The Island School — page 383: what you’re looking at

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

318 He held out his hand, and Giuseppo grasped it eagerly, raising it to his lips. “Senor,” he said, “in grateful memory of the past I come.” _ He motioned to nis men to take possession of the prisoners, which they did in the most unceremonious manner, and in a minute they were bound by the arms. Jim before this had turned his attention to those who appeared to be his own country people. Two of them were middle-aged sailors, and the third wore the néghigé uniform of.a young officer in the merchant Service. He was not more than seventeen at the out- side, and slim for his age. “To what good chance do we owe your presence | | and perhaps condemned, from the standpoint of her here ” asked Jim. “To a bad chance, one way,’ was the reply, with a smile. “ With two of our men, all'that are left of a ship sunk in the Bay of Biscay, I was at Gibraltar, | when our friend here turned up at a café where I was staying. He had a story to tell of a number of youngsters cooped up in a castle by a lot of black- guards, and wanted recruits to go with him to the | rescue. He also had an insuperable objection to applying to the authorities for aid. So I and my men wolunteered. It was something to do.” And very heartily I thank you,” said Jim. “TI ought to say, perhaps,” continued the young stranger, “ that ea aaa was diffident about the authorities owing to his being slightly connected with the contraband business.” Giuseppo smiled, showing his white, strong teeth. _ “They call mea hiar,” he said; “no help from them. ‘No. Much too stand off they are there.” The young stranger introduced himself further as Johnny Daw, and the men as Cobbies and Smith. They all seemed to be delighted with the issue of the adventure, and not too much concerned about the fallen. But there were wounded to be attended to, and ‘Morse had already gone on to where Lucia was lying. ‘She was not dead, but sorely wounded, and she had recovered the consciousness which she had temporarily lost. Her eyes were fixed on Morse, upon whose arm her head rested. “Where is the other one?” she asked. “There are many of us,” replied Morse, evasively. He guessed whom she was referring to, but he did not care for Jim to be in any way associated with Jas | strange, fiery woman. ' Jim, however, at this moment came up, and kneel- ing down, expressed a hope that Lucia was not seri- ously hurt. “I know not and care less,” she yee “all I ‘lived and fought for is lost. Hverything—even the “Saints are against me and fight for you. Are you not’ ‘THE ISLAND SCHOOL. glad? Do you not rejoice to see me lying so sa Bie here P” “No,” answered Jim, “I .am Hoh such a brute.as that. You have done your best to destroy Mes but that does not count now.” “And the girl—she with the fair hair and child’s face—she lives P” “T left her half an hour ago, * Ah—h—h!” . No words can. describe how much there was ex- pressed in the deep-drawn exclamation. It conveyed so much that was despairing, such a sense of utter defeat, of loss irreparable, that Jim was deeply moved. He had learnt not to judge all people of the’ earth by the British standard. Lucia must be judged, She was well nave nationality, and even by local surroundings from her birth, As she had been taught, and could but view them in her passionate way, so she was guided in her actions. She did not ask for Vamos or any of her followers. After that “‘Ah—h—h” she closed her eyes. Her wound was somewhere in her side, and the blood was slowly flowing fromit. Neither Morse nor Jim could help her, but relief was at hand in the ; persons of Eveline and her mother, whom Terry had hastened to find and met on the way. “Poor dear!” was the first utterance of Mrs Farrell. In the contemplation of a wounded woman, she woman-like, forgot all else. Eveline said nothing, but kneeling down, took Lucia’s head upon her lap. “You may leave her to us,” Mrs. Farrell said to the boys. They were glad to do so, and hastened to help in other matters. With the wounded Giuseppo was already busy, and being an old hand at rough surgery, did all that was possible to relieve them. But while doing it he did not forget to rate them soundly for their work upon the island. ‘Better for you not to return to Minorea with life,” he said, “for the Governor shall know the truth.” “Tt was all Lucia di Valo,” they pleaded. ‘‘ Bah!” said Giuseppo, contemptuously, “led by a woman! Ifeel shamed for you. When you get well, ‘go and hide yourselves on some lone island.” More of the men had been. killed than simply ‘wounded. For them there was to be burial, and Giuseppo said he would'see to that too. . By-and-by, as he and Jim moved. among the aa ‘lying scattered here and there, they came upon Vamos. His earthly career had been. cut short by a bullet lodged in his heart. ‘¢‘ He came here to win 2 leve iat never gonial have | com Cc 900 ‘Ss mn (Sl @)