Roving Jack, The Pirate Hunter — page 6: what you’re looking at

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

2 ROVING JACK, THE PIRATE HUNTER. BOOK I. THE PHANTOM OF FOAMY REEF. ——— CHEPTER I. THE EAGLE'S EYRIE. “JACK, you make me shudder. If that bough should break !” The fair-haired, pleasant-faced boy who uttered these words in a breathless tone, was clinging like a monkey to arugged spar of mossy, slippery rock that jutted from the windy brow of a towering cliff, over the dreadful brink of which he had just scrambled. The companion whom he addressed, another monkey of a lad, was swaying on the leafless branch of a storm-scathed tree. Poised in mid-air on his frail perch, which bent under his weight like a fishing-rod, he gazed down with a dauntless glance upon the white and stony sea-beech, spread out at least five hundred feet below, from whence the eternal roar of the bursting breakers soared faintly upwards to his giddy heicht. Jack laughed in gleeful excitement. “Don’t you feel frightened, my chum ?’” asked his young comrade, “Yes,” returned Jack, naively, “just a bit qualmish, Hal. But the sensation’s queer and pleasant ; Iratber likeit. Says my heart, ‘ You'll tumble, old chap.’ Says my head, ‘It’s your own fault if you do.’ My hands, ye see, they keep quiet and hold tight, It's jolly !” Jack spread wide his arms, and see-sawed up and down in vacancy, the awful abyss yawnirg beneath him. : ‘““Come back, it’s no go, Jack; we can’t get at the bird, her eyrie is perched on that narrow ledge, where there isn’t footing for a lizard to crawl on. Give it up, or you'll break your precious neck.” “But ’m not going to break my precious word, if I can help it. The pirate devil has murdered Violet’s pet lamb, and I promised ber I’d make a spread-cagle of him, and it shall go hard but I'l) do it, Hal. Hark, I can hear the nestlings squeal- ing for prey, andyyonder comes the old bird, with a fish in her-beak.” “ Tt’s.a white-tailed sea-eagle! Jack. Jack! do come away. If she attacks you she'll buffet you off your perch,and you’ll be smashed into a jelly on the rocks below!” Hal crawled down the face of the precipitous cliff, and held out his hand imploringly, “ Catch hold, Jack ; I’ll fasten on this rock-bine, Put your foot on my shoulder,” “Yes, Iwill, thank ye. For luck’s sake, hold on— both hands ; and when you feel my foot yo, don’t be scared, that’s all,” Hal threw bimself on his face, and fixed a con- vulsive grip upon the tendrils of the creeping plant, “Shes coming! shes coming!” cried Jack, “What a pair of wings! Their shadow flits down the white cliff, and makes me giddy. Hold on!” Hal’s foot slipped ! | His heart leaped! He madly clutched the rock-bine, and planted his knee on the sharp ridges of the stone, Iie shut his eyelids tight, compressed his lips, and tried by force of will to deafen himself to every sound—to annihilate his senses, that he might quell his insufferable pangs of awe and terror, He felt a light pressure on his shoulder, Away ! A wild, piercing scream ! “ Jack has gone down—is smashed to atoms 1 ~ Such was the agonising thought which ripped through Hal’s brain like a seething flash of lignt- ning, He dared not stir. He was paralysed—blinded with deadly Iearr Another wild scream ! He turned his head. It was the eagle ! But where was Jack ? Perched like a chamois on the narrow Yeags below, his right arm groping in the fissure in whica the eagle had built her nest, Meanwhile the splendid mother-bird was spirmg upwards in diminishing circles, and at length poised herself motionless upon her arched, wide-sweeping wings as if preparing to make a swoop upon the rash invader of her rocky fastness, She had dropped the fish, and the sounaing ‘shores rang with her fierce screams of fury. Aghast with dismay, Hal kept his eyes giuea upon his reckless comrade, who seemed forg tful of everything but the perilous task he had imposed upon himself, “ Ahoy, there, Hal!” shouted Jack. ‘“‘‘tie your ’kerchief to a bit of string, and throw it down,” _ “No, no; for God’s sake, come away !” cried nis comrade, wildly. - “Oh! you’re a duffer ! Look sharp, toss it down !” ““T won’t! I won't !” ‘Don’t then, stupid. Only I shail nave to vrmg the little feathered imps in my hand, and if yow won't help me, thank ye for nothing.” Hal tore the handkerchief from his pocrer, fastened it to a string, and threw it down. For an instant Jack loosened his hold or the Yucx, and deftly caught the fluttering ’kercnief, Hal shuddered, and turned sick and giacy, The next moment, he saw something glittering in Jack’s mouth, It was the bright blade of an open clasp knire which the rash boy gripped in his strong, snowy teetn Squeak ! squall! flutter! and the little living balls of down rolled into the handkerchief, Jack tied them up in a bundle, “ Now haul away, my hearty,” Hal obeyed. But two or three of the fledglings slipped out of the handkerchief, and went tumbling through tne air down the side of the peak. ‘‘ Now, then, butter-fingers !” cried Jack, peevisn- ly, ‘‘I wanted to save em,” “Look-out, Jack !—the eagle!—the eagie r~ shrieked Hal. Sweep! with the rush of a whirlwind, the nuce and magnificent bird of prey descends upon Jack's shoulders, The mighty wings dash and winnow witn astounk- ing noise; the sharp, strong beak dashes down upon the curl-clustered forehead of the heroic bag, Jack reels. Still, however, he clutches the rock with his left hand, while with his right he strikes wildly over his shoulder with the flashing blade, The thing’s hair aone, (OMNI MOOS EON S