Commodore Junk — page 300: what you’re looking at

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

THE SAFEST PLACE. 293 for some time, till Dinny crouched down, and motioned to Humphrey to do the same. The place was such a chaos, and so changed by the terrific force of the explosion that Humphrey had felt as if he were journeying along quite a new portion of the forest outskirts, till, as he obeyed his companion and they crouched down among some dense herbage, he stared with astonishment at the sight before him, a couple of hundred yards away. For there, beyond one of the piles of crumbling ruins, was a perfectly familiar pathway, out of which he saw step into the broad sunshine the picturesque figure of the buccaneer captain, who strode toward a group of waiting men, A discussion seemed to take place, there were some sharp orders, and then the whole party disappeared. ‘Why, Dinny, man, are you mad?” whispered Humphrey. “T trusted to you to take me to some place of hiding, and you’ve brought me right into the lion’s den.” ‘‘ Well, sor, and a moighty purty place too, so long as the lion’s not at home. Sure and ye just saw him go out.” ‘But, Dinny m ‘Whisht! Don’t spake so loud, sor. Sure, now, if a cannon-ball made a hole in the side of a ship, isn’t that the safest place to put your head so as not to be hurt. They niver hit the same place twice.” ‘Then your hiding-place is my old lodging—my prison ?” “ Av coorse it is! The skipper has been there to mak’ sure that ye really are gone; and now he knows, he'll say to himself that this is the last plice ye’d go and hide in; and troth, he’s quite roight, isn’t he?” Humphrey hesitated for a few moments, and then, feeling how true the man’s words were, he gave way. Sure, sor, and it’s all roight,” whispered Dinny. ‘* Aren't I thrying to keep my head out of a noose, and d’ye think I'd Gomilcbooks