The Island School — page 341: what you’re looking at

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

d ms at = ’ “Tie 4 by) , ‘Ky Al ibs f. or a ae BaP Fok Cah ai si ann 7 ’ at wv aig * . b Ld “* as ; near ‘enough to hear what Wey were saying.- Chorker 3 ae offering to sell the castle and all in it.” a ae i “Yes, Jim, he is all that and more. The man he i> was talking to said that of himself he could do nothing. He must consult the senorita, he declared, Be __ Prisoner. I prayed fervently taat he might be shot e. OF. hanged forthwith.” " Ee : “y should have done the same, Morse.” “Tt was then near the hour of darkness, and as as ‘they disappeared I felt 1 could follow. on, and from the top of the chine saw the camp of the senorita. Ten minutes afterwards it was wrapped : Has in gloom. That was owing to the cloudy sky adding Be _ to the darkness.” | - “A plessing on it!” eee Jim, “although, at the time I nice on it, it saddened me.” (a “To make my story short,” said Morse, “let me a briefly tell you that I succeeded in getting up behind 4 the tent of that charming senorita cathe the fiend’s heart in her, and ‘heard her confer with Chorker on | ve “ithe way to get into the castle. 5 bi cave, of his confinement there, and the recent escape - therefrom. ) if and to have his head pies otf if he was not true to x her cause. He Bae dilated on the many reasons he x had for hating us.” a “T wonder she listened to him.” Sy “She had an object, Jim. Chorker was then taken away in the custody of somebody, and one of the men she addressed as Vamos remained behind to confer with her. For some reason, probably so that | they might not be understood by their followers, they ; aK talked in French. 4 _ “Understanding the language,” said Morse, after a pause, “T got at all they said. The senorita was ee a satisfied that it was not, as she thought at the outset, a plot tc catch her ina trap. Chorker she declared - was too big a fool to be trusted with such a mission. ., She then dismissed the man, saying she must have _ time to think. | _ * nd that is why,” concluded Moree, with a luge- q brious face, ‘I was so long in coming. I had to lie o; | close until past midnight before I knew what she ie intended todo. Then she summoned her Vamos and a _ bade him gather the men together, and they were to proceed in an hour with their villainous guide by way of the cave to the castle.” “And they are coming ?” - “T must suppose so, Jim. I stole away at once and hurried on here. food, and with the fatigue of the day, that 1 could scarcely crawl. But I knew that by taking the direct route to the front I should be here sooner than they. is Peon Ww hez wall a be eras oe asked wt im. :. - He told her of the’ He was willing to lead her through it, But I was so dead beat for want of : Pe 1 We “ee he oie ie ; Ha aria WOU “NE SLAND travel, and the caution they will naturally use—I do . and meanwhile Chorker must consider himself a - Sol crept dawn. I listened at the trap more from pe NS E if i ¥ but Morse said, “No. the ey, and returned to his eompenicns s to announ CO 4 7 / att hi pai iui pt ioe doy. nue CAE me) Lal if “Daking: all thin ine nigilt, the oud an ae mK H not think they will be here before the hour preceding — than any realidea that they were so near.” “No hour is better for a surprise,” said Jim. "a i Martin and Changeling by this time had brought — along the different materials required, and the former *. mg began his task of covering the door with sheet-iron. Jim suggested first fastening down the trap-door, 4 1 want them to get into the . rcom without suspecting they have bee discovered. Ea 3 Finding the door fast will not surprise them. | They will try to foree it, and the moment they a that a am. off again.” ech as Ne “Where to P” “eS “Ask me when I come back, Jim. New, with your ee permission, I will endeavour to get a little sleeep.” ft, a | Jim having slept a bit, was as wide awake as need | be, and he gave up his rude couch to Morse. Two — minutes after lying down the tired youth was sound a asleep. : ee Martin did his eon without making much noise. “ia Nobody: in the castle besides Sonatas had the least - ae idea of what was going on. a First of all he drilled a number vf small holes round — the edges of the three iron pleces that were requisite = to cover the door, and then through these holes he a put in long and strong serews into the woodwork of the door. nt Expert in all he did in that Are the job was com- pleted under three-quarters of an hour, and then the barricading was done. When complete, it looked — strong enough to resist any ordinary force. | "i “A steam engine at_full speed,” said Martin, : a “might break its way through. Nothingless.” == ra see as! “he tae CHAPTER CLVII. THE COMING OF THE FOE.—MORSE DEPARTS ON ANOTHER — a ERRAND. a | HEN ensued a time ~ - of waiting. Morse * slept on peacefully, and the others in turn stole out to see if all things were right in front of the castle, and to watch for the coming dawn. They alse listened for some sound of the enemy having arrived in the ‘| 4 laboratory, and-heard nothing, So the time passed and the dawn arrived, Jim is walked in the courtyard, saw the first flash of it acTOss | au ie Bi © “nil oo Ni it, (hed aie We par eign sai ai Gora Hy las a c@ Cc 5 ash me Ps ay 4 xt Tye eee oa ye fe Pe anh oe