Adventure, July 1, 1928 — page 164: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

158 to five, and would not return to the bungalow till twelve o’clock for tiffin. After he had been called, Mr. Cart- wright had had his chota hazri. He never took very long to dress, as he never shaved until he came home at midday. He always rode a bicycle up to his division; and sometimes when there was much work to be done his lunch was taken out to him. As Mr. Cartwright had given no such orders that morning, he was certain to return to the bungalow at about twelve o'clock. Eade gave a sigh of relief. If Cart- wright was at work on the estate with a gang of Tamil coolies, his life could be in no immediate danger, especially as the boy informed him that his master in- variably carried a revolver. HE AMERICAN was in_ two minds what to do: He might take a walk along the road, to meet Cartwright coming back, or he might remain in the bungalow and await his cousin’s arrival. He did not feel in the least disposed to adopt the former course. Having had little or no sleep during the night, he was dead tired; and besides, the sun was now well up and the heat terrific. On the other hand, it occurred to him that to wait in the bungalow might in- volve a certain amount of personal risk. Presumably Liu Tang was still on his way to Nolak through the jungle and might arrive at any moment. The circumstance that he still had a temperature made Eade disinclined to walk even a short distance. He felt a kind of heaviness in his limbs and every Joint in his body ached. All he wanted to do was to fling himself down upon a bed, quench his thirst and drop off to sleep. On his returning to the bungalow, a cursory inspection of the place at once suggested a compromise. There were but two entrances to the building—the steps up to the veranda, and the door into the bathroom. The latter could be locked from the inner side; and having done this, Eade was careful to put the key in his pocket. As an additional precaution, he CHARLES GILSON lowered the trapdoor which had stood open at the head of the bathroom steps in the spare room; and, assisted by the Chinese boy—to whom he explained the situation—he moved the chest of drawers to the top of this. 5 He had barred that way all right. In military parlance, his flanks and rear were secure. The Telegu clerk, before re- turning to his office, assured him that he could trust both the Chinese boy and the coolie to keep a sharp look-out on all sides of the bungalow. Feeling tolerably safe, Eade asked the boy for some quinine, swallowed fifteen grains, and then lay down on one of the long chairs on the veranda with a big tumbler of well iced tonic water and his loaded pistol on a small wickerwork table close at hand. He had placed himself immediately facing the steps, up which no one could ascend without being seen. At the same time he realized that he would have to exercise a certain amount of will power to keep himself awake. There were two or three shelves of books in the sitting room; but he had no desire to read. for more than three hours, with nothing but his thoughts for. com- pany, and the lizards of all sizes that swarmed in the bungalow. He had plenty to think about. The very fact that, if he fell asleep he might have his throat cut or be shot with his own gun, was enough to keep him awake. He was free to puzzle his brains to his heart’s content, to ask himself riddles he knew he couldn’t answer. The mystery of the island of Singan. The extraordinary people who lived there, whom Quental had described: Batista Seala and Bernard Le Camus, Madame Seala’s father. And what has happened to madame herself? She had vanished as suddenly and unaccountably as if she had been spirited away. And why had Charles been obliged to fly for his life from the island? Was it jealousy on Seala’s part that had made him send Liu Tang to the Yalai River or was there Joc EADE lay in that long chair comlicloooks.com