The Island School — page 353: what you’re looking at

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

f - hi 1/4 ay Src oy a Lae My ov , Th Lal mn 72 a “their diabolical purpose | ? Bes. . Not forty men, but sixty boys would now be dead, acm was certain that no merey would. be shown any - pee fell into the hands of Lucia di Valo or her crew. _ In that thought he found reasonable excuse for the chavs he had in the taking of life. : P - “A necessity created by themselves,” “nothing less.” ‘1 My But what was to be done with them? They could * 1 ot be left where they were, or cast outside like rubbish to lie and fester in the sun. To one and all - decent burial must be accorded. But where? _It dawned upon him that at one time, when the i oxatle was a century or two. younger, there must have een warfare anda siege. Morse had often pointed - out signs of both. Then there would be the dead to Ee isspose of within the walls, and, with searching, the <nay - place might.be found. he _ Alone he wandered about the lower part of the | _ castle, penetrating into dank little holes and corners i Be here he had never been before. _ It was singular, but true, that, although it could not be doubted that in | -Espalmador Castle, as in other similar places, there af 2 must be dungeons and subways for various purposes, neither Jim nor his friend Morse had sc much as - thought of looking for them. | Bs, Now that there was urgent need for some such j k place, Jim set out alone upon the search, and he was | “not long in finding what he wanted. # » os In the dark recesses of a dismal little hole of a place a under the staircase that led to the upper chambers he ie ms came across a small, stoutly-made door. Itwas closed, and held fast ie sundry rusty bolts, which he ‘he ae i 4 - eventually succeeded in forcing back. Then he called i ~ to Lal Brodie, who was Close by, to find Morse and it ask him to bring a lantern with him. ___While he was gone Jim prudently left the door open re - let out the foul gases that must have accumulated - below. Presently Morse, accompanied by Brodie, Bit appeared. : “What do you want, old fellow ? Jim explained. Morse said he had been thinking . — over what ought to be done, and agreed with Jim that Be there might possibly be something that would serve . a vault. They had better look for it without _, Lal Brodie asked to be allowed to accompany them, : “a Sona the trio descended a flight of dank, damp steps _ together. _ The first level they came to must have been fully thirty feet under the flooring of the castle. It was a gruesome stone vault, ae the inevitable cobwebs, some big and black enough to have been hanging there a - for centuries. Hopping about the floor, they espied several enormous toads. ‘ ND nn $$$ 4 « Ad pf ‘ pee except poor Waller, for whom they determined to. do of carrying the dead below. ‘A ant 4 pda! paren “son 10 iN “ “How a 0 these tin’ as live: he e. ye cs s xe a shiver. ast tp wy Oe “at bi ae wi “They keep. tee: secret» lesser -anieienba’ Mor < Nobody knows, and yet they must live here-as_ ™ do in similar places, and I daresay would consic themselves hardly treated if we removed them the sunlight and purer air. Places of. tea are : matter of use and taste.” 2) se At the upper end of this vault ehey found a door- “tag way, with the door hanging on its hinges, leading: to 135 another, and here, to their surprise, they discovered _ ia i a number of vats, stone jars, barrels, and. bottles, filled Bi q with what appeared to be wine, packed away in bins. And the work of the ubiquitous se ae over a ‘o » them all. ; s | “ No burying-ground here,” said Lal Brod “he a : “We have not been everywhere yet,” said Jim. Ses eo ’ The wine-vaults were very extensive, and see in ie ae ‘ number, but only the first they entered appeared. ones be : have been in general use. The others were given over _ noe to the storage of empty tubs and general rubbish. or | Beyond this they came to another door, on which was a brass plate, dingy with the dust of ia but i, with an inscription fairly definable. ene ; “T can’t exactly read it,” said Morse, after peering me at it for awhile, “but I can make out words that clearly show this is a resting-place for the dead. They had_ vas queer notions in the good old days.” | Close by it were some rusty crowbars, and with the | aid of one they succeeded in opening the door, Doffing their caps, they entered. : A glance sufficed to show that it was indeed the family vault of the now forgotten owners of the castle. ¢ | Ranged upon strong shelves on either side were coffins _ of marble and stone—some of a size that showed they - were occupied by once mighty men, and others, ranging down to the puny coffin of the infant. It was not inviting, and the boys, satisfied they had found what they were seeking, hastily departed to make arrangements for the speedy interment of phe he slain. | eee eS a iWithounicoffine iy must be placed thers all aes bay ay their best to provide one. pe seer “ Phew !” gasped Morse as they roecaed the | oanen ea air. ‘Fancy being shut down there for a week.” ; ‘‘ All well” being reported by the sentries, the rest of the youngsters were pressed into the solemn ser rviee Steene and Whiffer undertook to have the coftin for. Yi nA Waller ready in two hours. Bese On the rest of the solemn work we siaba not well. it It was an uncanny task’ conveying « those fieree ait swarthy-looking corpses below. = _ aa, _ But on one thing of interest, concerning it we x vast ‘cae | dwell. OLED) heaps and Ji im observed it, n¢ 1th 2 ANS. aia ane ie ao iat) ae POMS aiage uc ces ; eee na ib hae plu ae -h ole 0