er heard
of before? You bet there is a whistling language!" chuckled Zeph--"and
I'm now about to demonstrate it to you. You see these two boys? Well,
they are natives of Gomera, the smallest of the Canary Islands. They
were raised in a district where at times there is no living thing
within sight, and the vast wilderness in the winding mountains is
broken only by the crimson flower of the cactus growing in the clifts
of the rock."

"You talk like a literary showman, Zeph Dallas," declared Fred.

"Well, I'm telling the story as I get it, ain't I?" demanded Zeph in
an injured tone and with a sharp look at Fred, as if he suspected that
he was being guyed. "Anyhow, I want to explain things so you'll
understand."

"Go right ahead, Zeph," insisted Ralph encouragingly, "we're
interested."

"Well, up among those big stone terraces is the whistling race. They
are able to converse with one another at a distance of three miles."

"That's pretty strong," observed Fred. "But make it three miles."

"A Silvando will signal a friend he knows to be in a certain distant
locality. He does it by setting his fore fingers together at a right
angle in his mouth, just as you'll see these two Canaries do in a
minute or two. An arrow of piercing sounds shoots across the ravine."

"Arrow is good--shoots is good!" whispered Fred, nudging Ralph.

"There is a moment's pause--" continued Zeph.

"Oh, he's read all this in some book!" declared Fred.

"Then there comes a thin almost uncanny whistle from far away.
Conversation begins, and as the sounds rise and fall, are shrill or
drawn, so they are echoed. Then comes the ghostly reply, and then
question and answer follows. They talk--all right. Travelers say so,
and a lot of scientific fellows are now on the track of this strange
tribe to investigate them before civilization makes of their talk a
dead language. Kara--ready!" called out Zeph to the boy at the bush.
"Karo--attention!"

"Sare," answered the little fellow, his bright twinkling eyes full of
intelligence.

"Ask him how many!" said Zeph "--see?" and he touched himself, the boy
and Ralph and Fred with his forefinger in turn.

Out rang a series of rising interrogatory sounds. There was a pause.
Then from the boy stationed at the bush came quick responsive
toots--one, two, three, four.

"Tell Kara to bring you this--see, this?" and Zeph stooped down and
touched the sodded yard with his hand. Karo whistled again.
Immediately Kar