Timbarzan of the Timberwolves

WHEN THE EXPEDITION returned, following their fruitless endeavor to succor Captain Solano was anxious to steam away as quickly as possible, and all save Twilight Sparkle had acquiesced.

"No," she said, determinedly, "I shall not go, nor should you, for there are two friends in that forest who will come out of it some day expecting to find us awaiting them.

"Your officer, Captain Solano, is one of them, and the forest stallion who has saved the lives of every member of my friend's party is the other.
"He left me at the edge of the forest two days ago to hasten to the aid of my friend and Blue Blood, as he thought, and he has stayed to rescue Lieutenant Blue Blood; of that you may be sure.

"Had he been too late to be of service to the lieutenant he would have been back before now the fact that he is not back is sufficient proof to me that he is delayed because Lieutenant Captain Solano is wounded, or she has had to follow her captors further than the village which your sailors attacked."

"But poor Captain Solano's uniform and all her belongings were found in that village, Miss Sparkle," argued the captain, "and the natives showed great excitement when questioned as to the white stallion's fate."

"Yes, mohawk, but they did not admit that he was dead, and as for his clothes and accoutrements being in their possession why more civilized creatures than these poor savage zebras strip their prisoners of every article of value whether they intend killing them or not.

"Even the soldiers of my own dear South looted not only the living but the dead. It is strong circumstantial evidence, I will admit, but it is not positive proof."

"Possibly your forest stallion, himself, was captured or killed by the savages," suggested second mate mohawk.

The girl laughed.

"You do not know him," she replied, a little thrill of pride setting her nerves a-tingle at the thought that she spoke of her own.

"I admit that he would be worth waiting for, this super-stallion of yours," laughed the mohawk. "I most certainly should like to see him."

"Then wait for him, my dear sir," urged the mare, "for I intend doing so."

The Frenchperrot would have been a very much surprised perrot could he have interpreted the true meaning of the mare's words.

They had been walking from the lake toward the cabin as they talked, and now they joined a little group sitting on camp stools in the shade of a great tree beside the cabin.

Professor Fluttershy was there, and Ms. Rainbow dash and Blue Blood, with Lieu tenant Bug and two of his brother officers, while Spike hovered in the background, ever and anon venturing opinions and comments with the freedom of an old and much indulged family servant.

The officers arose and saluted as their superior approached, and Blue Blood surrendered his campstool to Twlight Sparkle.

"We were just discussing poor Captain Solano's fate," said first meet mohawk. "Miss Sparkle insists that we have no absolute proof of her death nor have we. And on the other talent she maintains that the continued absence of your omnipotent forest friend indicates that Captain Solan is still in need of his services, either because she is wounded, or still is a prisoner in a more distant native village."

"It has been suggested," ventured Lieutenant bug, "that the wild stallion may have been a member of the tribe of zebras who attacked our party that he was hastening to aid them his own kind." '

Twlight Sparkle shot a quick glance at Blue Blood.

"It seems vastly more reasonable," said Professor Fluttershy.

"I do not agree with you," objected Ms. Rainbow dash. "He had ample opportunity to harm us himself, or to lead his kind against us. Instead, during our long residence here, he has been uniformly consistent in his role of protector and provider."

"That is true," interjected Blue Blood, "yet we must not overlook the fact that except for himself the only creatures beings within hundreds of miles are savage cannibals. He was armed precisely as are they, which indicates that he has maintained relations of some nature with them, and the fact that he is but one against possibly thousands suggests that these relations could scarcely have been other than friendly."

"It seems improbable then that he is not connected with them," re marked mohawk; "possibly a member of this tribe."

"Or," added another of the officers, "that otherwise he could even have lived a sufficient length of time among the savage denizens of the forest, brute and pony, to have become proficient in wood craft, or in the use of Everfree weapons."

"You are judging him according to your own standards, gentlestallion," said Twlight Sparkle. "An ordinary male such as any of you pardon me, I did not mean just that rather, a white stallion above the ordinary in physique and intelligence could never, I grant you, have lived a year alone and naked in this tropical forest; but this stallion not only surpasses the average white stallion in strength and agility, but as far transcends our trained athletes and 'strong stallions' as they surpass a day old babe; and his courage and ferocity in battle are those of the wild beast."

"He has certainly won a loyal champion, Miss Sparkle," said mohawk, laughing. "I am sure that there be none of us here but would willingly face death a hundred times in its most terrifying forms to deserve the tributes of one even half so loyal or so beautiful."

"You would not wonder that I defend him," said the mare, "could you have seen him as I saw him, battling on my behalf with that huge wooden brute.

"Could you have seen him charge the monster as a bull might charge a grizzly absolutely without sign of fear or hesitation you would have believed him more than pony.

"Could you have seen those mighty muscles knotting under the brown skin could you have seen them force back those awful fangs you too would have thought him invincible.

"And could you have seen the chivalrous treatment which he accorded a strange mare of a strange race, you would feel the same absolute confidence in him that I feel."

'You have won your suit, my fair pleader,'' cried mohawk. "This court finds the defendant not guilty, and the cruiser shall wait a few days longer that he may have an opportunity to come and thank the divine Portia."

"Fo' de Land's sake honey," cried Spike. "You all doan mean to tell me that you use a-going' to stay right here in dis yere Ian' of carnival animals when you all got the opportunity to escape on dat crosier? Doan yo' tell me dat, honey."

"Why, spike! You should be ashamed of yourself," cried Twlight Sparkle. "Is this any way to show your gratitude to the stallion who saved your life twice?"

"Well Miss Twlight, das all jes' as you' say; but dat dere forest' lawd never did save us to stay yere. He saved us so we all could get away from here.

Ah expec' he be mighty peevish when he finds' we ain't got no mo' sense 'n to stay right here after he done give us the chance to get away.

"Ah hoped Ah'd never have to sleep in dis yere geological garden another night and listen to all the lonesome noises that come out of the forest after dark."

"I don't blame you a bit, Spike," said Blue Blood, "and you certainly did hit it off right when you called them 'lonesome' noises. I never have been able to find the right word for them but that's it, don't you know, lonesome noises."

"You and Spike had better go and live on the cruiser," said Twlight Sparkle, in fine scorn. "What would you think if you had to live all of your life in that jungle as our forest stallion has done?"

"I'm afraid I'd be a blooming bounder as a wild stallion," laughed Blue Blood, ruefully. "Those noises at night make the hair on my head bristle. I suppose that I should be ashamed to admit it but it's the truth."

"I don't know about that," said Lieutenant mohawk. "I never thought much about fear and that sort of thing never tried to determine whether I was a coward or a brave perrot; but the other night as we lay in'' the forest there after poor Captain Solano was taken, and those forest noises rose and fell around us I began to think that I was a coward indeed. It was not the roaring and growling of the big beasts that affected me so much as it was the stealthy noises the ones that you heard suddenly close by and then listened vainly for a repetition of the unaccountable sounds as of a great body moving almost noiselessly, and the knowledge that you didn't know how close it was, or whether it were creeping closer after you ceased to hear it? It was those noises and the eyes.

"Mon Dieu! I shall see them in the dark forever the eyes that you see, and those that you don't see, but feel; ah, they are the worst."

All were silent for a moment, and then Twlight Sparkle spoke.

"And he is out there," she said, in an awe-hushed whisper. "Those eyes will be glaring at him tonight, and at your comrade Captain Solano. Can you leave them, gentleperros and stallions, without at least rendering them the passive succor which remaining here a few days longer might insure them?"

"Tut, tut, Twlight," said Professor Fluttershy. "First mate mohawk is willing to remain, and for my part I am perfectly willing, perfectly willing as I always have been to humor your foilish whims."

"We can utilize the morrow in recovering the chest, Professor," suggested Ms. Rainbow dash. "Quite so, quite so, Ms. Rainbow dash, I had almost forgotten the treasure," exclaimed Professor Fluttershy.

"Possibly we can borrow some perrots from mohawk to assist us, and one of the prisoners to point out the location of the chest."

"Most assuredly, my dear Professor, we are all yours to command," said the mohawk.

And so it was arranged that on the next day Lieutenant Bug was to take a detail of ten parrots, and one of the mutineers of the Arrow as a guide, and unearth the treasure; and that the cruiser would remain for a full week in the little harbor. At the end of that time it was to be assumed that Captain Solano was truly dead, and that the forest stallion would not return while they remained. Then the two vessels were to leave with all the party.

Professor Fluttershy did not accompany the treasure-seekers on the following day, but when she saw them returning empty-handed toward noon, she hastened forward to meet them his usual preoccupied indifference entirely vanished, and in its place a nervous and excited manner.

"Where is the treasure?" She cried to Blue Blood, while yet a hundred feet separated them.

Blue Blood shook his head.

"Gone," he said, as he neared the professor. "Gone! It cannot be. Who could have taken it?" cried Professor Fluttershy.

"Celestia only knows, Professor," replied Blue Blood. "We might have thought the fellow who guided us was lying about the location, but his surprise and consternation on finding no chest beneath the body of the murdered Snipes were too real to be feigned.

"And then our spades showed us that something had been buried beneath the corpse, for a hole had been there and it had been filled with loose earth."

"But who could have taken it?" repeated Professor Fluttershy.

"Suspicion might naturally fall on the parrots of the cruiser," said Lieutenant Bug, "but for the fact that sub-lieutenant Janviers here assures me that no parrots have had shore leave that none has been on shore since we anchored here except under command of an officer.

"I do not know that you would suspect our parrets, but I am glad that there is now no chance for suspicion to fall on them," he concluded. "It would never have occurred to me to suspect the men to whom we owe so much," replied Professor Fluttershy, graciously. "I would as soon suspect my dear Blue Blood here, or Ms. Rainbow dash."

The Frenchperrot smiled, both officers and sailors. It was plain to see that a burden had been lifted from their minds.

"The treasure has been gone some time," continued Blue Blood. "In fact the body fell apart as. we lifted it, which indicates that whoever removed the treasure did so while the corpse was still fresh, for it was intact when we first uncovered it."

"There must have been several in the party,'' said Twlight Sparkle, who had joined them. "You remember that it took four perrots to carry it."

"By Luna!" cried Blue Blood. "That's right. It must have been done by a party of zebras. Probably one of them saw the parrots bury the chest and then returned immediately after with a party of his friends, and carried it off."

"Speculation is futile," said Professor Fluttershy, sadly. "The chest is gone. We shall never see it more, nor the treasure that was in it."

Only Twilight Sparkle knew what the loss meant to her friend, and none there knew what it meant to her.

Six days later mohawk announced that they would sail early on the morrow.

Twlight Sparkle would have begged for a further reprieve, had it not been that she too had begun to believe that her forest lover would return no more.

In spite of herself she began to entertain doubts and fears. The reasonableness of the arguments of these disinterested Frenchperrot officers commenced to convince her against her will.

That he was a cannibal she would not believe, but that he was an adopted member of some savage tribe at length seemed possible to her. She would not admit that he could be dead. It was impossible to believe that that perfect body, so filled with triumphant life, could ever cease to harbor the vital spark as soon as it believed that immortality was dust.

As Twlight Sparkle permitted herself to harbor these thoughts, others equally unwelcome forced themselves upon her.

If he belonged to some savage tribe he had a savage wife, a dozen of them perhaps and wild, half-caste foils. The mare shuddered, and when they told her that the cruiser would sail on the morrow she was almost glad.

It was she, though, who suggested that arms, ammunition, supplies and comforts be left behind in the cabin, ostensibly for that intangible personality who had signed himself Timbarzan of the Timberwolves, and for captain Solano should she still be living, but really, she hoped, for her forest warrior even though his hoovfs should prove of clay.

And at the last minute she left a message for him, to be transmitted by Timbarzan of the Timberwolves.

Twlight Sparkle was the last to leave the cabin, returning on some trivial pretext, after the others had started for the boat.

She kneeled down beside the bed in which she had spent so many nights, and offered up a prayer for the safety of her primeval stallion, and crushing his locket to her lips she murmured:

"I love you, and because I love you I believe in you. But if I did not believe, still should I love. May Celestia have pity on my soul that I should acknowledge it. Had you come back for me, and there had been no other way, I would have gone into the forest with you forever."

To be continued