Iris! Dear heart! She was thinking of him. "Keep back! They can never gain tue 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. Jeuks was just able to drag Iris 2f.C 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 some 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 questions to make quite sure that Mir Jan was not mistaken. Then he threw his arms round Iris, drew her close and whispered: "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." (CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE ) Any kind invitations here. - '.?TTSEfta ?