The Island School — page 46: what you’re looking at

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

bikigaey Ap as rye aah i G3 « What is at oe 7 k. “ Carrots, peas, and beans, ee said Roce. _ There was a sufficiency of these edibles for a small own, and Romeo went to work gathering each in turn. _ Jim walked away with Dawson until they were out of earshot. Be There is somnebneiee in the phinel said Jim, “and ‘Romeo knows it.” Be “T saw nothing,” replied Dawson. pe They are there,” said Jim, “ but not many of them. “Probably only two or three. We shall have to run the gauntlet of them going back, but I think we are pretty safe. It is not for us they are here.” _ “But what cheek!” exclaimed Dawson. “ Surely if we spoke to Nap, they could be shunted out of the ‘island! ae Sa “ « Nap’ sno good,” said Jim; “the man is a duffer. I “say, just look here.” _ They were standing near a plot of land filled with potatoes. The haulm was withered, aud they were ready for digging. On the earthed-up meee there “were deeply indented footsteps. . “See,” said Jim, fitting his boot into one of them, f « made by men, and with big loose boots upon their _ feet into the bargain.” | is “Ragged boots,” said Dawson, Cae in his breath. | | i “Well, not boots at alll, ” rejoined Jim, “but feet swathed in the odds and ends the poorer Spaniard wears. Let us follow them up. t i ‘They did so, and the tracks led them to an onion- “bed, where there was very strong evidence of the ‘recent visit of a marauder. Fully a peck of the -_esculent root had been pulled up and taken away. “Next to the original garlic,” said Jim, grimly, “the OR seemiard loves the onion. Itis to him what absinthe Bae a Frenchman, opium to the Chinaman.” _ “From that remark I may deduct the opinion that § paniards are in hiding. ; _ Jim nodded, and said, “ In the chine.” _ “There cannot be many of them.” _ “Half a dozen ae the outside, but armed, you may reckon, old man.” — 8 « Still, half a dozen, armed or not, ought to be made ‘to yield to numbers.” “T doubt,” said Jim, “if we have much fighting “stuff among us. Martin could be relied on, and Rob Changeling, but as for the rest’”—Jim snapped his fx 1gers—" they were not engaged by Nap to fight, and won't do it.” | “ And we boys are not strong enough.” “With a free hand I could gather sufficient help to r: ee tat these fellows, but that I haven’t got. 1 see i the at, Romeo has his baskets full. - _ What a deuce of a hur rry I e is ann we Dane be ge ) a back. ” a Air hay if) : ih | f A abi wh ’ | eee be ON THE FaRat. Re ee - Romeo had filled the bashers “two to the top a i the heavier vegetables, the third about two-thirds fuld a of the lighter material. __ The latter he took possession of, and hoisting it upon his shoulders, prepared to lead the way home. | “Stop a minute, Romeo,” said Jim. ‘Whar de marrer now 2” asked Romeo. . “Dawson,” said Jim, “ change baskets with Romeo.” E %, ‘et Romeo seemed disposed to resist, but Dawson — ‘on ee shifted the basket from his shoulders and pointed to. hisown. - | , y | ‘* Dere a sprain in my arm,” groaned omen, par jes’ above de elber.” of £3 > 2 : 73 HP “2 Ke fen r o, as The eyes Nok Romeo fairly bulged out of his head. ie He stared at Jim as if he had hurled a thunderbolt at at “Me got frens in chine?” he gasped. “ Cur’us sfrons a “ | dem. Whar you seen dem 2” re “How many are there ?” asked Jim. es r f “Me spect dere was six or seben when me seo ie: a * em iust. But pussons dat say dey bile you and cut a WV: your nose and ears orf if you speak ob dem am squeer He i frens. Whar de frenship in dem, me like to know! ae , ii Sie 4 ‘So you admit there are seven of them P” said Jim. HN ie dhe “© Habin’ taken de oaf not to mention dem,” returned — Aaa oen t Romeo, with an air of immovable rectitude, “me not ah ih f swar to de recise number. But dere am not one bs Ii ws ober—nor,” he added, after a pause, given to medita- 2 a tion, “ nor mebbe one under.” pity Jim could have smiled at Romeo’s style of giving. Bs! information he had sworn under threats not to wr Mt reveal, but for the serious nature of it. It was now — a clear that there were possibly seven men in hiding in i: ia iy the chine, and to them must be attributedthe murder _ Ve of the undermaster. ys Beh “Let us get back with all speed,” said Jim, in an aoe Ws undertone. TS at: OG fk He picked up his basket and strode on ahead. Hei: Dawson followed, and Romeo, notwithstanding the us Me, | injured condition of his arm, hoisted up the heavicn: Ne pa burden and trotted after them. Pes, In this order they re-entered the chine, and passed Sa through it unharmed. ane (! They saw nothing; but above them, ensconced among the ferns, which Jim had previously observed Banca had been disturbed, a young Spaniard was lying atfullh length, watching them through some of thecoarse = = srass that fringed the projecting ledge of earth. — Mo ae He had a rifle in his hand, which he pointed, firstat = = = Jim and then at Dawson, but he did not fire. Itwas an old single-barrelled weapon, with a very long barrel — Aya i | of the Moorish pattern. ) i; Dis “No,” he said. “ Of what avail is it to kill one, gna A igh a leave the tee free fly and give the tanh One. a teh th Cc 6 “ comicbooks.com ‘- by MIN A 7 mi AY ETN f % i RH NM, , ' 7 4 - : ' ; : ’ ‘ ! ‘fF ; j vf - ’ Pied 4 f A . 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