Part 11 (1/2)

”I reckon,” he said, directing his remarks toward no one in particular, ”that we've all been rather hasty in thishet up as ith the strain of e been through an' so it seems to me, takin' into consideration that Mr Theriere really done his best to save the shi+p, an' that as a hty lucky to coones, for the time bein' at least, an' all of us pitch in to save e can fros sort o' shi+pshape here instid o' squabblin' ast ourselves”

”Suit yourself,” said Theriere, ”it's all the same to us,” and his use of the objective pronoun seemed definitely to establish the existence of his faction as a separate and distinct party

Simms, from years of experience with his astutethat Ward proposed, though he had not the brains always to appreciate the purposes that proestions Now, therefore, he nodded his approval of Squint Eye's proposal, feeling that whatever was in Ward's mind would be more likely to work out to Skipper Simms' interests than some unadvised act of Skipper Simms himself

”Supposin',” continued Ward, ”that we let two o' your men an' two o'

ourn under Mr Divine, shi+n up them cliffs back o' the cove an' search fer water an' a site fer cae”

”Good,” agreed Theriere ”Miller, you and Swenson will accompany Mr

Divine”

Ward detailed two of his an the difficult ascent of the cliffs, while far above them a little brown man with beady, black eyes set in narrow fleshy slits watched thee, ave him a most warlike appearance His temples were shaved, and a broad strip on the top of his head to just beyond the crown His rehtly at the back, and the queue then brought forward to the top of the forehead His helrass at his feet At the nearer approach of the party to the cliff top the watcher turned and melted into the forest at his back

He was Oda Yoria Dynasty of shoguns who had fled japan with his faithful samurai nearly three hundred and fifty years before upon the overthrow of the Ashi+kaga Dynasty

Upon this unfrequented and distant japanese isle the exiles had retained all of their inal ferocity of the head-hunting natives they had found there and ho any advances in arts or letters had, on the contrary, relapsed into prinorance as deep as that of the natives hom they had cast their lot--only in their ar and discipline did they show any of the influence of their civilized progenitors They were cruel, crafty, resourceful wild men trapped in the habiliments of a dead past, and armed with the keen weapons of their forbears They had not even the crude religion of the Malaysians they had absorbed unless a highly exaggerated propensity for head-hunting ion To the tender mercies of such as these were the castaways of the Halfht sixteen ainst near a thousand savage sa sailors at the beach busied thee and the salvage of the Halfmoon as the waves had deposited in the shallows of the beach There were casks of fresh water, kegs of biscuit, clothing, tinned eneous mass of flotsam This arduous labor consumed the best part of the afternoon, and it was not until it had been completed that Divine and his party returned to the beach

They reported that they had discovered a spring of fresh water some three miles east of the cove and about half a mile inland, but it was decided that no attee of the party to the new ca

Theriere and Divine erected a rude shelter for Barbara Harding close under the foot of the cliff, as far from the water as possible, while above thelittering eyes This time a half-dozen of his fierce samurai crouched at his side

Besides their tords these latter bore the prie tribe

Oda Yorimoto watched the white irl--even more, possibly, than he watched thebuilt, and when it was coirl enter it, and he knew that it was for her alone Oda Yorimoto sucked in his lips and his eyes narrowed even more than nature had intended that they should

A fire burned before the rude doer fire roared a hundred yards to the here theto evolve a meal from the miscellany of his larder that had been cast up by the sea There seemed now but little to indicate that the party was divided into two bitter factions, but when the meal was over Theriere called his men to a point midway between Barbara's shelter and the main camp fire Here he directed theht as best they could, building a fire of their own if they chose, for with the coht would render a fire hly tired and exhausted, so that darkness had scarce fallen ere the entire camp seemed wrapped in slumber And still Oda Yorimoto sat with his samurai upon the cliff's summit, beady eyes fixed upon his intended prey

For an hour he sat thus in silence, until, assured that all were asleep before him, he arose and with a fehispered instructions commenced the descent of the cliff toward the cove below Scarce had he started, however, with his le file behind him, than he came to a sudden halt, for below hiirl's shelter and the westerly ca his fellows

It was Theriere Cautiously he ently until he had awakened him

”Hush, Byrne,” cautioned the Frenchman ”It is I, Theriere Help me awaken the others--see that there is no noise”

”Wot's doin'?” queried theto break camp, and occupy the new location before that bunch of pirates can beat us to it,” whispered Theriere in reply; ”and,”

he added, ”we're going to take the salvage and the girl with us”

The rinned