The Call of the Jungle by Clyde B
Page 2
It was long after midnight when Kirk
leave the shack. He crawled forward and stood
touched the girl’s arm and stepped quickly
up by the barred window, the bottom of which
behind a large boulder.
was at the height of his shoulders. The girl
“Walk on for a little way,” he
was there, tense and breathless, her face whispered, “then stop and talk as though you pressed against the bars.
were talking to me.”
“You go eat all they gave you,” said
Perhaps it was five minutes Kirk
Kirk. “You’ll need it before you see Subong.”
waited, bayonet “fixed” and rifle at the
For the space of three minutes he stood
“ready,” then they came in sight, one behind
watching and listening. Then, satisfied, he the other, padding along with the stealth of lengthened the sling-strap and slung his rifle
wolves. Presently, Kirk joined Miss Godard,
across his back, drew his bayonet, cut the
gingerly “unfixed” his bayonet and wiped the
thatching loose at one end of the bars and one
weapon with a handful of leaves. While the
by one pulled them from their place. By the
girl shuddered and looked on in silence.
time Kirk had the last bar out, Miss Godard,
“Two,” said Kirk after a few moments.
her supper finished, was waiting and, at his
“And one of them had a rifle. Funny they
direction, put her hands on his shoulders and
didn’t take a shot at me. With me out of the
sprang through the window.
way the two of them would have stood a good
The moon was up and the stars out, so
show to recapture you.”
the man and the girl crawled on hands and
“They didn’t want to take the chance
knees till they were below the ridge on the
of hitting me nor the risk of the fight that I
western side of the summit. Then they would make with your rifle, even though they crouched in the moon-shade of a boulder and
did get you. They know I can shoot and they
listened to learn if they were followed.
want me alive and unharmed. You see, a Morb
“They may and they may not follow us
datto was to have paid them a large sum of tonight,” Kirk said, “but they are sure to be on
money for me. I guess they didn’t know that I
our trail in the morning. Still they are going to understood their language, for they discussed
have a lot of trouble and lose a lot of time
the deal in my shack when the datto’s agent following our trail on this dry lava. At that it’s came to look me over. He would have taken
going to be a close run. Think you can hike all
me then only he didn’t have enough money
night and the most of tomorrow?”
with him, so he had to go back to Zamboanga
“I believe I can,” she said firmly. “I
and get more from his datto. ”
Adventure
6
“The devils,” exclaimed Kirk. “I’m which will be late this afternoon. In the sure glad I happened along just when I did.”
meantime, let’s start as soon as you can. For
“You saved my life just as surely as
the gugus are, doubtless, coming on behind
though you had pulled me out of the ocean,
and gaining on us every minute.”
for I certainly would have found some way to
“I am ready now,” was Miss Godard’s
end it before surrendering to such a fate.”
only answer.
“Perhaps,” said Kirk. “At any rate you
From the first she had followed Kirk’s
are saving my life right now and will save it
plans and advice without question or
for several days to come. For it’s plain they’ll
hesitation. She even liked his faintly
not fire on me as long as I keep reasonably
dictatorial way of telling her what to do. In
close to you. And by the same token I’m
fact she secretly admired this private soldier
going to be your shadow till we get to from her brother’s company, this man turned Subong.”
primitive, who had roamed alone, without
They both laughed a little and resumed
civilized food, in a tropic jungle.
their march in silence; as before. They kept
Late
that
afternoon they found water,
steadily on for several hours and finally the
just as Kirk had predicted. It was a small
full moon, a silver shield, swung down below
spring bubbling up through a seam in the lava;
the western horizon and one by one, the and they carefully and gradually satisfied their celestial lamplighter turned off the lesser thirst. Then Kirk turned his campaign hat lights. Then the sun, a great ball of burning
inside out and filled it with berries for the girl energy, rolled itself up above the mountain
and while she ate he, also, made a meal of the
peaks and poured fire into the lava and soon
same fruit at the near-by vines.
the breeze blew hot on the faces of Kirk and
Miss Godard, And the spring began to go out
AFTER they had eaten their fill and drank
of the girl’s step and the continual shock of
again of the clear, sweet water, Kirk and Miss
receiving her weight on the downward step
Godard stood just above the little spring and
against the hard, sloping lava-surface was watched a golden sun ease slowly down into a making her arches ache bitterly.
vast, green sea of foliage that stretched away
Though she said no complaining word,
from the lower slopes of Mt. Iriga.
nor did she mention her greatest trouble—the
“Wasn’t it glorious?” asked Kirk when
thirst. However Kirk noticed her repeated the last edge of sun had slipped from view.
efforts to moisten her parched lips. With a
His voice was muffled with emotion
tongue that was equally dry; he began to and he gave a sigh of regret.
watch for one of the green-barked, soft trees
Miss Godard looked at the man,
that gave sap so freely.
speculatively, for some minutes and then
Kirk soon found the kind of tree he
asked abruptly.
was looking for and after he had “boxed” it,
“Kirk, why are you here?”
laid some boughs in the shade for Miss
She waved her hand at their general
Godard to rest on while the sap was dripping.
surroundings.
Then, when enough sap had run, he showed
“The jungle called me and I just had to
the girl how to drink it with a leaf.
answer. That’s the only reason I know,” said
“Don’t swallow much of it,” Kirk Kirk. “Ever since I was fourteen years old I’ve cautioned her. “If you do it will make you
been going somewhere, but I never knew
vomit. Just moisten your throat and mouth
where till I came into the jungle—”
well and that will last you till we reach water,
“Funny,” he resumed after a short
The Call of the Jungle
7
silence, “how people generally think of a
Late the next afternoon the man and
tropic jungle as a steaming, putrid death-mesh.
the girl saw their pursuers going back up the
Perhaps it is because of the writers. They
mountain. They had given up the chase. Still
picture it that way. And they are partly right,
Kirk and Miss Godard ventured out of the
but only partly so, for they show only a part of
cave only long enough to get water and
the picture. Oh, if I were a painter and able to
berries. And it was not until the morning of
reproduce the colors, the blends and the third day that they started again for harmonies I have seen here in this, supposed,
Subong.
death-mesh. But conventional art would reject
It was midafternoon of the fifth day
such colors—brand them ‘unnatural, unreal.’
after leaving the cave when they became
Isn’t it strange? The realist tabus the really
aware that the natives were once more on their
‘real,’ and the seeker after the natural ignores
trail. Kirk knew that to stop and fire on them
what is naturally ‘natural’.”
would only give them a chance to gain
It was the longest speech the girl had
distance. He knew, also, that he was not far
heard from Kirk and likewise it was entirely
from Subong. If he could only make them hear
different from what she would have expected
at the post, they would come out and meet
from him. She had been wont to think of him
him. He snatched the little bugle from his belt,
as a sort of modernized and very capable
pressed it to his lips and forced all the breath
cave-man. But never had she thought of him
in his longs through the small, silver coils.
as a lover of art, and least of all as a man who
The “call to arms” rang clear and sharp on the
had opinions on that very fine subject. still air.
However Kirk did not leave her long to
He had heard an old trumpeter say that
wonder at this side of his nature.
a bugle could be heard eight miles under
“It’s getting dark now,” he told her in
favorable air conditions. The air was still and
his usual matter-of-fact tone, “and there’s a
clear, they were less than four miles from
cave not far from here. I ran into it on my way
Subong and Kirk had hopes. He took the girl
up. There is not a chance in a hundred that the
by the hand and broke into a run, but she was
gugus will ever find this cave, the way it is
tired and handicapped by her skirt and the
located. I only found it by accident. So we’ll
natives continued to gain on them. Kirk
stay there a couple of days and get a good rest
stopped, knelt, and with three shots stopped
and by that time the gugus will have, most
two who were getting uncomfortably close.
likely, given up and gone back to their Then he gathered the girl in his arms, swung barrio.”
her off the ground and ran on.
Shortly before midnight, Kirk,
It was a situation very like to loose the
watching in the entrance to the cave, heard the
romantic impulse in any woman. And it did
natives prowling around outside and calling
just that to Madeline Godard. She forgot the
softly to one another as they searched for the
social gulf that lay between herself, the sister
sign of a trail. But the white man had taken
of an officer, and Kirk a private soldier. She
care of that. As hard and sharp as the lava
forgot, even, their imminent danger. She
was, Kirk and Miss Godard had taken off their
knew, only, that she desired to caress this
shoes and walked to the cave in their man, her man her protecting male. She locked stockings. So the natives found no trail nor did
her arms about his neck, raised her face to his
they find the cave, but finally to Kirk’s and kissed him again and again on mouth, immense relief, they moved on down the cheek and forehead. Then she took her arms mountainside.
from his neck and wrapped them about her
Adventure
8
own crimson face.
the abduction of his sister. And the men
Too dazed and too near exhausted to
responded to his spirit with surprising alacrity.
realize the significance of the girl’s action,
The little romp with the Filipinos had broken
Kirk ran on with bursting lungs and aching
the monotony for them, had cleared and
arms. After he had been running for some
refreshed their mental atmosphere. They
centuries and the world had begun to turn
published the fact in every movement.
black, Kirk heard a single, faint blast on a
The lieutenant dismissed them and
bugle; and the sound came from the direction
they went laughing and rollicking into
of Subong. They had heard. They were quarters.
coming. They were calling for an answering
“Kirk,” said the lieutenant, “thanks are
blast to guide them. Kirk felt as though a
too puny to offer for a service such as you
couple of planets had been lifted from his
have done for me. However I shall hope for an
shoulders. He stood the girl on her feet and
opportunity to prove my gratitude. Your
fought a minute for breath. Then he raised the
discharge papers came down on the last boat,
bugle to his lips and by a supreme effort, blew
and, of course if you re-enlist here in my
a long, clear blast. The answer was instant and
company there is a sergeantcy for you.”
much closer than before.
“Thank you, sir,” said Kirk. “I don’t
The natives knew the meaning of this
think I shall enlist again, but I would like to
interchange of calls and they made a final
have my discharge now, if I may.”
dash to get the man and girl before it was too
“Why—er, certainly. Just come over to
late.
my quarters,” said the lieutenant, puzzled by
Kirk and Miss Godard ran again for a
Kirk’s request.
little way and then stopped. It was no use, the
Five minutes later, with his discharge
natives were closing in on them from three
in his haversack, Kirk left the lieutenant’s
sides. It was time to make a fight. Kirk knelt
quarters. It was dark now and he leaned on his
and began a deadly play of steel-clad lead on
rifle in the deeper darkness under a banana
their pursuers. Some of the natives fell but
tree and watched and listened. Bright,
more of them continued to close in. It was
cheering light streamed through the open
only a matter of minutes now until Kirk would
windows of the men’s quarters. Snatches of
be dead, his brains hammered out, and Miss
song and light-hearted laughter, also floated
Godard a prisoner to face that other and more
out from those windows. Even Lieutenant
terrible fate. At this cri
tical juncture the Godard was whistling a merry tune while he company from Subong swirled onto the scene
hustled about his quarters. Contentment
and the would-be captors of Kirk and Miss
reigned over the little post at Subong.
Godard were quickly made prisoners.
The moon showed an edge above the
tall coconut trees, the great, black vampires
IN FRONT of the quarters at Subong, began to flap into space and innumerable cries Lieutenant Godard swung the men from echoed through the wilderness. Kirk column of fours front and brought them to a
shouldered his rifle, crossed the small clearing
halt with a snap and a ring in his commands
and disappeared in the jungle.
that had been his chief characteristic before