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{{frabfp215.png}} || eagles of the sky ||

when last at the well and subconsciously remembered
the fact.

He went about the job of lowering the rope
with the manner of one quite familiar with the
necessary movements, pulling the rope from the
barrel of the windlass hand over hand. Then
there came a splash, a gurgle and following these
symptoms of success the man, with a jerk at the
rope, managed to sink the bucket.

Next he started to turn the handle in order to
fetch the bucket to the top of the well. In order
to get a better purchase on the handle, he took a
step to the left, and as luck would have it, struck
his knee against the crouching form of Perk.

Then came a quick look downward, since he
was naturally curious to know what sort of object
he had collided with--possibly he may even
have had a sudden suspicion it would turn out
to be some native beast from the neighboring
swamp--possibly a panther, since such animals
ocr>   had been known to frequent the western shofe of
fix>   had been known to frequent the western shore of
Okeechobee as a hunting-ground in days gone
by.

Of course he instantly made a startling discovery,
since there was enough light to show him
the form of a man doubled up against the rocky
well curbing.

It would have been instinctive for the man to
have let out a yell on making this discovery but

[[215]]

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