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—~ THAPPY
DAYS 7
Ne sod
Grasping the leverin both hands Leoli
exclai
“The warriors shall not take us ! Come,
let the white girl be ready !”
Mildred had began to understand Leoli’s
language so that she grasped her mean-
Be
t once she took: her place at the side of
the brave native g
Placing her hands. upon the lever, Mil-
dred was ready to aid Leoll.
‘Then the two girls watched the approach-
ing enemy closely.
They saw the two warriors strike the
trail of the black lava and begin the ascent
of the steep mountain 8
Now ensued a 2 period, of suspens
Mildred “felt her heart pulsate excitedly.
She looked-at her companion, and she
was surprised to observe that she was per-
fectly cool and collected.
n fact, Leoli had supreme confidence in
their ability to burl the great rock down
upon the two w. .
As e latter o continued the ascent of the
lava iri Mice presently saw their hid-
eous faces plaii
She shuddered % as she observed their ex-
ultant expressions,“and she supposed they
knew all the men had left the mountain.
n a moment or Wo warriors
caught sight of Mildred and her compan-
ion,
“Come down, else Bamapo come up,
and quick kill I” one of the savages called
at,
ound he and his companion halted.
Mildred did not surely make out what
the warrior said,
eoli hastened to translate his
wordy, or rather repeat them lowly. Then
Mildred gathered his mea:
eoli turned to the warrior .
Making a defiant gesture, she called out
in, the language of
0 back, ,orit is you rho will be killed !
The reat host fs our friend |”
“To, We know the great ghost and
all the ‘hon have left the mountain,” one
of the warriors shouted bac
“ And we do not fear (omen. Come
down, I say,” e other savage called out.
“e Matelto,” replied Leoli, *“ you were al-
ways Well treated by n I do not know
y you come to hunt me, for our fathers
were friends, Ido not want you to die, so
for the last time I command y ou to go
back I” cried Leoli, in the native language.
But the two warriors refused to heed her.
Laughing exultantly, they resumed the
ascent of the mountain si
* ‘They will not turn back! They must
be slain They re my own people, but I
cannot spare them,” muttered Leoli.
nm came the warriors.
When they were about thirty feet below
the Iedge on which the two girls stood,
Leoli made Mildred a signa
‘The white girl then understood that the
time had come when they must make the
attempt upon which their lives depended,
Bracing their feet firmly against the
roeks, {hey put forth all their strength in
the effort to move the nicely balanced
powlder, wh which they meant to send crash-
ing dow
Bat it seemed that the great rock had
settled back somewhat since the two girls
made the trial which proved to their
friends that they could dislodge it unaided.
Anyhow, the rock failed to ve,
The oO girls gazed into each other's
faces with consternation showing in their |] a
“wide eyes,
And awful terror seized upon them both,
But again they struggled to dislodge the
great rock and fai
A moment more ae d it seemed the war-
riors would reach them
‘Then, for the third time momentarily en-
dowed ‘with the strength that comes of de-
spair, the two girls put forth all their
power, and then at last the great rock
moved, and the succeeding moment it went
crushing down the steep ‘pathway below,
Tyvot terrible yells sounded, and looking
€ two girls saw the crushed and
mangled bodies of their focs on the path-
Y, as the great bowlder went bounding
along below them in tts headlong flight to
the base of the mount:
“Saved I” uttered Mildred, as she sank
down panting and almost breathless,
The native girl iso sank upon the rock
and seemed exh
But Presently the two girls arose,
Leoli looked long and regretfully at the
ead.
Mildred could mot bear to gaze upon
them, and she awa,
After that the white maid and her dusky
companion watched and waited for the re-
turn of their friends, little thinking what
fage events were taking place in the vil-
ace of rh he savage king.
g the two girls, who were now
ee eeaving safe from molestation by the isl-
anders, we return to the village of King
death, according to the rules of thé wager
of battle, as the reader will recall.
hen, as a coward driven to the wall, as
one may say, the threats which th
warriors made to stone him to death it he
refused to fight, Kala confronted Jack
armed with spear and battle-ax, while
Jack had the same weapons, a moment of
great suspense and excitement en
The warriors formed a great circle about
the duelists,
Among them stood Girard and old Ben,
And as the white youth, who was about
to fight for the throne ot the island king-
dom, advanced to meet Kala, the warriors
set up a great shout,
King IXala was a powerful man, and, as
he was familiar with the native weapons,
which were alone to be used in the fight, it
looked dark for Jack.
CHAPTER XX,
“A KING AT SIXTEEN,
D Ben shuddered as he saw King |"
Kala towered above his boy comrade,
And Girard muttere
“Perhaps we are wrong to let the lad
meet the huge savage in single combat.”
“But it's too late to stop ‘the duel now,
And if Jack kills the man-eating rascal
our safety is assured, The natives will
Freneba proclaiin Jack king,” added the
rene
Took! "the great fight for a throne be-
gins,” said old Ben,
It wasso, At that moment King Kala,
mad with the terror of a coward, who will
fight because he fears death, rushed at
o
Utiering a savage yell Kala pave a tre-
mendous unge with his spear full tilt at
a
2
tis ain was not at fault. -
Though Jack tried to ward it off, the
king's spear struck him on the right side,
ie felt a dull thud of pain,a faint gur-
eo
nee red “Stream trickled over his white
He was pricked at. least.
Bui fortuna: ately a lucky chance had
shielded the
Ife wore heavy ‘braces with large buckles.
It chanced that one of the suspender
buckles caught the point cf Kala’s spear,
3 the force of the blow was broken,
Really Jack’s wound was only a scratch,
and Kala’s spear shaft snapped asunder in
the middle.
Yelling likea maniac, » Ring Kala hurled
the broken shaft a
But the lad dod red i
Then, rushing forward, Kala flung him-
self on Jack.
The suddenness of the attack almost
took the Jad’s breath away.
But by this time the champion of the
Baus was ready to play his part in the
2
oe King Kala wes, attacking him with
his heavy stone
If Jack failed to parry, th those deadly
blows he was doomed to death,
e Jad knew that it Nas all im-
ortante peat he must keep cool and have
is wits about him,
i moment Jack wished one of his
fomrades would slip a revolver into his
5
Es
‘only for an instant did his sense of
fair tae desert him, even though his an-
tagonist was a savag
Parrying King ala’ ‘3 first desperate
blow with bis own stone ax, Jack bounded
ide,
Then he rushed in on King Kala,
The latter struck at the lad wildly.
At the same instant almost the youth
alt one swift, tremendous downward
stroke with his ston
For the next. succeeding moment or so
the duelists closed in a flerce combat, and
Jack got in several telling blow:
Ife was more agile than his b huge adver-
sary, gad so ke evaded his rushes,
& King Kala, inspired with the
laste nt, of “despair, made a desperate
charge and be; to fight as if he thought
only of selling his life as dearly as possible.
e fought with his ax, his feet, In fact,
he battled with fury such as Jack had not
anticipated i in a known coward,
nm the contrary, fouatit with the
calm ski lot a fencin hg mia
The lad was nerved by the Thought that
Mildred’s future safety depended upon the
result of the le.
Happily, he had learned the art of thrust
and parry at a fencing school in Sydney,
and though he had touse spear and ax
and,
st King Kala, getting (xhausted,
drew back and panted for bre:
That momentary retreat was tied
Seizing his chance, with skill Jack again
closed upon the breathless sa Wage,
His ax rose, and then fell in‘a lightning-
like stroke,
p or King Kala this was a death blow.
Jack's stone ax caught the savage on the
top of hiss
lis head we ‘as “broken like an egg shell.
King Kxala fell, bathed in hia own blood,
nas Jack Staggered back, spent and
breathless, but victorious, there ensued a
ull moment of silence and suspense. °
Then a great shout went up from the as-
sembled multi tue ie.
dead! Long live the
white boy king p shouted the warriors,
“Blow my toplights at you_ain’t elect-
ed!” exclaimed old and while the
jexful shouting went, on he And the
french castaway looked to and bound up
Jack's slight, superficial wo
speck looked at the dead parage remorse-
“ne felt that it was awful to think that
he had taken human life, even in a just
quarrel.
. Just then one of the chiefs strode for-
ward, and gave the body of the dead king
a contemptuous kick,
“He big coward heart. We'll eat him!”
said the wa:
awh pen the priests dragged the dead body
the returned almost at once and
all. salute Jack as
they brought ‘the royal mantle of
red feathers, which King Kala had worn,
and placed it on the shoulders of the
white lad.
It w: as the, ceremonial of coronation as
practiced | in Bamapo,
“And so you are a king?” said Felix
Girard, smiling.
“Yes, ‘A King at Sixteen.’ I’m rather
young, even for a ruler of these uncivilized
men, but I'll do my best to better their con:
dition,” ¢ said Jack, seriou:
ww Jack’s one desire was to return
to Mildred, whom he had saved from some-
thing worse than death at the hands of the
savage creature who lay dead.
he lad moved as if he meant to leave
the Jaze.
Stay, o oh, king of the white face! We
are all the dust under your feet, but as you
know not the rites you must erform on
ecoming king, Mabole swill tell you,” said
the chief who had spurned the-body. o:
Kala.
“Tho I” he added, as Jack paused, ‘ IIere
comes the royal feast, which the new king
must eat before all his people.”
At that moment two hideous priests ap-
reached, bearing the bleeding heart of
ala on a great wooden dish.
This they placed before Jack.
“ Eat eart of the dead king, oh,
mighty “ehite ruler,” said one of the
priests.
Jack ‘shuddered with horror, and he drew
back, making a gesture of disgust.
“*T will never partake of that horrible
IXnow ye all, men of Bamapo, that
from this hourI ace the royal tatoo on
all human flesh! man, no woman, shall
hereafter partake of it, under the penalty
f death. »rhis is the ‘first decree of your
new king.
A murmur of Gisapproval feat up from
the throng, and Jack s: he must
deal with the savages s' ster
“ Away with that hideous thing, or I will
brain you both!” he cried, addressing the
two priests.
As he spoke he brandished the great ax
Phuc be he had used in the deadly duel with
ing Kala.
The priests cast looks p08 oy and threat-
ening nature at the bra’
But they obeyed hin
As they withdrew, Patra, the war chief,
came into vie
He had, suffeied from loss of blood, and
he now limped somewhat, But sup-
ported hi ta I figure on his great spear. .
While his face wore a look of hatred and
jealousy, he glared at Jac
Then he addressed the people, saying:
“Ye have heard the edict of-the white
king. Ye haveheard this stranger, who
by chance has come among us, say that-ye
shall not again taste human flesh,
ye know that he means to put t aside the
customs of our fathers, Will ye submit?
I, Patra, the great ghief, say no! Tam the
one rae should be
Hold §” interrupted Jack. “This is
treason! As king, [command you to
tire, and | never to speak of this again,
Away Is.
Patra ‘plated about him, But the
riors, who secretly agreed to help him take
Kalas place, did not rally to his support
the
t ‘The attitude of the whites restrained
The latter had drawn their firearms.
Ye are all cowards! The white face
will make women of our warriors!” mut«
tered Patra,
And then flashing a glance of malignant
envy pon Jack, he stalked away to his
own
“That. fellow means mischief, and he
will yet causc us serious trouble, for he has
great influence with the warriors,” said
Girard to Jack,
CH. R :
JACK ACTS AS THE KING OF TIE ISLAND,
Ine lad looked troubled, Already the
weight of the responsibility pe b bad as-
sumed weighed heavily upon hi
e was “sustained, hi
flection that if it was his destiny toend
his days on that unknown island, he would
make it bis life's work to instruct the sav-
ane people in the ways of civilization, lung
ake them better for his presence aniong
{
them,
To Girard he said: f
“Undoubtedly Patra means to make m
position as king a difficult and dangerous
one, He tovets the crown for himself. dat
allwe can do is to watch him, and be realy
fo act act Promptly, to defeat any plot he may
ate: }
te nd ” added Jack, * we will brin;;
Mildred from the mountain,”
“Yes,” said old Ben ; “ now that she tas
nothing to ‘tear from reine Kala, and yzur
authority is recognized, T reckon we can
brin her here safely, ‘
go to bring the white maiden,”
Jack, addressing the populac
Then he strode away, attended by. his
two white comrades and the natives who
had been with him on the mountain,
They proceeded swift! ere lon;
ae
a
and .
they began the ascent of th the pathway o of
Va.
black la
Soon they came upon the mangled bodies
of the two warriors who had been ernshed
to death by the great rock which Mildre
and Leoli had dislodged from above.
then a great fear “for the safety of; ie
irl and Leoli came upon Jack. |
upward anxiously.
that moment Mildred and Leolt! «
peared upon the lofty ledge at the ede of
the plateau,
Seeing them, Jack pttered afjoyful she ub +
t .
Mildred answered it,
ew Soenents later Jack and, his
companions reached the platea
Altidred welcomed Jack warmly,
mutual explanati ‘ons ensued.
When Mildred learned about all that i ad
befallen Jack and his friends she said in
troubled tones: . . te
“So you are now king of Bamapo,” I
cannot tell you how much I admire your
courage, but I fear that as king you a lt
vil.” -
and Leoli had sent the great rock down
upon the ire warriors who had come to
capture the j
‘oon the party left the mountain, |
When they re-entered the village an‘ es-
cort of warriors escorted them to the royal
inclosure, yrhich ww
of the king's wives,
Jack ordered two of the largest huts to
be vacated, and his command was obeyed.
ot nage? two huts were built against exch
“a one o of them Jack installed itdeea
an
He and’ his two white comrades took
possession. of the adjoining
‘There is only a frail wall “Hetwreen us,
You have only to call if you. need me, end
I will instantly respond,” yaaid Jack, as he
showed Mildred into her bh
e native girls came to wait. uy on
Mildred, but she dismissed them.
Jack explained to the native ‘maidens in
the Figian fongue that the white,yirl
needed only Leoli, {
A little Tater Jack called all the chict
oune
government of the people which he t: al
Girard had decided upon,
Then he said: {
“Though we have repolsed the enemy
they may come again tn greater forse, nnd
we must be ready for them. In the land
of the white people men are trained to
fight in war so that large forces act in er
feet accord, _ This is the best way, an
the morrow I will organize our army a: ce
the method of my people, so that if;the
Maqua men come again ws shalt be the
more certain to defeat thi
of Bamapo were essentially a
e| warlike race, and they testified their ap-
proval of Jack’s plans.
Indeed, the majority of the people seem-
ed to rejoice, particularly because the
white boy king was evidently a warlike
racter,
Jack finally dismissed the chief men, and
he and his white comrades spent the rest *
of the day in learning from Moa and Roba
all that those two natives could tell tiem
about. what was expected of their king,
and also in regard to. the customs, super-
stitions and traditions of the strange race.
By the time night came Jack thought he
was pretty well informed upon these
joints, so that he could manage his dusky
subje jects and win their confidence,
mong other things, Roba and ‘Moa tet: a
Jack that the priests wielded a fre eat fa
tluence over the people, and that th
priests—wwere devoted to eannitalisin aud
the making of feasts of human
a conclusion, when he had spoken! ion
this head, Roba’said: |
“Now I m among the priests
and heard them talk when they knew not
that [was near, The priests say that it is
not right that the new king should fori-t
uman Rerifices and the eating of the yic-
tims, They say y the gods are offended,'fcor
they like blood, All the priests are frie! .!-
to Patra, because in this he sides w
t em, I fear me, oh, white king, ti...
was filled with the huts °
an aes ERROR poe.