The Island School — page 292: what you’re looking at

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

~ el THE CAMP BELOW AROUSED. CHAPTER CXXXII. SHE CAMP BELOW AROUSED.—MORSE AS A WRECKER. IDNIGHT had arrived. The party of action, as Morse called them, were at the castle gates, Wa shifting back i Sleery’s platform with iy as little noise as possi- ble. | Nine in all. Jim Gordon, ' Morse, and Martin, armed with revolvers only; Terry, 3 Steene, Ganthony, Hillyard, Ba voot: and Rainstone, carrying rifles. All under the command to be dumb. Without exchanging a word they got the platform back sufficiently to open the left-hand gate a foot or so. fie ‘f ie ores Then they passed out, and Romeo came out of the gloom in the rear to keep watch until they returned. “T)o not come further than the bridge,” were Jim’s instructions, given earlier, “and at the sight of a single stranger, get in and close the gates. not return, Whiffer and Felton must do their best to defend the castle.” “Tor’ ha’ marcy on us!” thought Romeo, as the band of nine glided away, “if anything happen to you, Massa Jim!” They walked absolutely without making a sound, for over their boots they had bound some pieces of sacking, which gave them a club-footed appearance. Overhead the stars were brilliant, but the moon had. gone down. The air was chill, and there was a breeze from the sea. Morse led the way with the box containing the car- . tridges, carefully wrapped in sacking. “In case I fall or trip,” he said to Jim, when he was packing up the box in the hall. But the path was thoroughly familiar to him, and one of the tasks he had performed that day on the ramparts was to make sketches of it, first as a whole, _ and then of its peculiar features, such as where rocks projected from the soil. In other words, he had made @ map in detail and studied it to renew his mind on the exact topography on the sinuous way. On the right it was almost unbroken wood. On the left, wood varied with deep, precipitous hollows. The only level spot on that side was where Mr. Farrell had read the first threatening letter he received, as seen by Jim and recorded in the opening chapters of our story. But Morse, looking neither to the right nor the If we do 245 left, pursued his way, followed by his companions, until he was almost at the bottom of the path. There he halted. The wood was very dense on either side at this par- ticular spot, but their eyes having become used to the gloom, the upraised hand of the leader was seen, and they all stopped short. They knew from earlier instructions what was 2x- pected of them, and with their rifles under their arms, the six rank and file stood still. Jim and Martio went on with Morse. | Then came a trying time for those left behind. The stillness was only broken by the rustling of the tree-tops by the breeze, which was, not very strong down there. Barring the woods, they could see nothing but the stars. Waiting at that particular spot, they could see nothing of the beach or lagoon. Suddenly a short, sharp sound, as of steel against stone, fell upon their ears. Then the voice of a man, speaking in the Spanish tongue, came from the camp. It was a challenge from someone on the watch. A slight burring sound, as from the working of a - drill followed. It was just below where they-stood. A minute had not elapsed ere the report of a xifle was heard from the camp. Immediately after, J was heard close by, speaking in a low tone. “ Advance, all of you. Come steadily.” The riflemen, as they may be termed, stepped briskly down until they came to the trio. Jim and Martin were standing erect, revolver in hand. Morse was kneeling upon the ground, close to a huge piece of rock, as big as an ordinary house. The bearers of the rifles could see the camp on the shore now. Lights were being lit up, and there were sounds of voices and hurrying to and fro. “Steady, now,” whispered Jim. “ Get in front, you ~~" fellows, and wait the signal. They will soon be coming - for us. Fire at the word, and not before.” ““T deserve hanging,” muttered Martin, “for drop- ping that drill upon the ground.” “Can’t be helped,” replied Jim; “don’t fret. Per- haps it will all be for the best. They are moving now. What asses, coming on as thick as a bunch of grapes! Can you see them, boys ?” A low murmur of assent was the reply. The hearts of the majority were thumping so heavily against their ribs that they sounded like advancing footsteps. Jim judged by the size of the knot of Spaniards approaching—silently, by way of a change from their ordinary habit—that they numbered about thirty. It was a large force to bring out to investigate the nature of a solitary sound; but it was a proof of the wholesome fear they had of their boyish adversaries. Jim kept quite still until the men were within thirty yards of them. The young riflemen, in the (ele) an Cc 00 q55 co