Argosy, Vol. 1 (1882) — page 247: what you’re looking at

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

233 cur; but the old man s:ept till sunrise as quietly as a healthy child. On awaking he went straight to the mine, asking that his breakfast be sent up to him, a request with which Brad- shaw was only too glad to.comply. So they saw little of hum during the day. He came down to dinner, looked at the unfinished raft, and shook his head gravely. ‘“ Better be preparing defenses,” he said, “ though I admit that there’s little reason to hurry them. No Marotse will - dare come this way without the leader-- ship: of one of the Arabs.” . In fact Bradshaw by no means neg- lected defenses, though he was at no pains to throw up intrenchments. He and Pan explored the hilltop and found a spot whence a glimpse of the river could be obtained by climbing a tree. The little section of the stream then visible was in the direction of the Ma- rotse town. They stationed a carrier in the tree with instructions to keep his eyes glued upon the distant river and report in- stantly the passing of canoes or any other sign of approaching tribesmen. After the rest of the party had dined one of the men was sent to relieve the man in the tree. In less than half an hour he returned, trembling with ter- ror. He had found the right tree, as he made sure by climbing it and seeing the river, but there was no sign of the man who had been stationed there. Pan went back with him, Bradshaw remaining to hasten the work on the raft. The tree was found deserted, just as the second man had reported. Then Pan went in a direct line from the tree toward the mine. way he came upon the dead body of the first carrier. The unfortunate man had been stabbed through the heart, and there were marks upon his throat to indicate that in a struggle he had been prevented from giving a cry of warn- ing by choking. How many had assailed him could not be told, and the point was unim- About mid- THE ARGOSY. portant. An inference of much more consequence was that the approaching Marotses had sent on a scout to see if the mine were occupied, and that the guard, having seen the scout pass his tree, had tried to get back to the mine to give warning. Probably the carrier met the scout, or scouts, on their return from the mine where they must have seen Murdock at work. It was evident that the carrier had been dead for two or three hours at least. Therefore, the scouts had had trme to get far away, and perhaps had already rejoined the oncoming party. A thousand Marotses might mean- time have passed that point in the river that was visible from the observation tree. They might be already at the landing. This thought lent speed to Pan’s feet as he hurried back to the camp. When he arrived the men were tearing the huts to pieces for the purpose of using the material in the completion of the raft. “The Marotses are coming!” he cried. “ How far away?” asked Bradshaw, quickly. “T don't know. They may be very near.” * The raft will float us as itis. Tell the men to put our stuff on board.” To this end both Bradshaw and Pan sect to work. The blacks, knowing something of the cause for alarm, hur- ried back and forth between the huts and the river, carrying luggage and placing it upon the raft. The river bank near+the landing was covered with a dense growth of high bushes whose luxuriant foliage shut out all view up the stream. Even when one stood at the further end of the raft he could not see more than a hundred yards away on account of a bend in the stream and a point of land that jutted out from the bank just above the land- ing. This was most unfortunate, cap cial- CONMUCLIOOMKS «GOL