Roving Jack, The Pirate Hunter — page 23: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

ROVING JACK, THE PIRATE HUNTER. 19 | Jonathan took a sniff, and Jack coolly pocketed the silver snuff-box. At this moment the creaking noise ceased. The bleak sea breeze rushed into the rocky tun- nel, driving and dispersing the dense gunpowder fumes, “Haw! haw! Vos ever de like, Meister Vild, dere ish not von of ze togs escape !’’ cried Wolt- gang, entering with his party; “ve are victors, and ve hafe made everyting safe.”’ “ And the bodies ?”’ asked Jonathan Wild, ‘‘ Avast! I’m the quarter-master of graves!” chuckled Barabbas. “ I’m the sexton of this island. Shiver my topmast! but this place would be a treasury to the surgeons. Neer a ‘ grabber’ (body- snatcher) has a better collection of stiff-’uns, ‘The bodies? They’ll never trouble the sail-maker ; I'll dispose on ’em,” “ But why not throw them into the sea?” ‘“‘ Why, ye see, Mr. Wild, the fishermen might drag ’em up with their hawling nets.” ‘“Right ; I commend your prudence,” returned Jonathan Wild. ‘ But it is time I was ashore, the light is dawning.” ‘“[T vill zet you ashore in ze little creek to the leeward of the village, muntmeister,” said the Dutchman, ‘Vor our part, ve are going on board de ‘Raven,’ as mine Englisher crews vill call ‘die Raub. Haw! haw! Barabbas and vive or six men zall ztow avay dese bodies, and den—ve must zay varevell, muntmeister,”’ Jonathan Wild and his attendants then left the cavern with Wirth Wolfgang and all of his men, ex- cepting Barabbas and a few others, who were left to bury the murdered, “A pretty night’s work, by the living Jingo!” laughed Barabbas, ‘ But the fool who thrusts his hand into the hornet’s nest must expect to get strung, Smart fellows some of ’em; and not one so homely but he would have turned with loathing from the dwarf, Barabbas. Ha! better a live dog than a dead lion! MHeave ho, my jolly hearts! Haul ’em along to the Dead Hold!” CHAPTER IX. ROVING JACK IN THE DEAD HOLD, OH! the unutterable horror and despair of that awakening in the pit of death and darkness |! The rude shock of his fall roused our hero from his state of insensibility. He lifted his head. He felt blinded, racked with agonizing pain, sick, giddy, faint, bewildered, half- suffocated with that awful stench of corruption, He was alone in the deep darkness, but where? He knew not; his mind was a glass darkened and shattered, A hideous nightmare! it could not be real! No, he remembered parting from his mother and from Violet ; their kisses were still warm upon his lips ; he was at home in his ownsnug bed-room ; and all the frightful events which swept before his starting eyes could be nothing but the mad phantasies of some horrid dream, He must shake off the wretched incubus that lies like a ton of lead upon his breast; he must awake —awake to the cheerful light ; start from his hell- charmed slumber ; break through the hag-spell that enthrals his soul with such dark and loathsome conceits. The boy uttered a wild cry; the echoes laughed like mocking demons, He raised his hands, The hard steel clinked, and he found his wrists locked together, and his feet bound ! A twinge of exquisite pain shot through his aching head, and the veins of his brow seemed to swell to bursting. i He felt a clammy, warm trickling down his ace, It wasa stream of blood ! By slow and painful degrees he collected his thoughts, and recalled all the dread incidents of that eventful night, The savaze face of the miscreant thief-taker seemed scowling upon him, This fancy nerved the fierce heart of the fiery young hero to a pitch of desperate anger. ‘No, you villain !” shouted Roving Jack, shaking his fettered hands through the darkness as if his enemy were actually before him, “ you shall never, never conquer me! It is natural I should feel awed by these horrors ; but wounds, nor darkness, nor starvation, nor death itself, can ever frighten me into becoming acowardly slave and asneaking thief, Oh ! if I had you alone, armed to the teeth as you are, with just my father’s pure sword in my hand !” Jack gnashed his teeth with rage. ‘‘ T suppose I must die here,’”’ he sighed, bitterly. “That is hard, too—so young! To leave no name behind me! all my bright dreams of glory to perish so soon and miserably! And mother !” Jack burst into tears, “ And—and Violet, who loves me so dearly ; but there—there, I must not think of them, I cannot bear it !” He drew his sleeve across his eyes, ‘‘Blubbering like a puny girl!” he muttered. ** Well, it’s a comfort there's no one to see my tears ; but for that matter, I don’t think Ineed be ashamed of them, they do not spring from fear, But I must keep my mind steady and quiet, for, since there is no escape for me, I will die calmly and bravely as I can.” Jack dried his eyes and rested his head against the cold, dank wall. He fixed his thoughts steadily upon holy things, and murmured a prayer. After he had remained thus for some moments, a vague, wild hope thrilled through his heart. “ Yes, I will try |’’ he whispered, hoarsely, ‘Soon I shall be too much exhausted by hunger and pain to make any effort. I know my case is hopeless, ; yet at least I will find out what sort of tomb this is and what causes this dreadful sickening stench,” Jack turned over upon his side, and managed to writhe along for a yard or two. He stretched out his arms, “Ugh |” gasped Jack, recoiling with a violent shudder. ‘It is—a skeleton!” He shook convulsively, and it was a long time before he could controul his excited feelings, “ Oh! for one ray of blessed light!” he cried, fervently. Crawling about he laid his hands more than once on round hard sculls, and sharp fleshless bones. He uttered a fearful ery, his brow exuded a coid clammy sweat, his limbs quivered like reeds in the wind, his lips became parched, his hair roused, and he felt as if he were losing his senses, CommiclaookS.e