The Rope of Gold

much joy from it. The sky was so blue, the morning air, as he left the

find his way back in time. He had breakfasted well on cold guinea meat, parched corn and

I could live a half year

lands, where trees and brush obstructed his tr

cient man-made trail that led over a

his trail ran through rough uncultivated land. Mid-afternoon f

cool spring, "the afternoon is hot. Guess

patches of color, one orange, the other red. The orange spot was a white girl's jacket, the red a native girl's dress. Had he explored still further he would have found that the two girls were resting from the heat of the day. And these girls, as you may have guess

stinate donkey Doris had given in to his whims and had all

"Not completely. He'll always find his way home.

of sunlight and shadows woven on the mossy earth or looking up into the treetops

lf. "There is nothing about a pal

n detecting the cause, she fell to wondering about Midas who had disappeared down

likely to trouble us. We-" She broke short off to stare. Once more in the midst of dense foliage she had caught that white flash of light. So white! So intense! Like

e sky was, not a cloud. She had suspected lightning. "But no," she told herself, "it'

ted themselves beneath a "chattering woman," or so this odd tree is called. It was loaded

Then, of a sudden, her gaze became fixed, he

w so wrinkled, the whole expression so broadly intelligent that for the briefest part of a moment she was tempted to believe the creature huma

ittle monkey! Where did

mes, then, as if to hide himself fro

he girl's lips for, once again, at the very instant his

d herself. "A monkey

nt her senses reeling. On the monkey's left forearm, like a lady's

ry large diamond! No bit of glass could f

key. There could be no question about that, for there are no wild monkeys in

a wedding ring, a priceless possession. Somehow we must catch the monkey

oment's study. "All corroded. Can't have been

ncovered his eyes to resume his worried study

arm. Then, after placing a finger to l

ered. "Look up, up there among

ted suddenly and found hers

amond ring; must be. And we must get it. Think of the r

red excitedly. "Look! Look everywhere! We mustn't lose him! Thin

irl's eyes w

Johnny Thompson came s

ed girls he stopped short

d queen or the dragon, or-Oh, now I know," he said changing his to

a step toward him. "There's a monkey in thi

he thought her out of her senses.

w him! There! There he goes now!" she exclaimed as a brown streak surging from a

Johnny, losing himself in wild ex

t tumbling d

ing woman" and still following the monkey wh

manded Nieta. Her eyes w

ame in a shrill whisper. "He's up in tha

Johnny. "All we have to do

e by side on a big flat stone to stare up at the grinning monkey

ght," said Johnny. "An

ke bananas. I saw a clump of wild ones back

d to her surprise that she was paying no attention to the monkey. Instead, she had taken some curious

red. "What in the w

the back of a cave in the dark of the moon. They are a powerful voodoo charm

hat Dorn had told her of

e to charm a monkey. When the snake is dead his spirit remains near his

. They are not true. It is truly wicked to believe them. There is but one l

spirit?" The native girl's

r arm. "He leaped away o

ild flying leaps, had led the girls down a precipitous slope to a spot where a rocky le

the top of a tall tree that grew on the lower slope. This would have proven a thrilling spectacle. Doris caught her breath as

her breast. "If he dares we

p to a position of safety, then began polishing the glistening

use to give the girls a knowi

shine? Don't you

. They were delighted to see that his a

slipping the last bite of one in

not have the fear of humans that possesses a wild monkey. Yet these children were strangers. More than that, two were white. His master had beyond doubt been

beside himself with suppressed exc

was half way down, now three quarters. Now he was five yards away

th a speed that was a

nd, nor upon the ground, but squa

Johnny that he

, then monkey and banana wer

to place the banana between his teeth, then without so much as

the steep surface of the cliff was within her view, Doris watched him th

led," she sai

it, he had reached a spot near the bottom, where

he half sobbed. "We'll

d Nieta with

of distant thunder. In their wild chase they had completely f

e we?" Jo

find it they must surely be half drowned before they reached it. A

way down to the sea," said Doris. "There must be som

his plan, the

down, now racing over a wild hog's trail, now leaping a fallen tree to tear through a clump of brambles with the rumble and roar of the storm ever increasing t

ned as her eyes swept

t yonder?"

is exclaimed. "Hurray! We will tip

herself as, on reaching the beach, she paused for brea

sh of thunder sent her flying toward the boat, that seen

she panted sobbingly. "