Page 22 (1/2)

Gong Su had begun laying up stores as best he could lacking salt; Te, and he had so h observation and pantoe for sacks of dried maize "I make no proanized several of the sailors to lug the sacks back to their ragged little tent-camp on the city outskirts, "but at least ill not starve"

But though their pile of llama hides rose, the best leather they were able to produce was only a half-rotten scaly-natured ave no-one ht "But sir," Forthing said privately, "I don’t answer for the men if we don’t leave soon: they will be at the teet I have had to chase a dozen of ’em down this week, and Batterseaaway at the ith his pocket-knife, when I ca theca entirely, and four days later Handes disappeared as well "If it were hi said, "but Griggs was not o after the gold unless so him to it What if they should have them here, those bunyips--" these creatures, native to the desert of the Australian continent, having been responsible for similar disappearances when first encountered

"This is settled country," Laurence said, "and I cannot i us unwarned of such a peril, if it existed; nor such incaution as the local populace show, about walking in the open No: Ilocal style," he finished dryly

"And how the devil are we to find thenant and determined to pursue inquiries; but without much success, until several days later Ferris cas, an aard expression, and half-a-dozen estured to have them set down proved to be full of excellent leather, thick and well-cured "Sir," he said to Laurence, "I hardly know if you will think I have done well--I don’t know myself--"

"Where has all this co down the lid of the basket

"It is for Handes," Ferris said, "and for Yardley; pay like it, anyway: the land on the other side of that woods belongs to a dragon, and it seems he has a fellow there who can speak Spanish and a little English--ran with a ht and persuaded theo"

"Persuaded the: Ferris flushed

"Yes, sir," he said "I have seen the his head around a corner peering atas I was there Griggs has thought better of it, but the others wouldn’t cos looked uneasy and ashamed, and muttered when Laurence looked at him: "Which ere proold, and wo about s," Laurence said griht better of it before we have left port, as it were; but you will not stir out of camp another instant while we are here Mr Ferris, pray explain yourself"

"Sir, I meant to round them up," Ferris said, "and I had words with that fellow, the uide, about what he ons would take it; so then he said as they did not want to go back, it seeifts, in exchange, and let them stay: and he offered me the leather And--" He paused, and then with a s said, "Sir, it see theain?" Laurence said Ferris bit his lip and was silent

"Laurence," Granby said, with another basket open and running the leather through his hands, "I don’tthe sailors, in the least; but I will say I would damned well rather have six baskets of this leather than Handes, any road; and I would call us lucky to find anyone to take hiht leave hiree as far as Handes is concerned," Te at the basket appreciatively, "and e not going to hang hiht have a court-martial? But Laurence, I do of course take your point: we cannot be letting strange dragons lure away our men, and think theyafter on: and if he would like to fight, I ae hih his hair--already disordered in the day’s work, and now certain to be s, with his lowered head For aand willfully into slavery, even under the most sybaritic inducement, was beyond comprehension; it was the same spirit, Laurence supposed helplessly, which induced men to yield themselves and their nation to the dominion of a Napoleon

Handes, at least, could not be accused of yielding ain, and Laurence did not so love hanging erness to pursue the end at any cost And yet Handes had ht to let a condemned man run free," Granby said "But he hasn’t been tried yet, you know; and we are not properly his officers A court-, at that; it is the sort of thing the Navy will do once in a while, when there are aviators in the case: begging your pardon, of course"

"The Navy does not take so generous a view of mutineers under any circumstances," Laurence said "And even so: there is a difference in allowing the man to remain behind and live to be of use to so payh ere prepared to sell our own"

"You ested, with a suspicious twitching around his mouth

"Yes; thank you, John," Laurence said dryly

He ith Tee and prosperous farreat stone storehouses visible in the distance at the end of the fields, and the residences a wide courtyard bordered around bycreature of soed in delivering a load of ti to erect another of these houses She put it down and hopped over to put herself between the

"He says you are only going to kill hination, when they had confronted her, "and not even for some particularly special reason, such as a very important sacrifice; and no-one even does that anyovernor knows nothing of it; he could not allow it, if he did I will not give hi back her head defiantly; although the effect was rather spoiled by her ju back hastily when Te roar in his throat

"I aons in this country," Te; first there is Palta, callingwe are thieves; and now you, stealing our people--"

"I did not!" she said "They ca," Teh you were up to ht; I suppose because you think you can have a chaht be tolerable if you were in the right, but you certainly are not; and in any case I could beat any champion who liked to try"

"My dear," Laurence said aside, laying a restraining hand upon Te this exchange, "I : theseto hiations of their duty and the law have the right to dispose of themselves as they please"