The Island School — page 325: what you’re looking at

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

272 “We really thought that the study of chemicals had turned your brain,” he said. “TI could see it,” chuckled Morse, “and played up to the character. Oh, dear! that was why I laughed more than I should have done.” “It was a sell, anyway,” returned Jim, joyfully. “I am as pleased as Punch to find you are all right.” “Now let me decorate you,” whispered Morse. Chorker will be taken aback when he sees there are two of us.” They looked ghastly enough to scare a much better man than Chorker when the work was done. Two such faces would have made a fortune in a panto- mime. “It is most unearthly,” ‘said Jim. Walking quietly, they went on in the dark, Morse acting as guide and holding Jim by the arm. The voice of Chorker grew clearer. He was screwing up his courage by expressing a disbelief in ghosts. “Blamed if I take heed on ’em,” he was saying ; “them boys have copped me and come some of their tricks. A ghost, indeed! Bosh!!” “ Ow-w-w-w !” groaned Morse. “ All right,” said Chorker, shutting his eyes ; “90 on ahead.” He was sitting with his legs tucked under him and his elbows trussed to his knees. Morse stealthily threw some of the spirit he had in a bottle upon the wall over his head, so that he could be plainly seen. “T ain't afeard of yer,” said Chorker, with his eyes still closed. ‘ Why don’t you leave orf tortering me, and bring a poor old man a bit of wittles ?” No answer being given, he soon slowly opened his eyes, but only to close them with a gasp. “Two on ’em!” he cried; ‘ I’m done for !” “You asked for food,” said Morse. “ It is here.” He had brought a couple of ship’s biscuits with him, which he placed at his feet and poured some of the illuminating liquid round them. “Hat while you can. To-morrow the supply may be short.” Morse motioned to Jim that he was about to retreat, and they slowly backed in company until Chorker was left alone with his illuminated biscuits and his misery. To keep his eyes closed for any length of time was an impossibility. Slowly he opened them again, and not seeing the dreaded faces, breathed more freely. “He said something about witties,” he murmured, his grosser appetites coming to the fore; “ he—here, what's this? Biscuits soaked in brimstone! Oh, dear !” Dismayed, he stared at the biscuits which most people would have considered peculiar and shuddered as he thought of eating them. “T durstn’t do it,” he groaned, “ not being brought. THE ISLAND SCHOOL. up on that ’ere kind o’ wittles. Lain t made of copper or iron, but flesh and blood.” The spirit soon evaporated, and he was left again in darkness. It never occurred to him tha# after all the- biscuits were eatable, and could be got at if he shifted his ground a bit. The bare idea of partaking of food provided under such uncanny circumstances made him shiver. The idea of the boys being responsible for it all for atime lost its hold upon him. . For a while he sat dumb with terror, but not being intellectually sensi- tive, he soon came out of the semi-trance with such wits as he had tolerably clear. Again hope came to him, spared. Whatever the power that had made him a helpless prisoner might be, it had not been exerted to the extent of taking his life. He lived, and that was something. But he was uncommonly hungry. nature that, thangh bowed down. with cowardice, he He was at all events. His was such a. would have eaten a hearty breakfast on the morning of his execution. He was thirsty, too, and had a singing in his ears. Finally a kind of stupor came over him, and he felk asleep. From repose—if such troubled dreams as he had could bear that name—he was aroused by a sharp,. cracking sound. Itwas asif some person had thrown a stone against a big window-pane. He was awake in a moment, and with wonderful readiness remembered where he was. The sound was repeated, not only once, but twice, and thrice. ‘Some new game on,” he muttered ; let off fireworks. It’s the boys.” Again, and for the lasttime, the sound was repeated. Then there came stealing up to him a sulphureus smell, not sufficiently pungent to be stifling, but still far from pleasant. It did not increase, and he “ ghosts don’t bore up against it until it subsided and passed away. Then there was the sound of hurrying feet, and words being uttered by a speaker as he passed a short distance from Chorker. He could not catch the sense, nor distinguish the voice so as to recognise it. | “Such a place for games,” he muttered, “as this blessed island there never was. Nothing but games. What’s the latest, I wonder ?” He shifted his position a little with the aid ak his hands, that just touched the ground. The finger-tips came in contact with the biscuit, and as he strove to grasp it his bonds suddenly loosened. ’ “Well, I’m blessed !’ he exclaimed. There was no doubt about it. -His bonds were: loosened. He could shake off the cords almost with- out an effort. 900 mn @ @ ) (Ei @ ) CS nN