Jaragu and the Lost Islands by Rex Beach

Author:Rex Beach
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Crackajack Funnies
Published: 1938-09-22T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nine

Captain Bill had gone about two hundred yards down the beach, finding it curved gradually until the point from where they had started was lost to view. He stopped once, coming upon a few splintered boards washed high on the beach—perhaps wreckage of the Maya's lifeboat Now he was certain they were on an island, for the shoreline seemed to be swinging in a large and irregular circle.

"An island," Bill thought as he moved along, scanning the steep face of the cliff for a way up. "Not very large, either. From the way the shore curves, I'd say it's hardly a mile in length overall and certainly much less in width."

Now he had come to a sort of gully, where the cliff had been washed out and the bed of a tumbling stream sloped upward gradually for about a hundred yards to the top and what apparently was a miniature plateau forming the center of the island. Leaving his course on the beach, Captain Bill started climbing, finding green clumps of grass growing along the stream, with here and there a bush of wild berries whose location he marked in his mind.

At the top of the gully Bill Adams halted with surprise to take in the scene before him. Tall coconut palms climbed up from a grassy, partially wooded plateau. Almost at his feet a bird flew up swiftly. "Food," he thought. "And the stream for water."

The thought recalled to his mind that he was thirsty. Bending over the stream he drink slowly of the cold, crystal water. He drew back a little, then, every muscle in his body seemed to contract with apprehension. He felt the hair rising on the back of his neck, felt little beads of sweat form on his brow.

Reflected in the brilliant surface of the little stream was a horrible figure—a gigantic black man, face smeared with crimson streaks! And Captain Bill saw that the man was standing directly in back of him, one brawny upraised arm poised with a ready spear!

Bill Adams was sure his time had come!

Captain Bill's first thought, upon seeing the awesome reflection in the water, was to turn and try to establish the fact he was unarmed, that he was friendly. Some inner hunch, however, made him doubt his ability to put those thoughts across before that poised spear would come driving down. His mind cool as ice, Bill swiftly bunched himself into the only maneuver which might give him a chance. His feet had been drawn up under him when he bent to drink.

Now, instead of trying to turn backward toward the savage black man, his muscles tensed and Bill drove himself forward and away from the figure standing over him.

Clearing the brook, Bill had no more than touched the opposite bank than he threw himself sideways, rolling among the rocks.

It was well he had; for where Bill had first landed, he saw the quivering shaft of the savage's spear, embedded in the gravel of the bank!

Bill drew

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