The Island School — page 355: what you’re looking at

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

ee iy a ‘ios | Naki pe | anv ‘before! the oe He v ao f not s lain, in ‘the — castle, anyway, for if he iad huge carease im nust have been easily found. A suggestion that he eres, i have taken refuge in the cave was negatived by =| | “The way was barred by the enemy,” he said, “ Sar A Wa the trap-door after the fight was found a a . Charley is not there.” ; “And if he were he would not remain there, ‘ <a 3 Rainstone. | i My 4 : Kventually it was supposed that he had bie out of , the castle when the gate was left open for retreat, and taken to the woods. Ashe had been absent two | days very little hopes of seeing him again were enter- tained. es And now upon all in the castle there settled a shadow, arising from a growing distaste for Tine My confinement within its walls. The knowledge of the — vault below peopled with the dead helped In its: 4 sy development, and although there was no genera} nik superstitious fear of ghosts, the uncanniness of living — i Mt over a resting-place for the departed could ab be- bi nhs denied. | | he a a its Some of the wine was fetched out of the Saliae but to what it was none could tell. It was, from age, almost ey ry tasteless, but at the same time it was an intoxicant, — | Dibble, having incautiously imbibed two glasses—or 2 rather mugs, for they did not use glasses—expressed a wa | desire for his aunt’s immediate return. i The ferocious way in which he expressed his wish rh led to Trimmer asking him what he would do to his i, bs aunt when she did return. ae “‘T shall kill her on the spot!” was the fierce reply. a Ha Then he got up and executed a war-dance, defying ba all the world to stop him. But Morse and Terry, as i vis representing mankind, sufficed to check his antics and ne me to put him to bed. = ve After this Jim locked the cellar, declaring there should be no more of the wine used, save for sickness. Harac and Maravello left their room on the second day, but a strange feeling of repulsion kept the boys ) from associating with them in any way. Nothing mga was said to account for it, and the men showed them- aN: selves humble and grateful, but there was something —__ that led to their being viewed with mistrust. eas : In the absence of the negroes they were, however, hae useful. Maravello proved to be an excellent cook, Peover on them bitter. roa Baie andl eis od By-and-by others appeared, some in ‘twos and ‘4 _ threes, and some alone. To each and all the - promise: of being garrotted if they dared to return to Sah ‘Minorca wasgiven. In short, the threatof Lucia was ; shifted tothem. In all about forty-five men turned iM up. Whether there were any more alive on the island a iH was @ question none could answer. ye _ But whatever their future course, it was evident vat that there must for the present be a short rest. The | men wanted it, and it would put a little heart into ‘ : them. This much Vamos ventured later on to ) ie su ggestto Lucia di Valo. __ “T,et them take three days,” she said, “and then, ae “ie oh, valiant and wise Vamos, your plan of attack shall ly a Ns tried.” oe - He understood the vein of sarcasm in her rae? - bat made no retort. But he was bent upon carrying — | a ont his plan, and he believed it would be successful. Nh Om He knew, soe good reason, if he could once | ) get at the boys on even terms, that even now the . i i ictory would be his. But it was not for love of Lucia he outed now. That was all dead within him. Her sgpheowton poor and cutting remarks had destroyed it. He _ feared her, but he did not love. To save himself from : i the imputation of being a traitor, absurd as he knew the notions of the old governor to be, he was bent on _—succouding where Lucia had failed. Then if she offered him her love he would be in a can Fecicion to refuse it, a proceeding which, in his pre- sent state of mind, he believed wae give him Bi vay infinite satisfaction. | ar | ah ates he oe SEN aCe +t Al : t af - ‘ = a et : A ‘ hi iy iv iby é ‘* i i ata ‘ f x hy x, P Bua! ee ¢ 4 tJ j a ss GHAPTER CLXIV. aes | WHERE IS CHARLEY P—THE TRAITOR COMES TO LIGHT. =e . “a sore Ke ae rate a = = Se Se Ls 7, on LN Sg Coben a HAVE been look- ‘ing everywhere,” said Terry, the next morning ' when he met Jim coming from the ramparts, “and I cannot think what has ~ te ae ws : Phi <a tS, 7 a “4 - Pn dw ~ a - < ; pos, F become of Charley. There | and Harac a splendid drudge. They laboured early ae ok are no signs of the in- | and late, doing more work than the three niggers had ee berecat brute.” ever performed in three days. a Ri: Sher “Strange,” replied Retaining the room they had occupied during (ee ee Bee : Jim; “1 had quite for- gotten him.” So, it appeared, had all but Terry. In the heat and excitement of the fight, and the gloomy duties of - ve - burying the dead, the bear had been forgotten. Nor could anyone recall having seen him imme- sickness, they were not far from the kitchen. In the | middle of the second night Harac was awoke by a oe smashing of crockery. In a moment the half-caste - was out of bed, his knife was ready to his hand, and ‘am without waiting to pune on any ae he darted into ua ‘ii ; the cen SER eons pts, tees Ni th ae aioe tes < Gas