Part 27 (1/2)
Fearing a trick Phi turned the round But he was unconscious; there was nothat
”That's queer,” perplexedly ”I didn't do anything to hi”
He bent over to gather up a handful of snohich to rub the native's brohen he caught an old, fa up ”Rover, old boy,” Phi smiled a queer sort of smile, ”we're not beyond the reaches of the civilized white man This fellow's drunk Hooch In other words, moonshi+ne; I s stones at us
Crazy drunk, that's all Now he's gone dead on us, like a flivver run out of gas”
The dog srowled
”Don't like it, do you? Most honest ood for anybody And now, just for that, we're in for so of a task This fellow'd lie here until he froze stiff as a mastodon tusk if we'd let him, but we can't afford to let hiet hi' till he sweats some of that hooch out of hiht prove dangerous once he was roused from his stupor Phi realized that he was not on the mainland of America This man's costume was quite unlike that of the Diomeders He wore a shi+rt of eiderduck skins such as was never seen on the Little Dioar composed of parka and trousers were all of one piece
”Wherever we are,” he said to the dog, ”we'll knohat's what in an hour or two”
After witnessing the strange actions of the group of natives as they clustered in about the boarded-up house, ildly beating hearts Lucile and Marian took their places back a little in the shadohere they could not be seen but could still watch the wild antics of their strange visitors
”What does it uess,” Lucile whispered back ”Soh, I a the house, and their wild shrill cadent song rose high and loud:
”Ki--yi--yi--ule dancer tore his hair again and again, and repeated his ure stood back i any part in the weird den fro ceased He uttered a feords apparently of command, then waved his scrawny arms toward the house
A wild shout rent the air All the natives, save the i to their feet and started toward their village But now the impassive one leaped up and tried to check them, to drive them back
As well attempt to stop a torrent with the open hand They pushed hiirls heard a pounding at the door, but dared not open it
”What does itone another
Presently theback Some bore on their shoulders poles and boards hastily torn fro under a load which appeared to be a sealskin filled with some liquid
”Seal-oil!” said Lucile ”What--” and then the fullof it came to her like a flash ”Marian!” she said in an almost inaudible whisper, ”they mean to burn the cabin That's what the wood and oil are for--to start the fire!”
The words were hardly out of her ripped her arm
”Look!” she cried
A dense black s past the
Roused by her cry, the crippled Eski toward the oldthe pole to the floor, he hopped outside and away