THE DOCTOR'S PROTÉGÉE.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VII, Issue 516, 9 November 1912, Page 2

THE DOCTOR'S PROTÉGÉE.

By ALBERT LEE, Author of " The Baronet in Corduroy," " The Key of the Holy House," King Stork of the Netherlands," " The Black Disc," &c.

(All Rights Reserved.)

Published By Special Arrangement,

CHAPTER XXVll.—[Continued). Here at least was shelter, and raided no it was the tlfought that, starvation was not probable so long as I had strength of body to go forth ancl obtain food. • The sea-would yield it, and birds were on the island in numbers large enough to feed a. hundred men,, and only wanted sljill in the capturing. For a while I lay down and rested after the weary tramp across the desert. I could sleep with little fear of disturbance, for nowhere could I lind a sign of any human being. When I awoke it was dark but for the moon's, rays that entered the cavern at its' mouth. I looked out on the moonlit scene, but I could not say that the night was silent. The quietness which should h'ave reigned was broken by a horrid din made by the drummings, the pipings and the bellowings of the frogs. Yet even these sounds were company. It gave one the feeling that there was life near at hand. Feeling hungry I ate my biscuits, and waited for the morning, lying down again on the hard floor and considering my plans. Since I had found a place where shelter and comfort were to be' had, I resolved to quit the desert side of the island, but determine!:! at the same time to bring hither such of my stores as were portable. When day dawned I started on my journey, going cautiously, marking the trees where necessary, and stamping down the undergrowth so as to avoid losing my way on my return. When I looked behind J saw that I had thus made a path which could not be missed, provided I marked the last tree on the hilltop, and thus be aided in finding the beaten track on my return. I scarcely need to go into the details of the transfer of my stock from the landing-place in the desert half of the island. By repeated journeys and the exercise of ingenuity I succeeded in carrying everything to my cave except the cask of water. There were streams near home, for sucli 11 chose to call the cave : and even within that place of shelter there was water sufficient for my passing needs. Once settled, I gathered fuel in abundance, and lighting a fire, kept it burning night and day. Here, in the rudest way, I cooked such birds and fish as fell to my hand. Weeks must have passed . in this strange monotony which reminded me much of what I had read concerning the doings of Robinson Crusoe. Finding that idleness brought with it intolerable hours, depression and fears, and useless restlessness, I busied myself in a. hundred ways, tiring myself with constant activity so as to ensure a welcome sleep at the end of the day. From time to time I took my way in several directions, now making for the sea in this course, then in that, halting here and there to explore, and discover whether the island bore any signs of human habitation; but every journey undertaken with that object ended in failure. After a time I began to turn my attention to the cave, and one day made a discovery which, in the later days, proved to be valuable beyond all' conception. Many a time I had assured myself that no human creature had ever come up to this spot where I made my home : but one morning I had convincing proof that another had been there before me. I was clearing away some loose stones in one of the corners, to make the floor level in order to lay my bed of leaves there, and thus be out of the reach of the wind which often swept in and around the place, much to my discomfort. I had not hitherto attempted to scrape the surface in order to level it because I had no tools, but I found a piece of sharp flint which, when attached to a broken tree branch, made a serviceable pick. With this I chipped up the hardened earth, and scraped it away with the flat wood which I tore from the small packing-case which hel;. s'omo tinned meats. In one place I found that the flint went deeply, the ground being softer there than elsewhere. Wondering at this, and striking again, I ,sa\v the flint go deeper yet. Again and again, out of mere curiosity, I chipped away . until the hole began to assume shape, the soft earth on one side, and the straight line of rock on the other. When I followed this carefully I found that a long hole's yard in length and a foot in breadth was evidently there, cut into the rock, and curious to see what this might mean, I scraped out the loose earth. A foot or so below the surface I found something which indicated distinctly that once upon a time, someone had been to this cavern, and had either chipped out the ncarlv square hole, or had found it already there, and then made a of it for something wh'ch had a certain valuejn the esti. nation cT him who had been working at the floor. It was a long parcel with a brown-paper wrapper, and when I tore away the covering I looked at the contents with some surprise.

It had the appearance of a Neptune's trident. The handle of it was formed out of sharp-pointed horn of gemsbok, or kookoom, a large antelope—a terrible weapon, of offence when its owner wore it oh its head and wielded it as a bayonet. On the end of the long horn were the head and neck of a rhinocerous, in what I judged at first to be beaten brass. Standing on the head was the figure of a negro wrought in the same metal, his feet placed heel to heel. The man was naked, but for a loin cloth, made of two rows of feathers, and to the head was fastened some thick woolly hair. The head itself above this hair was capped with a fiat helmet. The arms supported an oblong plate, which rested on the helmet's crest, and on it stood an elephant from whose back sprang a trident, each prong being about four inches long. At 'the bend of each of the outer prongs hung a crocodile, clinging to the trident by its jaws, and between the hanging crocodile and the standing elephant hung a sacred beetle which held on bv its forelegs. From point to point of the opposing crocodile's tails the measurement was about five inches. All this attachment was to all appearances of beaten brass, but on closer acquaintance I found that it was of pure gold, I judged from the beautv of the workmanship —for it was chased elaborately in all its parts —that it was the sceptre of some barbaric chieftain; probably of one whose domains bordered the sea of which he claimed to be supreme lord. ' ' For a long time I examined it, trying to reason out the cause of" its strange burial in this out-of-way corner of the world ; but like its owner of other days I wrapped it up carefully, returned it to its hidingplace, and scraped over the earth again, intending to look at it more closely some other time. But later something happened which drove the matter from my memory. I was standing on the shore, looking out to sea, when I saw in the distance a black, moving body, with what looked like masts that were almost bare, but with something flapping from therri. Possibly it was a broken sail which the breeze took up at times, then dropped again. It came nearer and yet nearer, and I knew it at last for what I hoped it might be. I thought I should go mad with delight, for. it was a ship, making straight for the island. It is true the sails were, torn, and flew out now and again in the gusty wind in broken streamers of canvas, but the masts were whole, so : t seemed to me as though her captain were bringing' her in close, so as to find a harbour where the ship could anchor while new sails were being rigged up. Had she been a wreck I would have welcomed her, on the chance that there were men living' on board who would have been company. She came on, but as the hulk loomed on the waters I saw no sign of life, and my hope began to fail. Her funnel was smokeless, nor was there any thud which told of the engines working. She came heavily, rolling in the sea which now and again washed over the lower decks, which seemed to be riding as low in the water as they could ride and vet the ship be still afloat. I put my hands to my mouth and shouted, hoping thus to attract attention, but there w.as no response. I shouted again and again, for now, if the captain did not change his course she would run aground, and split on the jagged rocks. No one cou'd be seen anywhere on board, and mv hope not only fa'led, but died clean out. She was either a derelict, the dangerous plaything of the ocean, or those who had once lived on board now lay in her cabins, dead or dying. She came plunging on, and ro'.ling heavily. Presently the sea caught her, and with a crash she was tossed on the beach, falling on it with all her weight, crunching and screaming as her copper bottom scraped on the shingle. She came to rest with a ghastly sigh, and a tremor as of something in great agony. ' • An hour later the tide had gone out so far that I was able to reach her bows and climbing on board to explore her and get at the mystery of this tragedy which had ended htjf career, I searched her through and through, but there . was no one on board who could tell her story. Nor was there so much as a dead body that I could see, unless there should be one in a cabin wlv.ch I had not yet entered. hereever I went I saw that she had been abandoned hastily. Ihe cook's galley shewed that the cook himself had been working there until the last moment when the order came to get to the boats. Ihe water had been entering by slow degrees, and the desertion had taken place, perhaps, not many hours before, when, perchance, the crew had seen land, and determined to quit her, there and then, and leave '

the ship a derelict, rather than remain with her and find death in midocean. I knew not why I had evaded one cabin for so long a time. I had passed it again and again, while I went from stem to stern looking for signs of life. Whether it was that I "had a presentiment of something startling, I cannot say, for these strange feelings of aversion are so unaccountable. Even when I touched the handle at the lock I hesitated to open it. I had gone into the other cabins fearlessly, down into the sailors' quarters without curiosity, and the hope of finding something human ; but here I halted, and did not even turn the handle to enter until I had called myself a coward. When I threw open the ■ door I looked within. At first I saw nothing I looked again, and thought I saw the foot of a man under the table. Going in feeling ashamed of my nervous fears, which my long loneliness largely accounted for, I stepped up to the other side of the table, and then saw a man's body stretched full length and face downwards upon the floor. At the first glance I thought him dead, but bending over him I seemed to hear him breathe. Bending lower 1 put mv hand to his heart, but could not feel it beat, but when I felt his pulse I knew that he was still alive although very near to death's door. There was some brandy near, and turning him over so that I might deal with him, I poured some of it down his throat, and the stimulant revived him. After a while he opened his eyes but did not speak. I stood and looked down at him presently when I had done for him what was immediately necessary. The first impression while I was seeking to bring him back to consciousness was that I had seen him before; but I had need to turn my whole thought to his restoration, rather than trouble about his identity. But now— Suddenly I exclaimed in blank astonishment, for I remembered all. The man now lying at my feet had a squarely-cut beard, which was of the same colour as his sandy hair. As he lay I saw that the left shoulder was very much lower than the right. His features, too were such that I could not now mistake them. The man was none other " than Regnauld, the messenger of the Fraternity of Paris!

CHAPTER XXVIII. " REGNAULD'S STORY. a Regnauld was too much exhausted to think of getting ashore for a while, and as the tide was going out, and the ship lay high and dry beyond the risk of breaking up I left him while I w r ent again and more deliberately over the wreck, to see whether there was anything likely to be of value during our sojourn on the island. Of food there was abundance, and it furnished a pleasant variety to the fruit and bird and fish diet on which I had been consisting for some time. The biscuits were good, the tinned meats were in excellent condition, and when I continued my search I found a medicine chest which promised to be of service if our stay on the island was to be prolonged. Tools, too, were there, and although I was no great hand at mechanical labor, I knew well enough that necessity would make me fairly efficient in what I attempted. I think that what gave me the greatest pleasure was the discovery of a boat in fairly good condition. With Regnauld's aid I could get it afloat, and there were countless possibilities before me now. There was even the toope of quitting the island, and either reaching some land which was inhabited, or being picked up by some passing ship. Even supposing that a ship sailed bv the island, but did not answer the signal of distress I might hoist now what flags were at my disposal this Frenchman and I might pul! out after her, and what with sail and oars, might overhaul her. I tried the-ropes and pulleys, and finding everything in I airly good order determined to wait for the incoming tide to lower and pull ashore. There was money, too and plenty of it. There was a large chest labelled for a bank at a foreign port, and when I wrenched it open, after great trouble, I found that it was full of gold. It was worth asking, but was so heavy that with all my training I could not shilt the Chest at all. I looked upon it as a fair treasure-trove, and had no compunction in appropriating it. (To be Continued.) D.P.—22.