The Island School — page 301: what you’re looking at

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

( ow Bomebolly bat it aden”. he ae nM oe 4 By George ” exclaimed Jim, “ you've hit it. But wh ny PP | Phy WN artin, aig was lying at full length on his Bad a upon the roof, smoking his pipe, removed it from his li ps, and said : | Rout? They are going to rig up something to hoist up ‘th 6 cannon with.” [ 1ere was a short silence. This announcement was te to going on ney, ea Felton. “I did not { ‘thi nk it of any importance at the time. Some of those fellows were taking the rigging of a boat to # es ces.” : me “For the pulley-blocks,” said Jim. Ne : “Will they have a rope long enough?” asked D awson. a “They will splice it mene enough,” said Martin, “being sailors.” “YJisten!” cried Jim. to were silent for a while, and the sound of wood- cutting came dumbly towards them. “Tf ever they get the cannon up there,” a Jim, . “it will be child’s work hauling them into position at _ the back of ue castle. Once there, they will pound i 3 to pieces.” He was quiet for a moment, reflecting. Morse’s mind was busy, too. & There’ s the point of the first tree sticking out,” a ae Rainstone, pointing towards the edge of the a a undergr owth. | wit Jim sent Terry for his field-glass. While he was ; "gone, he kept his eyes on a second tree, from whence ed my the sound of cutting seemed to come. * * ae ee ‘What's the Gaerne P” he asked. uy « “Three hundred yards,” replied Martin, “if an | é x “ Oa: rifles, with ordinary ammunition, will carry | mine hundred, ” said Jim. ce : “ And so they will with mine,’ a paturned Morse. aia en). “Get half a dozen up right away,” murmured Jim; ce we cannot exactly see those fellows, we can nee * Se . pretty cood guess where to aim at. I don’t think | "they will care to work under fire.” a ce When will that tube be fixed on the carriage ?” a asked Morse, addressing Martin. : “Most of the pieces are ready. The screwing : be - ogether ean be done in two hours.” Can you do it up here ?” a Meal Certainly ; ; but——’ Pat “Tam going to fix it here,” said Morse; “it was vay my original mtention to do so, but circumstances ; alter cases. We have to meet the emergencies as ’ he added, with a smiling glance at ¥ ‘ . rq 7 but the weapons were good. a were not resumed. — sir enough. Hy? ay a | “y 9 HES </ 4 TAO bie on a nn sles Ny pi ie i Ah “Yes i retumed J Jin a anc pou hi , | ‘meet them. ” i Ai ee aN sh A ae an aay a : Ny ee oe Before the flan ree the secon at t ae I with pa BN crash. After that there was no more wwood-cu' -uttin e. a “They've downed all they want,” said Martin ny a0 nd are now trimming and barking the trunks. nek ey mu we ‘He went away to go on with his other ‘wor Cay | when the rifles.came to hand, Jim took one and ‘care: - fully loaded it. It was slow work compared to the ease with which a modern breech-loader is “handled, ve ‘i i mit ee “There is a bush with white-tipped leaves,” said i ua * Morse, who by this time had Jim’s glass in his hand, a , : “T think if you let fly there, something will come of a “di a s any Jim took careful aim and pulled the trigger. | fa Practically simultaneously with the report, a a Ne jumped up above the bush and fell in the peculiar, iy headlong way of one who has been shot in the breast MA ) or some adjacent part of the body. cen } a A moment later the yelling of half a dozen voices * was heard. ‘There were answering shouts from below. | Pax: Mi? “Now, boys,” said Jim, “one more round apiece, Nae You must take your chances of hitting them.” __ ‘ Hin The rifles were loaded and fired, which caused | pi) ne oh renewing of the yelling, but it are not appear that i anyone was hit. Jim, ae the aid of his glass, was able to detect signs of movement among the. bushes, which he judged were so stirred by the drag somg away of the body of the fallen man. M After that there was a time of stillness. The opera- tions of rigging up oe to raise the cannon Nt My j ref ry ; i " WE fit, S hy cn a iy ) low to ane My aye , ) ; pu ade - 4 ¥ of ‘ ‘Tile Ly " “For all that,” said Morse, “we must not assume | a | se that they have THUS ORS the idea.” Pelt ti , CHAPTER CXXXVII. MISS ELEGANTINE IS DRILLED.—AN ASTOUNDING CATASTROPHE, spit was on Miss Hle- \HE wmortial gantine. She | ae hungered to learn — ie ir how tousé a rifle, and on Jim descending from the tower, __ he found her awaiting him. © on | KS ‘When will you be able to teach me the use of the — rifle ?? she asked. ? “T fear not tert answered, mea ‘Our enemies are at. work, and we must Roe 3 not relax our r vigilance for a moment, Ko my ee sean be rae i ial nae “ ic al > \