Jack and His Seven Foes — page 108: what you’re looking at

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JACK AND HIS SEVEN FOES, 99 CHAPTER XXX VITI. THE STORY OF THE MINER—A CALL FOR Tre wounded man slept until the mght had come, and the mhabitants of Maple- town were gathered round their res- pective hearths. Jerek Grittle’s hut not being absolutely air-tight, Ben and Jacob were engaged in plugeime certain cracks when the stranger came into the room. “ Arve you better now ?” asked Jack. “ Much better, thank you,” he rephed. “ My wound is nothing, but it bled a lot and made me faint.” “Could you eat anything ?” « Ave, that I could, right heartily.’ Ben put some food before him, and he made a fair meal, afterwards filling his pipe, and joming the others round the nre. ‘‘ Now, perhaps,” he said, ‘ like #6 hear my story ?” “TJ should, indeed,” said Jack. ie i I eke it as short as I can,” the stranger. ‘And here it is— “In the first place my name is Daniel Smollet, and for the last five years I’ve been digging and prospecting for gold there; I never did much till 1 joined tour pals nine months ago, and then we rolled it in as if it were sand of the shore. “We were careful men, and having made enough to live on, we made up our minds to start tor New York, intending to ship from there to the Old Country.” “You are English, then ? ” said Jack. “ Yes, all English,’ answered Daniel Smollet, ‘and that’s what brought us together. ‘Birds of a feather,’ you know. Well, we thought we would x0 overland, and having stowed our brass in packages, we loaded half-a-dozen mules one night and started. We thought at first tha t we might be tol- lowed, but it wasn’t so, and to’our orea joy we got clear away. “Up to here, 1 mean,” he said, with grim smile. ‘‘ We had just reached the foct of this mountain last night, en a party of about a score overtook s. They seemed good-natured, rollick- ne ad and as they didn’t show any ice, we feared nothing. ‘you W ould said t—a4 B a « VENGEANCE—JACK PROMISES in the murderers. TO RESTORE. “But, curse ~%em!” he said, with sudden tury, shaking his alencned fist air, “they were thieves and They talked of the money they had made, and what they would do —— with it when they got home, and, like fools, we talked too. Having put up a rough shelter against the wind, we all lay down to Ape “The night was very dark, and I suppose they let it shp by on that account ; anyway it was almost broad day light when I awoke. I saw a chap bending over me. He made a stab at my chest with a knife, and I dodged it, eetting this cut on my forehead. ‘Then I gave him a blow that made his teeth rattle, and I jumped up. ‘“T saw, then, at a glance what had happened. My chums all lay murdered within a few feet of me, and the gang were busy plundering our packages. The chap who had tried the game on with me didn’t seem to care to come on again, but went to get his share of the plunder, and I got away.’ “ And none followed your” said Jack. “None,” he answered; ‘they were all too busy, and I hid among the trees at the foot of the mountain until they ne re eo mare went away. The cold stopped my tore- head bleeding for a time, but it broke out afresh when I moved on again. | saw you up here,andIcameon. That’s all.” “And enough, too, my poor fellow,” said Jack. ‘Now about that band. Can you describe them ?”’ “They called themselves the Bowie Boys.’ : That sounds rather shady. And you suspected nothing?” “No; they were s0 ea sy and jolly like. There was one man among them they called the Swaggerer.’ “The what?” cried Jack, leaping to his feet. “The Swaggerer—a good- -looking chap Sidtehs nae rather vicious about the eyes. Do you know him? “Yes,” answ -ered Jack; “we are old acquaintances.” COMME DOOKS. Com