Commodore Junk — page 91: what you’re looking at

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

84, COMMODORE JUNK. light dancing upon the rough path, and it would be hardly possible for the nearest soldier to pass him without stumbling against his head. Discovery, extra labour, the lash, more irons, and the chance of evasion gone: all these displayed, as 1t were, before Abel Dell’s gaze as he thought of his sister waiting for them with that boat—all plainly seen by the gleaming light of that lantern as the soldiers came steadily on. It was absolutely impossible that the sergeant and his four men, whom the light had revealed quite plainly to Abel Dell, could pass him without something unusual occurred. The ser- geant was carrying the lantern swinging at arm’s-length, on his left side, and the bottom as he passed would only be a few inches above the prisoner’s head. Abel knew all this, as he pressed his teeth together to keep down the agonising feeling of despair he felt already as the men came on in regular pace, with the barrels of the muskets and their bayonets gleaming; and he expected to hear an ex- clamation of astonishment with the command “ Halt !”—when something unusual did happen. For all at once, just as the back of Abel’s head must have loomed up like a black stone close by the sergeant’s path, and the rays of light glistened on his short, crisp, black hair, there came a loud croaking bellow from down in the swamp by the creek, and Dinny exclaimed aloud— “ Hark at that now!” ‘Silence in the ranks!” cried the sergeant fiercely ; and then, as if the Irishman’s words were contagious, he, turning his head as did his men towards the spot whence the sound proceeded, exclaimed, “ What was it ?” “One of them lovely crockidills, sergeant dear—the swate craytures, with that plisant smile they have o’ their own, Hark at him again!” Gomichbooksreo