Fame And Fortune Weekly (no. 986) (1924 08 22)

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‘STORIES OF BOYS WhO Male The anchor-rope uncoiled rapidly. BOYS, READ THE RADIO ARTICLES IN THIS NUMBER AUGUST 22, 1924 Price 8 Cents »\ \ae\| PRD DARK TO DAWN; $ = OYS [HANCE. By Mt SELL MALE MM. ANd OTHER STORIES > 4 ye . fs ‘4 ‘ > Cyal * Switching back and forth, its snaky folds got entangled with Clem Lambert’s legs. He had only just time enough to seize the rope with both hands when he was whisked off the ground and carried heavenward, ed

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Are You A Radio Fan? Read Pages 24 and 253 & S ae : ; Canada, $4.50; Foreign, Iff, Publisher, Inc, p Reet week Sassen, Pls, OE Ret Fg. Conse (4s nezlee pig, Teun. 3 a the Post-Office at New York, N. Y., under the Act o Kas ; OR, A POOR BOY'S CHANCE “% "9g. YH 2 @ ss > oR EP By A SELF-MADE MAN os : Ge 2% Z CHAPTER I.—Wanderers Through Space. “T saw you,” replied Will; “but I “That’s a pretty large question,” replied Will. “If we should be blown right across the gulf to the most northern part of Yucatan, the distance is about six hundred miles. If we’re earried more to the west, to Campeachy Bay, the distance is all of three hundred miles further. We may not go that way at all, though it looks as if we a: were at present, for if you will look to the south you will see a long glistening white line that Pll bet marks the shore of the gulf. The wind is liable to change at any moment and carry us to S southern part of Texas, or down further into exico.” ~ “I don’t want to go to Mexico,” groaned Up- ton, finding his tongue for the first time. “I _ want to go home.” “Tt doesn’t look now as if you'll get home for a week, if you ever do,” replied Will. : “Oh, lor’! Where are we anyway?” “We're sixteen hundred feet above the earth, sailing to the south.” “Sixteen hundred feet!” gasped Upton, with a shiver. “We’re as good as dead.” : “Not at all,” laughed Clem. “Get up and ~ take a look down. It’s the finest sight you’ll ever =. see if you live to be a hundred.” Se “I wouldn’t dare look down.” ee

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“Why not? You ‘can’t fall out.” Upton wouldn’t stir from his place in the bot- tom of the basket.. Will and Clem had now fully recovered from their fright, and being lads of some nerve they began to enjoy the novelty of their situation. They possessed enough philos- ophy in their composition to feel that they might = as well make the best they could out of a bad ey predicament. It was a rare treat for them for ; the time being. The only thing that really trou- bled their serenity was the question where the ~balloon might ultimately land. Somehow it did z not occur to them that there was a cord run- = ning up to the top of the bag that controlled the ; quantity of gas in the balloon. By pulling on it of ' they could let out the gas, and thus descend — earthward. = In the course of half an hour they could plainly make out the water of the Guif of Mexico in the distance, and there wasn’t any doubt about them being carried straight toward it. They = had an instrument in the car which would have = measured the velocity of the wind if they had = known how to use it and been able to figure out~ the result. As a matter of fact the current they were in was carrying them to the south at some- thing like thirty-five miles an hour. Their course at present was shaped toward the most north- ern point of Yucatan, and if the wind held as it did it would take them seventeen hours to cross the gulf to Cape Catoche. Clem presently as- certained that their altitude had gone to eighten hundred feet, where it appeared to be about sta- tionary. After a time Upton awoke from his trance and asked again where the balloon was. “We're over the gulf now,” replied Will. “Are we as high as ever?” “Yep. And it’s a good thing we keep up, too.” “Why?” _ “Because we've got a lon face from the present outloo jous to get too near to it.” ¢ Upton was finally induced to look over the rim of the basket, and the sight of the immensity of space beneath him took his breath away, and he drew back in terror. “Tf we were to fall now we'd be killed— smashed into little bits.” “Don’t let that worry you. You’d never know what happened to you.” “Why wouldn’t I?” “Your breath would be gone, and you’d be a dead one before you hit the water.” 4 Upton looked as if he would collapse again. By sundown they were well out over the gulf, sailing along at the same rate. = “Say, Will, it’s beginning to feel deuced cold,” - gaid Clem, after a time. S . *™hat’s right—it is. And I’m getting hungry, ~ *So am I. I never thought of that fact be- We're liable to starve before this balloon S us somewhere.” “Maybe there’s something to eat in those bun- dies,” suggested Will. “Those chaps wouldn’t ave been such fools as to go off without prepar- for a day or two’s stay among the clouds.” _ “That sounds reasonable. 's overhaul them.” ney lost no time in doing so, and found quite é f bron, cakes, pies and canned 7 | supply o: ; and veget> as well as fruits. reach of water to and I’m not anx- FROM DARK TO DAWN _ “Say this is all right, Will,” cried Clem, smack- ing his lips hungrily. “We won’t starve for three or four days at any rate.” E “You can bet we won’t,” he replied in a tone of satisfaction. “Let’s have supper.” The word supper had a magic sound for Up- ton, and he grew interested at once. There was a keg of water, and a jar of cold coffee, with milk but unsweetened. They found a- package of sugar, however, and so they soon fixed the coffee to suit their individual tastes. The three made a ‘ood meal, with blankets over their shoulders, for the darker it grew the colder the air became. The moisture in the air gathered and clung to the sides of the balloon, and this had the effect of decreasing their altitude, for when Clem next looked at the instrument, he found that it regis- tered sixteen hundred feet, and seemed to be going lower. After talking a while the three wan- derers — space huddled close together for warmth, and ere long fell asleep. And while they slept through the night the balloon kept on its journey southward over the big Gulf of Mex- ico, a very small object indeed in that immensity of space. . CHAPTER II.—In Brazil. NS It was sunrise when the three boys awoke. The first thing Clem did was to look at the alti- tude instrument which told him the balloon had — sunk to fourteen hundfed feet. Then he jumped up and looked over the edge of the basket. There was nothing to be seen below but water—they might have been in the middle of the Atlantic or ms Pacific ocean for all the land that was in sight. “Come, Will, take a peep,” he said. Will came and so did Upton, too. The latter had got over his panic, and was able to look down without feeling demoralized. The boys hung over the rim of the basket for ten minutes, and then adjourned to breakfast. As the sun rose higher in the heavens the moisture on the balloon — dried and it rose gradually to a height of over seventeen hundred feet. About seven o’clock in the morning they sighted land, which proved to be the coast of Yucatan, though the boys did not know what it was. At four in the afternoon they struck an immense body of water on their left — with land stretching away to their right. They were soon passing over the Gulf of Honduras, with the Caribbean Sea in the distance. The balloon had dropped to a height of fifteen hun- dred feet, and striking a different current they were borne to the E. S. E., right over the Carib-- bean Sea. When another night closed in on them there was nothing but water to be seen again, with just a blue streak of coast line in the distance to the west. When they awoke next morning they were still sailing at an altitude of fifteen hundred feet over a limitless watery space. __ “Where are we at now?” asked Will, anxiously. __ “You've me,” replied Clem. “We may be — over the Caribbean or we may be above the — Pacific Ocean.” 7 “How are we heading by the compass?” <—- a

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| ‘ we're crossing the Caribbean and not the Pa- “The ‘balloon_must have lost some gas for _ -we’re lower by two hundred feet.” Will, who had observed that phenomena the pre- _ vious morning. + “We ought to strike South America soon on _ this course,” remarked Clem. _ “Sure we will if the wind don’t change around and a in a different direction.” ~ “We'd better not eat so much to-day, or first thing we know we won’t have any provisions - left. Three such healthly appetites as ours are sure to make the commissary department look sick in no time at all uhless we put a curb on them.” ~ ; “J agree with you that we’d better go on short - allowance, for half a loaf is better than no bread at all,” said Will. “Bet your life it is.” “How long do you suppose we’re going to stay up in the air?” asked Upton, who was extremely nxi to reach the solid ground once more, “You'll have to ask me something easier than cs at, Upton,” replied Will. “If I was.a fortune teller I might possibly be able to answer your ion, but as I am not it seems a matter of pot-luck when we do come down.” “Tsn’t there any way of making the old thing descend?” continued Upton. “Why, yes» come to think of it, there must be a cord somewhere somalia, with a valve on - the top of the balloon. By pulling on the cord you o the valve which lets out the gas and d@-be drowned, eh? ‘ot much. I’m willing to stay up here as long as see so much water in sight,” said Will. The balloon gradually rose to sixteen hundred eet\as morning grew apace and the sun’s rays ‘warmed the oiled silk, and expanded the gas. ey saw nothing but water all that day, and the p E aiehock that night, while they were asleep, the balloon struck the northern coast of South Amer- ica ssing over a narrow strip of Colombian soil enezuela. Pi Clem pees over the rim of the basket in the morning there wasn’t a sign eon im sight. While he didn’t! know it they _ passi near the Venezuelan town of and at last,” he shouted to his companions. y looked over the side of the car to see for South America for a dollar,” said Will, south this time than east. How high are tle over thirteen hundred. We seem to drop each night.” ae ae bound to leak out by degrees any- “said i ; vy = et several feet be- reach. Aw the balloon leaned in that se - “You'll find that we’ll rise with the sun,” said , rospect was decidedly discouraging. At ten’ we are still heading southeast, but rather . FROM DARK TO DAWN 3 spread out below them they cast longing glances at the cord. A pull upon it would send them earthbound pretty quick, and the lads were tired of their aerial journey by this time. Their pro- visions were also alarmingly short. Clem finall made an attempt to reach the valve cord, an succeeded in detaching it. Letting some of the gas escape they dropped to an altitude of nine hundred feet. The country looked so bare and uninviting that they decided not to descend fur- ther for the present. When darkness came on they were still over Venezuela. Soon after midnight the balloon crossed the boundary into Brazil, and the boys were awakened by a violent swaying of tlie bask- et. The balloon had sunketo seven hundred feet and had been caught in a fierce windstorm that was whirling them along at the rate of nearly one hundred miles an hour. At six o’clock in the morning they were being carried helplessly across the Madeira River, a tributary of the Amazon, which they had passed over four hours previous- ly. The wind now began to moderate, but still carried them along at the rate of a mile a min- ute. They found that the bag was leaking gas from the rough handling it had experienced dur- ing the night, and that they were steadily drop- ping earthward. - “Tt’s only a question of a little while before this trip will come to an end,” said Clem, “whether we want it to or not.” “That’s what it looks like for we’re only five hundred feet above sea level now. We barely passed over that life of hills yonder. We must throw over some of the sand. We’d surely starve if we alighted in this Lord-forsaken region. We must be somewhere in Brazil.” — “It’s a mighty poor country whatever it is,” replied Clem. ‘Come on, help me dump out some of the sand.” They got rid of three bags of the stuff and the ‘balloon rose up buoyantly once more to a height of one thousand feet. They had to throw over the rest of their sand at intervals during the day to keep the balloon at a respectable height until they reached the neighborhood of a town or village. “We must be journeying through the worst part of South America from the aspect of the country,” said Clem. “We haven’t sgen a trace of civilization al] day.” : ra “J guess this is the central part o plied Will, “where. people are few and far be- tween.” : ‘ “We'll never get out of this valley in the bal- loon, that’s certain,” answered Clem. see we’re not over three hundred feet above the ground and are heading for that range yonder. The bag is getting wobbly through loss of gas, and wescan’t lighten it any more unless we throw Upton out,” grinned the boy. “Throw me out!” roared Upton. “I guess not.” _ “Then, perhaps, you'll be obliging enough to jump out so we can get over yonder mountains?” chuckled Clem. : : ; “If we can’t pass the renee i the balloon then _ a continue our i ve to journ Brazil,” re- _ “You can |

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oS ty he oe ee ee. “And we've only got a few crackers and a lit- tle water left, with hungry stomachs to boot. This is simply fierce.” “That's right. mitted Clem. “Oh, Lor’, we’ll starve to death in this wilder- ness,” groaned Upton. : “Well, you can blame yourself for our trou- = bles and your own,” said Clem. - “What have I got to do with it?” growled Up- -- ton. ‘ - “If you’d got out of the balloon when the men £ told you to at first, instead of leading Will to get into the basket, you two would have been at home now. while I’d probably. be in New Orleans,” ~ “Ho! . Who thought this old thing would break ‘g * loose like it did?” ¥ -_.- *“Nobedy thought so; but you took the chances ais of it doing so just the same. In fifteen minutes rae more you can make up your mind that this bal- loon will be out of business, so I vote that we finish the crackers and the water, and trust to luck for our next meal,” said Clem. It took little urging for the hungry lads to earry out Clem’s suggestion. There were two = crackers and a glass of water apiece, and they finished the meeger provender in a few moments. In ten minutes the anchor at the end of the rope struck the ground of the foothills and began to J drag. The balloon floated right into a gorge where > ~ the anchor caught in the underbrush, and their r aerial ‘flight was over for good and all. Clem pulled on the valve rope and the car sank to the ground, the bag collapsing with a puff, and It couldn’t be much worse,” ad- — spreading itself an inert mass-of silk cloth along “» <"_ the bushes. : a “Come, fellows, step out,” he said, setting the Porsvese to surrender, 7 ticklish situation that the American lads faced. CHAPTER II1.—Prisoners. _. ©What’s the matter with you chaps?” asked Clem of a fierce looking rascal who appeared to- be the leader of the crowd. = “Hat Un Americano?” he answered, using the Spanish language. ; ; --S¥es, eons Daudi all right,” replied Clem, as he sat astride of the basket. zs *Que dice usted?- (What do’ you say?) Clem shook “his head. He didn’t understand a ‘ord of Spanish. Neither did his companions. r did the Brazilians understand a word of sag Therefore conversation was at a dead loc! Signs became the order of the day, and he hard looking chap motioned the boys to get 1t of the basket. They obeyed and were imme- ately seized by the gang. The leader looked into e car and took out the instruments and blankets : ing ser a couple 51 his alates - . Then he gave some er in Spanish an Gee casts tarted up the gorge, forcing their cap- ; them. ° FRCM DARK TO DAWN as into it. He tough a lot of rascals as one could expect to run against in the wilds. I wonder what they mean _ to do with us?” : ; As Will turned to reply the Rrazilian who had hold of him yanked him forward_in a rough way and muttered ‘something in his native lingo. That put a stop to any further communication between the two boys. Upton Fowler was the picture of woe as he was dragged forward by two of the rascals behind-Clem. The situation was clearly too strenuous for his nerves. In this way the party proceeded over the uneven surface of the gorge until they turned a jutting rock, when they came in view of a cave before which a man fully ~ as disreputable as the others was cooking some- thing in a big iron pot over a fire. Whatever was in the pot an appetizing odor was wafted to the noses of the boys, and in spite of their unen- viable position it made their mouths water. The — leader made the lads sit near the mouth of the — eave and placed a man to watch them, while the rest stood their weapons against the rocks and disposed themselves at their ease around on the = = a & = : 4 “A 3 ground. Sei “We're up against it hard, old man,” remarked Will, turning to Clem. “Seems so, doesn’t it?” replied his chum. “T guess these fellows are an organized gang of thieves, and this spot is their rendezvous.” “You might make a worse guess.” = “They've made us prisoners for some purpose, ~ on general principles.” ‘ “T judge they thought there might be some-— — worth stealing in the basket of the bal- oon,” “In which case they’ve been disappointed,” chuckled Will, “for those instruments won't do them any good.” “But the blankets will.” «, ; “They aren’t so much. It’s a wonder they haven’t searched us.” 2 : “They’re welcome to all they'll get on me,” ~ ~grinned Clem. “They won’t find a dollar’s worth of coin on the three of us.’) “T haven’t a nickel.” Will “It is very discouraging, at any rate. I'd feel a heap sight better if I had a plate full of that — stuff that chap is cooking yonder. It smells good, — and I feel about starved,” said Will, with a wist-— ful look in the direction of the black pot. —— “Same here. Maybe we'll get a share. The — cook is beginning to ladle it out. kind of stew.” - One of the men brought a number of tin basins. “Upton takes it pretty hard, doesn’t he?” said- x# “He looks as if he was in a blue funk.” Seems to be a — r 6 ¥. out of the cave, and as the cook filled them with the savory compound he. passed them around among his companions, each of whom was pro- vided with a spoon*to eat With. When all hands had been served the cook took his share, and i was a kind of exquisite torture for the hungry boys to sit and watch the stew disappear down — the Brazilians’ throats. In addition to the stew each man was provived with a hunk of dark colored bread, and these two articles const their meal. After the chief of the gan finished his share he walked to the pot and called for three basins:

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— Handing them to the cook he pointed -at e Ss. “Gee! We’re going to get some after all,” said - Will, joyously, his tongue almost hanging out in anticipation of what was coming. — They were handed the basins, with spoons and a hunk of bread each. The Brazilians watched the boys eat: They must have thought the lads nigh starved from the way they devoured that stew and sour bread. There wasn’t a crumb left. “My gracious!” cried Will, with a sigh of con- “That tasted good. I haven’t had such a banquet in a week.” of the scanty table that Mrs. Fowler was accus- - tomed to set. : : Upton didn’t say anything, but he looked as if he had enjoyed the meal as much as his asso- ciates. ae es ee ~ “J am beginning to feel like a new man,” said “Clem, presently. “When a fellow’s breadbasket is empty he isn’t worth much.” =: _ _“That’s right. It. takes all the ambition out of you,” replied Will. ‘Upton looks like a differ- ent boy already.” ‘ing to do with us?” asked Upton, with an anx- ious expression. “Why don’t you ask them, ll. “Maybe you can make barre igger rted Upt ith a “Oh, be ji ed!” reto: pton, wi look - ates 9 “It’s a wonder you wouldn’t give a straight answer when a fellow asks you on. ; “That was a sill estion to ask me,” replied Will. “How can I tell what. these rascals mean to do with us? If I understood Portuguese—— - He didn’t get any further for the leader of the ‘erowd came up and _ the boys Sk api i e Uppy?” snickered hans understand Will hap- “to be in the center his right ankle was to Clem’s left one, and his left ankle to on’s right one. The blankets taken from the alloon were thrown to them, and they were eft to their own reflections The meu gathened ‘round the front of the cav , drank sv.re kind of ‘liquor out of a stone jug that vss yarsed from math to mouth, smoku! ciga’ettes. ead chinned ether in Portuguese. Tepe -“They’re in no hurry +o let us go,” said Clem, when had been lef. to thea.elves. xt’s evident,” answered YVill* “but I can’t what use they can make vut of us.” ell know in good time. I wish I knew part of Brazit we're in. if we really are in i]. It’s such a Six courtry that we may be andreds of miles i. *4> interior, and practicall ‘off from any a°.iisl’e opouctiwity of escape.” ff my people o¢..’t 2.#r Jvom me soon they'll ; cg Bae Jost uw the balleon,” said Will, 's one advantage of being an orphan,” Sy Caaill ; Upton remained silent and glum. The satisfac- rhe ha elt a filling hi a ach had. passed FROM DARK TO DAWN 5 .“Nor me in a month,” replied Clem, thinking “Say, what do you suppose these men are go- - ked Clem; “I have no one to worry about - with gloomy pic- lay back on his blanket, sick at heart, while the other two talked for half an hour more. The Brazilian ruffians grouped about the entrance to the cave continued to drink and smoke fce« some time longer, then they drew off one at a time and wrapping themselves in their ponchos went to sleep. The leader was the last to turn in; but = previous to doing so he went to the rear of the oe cave and looked at the boys, now asleep.. With a grunt of satisfact*on he, too, selected a spot near his sleeping companions, and soon nothing broke the silence of the Prazilian mountain cave but the deep breathing of ti_e sleepers. CHALTER IV.~Diamond Poaching. Soon after sunrise the boys were roughly awakene’ hy one of the gang. They found that the ropes had been removed from their ankles. They were ordered in the si language to go to the front of the cave. The Brazilians were eating their morning meal, which consisted of a_tin cup of black coffee and a cake made out -- of maize, with some dried fruit. The boys were given a fair share of the food, and when break- fast was over the men lighted the customary cigarette, grabbed their rifies, and appeared to ‘be ready to start out. The fellow who officiated as cook appeared with a bag in his hand, and the lads being placed in front, with the Jeader on one side and one of the gang on the other, a” the procession started down the mountain gorge. Half an hour’s walk brought them to a narrow valley between two spurs of the range. A narrow and shallow river followed the course of the valley. At a certain spot, which showed evi- dences of recent excavation. the Brazilians came to a halt. One man, with his rifie, perched him- self on a high rock overlooking the entrance to the valley, while the rest, under the direction of — the leader, pulled a number of shovels out of the bushes. A spade was put into each of the boy’s — hands and he was ordered to get into the excava- tion and dig. He was made to understand that he was to samp, es dirt in a certain spot, and this dirt was afterward removed to the bank of : the river and examined-by some of the men. - Several of the rascals joined the boys in the wide oe hole and did precisely what the lads had been directed to do. “Y wonder if we’re naling these fellows to dig for surface gold?” said Clem to Will, as they paused for a rest: “Almost as fast as we throw this dirt out it is carried down to the river (o be washed, I suppose.” wwe “T_wouldn’t be surprised,” replied Will. “There = has been a b vee deal of gold, as well as dia- + monds, found in certain parts of Brazil.”

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any kind for that matter, except to wait on an occasional customer in his father’s store, and this kind of thing jarred on his feelings. “Well, Upton, you have my sympathy,” grinned Clem. “There’s no use| of you kicking, for we’re all in the same box. These ruffians have no right, of course, to make free American boys work, but might is right with them, and we’ve got to knuckle down until we find a chance to make our escape. As to what we’re digging for, I reckon it’s gold.” “Maybe it’s diamonds,” interjected Will, as the Sioubht suddenly struck him. “It’s just as likely to be ‘diamonds as gold, I suppose,” admitted Clem. . “Diamonds!” exclaimed Upton, eagerly. “Do you really think so?” “It isn’t improbable,” answered Clem. “Brazil is one of the countries where diamonds are dug out of the soil.” “Gee!” cried Upton. them. If I find any. “Well, what then?” asked Clem, coolly. “Vl! put them in my pocket, bet your life.” “You don’t imagine these men are going to let you keep them, do you?” “1 shan’t let any one know I’ve got them,” said Upton, moving off to the spot where he had been shoveling out the dirt, and starting in again ’ with renewed activity, for his interest had been aroused. _ The leader of the crowd, who devoted his time to walking up and down the top edge of the ex- eavation, keeping a sharp eye on the diggers, soon noticed that Upton, instead of throwing out shovelfuls of dirt, as before, was examining the ron clay with great attention. He immediately umped into the hole, gave the boy a clout along- side the head, and signed to him to continue his work. This rough treatment put a damper on _ Upton’s enthusiasm, and he resumed his labor ~ with a face that looked like three days of rainy weather. . “Upton ot it in the néck that time,” said Clem to Will. hat chap isn’t going to put up with any nonsense, It 4 clear we've been brought _ here to work, and if we don’t do it to suit we'll rep the boss of the job in a way we won’t . like. At that moment Clem ‘saw an object in the spadeful of earth he had just = over. He stooped down, picked it up and Jooked at it. It ances the. appearance of a semi-transparent led pebble, covered with a thin, brownish _ opaque crust. Will’s attention being attracted, - too, he glanced at the stone. “That’s a diamond as sure as you live,” he said. “It exactly answers the description I have read in books Ei the subject. Drop it in your BEA pocket on the sly.”- . Clem was a- aia boy, and without looking to see if his actions had been observed, he made a motion as if casting something aside and then — on with his digging, holding the rough dia- d all the time in the palm of his hand. After ime he put his hand in oe pocket and drew out is handkerchief, lettin ee fall into his et. The leader of th anly gang did not 2 boys, as he Bae they were not used to ee te. He : -on Upton than the other shirked his labor and looked “Tm going to look for FROM DARK TO DAWN pen ugly and discontented. As noon a halt was called in the work, and the man who acted as cook served out maize cake, dried fruit and clear spring water. After which all hands rested for , over an hour in the shade. Fe “Are you fellows going to stand for this sort © of thing?” said Upton Fowler. “Not any longer than we can help,” replied Clem. : “This kind of treatment to a free-born Ameri- can is the“biggest kind of an outrage,” went on Upton, indignantly. “What are the Stars and Stripes good for if it isn’t to protect the people of the United States?” “Oh, choke off, Upton. What do you suppose a gang of rascals like these chaps care for the Stars and Stripes, or the flag of. Brazil for that matter?” replied Clem. “There isn’t any use of “you or Will and. me butting our heads against a stone wall. These scoundrels have got us dead to rights and we’ve got to knuckle down till they happen to be off their guard and then we'll cut away. Isn’t Lepr so, Will?” a a so,” acquiesced Ashmore, nodding his _ ea ; “Well, I’m not going to get sunstruck to ie a lot of Brazilian ae not by a jugful,” sponded Upton, doggedly. x “If you know of any way to get the better of ‘ them let us know, and Will and I will stand by you, Otherwise Ir advise you to grin and bear it __ as best you can.’ = “What’s the matter with sneaking up to the - place where their rifles are standing against the rocks, grabbing one apiece, and standing the gang off?” said Upton. “Have you got the nerve to attempt such a move as that?” : - “J’ye- got as much as you!” snorted Upton “Any fool could see that game wouldn’t work,” ie replied, Clem. “At the present moment every man of them is within reach of his gun. When we're in the excavation it would be equally out of the question. Think again, Upton, and try and strike a better idea.” Sh “Why don’t you think up some scheme your-. self, you’re so smart?” 2 “Y’m on the lookout for an opening,-don’t you fear; and when it comes I'll be there with hath: = feet. But I’m not going to do anvthing rash. That would only make a bad job worse.” = Work was resumed in the excavation at two _ 7 o’clock, and the boys labored with more or less __ persistence until near sundown, when the shovels — and other paraphernalia were hidden in the _ bushes and the march taken up again for the cave. The cook had preceded the party and had another pot full of stew on the fire and well un- der way by the time they arrived at the cave. This programme was kept up for several days, @uring which time the Brazilian diamond poach- ers took out of the earth a couple of bags full of the rough gems, whose value, just as they might be estimated at between $8 and carat. By this time the hands, necks and oe of the three boys were blistered and tanned a rich brown. Théy were gradually getting used to the hard soni though they didn’t relish it any better than at first, when. hap- i Pan short their servitude to:the

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‘CHAPTER V.—A Break for Freedom. It was getting on to noon of the fourth day of their work in the excavation when the boys were suddenly startled by the report of the lookout’s _ rifle. Instantly every man stopped his labor and ran for his gun. The leader ordered the boys to leave the hole and pointed to a big rock behind _ which a couple of the diamdnd poachers had tak- en their stand. doing,” said Clem. _ “This ought to be our chance to get clear of _ these chaps,” teplied Will. = “Tt hope so,” returned Clem. He glanced around the corner of the rock and _ saw a number of uniformed men in the distance advancing up the valley. The diamond poach- ers were scattered at different points among th rocks, with their rifles ready to give battle to the invaders. ; - “Those fellows who are coming this way are soldiers, and there is quite a bunch of them. By the looks of things, somebody is going to be hurt ; the scrap is over.” beers Lor’!” cue Upton. “I wish I was out of this. We may be killed.” : He looked kind of white around the gills, and was ‘clearly uneasy over the outcome. The sol- diers scattered as they advanced into the valley, ee boulders and other spots of vantage. As i the alert and be ready to make a break. “There’s a gully just behind us,” he said. “If We can peach tb we may be able to keep out of front. “Well, what do you say, fellows?” asked Clem last. “Shall we make a dash for the gully w and risk a bullet or two. I think the chances our getting hit is small. If we wait here much wer it will be different.” Re at about these two rascals close by?” asked re not paying any attention to us,” re- em. 's too risky,” objected Upton, who seemed to : anne in his shoes. : “I think it’s a deal more risky to stay here. des, here’s a chance to shake these diamond rs. You want to get away from them, FROM DARK TO DAWN . 7 “Looks as if there was going to be something | to the rock and gazed nervously at the dead dia- mond poacher. Finally Clem pulled himself to- gether and crawled over to the corpse. “Where are you going, Clem?” asked Will, anxiously. His chum did not answer him. Then Will saw Clem reach out and get possession of the man’s rifle. After securing it he unbuckled his cart- ridge belt. and crept back to his companions. “Come along, Will. Let’s make for the gully? This rock will cover our retreat to some extent. Get a move on, Upton.” Carrying the rifie and cartridge belt with him, Clem started to crawl toward the gully. Will followed close behind.. Upton hesitated and fin- ally seeing his companions wel! on the way, start- ed to join them when the other diamond poacher discovered his object, and, giving a shout, cov- ered him with his rifle. Young Fowler collapsed and crept back to the shelter of the rock again. The rascal then looked for the other two boys, but they had just vanished from his sight over the edge of the gully, and he was unable to make out where they had gone. The fight between the detachment of soldiers’ and the diamond poach- ers had now grown quite hot, and there were a number of casualties on both sides. The latter stood their ground and put up a desperate re- sistance, and as the two parties were pretty even- ly divided in numbers, the result was a matter of doubt. Clem and Will waited for- Upton to appear, but he didn’t. “What’s the matter with him?” asked Clem. “Didn’t he come?” “T don’t know. hind me.” They glanced cautiously above the edge of the gully and saw Upton still crouching under the rock. : “He’s a blamed donkey!” éried Clem, in an im- patient tone. “He hasn’t spunk enough to make an effort to save himself. I don’t want to stay here. My idea was to get as far away from the gang of diamond diggers as we could, and then watch for a chance to join the soldiers as soon as they succeeded in clearing these fellows out.” “They seem to be having a tough time doing it. These rascals are putting up a stiff fight. You can gamble on it they are not cowards.” “So much the more reason why we should take advantage of a chance that might not occur soon again if the poachers manage to beat the mili- tary off.” 3 : “If we wait for Upton I —— we'll stay here sca time. He seems to anchored to that rec! : I supposed he was right be- own fault,” replied Clem. “T hate to leave him in the lurch; but it’s his — “Well, he’s got a fair chance of a peace? Ie

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| FROM DARK stream of water ran through the ravine and con- nected with the river, half a mile away. , : “This is a fine spot to hide,” said Clem, look- ing around. “Upton ought to be with us.” on wonder how the fight is getting on?” said ill. “There’s a tree yonder. a squint.” . He started for the tree, Will following him. Clem hadn’t taken more than a dozen steps - through the heavy vegetation before he suddenly disappeared right before Will’s eyes. “My gracious!” exclaimed Ashmore. “Where did he go?” : He walked forward with some caution, parting the bushes before him, and wondering how on earth it was that his companion had vanished so mysteriously. There was no sign of Clem or how he had gone from sight. : > “Clem!” called out Will. “I say, Clem! Where aa have you got to?” P He received no answer to his hail. The ra- vine was as silent as a tomb. ; i “This is deuced strange,” Will said to himself. “T ‘can’t see where he could have gone to in such a rapid manner. I thought he had tripped over something in the bushes, and looked to see him rise up in a moment or two. I don’t like this for a cent.” ; He called out again to his companion, but there Fe: was no reply. Will now began to grow alarmed. . “He certainly went down somewhere near this spot. I don’t’see a hole of any kind. But, then, _* the bushes are so thick they might cover orn - The ground suddenly gave way under his 5 feet as he took another step forward, and down he went, out of sight, like a shot. : I’ll climb it and take CHAPTER’ VI—A Fortune in Diamonds. The cry that rose to Will’s lips was choked off by the dense mass of shrubbery that closed above his head. He struck upon a hard, inclined plane, ~ about six feet below and shot off, feet first, like a billiard ball from the cushion, ow!” he ejaculated, with a grunt, as he fetched up somewhere down in the depths of the hillside. _ “Helio, is that you, Will?” asked a voice out of the darkness. ; : “My goadness! Is that you, Clem?” cried Will, ~ in gas surprise. : your life it’s me; but I hardly expected to see you following me by the same route,” with _ a chuckle. ; : “That was the swiftest slide I ever made in _ ‘my life,” replied Will., : = “Yes, it was pretty swift. It could give cards and spades to some trolley lines that I’ve been i” on. “Where do you think we are at?” -“] think we’re at the bottom of a toboggan,” answered Clem. “y ~ “Anybody that took the same ride on the seat- ~ a > oe Se TO \ DAWN “IT think you’ve a match-safe in your pocket,” said Clem. “Get it out and light a lucifer.” Will quickly ignited a match and the boys looked around them. The toboggan was right be- fore them—an inclined plane of smooth slate dis- appearing into the darkness above at an angle of forty-five degrees. Behind and around them was a wide, earthy cavern that looked as if it had been dug out by the hand of man. “This ‘must be a mine,” said Will. “A dia- mond or a gold mine. Where diamonds are found gold almost always exists, too.” There was a lot of dried brushwood around the floor and the boys built a small fire to better il- luminate the place. It took them a matter of ten minutes to yy the presumed mine. In a far- away corner Clem fell over some obstacle in his path. It was"a bag full of some hard stuff. Bringing it within the circle of light cast by the fire, he examined the contents. It was full of rough pebbles similar to the one he had found in the excavation during the first day’s digging, and which Will had declared to be a diamond in the rough. Clem dumped a pile of them out on the floor for his companion‘s inspection as well as his own. Many of them showed a remarkably brilliant and iridescent surface which demon- strated their character beyond a doubt. “Diamonds, every one of them!” cried Will, in great excitement. “There must be a fortune in that bag. Gee! What a find!” “What makes you so sure they’re diamonds?” asked Clem. _ “Because I’ve read enough about diamond min- ing, and the description of what. diamonds in the rough look like. Those are the real article. After they have been cut and polished they'll look alto-— gether different.” “Most of them appear to be small,” said Clem. “There must. be a thousand or more in that bag.” “A thousand!” ejaculated Will. “You’re a poor guesser. I'll bet there two or three thou- sand.” “Perhaps you can guess how much the lot is worth, too?” grinned Chem. . “In their present state they ought to average $12 a carat. There are a hundred at least that will fetch a specially high price by themselves. Cutting and polishing will greatly reduce their size, but will proportionately increase their value.” “You never thought when you studied up the diamond that your knowledge would come in handy one day, did you?” % “That’s right.” : “Now, seeing you’ve read so much on the sub- ject, you ought to know where the diamond dis- igs a ae are?” : “T do. “Good enough. That will give us a line on where we are now.” ae “T imagine we’re in the Province of Matto Grosso, one of the biggest in Brazil. It borders on Bolivia on the west, and lies the 10th and 20th degrees of latitude. It is bounded on the east by the Province of Goyaz. Between Goyaz and the coast lie the provinces mostly between of Bahia and Minas Geraes. These four provinees © may be called the diamond district of Brazil. The most diamonds have been found in the’last two.” _ “We must be some distance from the coast, then?” _ a : * ;

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_ “T think we’re in the mountains which form the dividing line between Matto Grosso and Goyaz. If so; we're all of 700 miles from the Atlantic in a direct line.” E “Why do you think we’re in those particular mountains, Will?” ; : “Tt is only a guess on my part, because this seems to be a prolific diamond district, judging have been found in Goyaz than in Matto Grosso. I don’t think the balloon carried us as far east as - Bahia, nor by any means as far south as Minas ” raes. “What puzzles me, Will, is why, if all these pebbles are real diamonds, which would make their value considerable, they should have been abandoned in this mine,” said Clem. ; “Don’t let that fact worry you. I’m ready to swear that they’re diamonds. I’m so certain of jt that if the feat were possible I’d be willing to carry that bag, heavy as it is, all the way to ‘ahia on foot—and that would be a tramp as I guess as from New York City to Chicazo— on the chance of getting $12 a carat for them. _ “If we had another bag now, Will, we would _ divide the burden between us.” _ “We'll have to get one somehow, for that’s toa heavy to lug far.” in a spot where they could find it again, and went forward to reconnoiter the valley. They advanced € with due caution toward the seene of the recent - conflict. : aes There was not a sign either of the soldiers -. or the diamond poachers. The valley was, in fact, completely deserted. When they reached the Ee: excavation they saw the shovels and other tools > lying around loose, which indicated that the ras- iad cally band had been driven away from the place. Several of the scoundrels lay stark and stiff in death on the ground. Will quickly picked up one of the riffes and secured a idge belt. While he was fi the empty holes with cartridges from other belts, Clem discovered a bag containing a few diamonds the poachers had found that morning. Further on, behind a rock, he alse made a most important find. It was the provisions brought for the nognday meal of the gang. Under present cir- cumstances this was wort) its weight in gold to” the hungry boys. : _ Clem could not help announcing the discovery with a hurrah, so delighted was he. Will ran up to see what was the matter, and he, too, felt like — standing on his head out of sheer satisfaction. The problem of eating for several days to come had been satisfactorily solved. CHAPTER VII.—Down the River. “Who says we don’t eat, eh? chuckled Will, eeNothing could be more fortunate,” said C “No more Cc “It pulls us out out of a mighty ticklish I .

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10 “Oh, but I say,” cried Will, suddenly looking glum, “how are we going to carry it all with us, and the diamonds, too?” “And the rifles, likewise,” said Clem, lubiously. “That’s another one of the difficulties we’re up against.” “Difficulties seem to crop up on every side. I see you’ve got hold of another bag. We can divide the diamonds now.” “If we didn’t have the diamonds to carry there would be no difficulty about the food question.” “That’s true enough; but if we leave the dia- monds behind we’ll never see them again.” _ “Tf we only could rig up some kind of a raft we could float down the river. That would save us not only. the trouble of walking, but of carry- ing all the stuff we want to take with us.” “That would be fine,” replied Will. “The only trouble is that the river runs southward and we ought to travel eastward.” “What’s the difference as long as we get away from this place? It might carry us by or near some town, or village where we could make such arrangements as would enable us to travel to the coast in good shape.” : “Tt seems to me that we'll have a high old time making arrangements with people who don't speak our language nor we theirs. How are we going to make ourselves understood!” “We ought to find somebody in a town who can speak English,” said Clem. “Well, how about this raft matter? It suits me all right. I’d just as soon travel fifty or-a hundred miles from here without tiring myself out as not. How can we build a raft stable enough to carry ourselves and our possessions? Whére is the wood? And where the tools to construct it with?” “We might be able to build a make-shift out of logs secured together with green vines, pro- vided they would hold,” replied Clem. “Where are we going to find the logs?” “Well. I can see one now down near the water.” “You'll want to see more than one before we can talk raft. I mové that we have something ‘to eat before we figure any more on the subject. We'll go down beside the river and eat, for then s we'll have fresh water all ready at hand.” ‘They selected a quantity of maize cakes and dried fruits from the diamond poachers’ commis- sary department and marched down to the river hungry boys, but they were thankful indeed to have anything to satisfy their appetites with. _ They had finished their meal and were looking idly up and down the river when Will, pointing to an object a short distance away, cried out: “What do you call that?” - . Glem looked in the direction indicated by his companion. He saw what seemed to be a small rowboat tied to the shore. seemed to be too good to- be true. Such a discovery _ “Why, I call it a boat if I can see straight,” he said, in some excitement. “But can it really be a boat?” = “The best way to make sure of the matter is — ‘to go and see.” ‘ _ That was good logic, and so they hurried tow- rd the floating object. To their intense satis- tion it turned out to be a small boat, partly rater, which sank it nearly to its gun- FROM DARK TO DAWN It was a simple enough repast for two “Another serious problem solved,” said Will. “We’re in great luck.” “We are if it doesn’t leak too bad,” replied Clem. i ; They pulled the boat on to the shore and dumped the water out of her. Then they found that she did not leak at all. There was a pair of oars fastened under the seats. _ “Nothing could be better for a short cruise down the stream, eh, Will?” “That's right. Let’s put the provisions on board and then row back for the diamonds,” said his companion. They lost no time in doing this, for darkness would soon be upon them. Will suggested that they might just as well put all the rifles in sight aboard, as they probably could sell them for provisions. They gathered together six, besides several knives. Then they pulled up stream to a point near the ravine. where they had left the bag of diamonds. They divided their treasure be- tween the two bags, keeping out a number of what they supposed to be the most valuable of the diamonds to dispose of at the best price they could get in order to meet their expenses. By- the time they were ready to cast off and begin their voyage it was nearly dark, but the esky was brilliant with stars which would enable them to see their way down the river. ‘ “We won’t even ha@ve-the trouble of rowing,” said Will. “The current is swift and wilf carry us rapidly along without the least labor on our ” “All abroad!” shouted Clem, as he stepped into the boat and seated himself by the tiller. “Let her go.” answered Will as he jumped in and took possession of the seat facing his com- panion. “Get out an oar and push her off into the mid< dle of the stream,” said Clem. Will obeyed, and’ they were soon gliding down the river in great shape. “Upton made the mistake of his life in not following us,” remarked Will, presently. “He’d have had a share of the diamonds and been in congenial society. Now he’s either with a lot of Brazilian soldiers or still in the hands of the diamond poachers. In either case I don’t envy his situation.” ss The country they were passing through was not a cheerful-looking one. As far as they could see in the night there wasn’t a vestige of life. — The valley gradually expanded to a desolate plateau through which they floated for several hours before it took on a fertile look. By that time Will was asleep, while Clem kept watch and guided the little craft. , : When he guessed it was near midnight he awoke his companion and stretched himself out -on the seats for a snooze himself. In this way the night wore away and daylight came. They breakfasted on more maize cakes and dried fruit. “This isn’t hotel feed, but I guess it will fill the bill under the strenuous circumstances,” = grinned Will. “It will fill our stomachs at any rate, and that’s _ all that’s necessary,” replied Clem. “We've been having strange adventures enough to fill a book - since that balloon carried us away aga will from Lakeport ten days ago.” “That’s what we have,” nodded Will: inst our — “Tf aes € _ one had told me that eventful morning that I

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ir would be in the wilds of South America in less than a week I should have laughed in his face. And yet that is what has actually taken_place. It seems like a dream, doesn’t it to you, Clem?” “Call a e* nightmare and you'll come nearer “It will be a pleasant nichtmare. if we can carry _ the diamonds to a place where we can sell them at their actual value.” S = «= “Do you think we'll get $10,000 for them as _ they stand?” asked Clem- - ~~ *“Ten thousand dollars! What are you thinking ‘they’ re worth? I wouldn’t take a cent less than => SAB 000 for my half.” 3 _ “There must be over 2,000 carats at tHat rate.” ' . “There are over 3,000; but half of them won’t _ bring over $8 or $10 a carat, as they are small. But they are gem diamonds all right, and by, the s aeoke of the bag they were all originally in they - must have been dug out of the ground many years ago, when the Brazilian mines were more productive than they are to-day “The South African mines turn out most oda the diamonds to-day, don’t they, ° Will?” a Clem. “I read in the newspaper about a = ~ over in London who was called the Mason King ‘ _ because hé controlled the business.” Will nodded. “That ame onan is dead now. itteed suicide.” commits Because he was so rich he didn't know what to do with his wealth?” “Maybe so. I think you and I could stand a good deal of that kind of prosperity without going off our base.” _ “What are the biggest mines in this country?” “The Sierra de Frio, discovered in the early part of the eighteenth century. They supplied the world until the South African diamond fields came to the front.” “What was the size of the largest diamond ever 9” ‘ound ? “One called “The Mogul,’ found in India, and - which weighed in the rough 787 1-2 carats.” “Tt must have been a corker. I shouldn’t think any one would have had money enough to buy at." I believe he Will didn’t answer, as he was looking intently river. _ “] think there’s a village yonder, for I see ke,” he said. ~ poe looked where he pointed and saw the o doubt we shall find a village there. This is e a knowledge of the native language would me in very handy with us now.” will got the oars out and began to row to ir speed. They soon swept around ; curve og the stream. Much to their disap- tment there was not the slightest sign of a ER VIII.—In the Hands of the Military. t from an vty ge FROM DARK TO DAWN It's =o OEE “that turn in the river,” he ‘said. . ..coins the boys had in their pockets, the half — _ placed the diamonds in his pocket, while the two | =. eee fight with the diamend poachers yesterday,” marked ‘Clem. : “I guess you’re right,” replied Will. Their presence on the river was presently dis- covered by the campers, one of whom looked at a the boat through a field-glass. This person, who 3 seemed to be in command *of the detachment, made certain movements with his arm; where- upon two soldiers ran down to the bank, rifle in hand, and hailed the boys in Portuguese. As 5 Clem and Will didn’t understand a word the men ‘ sajd they paid no attention to them, but allowed the boat to drift on. Both men then raised their rifles and fired over the boys’ heads. “That seems to be a signal for us to pull ashore,” said Clem. , “Very likely,” replied Will, “and I think we'd : better do it, for the next time they might put a ball through our bodies. Maybe they take a us for a couple of the crowd they fought yester- z day. I see the finish of our diamonds as far as we are concerned.” “We've got the bags stowed under the provi- sions so it is possible they may escape notice,” answered Clem, though he had little hope of such a happy result. The bays turned the boat toward the shore and soon reached it. They were ordered to land. Though the words of this command were unin- telligible to them, the gestures accompanying it were perfectly plain, so they got out of the boat and were seized by the two soldiers who, without paying any attention to the boat, which drifted off a short distance and then grounded just out of sight, marched them to the encampment. They were brought before the officer, who viewed them with astern and forbidding coun- tenance. “Who are you?” he demanded in Portuguese. — Clem shook his head as an intimation that they did not understand what he said. “Tell him we are Americans,” whispered Will. Clem did so. “Americans, eh?” replied the officer, looking at them very hard and by no means favorably. “What are you doing out here?” he added, sus- piciously. Clem shook his head ag: “You do not. tniteritaine. Portuguese!” he saic 4 in some surprise, but accompanied with a | ae that seemed to say that he had his doubts on the = Another shake of the “1ead from Clem. “Search them!” commanded the officer. : The soldiers went through the boys’ pockets — and pulled out, among the various articles and re- i. ” > PLN Fe . Row a RET AY SSS Pear ae dozen rough diamonds each carried. “Aha!” exclaimed the officer, fiercely. “Dia- monds, eh? You belong to that band of rascals who are giving me so much trouble. You say you do not speak Portuguese. You Americans: think to pull the — over my eyes. I am no fool! You shall go prison, I promise you. Away with them to Bin Se tent, and one of you stand guard over them.” The officer stroked his flowing mustache and soldiers grabbed the boys roughly by the : axel pushed: them towanf tie taut question. They were Rave: ee

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3 . 42 of the canvas folds and left to reflect upon this lastest stroke of hard luck. “Gee!” exclaimed Will, with a blank look, “we're up against it again. We've lost both our freedom and a fortune in diamonds at one blow. = What are we going to do, Clem?” “T don’t see that we can do anything but grin and bear it,” replied his chum. “That officer handled us without gloves, espe- cially when those diamonds were found in our - pockets. I'll bet he takes us for members. of ; that gang they tackled yesterday.” “I wouldn’t be surprised. We're at a katie disadvantage, not being able to talk the language a of the country. It is impossible for us to make : any explanation of who we are and in what a : remarkable way we came into this mart of South = America.” “I don’t believe he’d believe any atakesnent we = might make if. we could talk the language. He would say that our coming here from the United States in a balloon was ridiculous.” “We could tell him where the remains of the -balloon is to be found, not so many miles from ic here. That ought to be proof enough to bear : us out.” “What's the use of talking? We couldn’t get = him to understand our storv to save our lives. I wish to gracious we’d never gone to Lakeport to see the balloon go-upv. My father and mother -- gre crazy over my disappearance by this time, and goodness knows when we’ll ever get out of ei this country and back to Louisiana.” Fa After a little while the boys peered out through = the opening of the tent to satisfy their curiosity rf as to their surroundings. There were about a dozen tents in the encampment, but they could see ~~ only half a dozen soldiers all told. It looked as if most of the soldiers were away somewhere. The boys finally concluded, and correctly. too, that this was not the detachment which had at- tacked the diamond poachers the day before, but ‘a small section of it which had remained behind to watch the camp. “The main body are no doubt trying to exter- a the gang before returning to camp,” said Will, “Very likely,” admitted Clem. “They will prob- ably bring back some prisoners, Upton among them, possibly. Then if the rascals only tell the truth about us we may get out of this scrape.” “What bothers me more than anything else is the loss of those diamonds,” said Will discon- solately. “I had calculated on making a good haul out of my share.” _ “Y suppose that officer has got possession of the two bags by this time,” replied Clem. “It will mean a good many dollars in his pocket.” “Tt’s a blamed shame, so it is. We are right- fully entitled to that treasure, for we found it away down in that abandoned mine. But-even if we could speak Portuguese like a native we - ernment chaps got their ten fingers on them.” “Well, to say the honest truth, Will, I had strong doubts about our being able to get ee _. diamonds to any place where we might have a chance to sell them.” is It didn’t take long to have your doubts re- re ear mbled Will. pene a soldier came and marched boys to commander’s tent. Sh ghee couldn’t recover those diamonds once these ZOv-_ -is dark and the camp is quiet. FROM DARK TO DAWN interview them again in Portugese, evidently. be- lieving they were lying when they said they did not understand the language, for it seemed ridiculous that two boys would come way out to that province without the ability to make them- selves understood. Then, again, he argued that they must have some strong object for being in that unsettled part of Brazil—and what object could entice them to the diamond district, but the intention of digging for the gems on the quiet, which was against the law, for the government exercised a strict surveillance over the diamond industry. The officer pointed at the dozen rough dia- monds that had been -taken from their pockets, and now lay on his camp table, and jabbered fiercely at the lads. He made threats of punish- ment that would have made them uneasy if they had been able to translate the words, and brow- beat them in every way he could, thinking to bring them to terms; but it had as little effect on them as water on a duck’s baek;: though they could easily see that the officer was furiously angry. Finally he gave up the effort to get any- thing out of them for the present, and ordered them to be taken back to the tent and bound. Their hands were tied behind their backs and their ankles secured in the same manner. After that it wasn’t considered necessary to keep a guard over them. Early in the afternoon they were furnished with plain black bread and water for dinner, which rations were Suphetieg about sundown. “These chaps don’t mean to pamper our ap- = petites,” growled Will, who didn’t like the prison fare for a cent. ~ “We won’t get fat on < that’s ‘a fact; but I’ve sat down to pretty nearly as rocky a “meal at Mr. Fowler’s on sundry occasions when Mrs. F, had a grouch on,” grinned Clem. “Now look here, Will, I’m thinking that we ought to make .an attempt to give these chaps the leg bail before vhe rest of the detachment get back. I sy fi the others would show up long before this “How are we going to do it, when we’re bound like a pair of chickens ready for the market?” “Well, I haven’t been idle this afternoon. I’ve got a small hand, and have been working more or less steadily at my bonds for several hours past while talking to you, and now I’ve got the rope loose enough so that I can draw one hand out at ary moment, | and the other will follow as a matter of course.” “You have?” eried Will, hopefully. “Yes. Then with my jack-knife, which that chap. who searched me returned to my pocket, I could easily cut my angles free, and after that your bonds would come off as easy as wink- - “That’s all right, but don’t you suppose some-— body would see us the moment we walked out through the flap door?” Z “T don’t propose to make the attempt until it hermore, my plan is not to go out the front way, as the — tents face the open space where a guard prob- ably marches up and down all night. It will be — easy to slit an opening in the back of this tent _ and sneak that way.” = “Your scheme is first-class,” said Will, iff sor raises or ae it will work.” : .

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_ “We must trust to luck.” ~ “Tt is probable we shali find the boat down by s the shore, though the diamonds are likely to be _ missing.” “I’m not so sure they were taken from the boat.” “Why not?” : “When we were receiving that jawing in the ~ commander’s tent I looked around for the bags, - but didn’t see a sign of them. Then, again, you _ remember he made’a great how-de-do about those ~- few stones he got from our pockets. It looks to - me as if he did not suspect that we had any more in the first place.” “That's so,” said Will, with a hopeful expres- “Still it seems singular that the boat was not examined. There were six rifles in it be- sides the cartridge belts, provisions and the diamonds.” “These Brazilian soldiers are a slouchy lot, I guess. When we stepped ashore this morning those two soldiers seized and marched us right before their officer and never looked at the boat, nor made an attempt to secure it. I’ bet that ’ boat floated off down the river on its own hook, and that whether we escape or not we'll never see it again.” “Gee! I hope not,” replied Will, blankly. “I want to recover those diamonds.” “There are a good many things we all want in this world that we don’t get just the same,” answered Clem, truthfully. The boys continued to talk until it grew dark, and then a soldier with a lantern ‘entered the _ tent and in a perfunctory manner examined their — bonds. Apparently satisfied they were all right, : dragged the boys in turn to the bunk that ‘ ied the center of the tent, and then left them in the dark. * CHAPTER IX.—The Escape. “It looks as if this is the last visit we'll have to-night,” said Clem to his companion. : “I guess so. That chap appeared to be satis- - fied that we would not be able to giye them any trouble,” replied Will. \ “Then here is where we turn the tables on 2 .” answered Clem, drawing one of his hands out of bondage, the other quickly following. “You see my hands are free, don’t you?” he added, seizing -Will by the arm. z “You are all to the mustard, Clem! “The next thing is to cut my ankles loose and ; ase you.” : $m as Clem put his hand in his pocket, drew out his e, and in three minutes both boys stood up, e of their bonds. a, ‘Now,” said Clem, “go to the flap and peek out le I slit a hole in the back of the tent.” — Will did so, and he saw five sold‘ers sitting the camp-fire. which illumina ed the fronts the tents, while a sixth marched up and FROM DARK TO DAWN —must cut it quick.”. : 13 At that moment he heard his companion call to him in a low tone. “Come on, Will. I’ve made a hole big enough to let a barrel through. We haven’t any time to lose.” Ashmore didn’t need to be told twice, but hur- ried over and followed Clem into the night air. Clem got down on his hands and knees and crawled away into the darkness, followed by Will. Lambert led their retreat around toward the commander’s tent, which stood off by itself in the direction of the river. A moment before he had seen the officer come out of his tent and walk toward the fire. Instantly a daring, and perhaps foolish, idea had occurred to him. He wanted to regain those dozen diamonds, which were among the best of their find, and he had seen the Brazilian officer place them in the drawer of his camp table during the interview the boys had with him. If they were still there he was going to get them if he could. “You go on as far as that tree yonder,” he whispered to Will; “Ill be with you in a mo- ment.” ° _ “What are you going to do?” asked his chum, in some surprise, “No matter. Do as I tell you.” “All right,” acquiescea Will, moving cautiously away, but nevertheless wondering what purpose Clem had in view. Clem crawled wu. to the cemmander’s tent, slit up a big opening .n the c.nvas and crept inside. A light burned on the table, which showed that the officer would no doubt be back soon. Clem p didn’t lose a second but hurried up to the table, a pullel open the, drawer and looked in. Sure enough, to his great satisfaction, there lay the twelve rough diamonds. He couldn’t remove them all at the first grab, but as his fingers closed over the balance the officer raised the flap of his tent to re-enter. = Clem saw the commander’s~ figure, and the commander saw his outline bending over the table, and took the boy for one of his soldiers, who, of course, had no business to be there. See- ing that he was caught in the act, Clem, with admirable presence of mind, overthrew the table, ~the lamp going with it. For a moment the in- terior of the tent was shrouded in darkness, and the boy dashed for the slit in the canvas and 3 made his escape just as the lamp exploded under the officer’s bed. ‘y The thunderstruck commander roared out a command, which drew the attention of the men about the fire to him. They sprang to their feet and ran toward the tent where the ignited oil from the shattered lamp had set the bed on 5 By: that time Clem dashed up alongside of ill. . os “Come,” he said, in an exci =z | “What’s happened?” queried Will, as soon as the paused at the river bank. y “Don’t bother asking questions now. The fat

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“Maybe it has, but I want to make sure,” swered Clem. They ran along the bank, keeping their eyes skinned for some trace of the boat. Behind them a glare of light flashed up in the air as the fire caught on the canvas of the commander’s tent and rendered all hope of saving it futile. “By George!” cried Will, suddenly. “If there isn’t the boat after all, ashore on that bit of beach.” Clem saw it almost at the same instant, and the boys made a wild break for.it. At that mo- ment their figures were seen in the circle of light — thrown by the fire, and the officer’s attention called to them. He issued a volley of orders just as the fleeing lads stepped into the boat S and pushed out on the river. A soldier rushed ie to the tent where the prisoners had been confined, _ ~while the other ran to get their rifles, Clem ; in the meantime seized the oars and. pushed as eine hard as he could-to get over to the other bank - and out of range of the firelight cast by the ye burning tent. A couple of bright flashes, fol- lowed by sharp reports and the hum of a pair of = bullets close to their heads, showed the boys they —< were still within the danger zone. Clem pulled , like a good fellow, and the boat vanished from s the sight of the soldiers just as they fired again. “Gee!” cried Will, “that was a close call. They ean’t reach us now unless they have a boat, and I don’t believe they’ve got one.” “Hark!” exclaimed Clem. “They’re running dewn the other side of the river trying to locate us for a shot. They may hear the oars, so I’m going to stop rowing and let the boat drift.” Presently several spurts of flame lit up the gloom of the opposite bank, but the beys didn’t hear the music of the bullets. The soldiers had simply fired at random, not being able to make out the boat. By that time the Brazilian com- mander’s tent was reduced to ashes, and soon after a bend in the river shut out the view of the distant campfire from the boys. There was no further sound or firing or pursuit, and Clem and Will began to breathe easier. ~ “Now tell me what you did, Clem, when you left me that time?” asked Will, eagerly. “What- ever it was it aroused the camp and was the “cause of the officer’s tent taking fire.” _ “Well, I made up my mind to recover those diamonds the soldiers took from us when the com- mander ordered us to be searched.” “You don’t mean it!” gasped, Will, amazed at his companion’s daring.’ ; at do mean it, and I’ve got them in my pocket WT iok have?” - *T have. Just as I -got the last of them in my. fist. the officer suddenly -re-entered his tent and caught me.” __ “And what did you do?” . a overthrew the table with the lamp that - In the confusion, we reached the boat and ‘the start we needed’ to take us out of sight the soldiers.” t Scott! But you’ve gota cast-iron nerve officer’s tent for those diamonds!” an- ‘had diverged from the course. in the middle of the river this would not have FROM DARK TO DAWN right, and the two boys ceased to talk about if but turned their attention to figuring on the uture. CHAPTER X.—Captured Again. Had it been a bright starlit night, like the evening previous, the boys probably wouldn’t have got out of their scrape as easily, as they did. The Brazilian soldiers would have been able to have seen them clear across the not over-wide river, and would doubtless have made their pas- sage down the stream so warm that the lads would have to take to the shore to escape their bullets. The darkness of the night in that re- spect favored the boys, but in another it operated against them. They intended to go down the river till they reached the neighborhood of some town, but their intention was (for the time be- ing at last frustrdted by the current of the stream carrying them into a creek: The thick gloom which hung over the face of nature that night prevented them from noticing that they Had they been occurred; but even after they lost track of the pursuing soldiers they kept close to the opposite bank, and’ so the eurrent that swept into the creek carried’ the boat in with it, and until they had gone nearly half a mile, and got entangled in the shallows, they supposed they were still floating down the river, “Say, whete are we at, anyway?” asked Will, at last. “We must have got switched off the ’ river somehow.” “Looks like it, doesn’t it?” replied Clem. “There isn’t two feet of water here,” he added, feeling around with an oar. “Seems to be a lot of rank vegetation around ~ us, too,” said Will. “We'll either have to turn around and try to get back to the river again or stay here till morning, when we'll be able to get a true line on our position once more.” “How far do you think we’re below that camp?” inquired Will. “T haven’t any idea; but it must be several ‘miles.” “Do you think those chaps will pursue us in the morning?” “I wouldn’t be at all surprised but they will.” “Then if we kept to the river they would prob- - ably head us off in the course: of the day.” aan they followed us long enough I think they would.” “Then we'd better stay where we are, ant you think?” “T think we had until daylight.” “Then the best thing we ean do is to go ashore and have a good night’s rest in the shrubbery. I’m sore from lying across the seats last night.” Clem thought Will’s suggestion good, and they _ opt it. They tied the boat to a stone, decided to found a soft resting spot near at hand and ere long were sleeping soundly. The sun was well up E when thev awoke... Emerging from the bushes Will called Clem’s attention to a house about a : nile -awey, end to izround.-that seemed: to be im: = ion; :

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EROM DARK TO DAWN 15 : “You can’t tell. This may be an isolated habi- “Well, vou look it, Upton,” said Will. tation.” j “Is that your boat?” asked Upton. “Where “Tf I could talk the lingo of the country I’d go did you get it?” over to that dwelling and find out where we “Just you listen and I’ll tell you what we’ve are.” : been through sirice we lost you.” “Tt is a great world. isn’t it?” grinned Clem. “While you’re telling it, Will,” said Clem, “I'll “If it’s all the same to you, we’ll sample those walk over to that house and see if I can secure provisions in the boat. for- I feel starved out a fresh supply of eatables. Now that there’s _ after that bread-and-water diet we had yester- three of us again, what we have won't last long.” = day.” He picked up a handful of the small diamonds > Ashmore was more than willing to eat, and so they had cast aside, put them in his pocket and the boys breakfasted. started off, while Will began to entertain Upton “Now,” said Clem, when they were through, “as with an account of the adventurés Clem and it’s more than likely we’ll have to de some walk- himself had experienced since they parted com- ing before long, I vote that we try and reduce pany with him during the fight between the the burden we’ve got to carry.” soldiers and the diamond poachers. , “In what way?” For reasons, he suppressed the fact of their _ ~ “Well, I think we’d better sort over the dia-~ discovery of the bag of rough diamonds in the monds and keep only the biggest ones—those that deserted mine, merely stating how they had will pan out as least a carat er cutting. We’ve slipped down the slate toborgan and afterward a lot of good-sized stones in the bag that ought made their exit from the hole by the way the} _ to be-worth a handful of the smal! ones. These had got in. Clem, in the meanwhile, proceede _ should bring us a good price as they stand. I on to the distant house, wondering how he would think we can afford to throw out all the very be able to make his wants known. The necessity small ones in order to inerease our chances of of procuring a fresh supply of provisions; how- saving the realty good ones.” ever, urged him to make the best effort he “But the smallest we’ve got will fetch $8 a could to accdmplish that end. He approached carat at least. It’s like throwing “away so much the rear of the house as being the most likely good ney,” objected Will. ~ place where he might expect to find some mem- Finally, after some argument on the subject, ber of the family at that hour. Smoke was the stones were-sorted over and 300 very small ascending from the chimney of a one-story ad- ‘specimens were thrown out. - dition, which he judged to be the kitchen, and _- “This-is evidently a creek we wandered into consequently he guessed that breakfast was un- Jast night in the dark,” said Will, looking at the der way. He was within a few -yards of the narrow watercourse at the head of which the door when suddenly the shrill scream of a woman boat lay. broke upon the still air. - *Yes, I guess it’s a creek, all right,” acquiesced |The scream was repeated in such a tone as Clem. “Hello, here’s somebody coming this way seemed to intlicate that the person was in trouble. from the direction of the river. Blessed if it m: gracious!” exclaimed Clem. “What can doesn’t look like Upton. I wonder’ if it really be the matter?” z ean be him?”- He dashed forward with the intention-of lend- _ They watched the slow and toilsome approach ing his aid if that was necessary. The scream was ‘of the newcomer with some interest, until. the a third time repeated, and it came from a’ room _ faet became evident to them that it actually just ahead of the kitchen annex. Clem didn’t was Upton Fowler who was drawing near. stand on ceremony about entering the house un- “Well, he certainly looks as if he’d been up der the circumstances. He sprang through the against an extra slice of hard luck since. we kitchen door, crossed the room at a bound, and, saw him last,” said Will. peer ee aati — in no Aa —_ 3 wha does. He seems hardly able appea at the door o e room beyond. ere Sea ae at ara another.” 3 a table was spread with dishes and eatables at Upton did. not notice them until he got quite which two men were seated, while a third was ‘near, and then not until Ashmore hailed him. struggling with a young «nd pretty girl, who He stopped and stared at them as if he couldn’t was trying to beat him off. E slieve his eyes, then he made a dash forward He had his arms around her and was trying nd tumbled down in a heap at their feet. They to kiss her against her will, his companions look- “found out that Upton was almost starved, ing on and enjoying the contest. The girl was ‘they set before him as much of their pro- strong and active, but no match for the fellow 2 sions as he could eat. Then he told them that who had hold of her, and whose actions showed __ he diamond poachers had finally been dislodged that he was somewhat tipsy. It was clear that om their advantageous position among thé she didn’t intend to be kissed by her assailant s and driven off out of the valley, the if. she could help herself, but the chances were 2 ‘pursuing them. That he had finally all in his favor. Clem, who was a natural cham- ~~ up courage enough to seek shelter in ca “After the fight he had wandered about “valley, hunting for his associates, but could find any» f them. Finally he started t Eas n the river use. He had c da ea ~ unsuec morning, when he hold of the girl and fell back, while she, taking — oy house Will had noticei an advantage of the moment, fled out of his reach ~ — nothing to eat in forty- into the kitchen, and thence to the yard. E S _Clem’s cyclonic entry and vigorous aggressive- — ness produced something of a sensation in t “= Dae >< S- ar = BP — 25 oa e. oa

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16 room, and the three men stared at him in angry astonishment. It was then for the first time that the boy noticed they were attired in the garb of soldiers. - “What do you mean, you rascal, by abusing that girl?” cried Clem, forgetting in his excite- ment that he was addressing people to whom the English language was-as intelligible as the Chi- nese jargon. His voice broke the spell. “By thunder!” exclaimed one of the soldiers, in Portuguese, springing to his feet, “this is one of those boys we’re after. Grab him!” Before Clem had qypite grasped the situation the three men were upon him, and, in spite of a vigorous resistance on his part, he was over- thrown and his hands bound with a leather strap. ‘CHAPTER XI.—Tricking the Enemy. Clem was pulled on his feet and forced into a chair in a corner, while the men returned to the table to finish their interrupted meal. The boy now had an opportunity to réalize that he had inadvertantly placed himself in the hands of his enemies—soldiers who he guessed had been sent out to cut off the escape of himself and his companion. He noticed that they occasionally bestowed triumphant and malicious glances on him as they ‘hurried down their food in their eagerness to start out after the other escaped e : prisoner, whom they naturally judged to be hid- 3 ing in that vicinity. ; Z The girl did not show up near the house again “ae while the soldiers were eating. As*far as Clem gould see, no other member of the family that lived there was about the place. The men at _ length rose from the table and prepared to go in of their prisoner’s companion—at least two of them were to undertake that cheerful duty while the third, the half tipsy chap, was to remain and guard Clem. In order to make ‘sure of their prisoner, they got a rope and tied him to the chair. | Beas e Then the sober pair took their rifles and de- % parted on their mission. : ly i Be soldier sat-in front of Clem with his rifte across or his knee, and amused himself telling the boy a in Portuguese what he might expect in the way of punishment for his escape of the night be- fore, As Clem didn’t understand a word he said, the terrors of his conversation were quite lost on the boy. Fifteen minutes passed in this way and then Clem, who was facing the open window, saw the girl’s face appear at the open- ing. soldier’s back was toward her, and consequently he did not know she was there. Clem looked at her, and she at Clem, but the boy made no move to betray her presence. tion in the ‘room, and then placing her finger - on her lips, and smiling at the boy, she disap- peared. Ten minutes passed away, during which Clem wondered whether the girl really intend- to help him out of his, scrape, and then she ‘suddenly appeared at the: door of the room. Tiptoeing toward the Brazilian guard, who ap- ared to be unconscious of her presence, she the back of his chair. Raising her arm The partly intoxicated - _ Finally she appeared to understand the situa-- FROM DARK TO DAWN quickly she dashed a handful of fine connamon dust into his face. The soldier screamed out with pain and staggered to his feet. His rifle clat- tered to the floor, the chair fell over, while the stricken man, swearing and crying out in Portu- guese, groped for the door. The girl, without a word, seized a knife from the table, quickly cut Clem’s bonds and pointed at the window. The boy seized both her hands gratefully in his and pressed them fervently. Then he started for the window. But he made no attempt to get out, for at that moment he heard the sound of voices and approaching feet, and a rapid glance showed him the two soldiers © returning to the house with Will and Upton in their custody. The two boys had been discovered and caught off their guard at the creek, and me easy victims. The men had only expected to find one boy, and the presence of two rather astonished them. However, they wasted no time figuring the matter out, but took charge of both. Clem, perceiving. that escape by the window seemed to be out of the question, looked hurriedly around for some other means of making himself scarce. The girl, who had also become aware of the return of the tipsy’s soldier’s companions, showed by her countenance that she was not a little alarmed thereat.. She motioned to a cloSed door on one side of the room, and then ran into the entry, from which she escaped by a door opening on the opposite side of the house. Clem r- stood the girl’s pantomime. He jumped for the door, opened it and found hi in a_ broad hallway with a stairway before him. The stairs instantly suggested to him a method of opera-_ tion. : It is true he did not have time to elaborate the plan, and fully determine what he should do when he went upstairs; but the general idea that he could drop out of a window and escape from the other side of the house struck him forcibly, and he impulsively embraced the opportunity thus presented. The building he found was a very ordinary rural dwelling, of two stories, with a sloping roof. It was rudely constructed, and very, imperfectly finished. On ascending the stairs, Clem reached a large, unfinished apart- ment, which was used as a storeroom. From it opened other rooms, the doors of which were closed. As Clem cautiously threw up one of the windows he heard the voices of the return- ed soldiers raised in great excitement. They had’ ~ discovered their comrades washing out his eyes. at the kitchen sink, and showing every evidence of extreme pain. They could get no intelligible explanation from him, and fearing their prisoner was atthe bottom of it, and had in some way anmanaged to free himself, one of them rushed _ the éating-room to find their suspicions re- Afraid that he might be seen by the soldiers from one of the windows below deterred Clem from adopting his first idea of escape, and he looked around the room for some nook in which to hide. No piace of concealment, which was apparently suitable for his purpose, presented it- self; and, without loss of time, he mounted a- large chest and ascended to the loft above, for the beams; were not floored in the middle of the house. The ascent of the loft was not at all ,

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—— < = . ¥ hopeful. There were ‘none ,of those convenient cubby holes which American houses contain, _ wherein he could squeeze himself with any hope _ of escaping notice from the watchful eyes of a E 3 searcher who might take it upon himself to investigate that part of the building. = There were two small windows in the loft, both without sashes,.which had been boarded up to exclude the wind and the rain. This job on the ene nearest to where Clem stood had been done _ by a bungly hand, and had never been more than half done. The wood was as rotten as punk, and without difficulty, and without much noise, the boy succeeded in removing the board which had covered the lower part of the opening. Clem stuck his head out to reconnoiter the roof, and found his nose within a few inches of a wide chimney which was built on the outside of the dwelling. The idea at once struck him that if he could get to the top of that chimney he ~ eould lower himself inside,’ out of sight, and thus effectually outwit the enemy. The only ob- jection to this course was that he might slip all _ the way down inside the chimney and reappear in an open fireplace below before the coast was clear. To reach the top of the chimney from _. the small window was, he saw, rather a difficult — piece of gymnastics. Still the thing was pos- _ sible, and the urgency of the occasion fully war- - vanted the risk he would have to face. _ While he was considering the problem he heard _ sounds on the stairs below which convinced him that a search of the house had been begun, and _ therefore it.behooved him to get a move on if he _ expected to save himself. “Clem was as agile as a _ young monkey, and his muscles were strong as steel. He climbed out of the window, and, sup- porting himself by a narrow stone projection that ran all the way around. the house, he caught _ hold of the rim of the roof. : Testing the stability of this, and judging that : would easily bear his weight, he pulled him- - self up by his arms alone, and then by a quick and successful cast of one leg, secured a pre- earious hold on the roof. Then he moved slowly and cautiously till he reached the chimney against which he braced his. left elbow and _. serambled wholly upon the roof. The maneuver _ so far was successful—all that now remained was to insert himself into the chimney, and he pro- ceeded to do this without loss of time. © CHAPTER XIL—A Fire Alarm. As Clem sat for a moment or two on the top chimney, with his legs down the flue, he about upon the s y landscape. a mile away he could detect the ser- tine The creek,- too, up ghich they had blundered during the night, was ht under his eyes, with their boat tied at head of it. There were fields around the use in various degrees of cultivation, and out- several horses in a re, and ther mces that this was a s Brazilian farm, 3 to say there was no of men olks the place. Around the corner of a parby outhouse he saw the girl standing. ther she saw him in that airy height or not not say, but she seemed to be lodking ae FROM DARK TO DAWN opening upon the eating-room. He heard Wilt 17 directly at him. Clem allowed his body to slide down into the chimney as far as his arms-pits, and with his head exposed he waited calmly for his enemies to get tired of looking for him. He wished he could think of some plan by which he could rescue Will and Upton from the sal- diers below, as well as get off himself, but he could hit upon nothing that promised the slight- est degree of success. While he was pondering upon their critical situation he heard sounds close by just below him. “Can it be that one of the soldiers has sur- mised how I made my escape from the inside of the building, and: is trying to trap me in the chimney?” he asked himself. He pulled himself up a little and looked cau- tiously down at the window through which he had gained the roof. His suspicions proved true. The arc had noticed the removal of the board from the window, and had seen the boy’s track in the dust, and he believed their prisoner was somewhere on the roof. The noise Clem noticed was his efforts to swing himself up on the coping so that he could see if the boy was on top of the house. Discovery appeared to be certain unless Clem dodged en- tirely out of sight, and descended far enough in the darkness of the chimney to prevent his be- ing seen. He essayed to do this béfore it be- came too late. But chimney locomotion had not been a part of Clem’s education, and he found it an extremely difficult matter to brace his knees in such a scientific manner as to maintain a secure hold on the bricks which were wholly free of soot, or any projections that might have aided him. The result was that as soon as he released his grip on the top of the chimney he began to slip right down, and it was only by the most desperate efforts that he prevented his descent from becoming an absolute fall. Down he went, sometimes a foot at a time and sometimes a whole yard or more. His jacket and trousers suffered tly from contact with the bricks. It was dark as pitch in the narrow verticle tunnel, and only by glancing up at the opening at the top could he form any idea of how far down he was. Finally his feet came in contact with the bottom, and then he wondered where the fireplace was. By tapping around with _his fist he found that the opening was closed by a board screen. He pushed on it and one side gave away, Glancing through the crack he found 1 ng into a fairly well furn- ished room, probably the best in the house. Exerting some strength he moved the screen far enough to enable him to step out of the wide chimney, He walked over to one of the doors, opened it cautiously and saw the hall and the stairway up which he had beat his retreat at the first alarm. es “I might get the best of these rascals by a bold move,” he thought. “There are only three — of them all told. One I guess is out of busi- ness—the chap that caught the red dust in his a eyes. A second is now on the roof, or trying to reach it. That leaves only one able-bodied fellow to be reckoned with. Nothing ventured _ nothing gained. I'll see what I can do to help — my companions and myself to give these fellows: sgl the slip.” ; He crossed the hall and listened at the door ‘+ es: La ar = he, Se ’ . I

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18 =o and Upton talking together. Slowly he opened the door and poked his head in. There sat his companions each tied to a chair with their backs to him. He heard the voices of the two soldiers in the kitchen, the entry door being wide open. _Making up his mind what to do, he walked into the room and showed: himself suddenly to Will and Upton, holding up his hand for silence. With the same knife that the girl had used to liberate him ‘he cut the boys loose. The sol- diers’ rifles stood piled against a chair. Clem silently pointed at them, and each took posses- » sion of one. Then he led the way to -the open window and lowered himself outside. Will and Upton followed in turn. Clem led them around to the front o1 the house. a ae have you been hiding, Clem?” asked 3 ill. “I went to the roof, and discovering that I was followed I came down through the big chimney,” he answered. “You don’t say. Well, your clothes look as if you’d been through a mill,” said Will. “You’re a regular wreck.” . “What’s the odds so long as we get off.” “We ought to be able to do that for we have their rifles.” “Oh, we'll get away all right, but I’d like to do so without attracting their attention. One of the soldiers is on the roof at this moment. = He’d see us the moment we walked away from = the house.” < : : 7 “Well, he couldn’t stop us,” said Will. “Wait here till I take a look.” : : Clem backed away from the building, with his eyes cast aloft. He saw the soldier lowering himself back to the window in the loft. He watched him till he saw him disappear inside, and then motioning to his companions to follow he made a break for the outhouse where he had seen the girl standing a short time before. As he turned the corner he saw her peering around the other corner. He called out to her, and she sprang around with a stifled scream, which turned to a glad ery when she recognized him. '“Ah!”-she cried, running toward him with out- stretched hands. Then she stopped and blushed. At that mo- ment Will and Upton joined Clem. “Gee!” exclaimed Will. “A girl! beaut?” : : “You are Americans, are you not?” cried the girl, in perfect English, her eyes lighting up with pleasure, for she had caught Will’s words. “That’s what we are,” replied Clem, with a thrill of joy on hearing his native language ‘spoken by an inhabitant ‘of that wild district. “J am so glad that you succeeded in making - your escape from the house,” she replied, ear- nestly. “I saw you climb to the roof and get the chimney. Then I saw one of the soldiers come to the attic window, and from the way he ~~ acted I was sure he suspected where you were. -You must have let yourself down the chimney.” _ *T look like it, don’t 1?” grinned Clem, —__. ~- “You do, indeed,” she answered with a smile. “But I wonder what those men are doing now? wish they’d leave the place. When my er learns of their conduct he will certainly port them to their commander. They behaved the utmost rudeness to me because I hap- né, here this morning, and if you ~ “i Isn’t she a FROM DARK TO DAWN had not appeared when you did, I believe that nasty brute would have kissed me. I am deeply grateful to you, and sorry that you have suf- fered for your courage and gallantry.” ‘Don’t mention it,” said Clem. “I am glad I was able to do you a service Miss—” he paused and looked at her inquiringly. “My name is Estelle Wheeler:” “Thank you, and my name is Clem Lambert. ~ This is my chum; Will Ashmore, and this is Upton Fowler.” The girl acknowledged the introductions with a smile. Then she tripped to the corner of the shed and peered around at the house. A dense volume of smoke was rolling out of the kitchen window. “Oh, my gracious!” she cried in great alarm, “T believe they’ve set fire to our house.” The boys looked and saw the smoke which suggested direful results for the Wheeler house. “Come on, fellows!” cried Clem, in great ex- citement, “we must save the house if it is pos- sible for us to do so.” CHAPTER XIII.—A Square Meal at Last. The three boys, followed by Estelle Wheeler, left the shelter of the outhouse and started for the dwelling on the run. They held their rifles in readiness to make a demonstration against the uniformed rascals who had been acting in such a high-handed manner. The fellows, however, were seen retreating up the road in the direction of the encampment, which they expected to re- gain by means of a boat they had left some- - where along the river bank. They had been great- ly enraged on discovering that their two pris- oners had been released from their bonds and that their guns had disappeared, too. They be- lieved the girl of the house responsible for the © loss of their prisoners, and their rifles, and in revenge they set fire to the kitchen. Casting the guns aside the boys formed them- selves into a volunteer fire department. Buckets were seized, carried to a bubbling spring close at hand, and rushed to the burning kitchen on ~ the run, while the girl watched their exertions with the deepest anxiety. eee Fortunately, the soldiers in their hurry had not made a very good job of their incendiary ~ attempt. They had ignited a lot of brushwood, over which a bucket of water had been ent- ally spilled that morning, and the greater part _ of the wood was damp, and produced more smoke than flame. For all, that, however, the fire would have soon accomplished its purpose but for the prompt action of Clem and his companions. They worked like. Trojans for fifteen minutes and succeeded in subduing the flames before they had done any very serious damage. As soon as the fire — was out they cleaned up the kitchen so that noth- © ing remained to indicate the peril the house had been in, but a few charred beams. Miss Wheeler — expressed ‘her gratitude in profuse terms. = “You musn’t go away until you see my father,” she said. “He will return before dark. He is overseer of the Rio Esmeralda diamond aa twelte miles to the north.” 3 ye eee Tee PW ak

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=e “How is it that you happen x3 be alone on § place?” asked Clem, with some curiosity. Well, my father went to the mine as usual at o'clock. My mother is away on a visit to relatives in Rio de Janeiro, and our two nds went to the town of Juarrez, nine miles ie y, for some supplies.” “But are-you not afraid to remain here all by ” _ “Not in the least, for I expect our men back - by noon, and we seldom have undesirable visitors, “notwithstanding the fact that the mountains yonder harbor many lawless men. This is the st time since we have lived here that soldiers intruded upon-us. Those three came soon our men started for town. They demanded kfast, and I prepared it for them. I gather- m their conversation, for I understand the language perfectly, that they were nting for two prisoners who escaped last night rom thier camp on the other side of the river.” *“That’s right,” said Clem, with a grin; “they ere looking for me and my friend Will Ash- nére.” fureruese ~ “Looking for you!” cried the girl, in astonish- 2 “You do not mean——” t we are the prisoners who escaped from ¢amp? That’s just what I do mean, Miss eler. But I will tell you our story after the rest of yours. -Ours is a most ex- rdinary narrative, as you will have to admit you hear it. Go on.” Vell,” she continued, “as soon as those sol- "rs discovered that I was quite alone in the ise they began to get very rude toward me. ted their rough jests, and told them they t to be thankful that I put myself out to breakfast for them. Thereupon they all hed very boisterously, and the one who was Not quite sober declared I ought to consider their it an honor. Then he rose to his feet and prabbed me, saying he made it a point of honor to kiss every pretty girl he met.- Finding I could not escape, I sereamed, though I did not expect any one to come to my aid. Fortunately for me you were near, Mr. Lambert, and I never can thank you too much for interfering in my behalf, said, blushingly. a8 en Clem related their adventures from the ent the balloon carried them off from Lake- “Louisiana, until they reached the creek be- the house on the preceding night, omitting, ver, their discovery of the diamonds in the “The girl frequently interrupted his narra- with exclamations of astonishment. Well,” she almost gasped, when he had- fin- ; story, “this sounds more wonderful than ine I ever read in a book. And you boys nt had a real good meal sinee you left two weeks ago?” to say we have not. I'll wager we clean out a small restaurant at this ee : ~ you shall have a good meal, and as. s you can eat, just as soon as I can it for “you!” she cried, springing to her Pie 9 > “ ~ m proposed to Will to pay a visit to the co FROM DARK TO DAWN 19 them after all. They carried the bags to the house and put them, for the time being, in one of the dining-room closets. By this time Miss Wheeler had a fine meal ready for them and it is unnecessary to remari the boys did full justice to it. CHAPTER XIV.—Besieged. About the time the boys had finished their dinner the two men belonging to the farm re- turned with a wagon load of various boxes and packages. Half an hour later a boat came up the creek and landed a corporal with six soldiers, who immediately marched toward the house. Miss Wheeler was entertaining her young guests on the front veranda when Clem- noticed the ap proach of the military. “Hello!” he exclaimed, jumping to his feet, “here comes a file of soldiers. I guess there’s no doubt but they’re after us.” Will looked anxious and Upton frightened. “No use trying to beat those chaps off,” re- marked Will. “I guess we’d better take to the woods.” The boys retreated to a small stone. building about five hundréd yards away, in which was a~ small window. ‘ “Those chaps will get all that’s coming to them if they try to capture us,” said Clem, with fight exhibited im every line of his manly face. “We haven't broken any laws, or done anything at all to be treated in the rough way we have. Somebody is going to get into trouble over this — yet and it won’t be us if I have anything say. Through the window they saw the file of sol- — diers drawn up in front of the house and the corporal talking to Miss Wheeler. The conver-~ sation was on for fully fifteen minutes, at the end of which the officer and two men en- tered the building while the rest took up posi- tions that commanded all exits from the dwell- ing. t “There goes Miss Wheeler towards the barn,” said Will. : “And one of the soldiers is watching her,” interjected Upton. “She has called out one of the hands and is speaking to him,” remarked Clem. The girl was soon seen returning the house while the farmhand went into the barn, got a short noosed rope and went into the pasture where the horses were grazing. He caught one, brought it to the barn, saddled it, and jumping ~ on its back rode off_at top speed for the distant _ mountains. ; “T’ll bet Miss Wheeler has sent for her father,” said Clem, as they watched the rider disappear up the road. Fifteen minutes later the corporal and his satellites came out of the house, apparently satis- fied the lads they were after in the building. were not hidden — Leaving two men near the © house he marched the other four over to the

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20 “4 “We're in for it now,” said Clem, picking up his rifle and cocking it. Will. followed his example, and so did Upton. The corporal found the door fastened on the inside, and he ordered his soldiers to force it in, which they did. “Then after glancing around be- low they came up the heavy steps that com- municated with the loft. Here they found their progress barred by the trap-door over which the boys had drawn a heavy feed chest. The sol- diers banged away on the trap with the butts of their rifles, but could make no impression on it. Finding that the trap-door was impregnable they retreated outside. Then one of the soldiers, mounting on the shoulders of another, essayed to enter the loft by the single narrow window. Finding that he couldn’t scramble up, a third soldier was sent to the barn for a ladder, while _ the rest awaited his return. At this point Miss Wheeler appeared on the seene and renewed her expostulations without suecess. The corporal was very polite to her, but refused to listen to her objections. Finally he thought of a scheme to drive the boys from their retreat—he would smoke them out. So he sent to the barn for a quantity of hay and a couple of buckets of water. Miss Wheeler put up another stiff kick when she saw the preparations that the soldiers were making, but it didn’t do any good. Will had been casting his eyes around the loft to see if there wasn’t some way of getting out besides the window and the trap. He spied a big hinged flap in the side of the roof which sloped to the rear. “Say,” he said, eagerly. “Look at that. trap in the roof. Couldn’t we give the soldiers the slip through that? They are all engaged in front. We might sneak out that way, drop to . the ground and escape before thev got on.” ~ “A good scheme,” agreed Clem. He went and examined the flap. He saw there was a pole for pushing it up and keeping it open to admit the sunshine to the loft. He pushed it up and looked out. The rear of the building was “not watched. “Come on, fellows, we’ll risk it.” Silently they passed through the opening and dropped noiselessly to the ground, carrying their rifles with them. CHAPTER XV.—Conclusion. Pretty soon the smoke began to rise above the’ roof in suspiciously large proportions, and ~ still no move had been made by the boys to give in. The corporal went around to the rear to see why so much smoke came out there, and the wide open flap greeted his astonished eyes. He immediately jumped to the conclusion that the boys had opened the trap to let the smoke escape. He ordered the fire to be put out at once and the ladder to be brought around to the rear. As soon as the smoke began to die away, he and two soldiers mounted the ladder and sprang down into _ the loft. To the corporal’s astonishment and _ chagrin there was no sign of the boys. Then i to his dull brain that the fugitives Be their escape through the flap while red in front. FROM DARK -long as they chose to stay. engaged ion of the boat the boys had. back to camp to report Stories in print. Pie ae TO DAWN the failure of the expedition. corporal and his men were boarding their boat, Clem and his comrades returned to the Wheeler house, to Estelle’s great delight, _ A couple of hours later Mr, Wheeler rode up in company with the man Estelle had despatched for him. He was glad to meet the boys, and ex- tended the hospitality of his home to them as Naturally their balloon trip to Brazil from Louisiana astonished im. “We should like to reach Bahia, where we can get a steamer for the States,” said Clem. “Rio de Janeiro is about as near for you, and you can connect with a steamer even better than at Bahia,” replied Mr. Wheeler. “I am going for my wife next week. She’s at Rio. You can go with me in my conveyance, and I will see. that you get off all right. I will purchase tickets for you all, as I presume you have no funds.” “We have a few rough diamonds that we found, which perhaps you can turn into money for us,” replied Clem. He hauled out the dozen big stones from his pocket and showed them to their host. Clem told him how he and Will had found them in an old deserted mine in a ravine just off the valley where the soldiers had attacked’ the diamond poachers. “Why, boys, these are uncommonly fine speci- mens. They’ll pay your way to the United States fifty times over.” The boys stayed six days at the Wheeler home, and enjoyed themselves immensely. Mr. Wheeler carried the boys to Rio in good shape and put them up at a first-class hotel in that city while they waited for the arrival of a steamer to carry them north. - A cable message was forwarded to Mr. Ash- more at Gretna village, Louisiana, informi im that his son was safe and would soon be home once more. - In due time the boys reached New York. The diamonds were held in bond by the custom house authorities, and arrangements were — And while the . scon made for their sale in various lots at their — appraised value. Clem had a dozen of the big diamonds cat and polished and afterward sold them for fifteen thousand dollars, half of which, after deducting the cost of putting them into shape, he for- warded to Will, who had already received about | twenty, thousand dollars, as his share of the rough. The balance of the large diamonds went — to Clem as finder of the treasure. E A year later Clem returned to Brazil and mar- ried the girl of his heart. He was worth about sixty thousand dollars, and had established a wholesale diamond business for himself in Maiden— Lane, New York. ee Next week’s issue will contain “OUT FOR HIMSELF; or, PAVING HIS WAY TO FOR- TUNE.” BE Should you like the stories being broad- cast by WJZ from “Mystery Magazine,” — get a copy, and you can see the mi ie 2 =. 25 2

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= HOW CHINESE TEST EGGS - Instead of using thermometers, Chinese incu- _ bator caretakers test the temperature of eggs by pressing the large end_of the egg against their closed eyelids. : ANCIENT: EYEGLASSES — Archeologists excavating on the site of an- cient Carthage have found, among other things, "a pair of spectacles of the third century, B. C., and in a Punic tomb a terra cotta figurine of an organ, pots of rouge and face powder, bronze Tazors and milk bottles. cee SUN AS POWER-SOURCE — Im a recent paper on this subject Mr. C. Le - Roy Meisinger records*that in certain subtropi- tal regions, where coal is scarce, such as Egypt, _ the Punjab, and the Karoo of South Africa, teak- ood boxes, blackened within, fitted with glass $s and properly insulated, have been found to ister from 240 to 275 degrees Farhr., in the FAME AND FORTUNE WEEKLY . 21 CURRENT NEWS middle .of the dey, and, with the addition of an auxiliary mirror, to reach even 320 degrees. - These boxes are used as ovens for cooking, as well as for many other purposes. IF “PIGS IS PIGS,” DOGS I§ DOGS “A literary genius who lives in Flushing, N. Y., gained renown by establishing the fact that ‘pigs is pigs,’ ” said Magistrate James J. Conway in the Long Island City Police Court the other day, “and I am convinced that ‘dogs is dogs.’” John Poras, 69, Hunter avenue, Long Island City, had been summoned to court by a patrol- man of the health squad on a charge of having five hunting dogs which not only were running about without muzzles but also were shortening the lives of the pet cats of the neighborhood. “T only have one dogs, that is the mother,” said Poras. “The others are only puppies.”. “As I said before, ‘dogs is dogs,’” replied Magistrate Conway. ‘Unless you get rid of all of them by next Monday I will fine you $10 for each dog, irrespective of its age.” Poras agreed to get rid of the dogs. Take Special Notice! : We own “MYSTERY MAGAZINE.” It contains exciting detective, crook, and mystery stories. All of them are fine. You ought to read them. Why don’t you get a copy? The latest number contains 3 3 : > A good detective story called “THE LOCK AND KEY”. Written by HAMILTON CRAIGIE A splendid two-part serial entitled “A TEST OF CONSCIENCE” ‘ J. B. WARRENTON, Author A department of hanawriting in which LOUISE RICE gives free readings of your char- acter, if you send her a sample of your writing. SIX (6) DANDY SHORT STORIES “CLUE: ONE HAIRPIN,” by H. P. Rhodes “A DEVILISH CONTRIVANCE,” by Maurice Coons “BETRAYED .BY WORDS,” by D. E. Kramer 3 ; “CHANCE,” by Dorothy Shea ‘ : : “ON THE TRAIL OF DOPE,” by Leslie Barreaux - Besides all these it contains an interesting article by TOM FOX (Scotland Yard De- GET A COPY TODAY AND SEE HOW GOOD THIS MAGAZINE IS tective), called “Bogus Money,” and a large collection of shorter items that will please you, WP, Yes A Vik f a VPP hy: Oe Seb ene UA

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= eS 5 : ‘ | a tod Ne tey aeRO, ae. ‘ tie _ declared Rob. Rob and the Reporters en Hustling for War News by Wireless By GASTON GARNE (A Serial Story.) CHAPTER XII.—(Continued). “Cut it short.” “All right. Say, something is coming. There’s a big fight on near Mons; the British are being driven back. The operator is trying to get the station on the Eiffel Tower.” And so it went. Rob pulled off several important messages dur- ing the morning, some of them from German sources. Just before dinner he picked up one from Mr. Torrence, asking about Edith, to which he replied with deep regret that- he had lost her. They kept him at it all day, giving him only time for meals. And during the day he did all in his power to instruct Jack Thompson, with considerable success, so much so that the reporter declared his intention of taking the night shift and doing the best he could. - “Tf you don’t make out you can call me at mid- night.” said Rob. “I can do with very little sl hanight came and he was called. “Y’m afraid my work is pretty near a failure,” declared Thompson. “See what you can make of at?” Rob was able to correct some of it, but the majority of messages picked up he pronounced very doubtful, as Thompson had interpreted them. “T didn’t attempt to send,” said Thompson. “TH try again to-morrow. rll get ,there—you’ll see.” “You’re bound to get there if you keep at at?” “After all, it’s very simple.” He was giving the reporter a little further in- struction when an incident occurred which fairly made their hair stand on end. The tower was roofless, and as Rob was ex- plaining a brilliant searchlight suddenly streamed down upon them. . Looking up, they saw a huge Zeppelin airship hovering directly overhead. “Gee! What if they drop a bomb on us!” gasped Thompson. : -“They’ve done it!” cried Rob. “See, there it comes!” “Shall we duck doinmasie®” ‘ “What’s the good? We couldn’t get out of the tower before it strikes. If it hits us we are it naeevely rere nating them, falling into the their left. FAME AND FORTUNE WEEKLY - ey tempt to Getroy the tower would be made. but the airship fiew away and the lights were quickly lost to view. Shortly after Thompson left him. Rob picked up a call from the Liffel Tower, giving some im- portant war instructions which he threw out to Bayville. “a Towards morning he caught a reply from Mr. - Torrence urging him to spare no pains to find = Edith. “It’s well enough for him to say that,” sighed Reb, “but what can IE do?” The reporters were a jolly Irt and they made things as pleasant as possible for Rob, who had . now determined to make no effort to escape. Next day message after message was dispatched - to the Earth and the London papers. Brown declared that this was the next: best thing to being at the front and actually witness- ing the happenings of the war. “The Kaiser seems to be sweeping everything before him,” sighed. Thompson, as the day ad- vanced. And so it seemed that day, much to the disgust of these voung Englishmen, while Rob as a Canadian felt as they did. Thompson made good headway under Rob's instruction, and again he took the night shift, doing better work. Next morning the boom of cannon was heard just beyond them and they knew that a battle was on in their immediate neighborhood. “We want to beat it out of here and hide our r: apparatus, that’s what,” declared Brown. “Later — on we may get a chance to put it up again.” : “Tf we go away in the car we are liable to run into the Germans and lose it,” said Dewey. “What we better do is to hide it in the woods; and skip on foot.” ix Thompson helped Rob in the work of dismant- eS ling, which was done as rapidly as possible. Meanwhile Brown ran the car into the woods to a place where it was nearly concealed as was _ possible to conceal] it, after which they struck ~ off to the northwest which took them away from _ the firing. 7 It still continued. They had not gone a great way before they could hear the tramp of many feet, while officers — were shouting orders, “There must be a road right ahead,” said Rolie Suddenly the sounds ceased and a heavy rifle fire began. “This must be one of the wings, ” declared - Thompson. “There’s a big fight on all right. I do wish we could see something of it.” “See that tall tree?” said Rob. “It away above everything else. I believe I Meould “i climb it if I tried.” “Try it, then,” said Thompson, “and you want — to look out you don’t break your blamed neck.” (To be continued.) avy Le | ~ Radio Fans, tune in WJZ and hear the ; bn eae on ee

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‘ LONGEST DAYS AT THE EQUATOR __ There is practically no change in the length of the day at the equator throughout the year. While there is less than a minute’s difference ~in length the day is slightly longer at the solstices th at the equinoxes. The interval from the 3 to setting of the sun’s upper limb at the _ equator is about 12 hours 7 minutes. = INDIAN MAGIC LURES FISH - Joseph Hand has broken all handline fishing records on the New Jersey coast. While fishing ‘in Cold Springs inlet, Hand, who is known in hing circles as the Harbor Pipe, caught more 1,000 pounds of weakfish for which he re- ved $200 in the local market. : 5 Hand said recently that he had been of- red a big sum by a syndicate to divulge what ‘bait he uses to make the fish rise to his lines while ‘other fishermen within a stone’s throw of his boat t never a nibb'e. Hand said that he could not be tempted to sell his secret. It was told to him, he explained, by an old Indian chief who passed “through Cape May some time ago with a medicine. company. : CLOCK OF DEATH FULFILLS LEGEND By the stopping of the famous astronomical of Henry VIII at Hampton Court Palace, d the death, within a few hours of one of the palace inmates the ancient legend surrounding the “Clock of Death” has once more been ful- Tradition runs that the stopping of the clock ‘portends the imminent death of a palace resi- cent. - For the first time in many years the clock pped recently, and that night an elderly wom- . Miss Jane Cuppage, daughter of Gen. Sir ke Cuppage, who fought at Waterloo, was d dead in her apartments. An official of the palace said that twice within personal knowledge some one has died a few urs after the clock stopped. : The. following morning the clock was started in and no-cause for its stoppage could be ‘overed. = ASPIRIN FRESHENS FLOWERS t flowers may be prevented from fading by them an aspirin tablet. Norman D, r, pharmacist at the State Sanitarium at ont Alto, Pa., states that by this method he has t only preserved flowers several days beyond time when they would ordinarily fade, but revived them when wilted. ‘conducted with chrysanthemums. Some of were put into water to which an aspirin had been added; the others were put into water. Kept under conditions otherwise . days. In another case, flowers which in a hot room over-night and were badly were given fresh water to which an as-— te Ly ore ace te ax The experiments | the drugged blooms outlasted the others “FAME AND FORTUNE WEEKLY 23 GOOD READING. irin tablet had been added. They revived in two ours, looking as fresh as they did when picked the day before. The leaves, however, remained wilted. The aspirin acts as an antiseptic, inter- fering with the enzyme which causes the clogging of the stem at its cut surface. PRETTY PEBBLES PROVE TO BE RICH JEWELS Children playing on the beaches of the Arkan- sas River have for fifty years or more been searching through the sand for pretty pebbles. They were of various tints and some of them were prettily marked. ‘ Recently some jewellers employed by a Topeka firm picked up a few of these stones and treated them the same way that they have been treating the precious stones which they have been re- ceiving from_ Brazil, India, California and other places famed for their semi-precious stones. ~ The results were astounding and the “gems” from the Arkansas River were pronounced. al- most if not quite equal to the others more highly - regarded, : The children searching for pretty pebbles did not know that what they found were in all prob- ability the same as excited the curiosity of Coro- nado and which sent him in a northest direction through Kansas in 1541 in quest of the fabled city of Cuivira, where he had been told that the kings of the country would not touch gold be- cause it was so common. “ * 99 ‘Mystery Magazine Semi-Monthly 15 Cents a Copy 155 LAUGHING DEATH'S TRAIL, by Nels LeRoy Jor- gensen. 156 RHE MEDICINE DROPPER, by G. P. Wilson 157 A QUESTION OF KKICK, by Engene Jones 158 THE MYSTERY OF ROARING WATERS, by Horry Adler. : 149 «THE RIVER PIRATES. bv Hamilton Craigie 160 THE SHADOW OF A NOOSE, by Jack Re. 161 AT 2A. M.. by Benlah Poynter. ar grin dt 162. THE INTRIGUERS, by Grover Kidwell, THE LOCK AND KEY By HAMILTON CRAIGI_ Out Today In No. 16% HARRY E. WOLFF, Publisher, Inc. 166 West 23d Street New York City TE “Moving Picture Stories” A Weekly Magazine Devoted to Photoplays and Players PRICE TEN CENTS PER COPY Each number contains THree Stories of the Best Films. on the Screen-—Elegant Half-tone Scenes from the Plays —Interesting Articles About. Promin nt People ‘n the Films-—-Doings of Actors and Actresses in the S.udlo— and Lessons in Scenario Writing. _ HARRY E. WOLFF, Publisher, Inc. 166 West 23d Street 1s > : New York City

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a - _ the battery each ter om s 24 - FAME AND FORTUNE WEEKLY INTERESTING RADIO NEWS AND HINTS GLASS PANELS The only advantage of the glass panel is that it makes the instruments and wiring visible. If - you plan to use a glass panel, be sure it is a high- e, as some glass is a good conductor of high- frequency currents because of metallic veins con- tained in the glass. - SIMPLIFIED WIRING To many fans who are just building their first set the most difficult problem encountered in the construction is the determination of just which wires are connectéd and which are still to be connected. To eliminate this uncertainty as each wire is laid in the set the corresponding line in the diagram should be crossed out with a colored ~ pencil line. - ADVICE / If you live over fifteen miles from a_broad- casting station, don’t buy a crystal set. You will only hear enough to tease you. bove all, don’t buy a pair of cheap ear-phones. The difference between a good and bad pair of phones is usually the equal of one to two stages of amplification. : Don’t let the children play with the radio. It is cheaper to go to the store and buy them a toy. A MUFFLER TUBE ‘A “muffler” or “blocking” tube is a vacuum tube used in a special circuit to eliminate radia- tion from a receiving set. The patent ‘which covers this method of preventing radiation is ewned by the United States Navy Department. Proposals have been made to release the inven- _ tion to the public, so that the interference caused by radiation of receivers may be stopped. : THE AERIAL FOR CRYSTAL SET A crystal deteetor depends upon the strength of the received signal voltage for its operation. If the vol is weak the received audio fre- ‘quency sounds are either weak or not heard. For e reason the aerial for a crystal set should be as long as is possible. Because the long aerial will pick up a signal more efficiently than a shorter one and will consequently impress a greater voltage upon the crystal detector. BAD BATTERY CONNECTIONS Many of the noises in radio sets can be traced to loose connections. Because these noises re- semble static it is seldom that any other source + fer them is thought of. Poor battery connections cause more “static” than any other one thing. Storage battery connections should be made by means of a clip which can be made to grip the i of the ba . Before connecting to inal should be given a medi- um coating of white vaseline. This prevents cor- - yosion. It is preferable that the B battery con- ~ nections also be made by means of a smaller clip St cused on the storage battery; these clips = uld have a strong gripping power. Dot “é s « Za us, IMPROVING AUDIO AMPLIFIERS . a With the publicity that is now being given to the resistance coupled audio-frequency amplifiers many radio fans who have transformer. coupled amplifiers wish to construct one of these suppos- edly more efficient ampliiers. Supposedly is used herein because in both theory and practice the resistance coupled amplifier is the least efficient of all types. The ordinary resistance coupled amplifier requires three tubes before enough volume is obtained to satisfy the average person. For those fans who now have a two-stage trans- former coupled amplifier and who wish to have the clarity offered by the resistance coupled am- plifier it is suggested that they build, in a sepa- rate cabinet, a one-stage resistance coupled am- plifier and add this amplifier to the present one. This last stage of amplification will materially in- crease the tone quality of the signals and raise ee slightly above that ordinarily ob- ained. IMPROVE YOUR REINARTZ SET A great many people have found that a Rein- artz receiver will not work as well in damp weather and in some cases a receiver that usually operates perfectly will even refuse to oscillate in damp weather. The cause for this freakish con- dition will ‘usually be found in the home-made Reinartz coil. It will be remembered that in these coils the plate, grid and aerial inductances — are all on the same form and are separated only — by the thin cotton covering on the wire. The connon insulation on the wire is very apt to ab- sorb moisture, and this would create a path for electrical leakage between the coils. The best way to prevent the above condition is to paint the Reinartz coil with a light coat of col- lodion. Collodion is a waterproof insulating var- nish and may be obtained in small quantities at any drug store. Before applying the collodion to the coil it is best to place the coil in the oven - for a short time in order to make sure that it is free from moisture. After this has been done hw oulGion may be applied with a small paint rush. “ 7) NR a eee ee er ee oe eee ae Py ee RADIO WAVES TRAVEL HIGH AND LOW Radio waves, once started, recognize no bar- riers. They carry their message to the moun- tain tops and to the depths of mines» When the. giant United States navy dirigible, the Shdnan- doah; passed over Schenectady recently at a height of 3,000 feet, WGY exchanged telephonie _ messages with Lieut. Commander Lansdowne, and weather forecasts were transmitted to the dirig- ible. R. Raven Hart, an engineer, Poe Stoo ception of WGY’s signals at , : ] a a % 4 Hermit Camp, in the Grand Canyons, below the rim. Pare

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_ In a test recently conducted by officials. of a nton, Pa., coal mine, signals from WGY were ved at the lowest level of the mine, 480 feet ath the surface, and a half mile from the of the shaft. The experiment with radio the mine was carried on chiefly to test the ex- to which radio may be utilized for the pres- ation of miners’ lives. Ea & WARM-WEATHER RADIO _ There is no reason why we should not enjoy Tadio during the summer, but it is useless to ex- the same efficiency from our radio receiving et as during the cold, crisp winter weather. Warm weather is accompanied by thunder storms detrimental to radio communication. Never- theless, these disturbances are not always such as to prevent good reception of nearby transmitting stations. It isa good plan during warm weather to reduce the size of the antenna. The author f these lines uses an antenna measuring 125 feet long during the fall, winter and spring, and an antenna measuring but 60 feet long and only 12 above the ground during the summer. With @ long and high antenna, one is bound to pick up @ good deal more static than with a short and y antenna. The latter will be found ample the aperten of nearby stations; and _ since static will prevent the clear reception of long- ance stations, the radio enthusiast may just @s well resign himself his local programs. Nevertheless, there are Some nights during the immer which are remarkably free of static and thich permit of long-distance reception. The ideal arrangement, therefore, is to have two an- ten a short and ‘a long antenna, with a switch or connecting either one with the receiver. ~ RAZOR BLADES. A most efficient and inexpensive condenser for ith io he ane out of a few I is very. di Aci denser, especially when in a nw g sets. “While it is easy to ob- ation of the self-induction ced i ireuit in a similar way, by means Bemesc of some sort which varies the num- ‘of coils on the spool that come into play, it little more difficult to construct a condenser ypacity of which can be regulated at will. It ig well known that a condenser is made of tes of a conducting metal alternating with in- ng plates or dielectrics, and that the capac- the apparatus is a function of the surfaces : face each other as well as of the thickness of ielectric. ~The razor blades, then, will form € co nducting plates and the air will serve as a construct this instrument, mount between slates of fibre a number of blades varying h the-maximum capacity to be obtained. Mount immovably on a conducting axle riveted to ame, A second set of blades must_ be ‘on another axle in such a way that oak ass freely between those which are fixed ‘care that the thickness of the Jayer of air ing the dielectric shall be as thin as possible. apparatus is complete when a corrugated FAME AND FORTUNE WEEKLY and atmospheric electricity in abundance, which. 25 button is mounted on the end of the axle carry- ing the movable blades, so that these can turned to vary the capacity of the condenser at will. A pointer fixed under the button and a graduated circle on the frame will make it easy to regulate once for all the position in which the blades are to be turned in accordance with the sending station which it is desired to. hear. SELECTING THE LOUD-SPEAKER In a recent issue of Wireless Age, Dr. Alfred N. Goldsmith, Director of Research, Radio Cor- poration of America, tells of the principal faults of some loud-speakers and the general listening tests for them, as follows: 1. The loud-speaker fails to reproduce high-pitched notes, but does respond to low-pitched ones. Such loud-speakers will sound well on piano pieces in the lower reg- ister, and on bass voices. Tenors and sopranos will sound thin and weak, and the violin will lack ~ piquant quality, being “flattened out” into flute quality. Speech, and particularly feminine speech, will not be fully intelligible. Orchastral selections will sound noisy and will have a drum- ming quality. 2. The loud-speaker fails to repro- duce low-pitched notes, but. does respond to high- pitched notes. Speech will be fairly intelligible on such loud-speakers, but the piano will sound thin and much like a harp or guitar. Bass voices will be weak or else sound like thin baritones. The effect in the rendition of orchestral selections will be feeble and squeaky, and without “body” or roundness. The accompaniment of the ’cellos and violins, and other deep-voiced instruments, will be lost. The general effect will be that of a cheap and poorly designed portable phonograph with a small horn. 3. The loud-speaker may re- produce only notes in the middle register, drop- ping out high and low-pitched notes. This is unfortunately a fairly common fault. While speech is moderately intelligible on some exam- ples of this kind of instruments, music is very - unmercifully treated and the faults are a combi- nation of se mentioned in 1 and 2 above. 4. Lour-speakers should not rattle on the loudest notes which are produced; but the user should be cautious in drawing conclusions since he may be overloading his vacuum tubes by excessively loud signals, combined with low plate-voltage and in- correct grid bias. Unless the listener is sure the vacuum tubes are not themselves being “satu- rated” or overloaded, he should not blame the loud-speaker for rattling noises. 5. Loud-speakers occasionally are insensitive; that is, they fail to respond to weak signals at all, and do not give a good response to reasonably loud signals. The objection to insensitive loud-speakers is the neces- sity for overloading the tubes to get loud signals. 6. Some loud-speakers, while otherwise | fairly satisfactory, reproduce combinations of instru- ments—voice and piano, or violin and piano— less satisfactory than solo efforts. This fault re- quires for proof of its existence a-careful listen- ing test on a suitable selection from a_broad- = station of repeatedly proven high qual- ity. i. ' Say, boys, do you know that some of the stories in tery Magazine” are broad- cast by WJZ? «|. . ‘ : ¥ oe i rt - <=

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oe Fame and Fortune Weekly NEW YORK, AUGUST 22, TERMS TO SUBSCRIBERS 1924 Bingle Copies...........ces0es- Postage Free One Copy Three Months...... “ = One Copy Six Months......... ‘ + One Copy One Year..........- = = Canada, $4.50; Foreign, $5.00. : HOW TO SEND MONEY W— At our risk send P. O. Money Order, Check or Registered Letter; remittances in any other way are at your risk. We acoue Postage Stamps the same as cash, When sending silver wrap the Coin-in a separate piece of paper to avoid cutting the envelope. rite your name and address plainly. HARRY E. WOLFF, } Harry ©. Wolff, Pres. Publisher, Inc., Charles E. Nylander, Sec. 166 W. 23d St., N. Y.J bu. F. Wilzin, Treas. ITEMS OF INTEREST TREE EXPLODES A tree exploded near Ouachita City, La., se- verely burning W. C. McClure, who, with a gang had been cutting it down. A hissing sound.is- sued from the tree as the saw ate into it. Be- lieving that gas was escaping McClure applied a lighted match. Gas had crept into the tree from: the ground, which is in the natural gas ~ belt. The force of the blast knocked down two of the crew and the sound of the explosion was heard a mile away. 78 YEARS WITHOUT WATER .. The case of a woman of Sussex, England, who has not drunk any water since the Great Exhi- bition of 1851, has come to the attention of a Lon- = den physician. While attending her, she com- = lained of ‘thirst, and he suggested cold water. = She then related that as a child she had visited ‘ the Great Exhibition and had a drink of water rae that had made her sick. Since then she had not 3. had any water and had got along very well with- . out it. - ELECTRIC CLOCK KEEPS FISH OUT OF CANAL A General Electric engineer is the inventor of an application of electricity to save fish from - death in the irrigation canals of the West. It is ‘simply the use of electrodes immersed in the canal, with electricity flowing into them. = - It has been found that the resistance to elec- tricity is ter in water than in the body of a fish and that if a fish swims in the vicinity of two or more les it receives a shock which _ eauses it instinctively to dart away. These elec- ~ - trodes are placed to keep fish from getting into _ the irrigation canals, where they would die when _. the water is let out, the way in which millions of _ fish have given up their lives nearly in the past. _.. Mechanical devices heretofore tried have been, tainly screens which were either too coarse to stop small fish or too fine to permit a free flow of “grate and refuse commonly carried in the canals. _ eee mi-on aad -but he always is the first one up at the ball 4 FAME AND FORTUNE: WEEKLY ORCHARD IS iLLUMINATED A spectacular fight is being waged against the Oriental moth, which is destroying peach trees in the big Weatherby orchard near Swedesboro, N. J., the fight being based on the principle of the attraction of the moth to the flame. In of candles, a battery of 150 incadescent electric lamps has been strung across the orchard. At nights the lights are turned on, and the ~ moths forget the peaches to flicker about the bulbs. There various ingenious traps -to catch the pestiferous insects have been devised by the owner of the farm, who is eighty-two years old, but still the active manager of the place. He stays awake until dawn making a record of his moth-catch and studying their habits. Other peach growers are watching his experi- ment with keen interest. Motorists who pass at . night, seeing the orchard > with light, im- agine the place to be a bootlégger’s haunt. LAUGHS Bobbie—Oh, ma, I’ve got a sliver under my finger-nail! Ma—Serves you right! Haven’t I told you not to scratch your head. “Got any. herrings roes?” asked a youth of the girl in charge of the fishmonger’s stall. “My name ain’t Rose—it’s Gladys,” retorted the dam- sel; and please remember I’m Miss Smithson to you. - : “Who is that fellow who just made that ring- ing defense of prohibition?” asked Smith. “Oh, he’s a bootlegger who has become a millionaire since the dry laws were passed,” replied Jenkins. “Father, will you give me five cents for a poor man who is outside, crying?” Father—*Yes, son, here it is. You are a ‘charitable boy. What is he crying about?” “He’s crying ‘Fresh roasted | peanuts, five cents a ‘bag’!” a “Don’t keep calling me ‘General.’ I’m : colonel.” “’Scuse me, boss. I ain’t disputhr oat word, but any military gent’man dat gives dis old - nigger a dollar tip is jes’ -natcherly a ‘gen’ral.’” Blinks—Jones can’t be a very patriotic Ameri- can, Jinks—Never saw a more loyal Yankee in my life. Blinks—But he didn’t stand while the band was playing “America.” Jinks—Maybe not, when the “lucky seventh” rolls around. — Returning from the dentist’s, where he had gone to have a tooth pulled, Henry reported as follows: “The doctor told me ‘fore he began that if I yelled it would cost me 75 cents, and if _ I was a good boy it would be only 50 cents.” “Did you yell?” asked his mother. “How could I? You only gave me half a dollar.” es nn If you have a radio, listen in on WJZ. — They are broadcasting stories frum tery Magazine.” -

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BRIEF BUT _ BALL TEAM TRAVELS BY PLANE For the first time in the history of aviation a United States Army baseball team and some _vooters” trayeled by airplane recently from Mitchell Field to Camp Vail,-and returned in the Same manner. The excitement of the flight was much for the local boys and they were on the short end of a 6-to-3 score. It had been planned to send the team by rail, but Major Hens- ley felt the heat might interfere with the boys om the fifty-mile trip and hit upon the plan to end them by airplane. Accordingly four De Havilands and one Martin bomber were put into vice. Two trips of each plane were necessary fo get the players to Camp Vail. —* FIJI FISH CHASE BUGS UP TREES Prof. C. C. Nutting of Iowa University has beat “Big Bill’ Thompson to it. Professor utting has returned from Fiji Islands , with Specimens of the tree-climbing fish. He is head of the department of zoology at the university. Thompson sailed in search of such a fish the other Professor Nutting’s climbers do all the tricks of the advertised Thompson fish and then some More. Every morning after breakfast they set ut from their homes in the waters and go ampering about the beach looking for insects. n they spy a likely bu ey chase him to a and as sine aes him. saps Pre have the properties of hands and legs and they are pped ne little water pouches to sustain m on land. SOVIET GIVES DIVORCE FOR $1.50 IN 5 : MINUTES Soviet Russia offers far more, advantages to : easy and quick divorces than per- any place in the world. er a new decree a divorce can be obtained . five minutes at a cost of $1.50, provided parties agree to. the dissolution of e@ mar- » ties. If, however, one party objects to dis- ution the case must,be re erred to the courts, “will decide the question on its merits. 3 . Misconduct does not constitute a valid reason rt annulment of martial ties, but desertion, Bolshevist_ ré- whe FAME AND FORTUNE WEEKLY POINTED and the severity of the Imperial statutes. In those days it required from three to six years to have a marriage annulled. KANSAS MAN HAS CONTRACT TO SELL SNAKES Few persons in: Hutchinson, Kan. would like to trade jobs with their neighbor, K. C. Beck. Mr. Beck deals in wild animals, <nd treats them much as a farmer treats the cows and the pigs and. the chickens of his barnyard. Just now he is engaged in filling a contract for 3,000 live snakes for the French government. : He buys the reptiles in the locality from boys whom he instructs in the methods of capture. The boys look upon the traffic as a lucky thing for them. One youth of 14 years delivered eight- een snakes in a single day. The boy. caught most of the snakes in water-meter manholes in the residence districts. Beck ships the snakes by express to Browns- ville, Texas, from which point they will be for- warded to France. One day recently, just as the business was getting under way, he sent out twenty head. After a time he expects that as many as 100 will be shipped each day. The con- tainers are ordinary packing boxes, tight at all points except for a number of screen-covered holes to admit air. ‘The reptiles require no food on the trip. - “J am not sure what the French Government wants with the snakes,” said Beck, “but I sup- pose they will be let loose in agricultura] districts, where insects and small rodents are particularly troublesome. ~They take all non-poisonous va- rieties, but none that are poisonous. This ex- cludes rattlesnakes and water moccasins.” Last winter Mr. Beck shipped 20,000 live rab- . bits to the Pennsylvania State Game Commission. All sorts of creeping, flying and walking things are received and discharged at his “plant” daily. The same express deliveryman who took away the twenty snakes brought a miscellany of crates and boxes enclosing the following, creatures: Two wild, pigs, a male and a female; one dozen each of black and orange squirrels, and two five-foot lizards. These had started their journey in Hon- duras., Of the lizards, Beck merely said, “They’re. good to eat,” but bystanders couldn’t find it in their minds to agree with him. At the Beck zoo just now are some baby kan- garoos and baby foxes. The kangaroo parents came from Australia, the fox father from Ken- tucky and the mother from New Mexico. In the cage with the foxes is a Tasmanian devil. Look-~ ing more like a half-grown pig than any other familiar animal, it is almost, if not quite, the ugliest and snarliest piece of flesh on Jour legs. oe ae he meee, ‘egg’ F rather go into any cage a e zoo, even the lions’ cage, than the one where the devil is housed. ‘ Cee nn EEE = The detective stories in “Mystery Maga- — poe de dandies or WJZ would net broad- , Cm. ee * ts BP ty, sar

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_ MILLIONS IN - GOLD — WHAT ‘BECOMES OF ~ of gold? It has many channels of dis a ppearance, “according to ex- - perts. Figures _ show that more than half of the ~ annua! output is - employed~in the - fine arts and jew- - elry trade. Thou- ~ sands of pounds - also are used by _ dentists, accord- “ing to Popular Mechanics, _ one ~ estimate being - that over a ton is needed every year for the filling of teeth. Then \ money is worn away in handling, ‘this loss _ being placed at $1,250,- ~—6000 annually. _ Bank of England Sovereigns are _ often tested and found to have lost * much of the orig- inal weight. f _ immense _ Quantities of the ~ Precious metal that have been buried away in e earth, it is be- ved compara- tively little has hl Ot AA have buried 0,000,000 Worth of treasure : preserve it : og the clutches As eir persecu- tors. None of this has been found. he tombs of the Kin of se quanti- es of gold and vels being in- ed with them. What becomes ~ ee roximately ~ Seal Hernia! No more steel springs, weighty ¥ cushions, or chafing leg straps. A! last an amazing new kind of sup- port, weighing less than 1-25 of an ounce, prevents the coming out of ru igs which often anes to stran- —yot re es no tight strappi: fize old fash! ineffective devices. ‘So ee ne been the success of this new levice that it is being offered to on @ guaranteo of in: t satisfac- simply drop 9, postoard Pace reat Sidress, to, NEW SCIENCE INSTITUTE, 8603 Clay St., Steubenville, Ohio. A PERFECT-LOOKING NOSE TE Can Easily Be Yours = Crees / | f ==AN te SSS trades Model No. AS AS\\ 25 corrects now all ; IN Z \} il shaped noses Gis F )) quickly, painlessly, { vi and S a. bly at } rTyY a sist teed patent that will actually : give you a perfect looking nose. Over - 87,000 satisfied =I users. xer years ded b hysicians. years ag og in manufacturing Nose Shapers is at your service. Model 25 junior for “chi : aren cot free booklet, which tells you how to obtain a perfect looking nose. . TRILETY, SPECIALIST 5 es Binghamton, N. Y¥. Pro yourself against 3 ‘ hold-up, c he el ng. a S Ae igger, e 7 . ckage of P ‘ showing & ful package ee ot SARS fun scasing your , a a great .< z ; ‘us. PAY POST. ; $1.79 de- Pat. Pending VY) postage. Money back If not Dept. P12B 534 Sixth Ave. New Yor Ne satisfied. Habit Cured or No Pay igars,ci ¥ , chewin: aoe Harmless. peo herein etd cel. Coets $1.00 if it cures. Nothing if it fails. SUP ore, Md. “SUPERBA CO. M-21, Sa ai yanc Ay ny Sos Boys can earn payments. N einen a"Benid Re Money LS Write for our terms. CYCLE COMPANY Peasy fe DEVE. ,1s9CHCAsO ———<—<$—$<$— eee 1 MAKE THE BEST CHOCOLATE BARS Mints and Chewing Gum. Be my agent. Everybody will buy from you. Write today. Free Samples. MILTON GORDON 134-Jackson St., Cincinnati, Obie I Have Found Out How to Get Rid of Superfluous Hair At Once Here ’s the Secret I had become utterly discouraged with a heavy wth of hair on my face and lip. I tried every way to get rid of it—all the depilatories I had heard of, electrolysis, evenarazor. I tried every advertised Poa!” = a were appointments, I Saangts it was hopeless until there came to me the simple but truly wonderful dis- covery which has brought such greatre- lief and joy to me and to other women that it really cannot be expressed in words. My face is now not only perfectly free from superfiuous hair but smooth and soft as a baby’s, all by use of the simple method which I will gladly explain to any woman who will send her name and address. This amazing meth- od Be from anything you have ever used ““% —not a powder, * paste, wax or liquid, ¢ not a razor, not elec- ¢ tricity. It willremove superfluous hair at once and will make the skin soft, smooth and beautifully attractive. Its use means an adorable appearance. And you face the brightest light— the most brilliant-electric lamps— even the glare of sunlight joyously. With this method, used according to the simple directions I will give you your trouble with superfluous air is over permanently. You will never again appear with that tgly growth to disfigure your face. ; So overjoyed was I with the results this discovery brought to me that I gave it my own name—Lanzette. Send for Free Book A book that tells just how this wonderful method gets rid of superfluous hair is free upon request. Doe't nek ¢ peeas~ ee or_ Hygienic Laboratories. 204 S, Peoria Street, Chicago, UL

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28 FAME AND FORTUNE “WEEKLY ITEMS OF INTEREST WONDERS OF THE INSECT WOR -D - The champion aeronaut is the king grasshop- per, which has the ability to jump one hundred times its length, and can sail for a thousand miles before the wind. The cricket is a powerful singer, its shrill note sometimes being heard a mile away. The males alone are musical, and the females listen to their melodious woolngs with ears which are on their forelegs. Being so musical, it would hardly be expected that they would be such fighters among themselves as they are, or cannibals, eating members of their own oe when there is not enough other food at and, FISH GOING IN NORTH SEA Fisheries. experts recently have noted with anxiety that the great fishing grounds of the ‘North Sea, which supply most of the sea food used on English tables, are becoming rapidly de- pleted through the ery of trawl fishermen who, since the end of the World War, have great- ly increased in number. : Be The same “condition, it is pointed out, existed in 1914, but the World War made fishing on a large scale virtually impossible, and as a con- sequence of the four closed years the runs in- creased greatly. In the last year or so fisher- men have been forced to go further and further afield, and it is even suggested that the opening of.the great fishing grounds off the Falkland Is- lands might be advisable. This would mean es- tablishment of a special service of refrigerating steamers to bring the catch to British ports. FIERY BREATH ae FIRING FOR FORD . Henry Ford has decided to discharge any em- ployee whose breath may smell of liquor, and even those whose breaths do not smell but who have liquor in their homes. An order to this effect has been posted in the Ford factory and a copy was brought to prohibi- tion headquarters in New York recently Izzy Binstein who has been in Detroit making raids. The order reads: .- “From this date on dismissal without oppor- _ tunity for appeal will be the penalty imposed ‘on any man found to haye the odor of beer, wine or other liquor on his breath or to have intoxicants on his person or in his home. “The Eighteenth Amendment is a part of the © fundamental law of this country. It was meant to be enforced and so far as our organization is ~ goncerned it is going to be enforced to-the letter.” SOAP MANUFACTURED BY ANCIENT Fen GAULS -Made from goat’s tallow and beechwood ashes, - the earliest forms of soap were used by the a apes inhabitants of Germany to give a red- ; color to the hair, according to the records of the historian, Pliny the elder. Although mixed it was not £ ra nown as a cleansing sub- * Cpe, ot eon says Popular stance, but was often-employed in treatment of skin troubles. The Gauls,. it is said, introduced it into the other parts of the world. To-day the yearly production in this country is estimated to be 2,500,000,000 pounds. Not until about the second century of the Christian era was the pro- . duct used as a cleansing articles, it is claimed, and ~ an ancient factory for manufacturing the ma- terial Unearthed m the ruins of Pompeii still con- tained a quantity of it in a good state of preser- vation. Northern Spain and Marseilles later be- came the chief centres of the industry and pro- duced large amounts of the Castile variety from olive and lye. Earlier accounts of the existence of soap among: Asiatic peoples are believed to re- fer to some kinds of mixtures which were devoted to purposes entirly apart from those of lyes or cleaning substances. : : LOOK, BOYS! TRAPEZEE The Acrobatic Wonder Toy | ALMOST HUMAN IN ITs ACTIONS! _ It consists of a handsome parallel iron frame on which the little yellow man accurately performs like an ath- lete. : Five Different Stunts — THE FLYING TRAPEZE — Release the» trigger-pin and the figure swings for-_ _ ward, gripping the brass tra bar, turns a somersault in the air and catches a cross-bar by his heels. THROUGH THE LOOP—A swift swing and he goes through a wire loop, makes a turn and, catching by his heels, swings head downward from a bar. THE GIANT SWING — He goes forward with a rush, releases the trapeze, catches a horizontal-bar with his heels, makes two swift somersaults in the air and catches by his heels again. 4 He performs two more horizontal-bar acts vith the grace and agility of a cir- cus ster, an’ Meny new ones can be in- vented. The Most Wonderful To) in the World! PRICE $1.0 The collapsible stand and the little mani- kin are neatly packed in a handsome box. g Delivered anywhere in the United States on | receipt of price. Address WOLFF NOVELTY CO. ’ i : hte % MS RO ACN er ee CT ea XP Oe ae ne INA NNT, am 166 W. 23d St., New York City, N.Y. | Ut 5 halal

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Chief Draftsman Dobe I Guarantee To Train You Until You Are Placed in a Position Paying up to $250 and $300 a Month Write and I'll tell you how I make you a first- class, big-money-earning draftsman in avery few months! I do this by a method no other man nor institution can imitate. I give you personal training at home by mail until you are actually placed in a position paying up to $250 and $300 a month. Six thousand drafts- men are wanted every month. Free Book Send Coupon Today Be No matter what plans you have for the future. Get this great book—“Successful Draftsmanship.” Find out about the simply marvelous opportunities ahead now. How the world needs dra’ ,, engineers, architects builders. What great salaries and sibilities there are! Send coupon for free book today. _ Chief Draftsman, Engineers Equipment Co. 1951 Lawrenee Ave. Div. B-109 = Chicago, Il. There is such an urgent demand for practical, trained Draftsmen that I am making this special offer in order to enable deserving, ambitious and bright men to get into this line of work. I will teach youto becomea Draftsman and Designer until you are Drawing a salary of $250.00 a month. You need not pay me for my personal instruction or for the com- plete set of instruments. But you must take advantage of this special offer atonce. That’s the kind of money my drafting students make. Read what this one says: “As a beginner I am doing fine. Am earning a salary of $300 per month, besides I made over $450 at home the last two months, drawing plans for private parties. The practical drafting training you gave me by mail put me where Iam in less than six month’s study. Thank you all your personal interest and help you gave me so far. ¢ for (Signed) J. B. (Name and address upon request) ——— This Outfit FREE become my stadent. You get every tool youneed. A magnificent set of instruments which will build your success in draftamanship. TTETITITiiiii iit iit | ; Chief Draftsman, Engineers Equipment Co. 1951 Lawrence Ave. Div. 6-108 Chicago, Hl. Without any obligation whatsoever, please mail your book, : E Si ful Dra “Successfu ftsmanship”, and full particulars of your 1 liberal “Personal Instruction” offer to few students. 5 © = s s ~ a * Name oO PPP PPP PPE EEE ee eee MG. 5 teehee Man. «da diwt Redds tied de wededast acs ewan Pop Of is ecb Rase ewe 8 eae MME, cdvcctasdd

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* “Tt happened just three years ago. I was - feeling pretty blue. Pay day had come around again and the raise I’d hoped for wasn’t there. ~ It began to look as though 1 was to spend my life checking orders at a small salary. : “JT picked up a magazine to read. It fell _ open at a familiar advertisement, and a coupon _ stared me in the face. Month after month for - years I'd been seeing that coupon, but never until that moment had I thought of it as meaning anything to me. But this time I read the advertisement twice—yes, every word! “Two million men, it said, had made that coupon the first stepping stone toward success. In every line of business, men were getting splendid salaries because they had torn out-that coupon. Mechanics had become foremen and _ superinteridents—carpenters had become archi- ~ “tects and contractors—clerks like me had be- come sales, advertising and business managers __ because they had used that coupon. “Suppose that I . . ? What if by studying at home nights I really could learn to do some- thing besides check orders? I had a hunch to find out—and then and there I tore out that coupon, marked it, and mailed it. “That was the turn in the road for me. Fhe Schools at Scranton suggested just the course of training I needed and they worked with me every hour I had to spare. “In six months I was in charge of my division. fa a year my salary had been doubled. And I’ve advancing ever since. Today J was appointed “The Best Hunch I Ever Had!” manager of our Western office at $5,000 a year, Tearing out that coupon three years ago was the best hunch I ever had.” For thirty-two years, the International Correspon- dence Schools have been helping men to win promotion, to earn more money, to have happy, pros- perous homes, to get ahead in business and in life. You, too, can have the position you want in the work you like best. Yes, you can! All we ask is the chance to prove it. Without cost, without obligation, just mark and mail this coupon. Do it right now! INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENCE SCHOOLS Box 4491-C Scranton, Penna. Without cost or obligation, please tell me how I can qualify for the position or in the subject before which I have marked an X: BUSINESS TRAINING COURSES Business Management Salesmanship Industrial Management Personnel Organization Traffic Management Business Law Banking and Banking Law Accountancy (including C.P.A.) Nicholson Cost Accounting Show Card Lettering Stenography and Typing Business English Civil Service Railway Mail Clerk kkeeping Common School Sub; Private Secre' High School Subjects Spanish O French Tilustrating () Cartooning TECHNICAL AND INDUSTRIAL COURSES ed ag P= Architect lectric Lighting Architects’ Blue Prints Mechanica! Engineer Comtractor and Builder Architectural Draftsman Concrete Builder Structural Engineer Chemistry ©) Pharmacy Automobile Work Atrplane Engines . Machine Shop Practice Railroad Positions Gas Engine Operating Civil Engineer Surveying and Mapping Metallurgy Nayigation Steam Engineoring Agriculture and Poultry adio Mathematics Name... eoereesescesensnsinesebooesenssessnees - oe aie Street cy ~~ Neat eae Oia a = City. atestesenserseresnsseserensenses eS tRRD coven anos sinervesnatincbubecoeeapee tanta Occupation............ She RRR Te ag por gr ge caer ear tional Correspondence Schools Canadian, Limites: Montreal, Genates

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= a ~ * E el # : FAME AND FORTUNE WEEKLY — LATEST ISSUES —— 945 Andy the Mill Boy; or, Rising to the big * 946 Fame Before the Footlights; or, The Boy Who Bossed the Theatre. : 947 Lucky Lee the Office Boy; or, The Nerviest Lad in New York 948 Sure to Get Rich; or, A Smart Young Messenger. 949 Pushing It Through; or. The Fate ef a Lucky Day. 950 A mere Speculator; or, The Young Sphinx of Wall treet. 3 ‘ 1 The Way to Suécess; or, The Boy Who Got There. 952 Struck Oll; or, The Boy Who’ Made a Million. %53 A Golden Risk; or, The Young Miners of Della Cruz. 954 A Sure Winner; or, The Boy Who Went Out With a Ctrens, For sale by all newsdealers, or will be sent to any ad- dress on receipt of price, 7c. per copy, In money or pos- tage stamps. THE FOLLOWING NUMBERS PRICE 8 CENTS 955 Golden Fleece; or, The Boy Brokers of Wall Street. 956 A Mad Cap Scheme; or, 'fhe Boy Treasure Hunters of Cocos Island. 957 Adrift On the World; or, Working His Way to For-_ tune. 8 Playing to Win; or, The Foxtest Boy in Wall Street 59 Tatters; or, a Boy From the Siums. 960 A Young Monte Cristo; or, The Richest Boy™in the vorid. $61 Won by Pluck; or, The PRoys Who Ran a Railroad. 962 “ Beating the Brokers; or, The Boy Who Couldn’t S : Be Done. A Rolling Stone; or, The Brightes: Boy on Record. Nee Say Die; or, The Young Surveyor of Happy Valley. Boss of the Market; or, The Greatest Boy in Wall Street. The Chance of His Life; or, The Young Pilot of ; Crytal Lake. ne Mas for Fortune; or, From Bell-Boy to Milion- aire. bad Out for Business; or, The Smartest et! in Town. A, Favorite of Fortune; or, Striking It Rich in Wall Street. Throngh Thick and Thin; or, The Adventures of a Smart a d Doing His Level Best; or, Working His Way Up. gpa: on Deck; or, The Boy Who Made His ‘ark. A_Mint of Money; or, The Young Wall Street Broker. The Ladder of Fame; or, From Office Boy to Senator. ; On the Square; or, The Success of an Honest Boy. After a Fortune; or, The Plnuckiest Boy in the West. Winning the dollars; or ,The Young Wonder of Wall Street. Making His Mark;- or, The Boy Who. Became President. ane a Million; or, The Boy Who Was Born Lucky. Lost in the Andes; or, The Treasures of the Buried ¢ £ ity. On His Mettle: or, A Plncky Boy in Wall Street. A Lucky Chance; or, Taking Fortune on the Wing. The Road to Success; or, The Career of a For- tunate Boy. : : Chasing Pointers; or, The Luckiest Boy in Wall Street. t 985 Rising in the World; or, From Factory Boy to Manager. s HARRY K. WOLFF, Publisher, Inc., 166 West 23d Street New York City 838.333 33 HOW TO Price 35 Cents Per Copy s This book contains all the most recent changes in ‘the method of constrution and submission = scenarios. Sixty Lessons, covering eve phase o scenario writing. For sale by all Newsdealers and Bookstores. If you cannot procure a copy, send us ‘| the price, 35 cents, in money or postage stamps, and | we will mail you one, postage free. Address, | 3, Senarens, 210 Seventh Ave., New York, N. Y. — —— - OUR TEN-CENT HAND BOOKS Useful, Instructive, and Amusing. They contain Valuable Information on Almost Every Subject. No. 29. HOW TO BECOME:«AN INVENTOR.— Eve boy should know how inventions originated. This boo explains them all, “giving examples in electricity, by- — draulics, magnetism, optics, pneumatics, mechanics, ete. _ No. 30. HOW TO COOK.— One of the most instructive books on cooking ever published. It contains reci ;: for cooking meats, fish, game, and oysters: also P puddings, cakes and all kinds of pastry, and a gran collection of recipes. - No. 37. HOW TO KEEP HOUSE.—It contains informa- tion for everybody, boys, girls, men and women; it will teach you how to make almost everything aronnd the house, such ‘as parlor ornaments, brackets, cements, Aeolian harps, and bird lime for catching birds. No. 88. W TO BECOME YOUR OWN DOCTOR.— A wonderful book, containing useful and practical in- = formation in the treatment of ordinary diseases and ail- ments common to every family. Abounding in useful and effective recipes for general complaints. No. 40. HOW TO MAKE AND SET TRAPS.—Incind- ing hints on how to catch moles, weasels, otter, rats, squirrels and birds. Also how to cure skins. “Copiously Mustrated. No. 41. THE BOYS OF NEW YORK END MEN’S JOKE BOOK.—Containing a great variety of the latest jokes used by the mest famous end men. No amateur minstre] is complete without this wonderful little book. No. 42. THE BOYS OF NEW YORK STUMP SPEAKER.— Containing a varied assortment of jae > speeches, Negro, Dutch and Irish. . Also end ~ men ips Just the thing for home amusement and amateur shows, + No. 45. THE BOYS OF NEW YORK MINSTREL GUIDE AND JOKE BOOK.—Something new and very instructive. Every boy should obtain this beok, as it contains fnll instructions for organizing amateur min- stre] troupes. 2 No. 52. HOW TO PLAY CARDS.—Giving the rules. and full directions for playing Euchre, Cribbage, Casino, Forty-Five, Rounce, Pedro Sancho, Draw Poker, Auc- pon Pitch, All Fours, and many other popuiar games of cards. No. 53. HOW TO WRITE LETTERS.—A wonderful little book, telling you how to write to your sweetheart, your father, mother, sister, brother, employer: and, in fact, everybody and anybody you wish to write te. No. 544. HOW TO KEEP AND MANAGE PETS.— Giving complete information -as to the manner and method of raising, keeping, taming, breeding, and man-_ aging all kinds of pets: also giving full] instructions for making cages, etc. Fully explained by twenty-eight. i) eas a MB Ul illustrations. = No. 55. HOW TO COLLECT STAMPS AND COINS— Containing valuable information regarding the collect- ing and arranging of stamps and coins. Handsomely illustrated. = No. 57. HOW TO MAKE MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS, —-Full directions how to make a Banjo, Violin, Zither, Aeolian Harp, Xylophone and other musical instru- ments; together with a brief description of nearly every musical instrument used in ancient or modern times, Profusely illustrated. By Algernon S. Fitzgerald, for twenty years bandmaster of the Royal Bengal Marines. — No, 58. HOW TO BECOME A DETECTIVE.—Ry Old King Brady, the world-known detective. In which he = down some valuable and sensible rules for ete. and also relates some adventures and experiences o well-known detectives, r <=" No. 66. HOW TO BECOME A PHOTOGRAPHER.— Containing useful information regarding the Camera — and how to work it; also how to make Photographic Magic Lantern Siides and other Transparencies. Hand- % somely illustrated. i No. 64. HOW TO MAKE ELECTRICAL MACHINES, _ Containing full directions for making electrical ma- chines, inductions coils, dynamos, and many novel to be worked by electricity. By R. A. illustrated. / For sele by all newsdealers, or will be sent to any dress on receipt of price, 10c. per copy, in money or stamps, by c HARRY E. WOLFF, Publisher, Inc. — 166 West 23d Street \ New xore, Ry) PVC VA ah =~ R. Bennett. cS itty Os

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