Argosy, Vol. 111, No. 1 — page 128: what you’re looking at

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

118 The tall figure of a savage blocked the trail exit. His face peered at them. Mc- Kay fired, hitting over the left breast nip- ple, and the man dropped like a log. ‘Cut off, Fred,” said McKay, “ back and front. Got to run the gantlet to that ledge of rocks. Have you reloaded?” “Yep. Wish I had got my second wind. Ready?” They leaped out. There were five canoes in the lagoon. Twoscore of figures were tearing over the beach, and a ferocious shout of triumph reached them as they gained the free sand. But the man they had shot was ahead of the rei. The way to the ledge was clear, if their lungs would hold out. One canoe had gone through the reef-gap, and they were firing on it from the schooner. There was no sign of Tomi or the boat. A canoe started to paddle furiously toward the beach. It was touch- and-go, with little energy left for the going. CHAPTER XII. ON THE PROMONTORY. WICE McKay and Sime turned on their pursuers, partly from sheer inability to go on, partly to check the savages. The latter had no relish for the shooting of Sime, whose pistol-range equaled that of their arrows. Their rifle-fire was so badly aimed as to be almost negligible. “Don’t chuck away any cartridge,” gasped McKay. ‘“ Can’t—get—trifles until after dark.” : Sime nodded. He had no breath for words. It was marvelous how he controlled his firing, so shaken was he by the sobs of his laboring lungs. In their last spurt they staggered forward like drunken men, barely able to clamber up the rocks by a deep gully that traversed the side of the ridge and drop into a little natural fortress, through the rocks of which they peered down at the natives, who seemed to have lost all stomach for the fight that now necessitated their climbing to the attack. ‘They shot arrows upward, in the hope that they might drop inside the space where the two white men were garrisoned. They jabbered and shook their spears, and finally THE ARGOSY. retreated to watch the progress of the canoe-battle. McKay and Sime, seeing the pursuit tem- porarily stalled, sought the tiny runlet of water that McKay had marked, flung them- selves down on their bellies, and lapped at it like two tired dogs. Then Sime, without rising, rolled over into a strip of shade and lay face downward, exhausted. McKay marked his thin shoulders heaving under the clothing that, like his own, was saturated as much as if they had been swimming rather than running. McKay, weary and feeling drawn, got up and surveyed his schooner. Only the one canoe had ventured near the ship, and a smart rifle-fire had driven it off to cau- tious distance. But the other canoes hung about the reef-gap, cutting off communica- tion with the Mbelema. He walked across the promontory and surveyed the farther side. Here an arm of the sea ran in clear to low ledges of rocks where the bush started within reach of the spray, without beach, even at low tide, he estimated. The sun had three hours of journey be- fore darkness. Its beams still turned the rocks to an oven. She water that had per- colated through the porous strata, siphon- ing up from an inland source, had been warm and none too fresh. They had no food. Back of the promontory was the black line of bush, with no edible fruits in sight. Some shellfish might be had later, but that was salty food, and, in those seas, always risky, pregnant with ptomaine possibilities. At its best, in the prevailing heat, they would form a scanty meal that would only aggravate a thirst. The schooner was cut off, calm-bound, able only at best to pro- tect itself. He went back to Sime, who had turned on his back and lay very still, one arm across his eyes. He sat up weakly when McKay reached him, and McKay was shocked to see how sick the Californian looked. But he smiled wanly and gamely. “Still in the running, Mac, though 1m glad of a rest. We got down to the boat, all right, and then I turned back. I figured I might be needed. Those canoes must GOMIIGDIOO SS (CO