Jack and His Seven Foes — page 116: what you’re looking at

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

‘JACK .forge ahead. LHe got about two yards in front of Jibber, ‘and that distance was kept between them. Meanwhile Jack and his friends were apparently flying in terror from their foes. They did not exactly run, but had AND HIS § broken into a swinging trot that covered | a lot of ground, and prevented the between them and their pursuers from lessening very rapidly. But lessen it did. The Bolter gained on them, and the rest were not far behind. ° The Swaggerer, the Panther, and the Sneezer brought up the rear. The prudential motives that governed their movements can easily be guessed. “Go it, Bolter,’ said Makepeace Jibber. “Tm a-going,” rephed Bolter. ‘“ Have your shooter ready, and blaze away as soon as you are near enough.” “Tl cover, and let fly at him in a moment.” Maple Mountain was almost reached when these utterances were exchanged. Already Daniel Smollet, who had been urged to keep in front, had reached one of the lower slopes, and was scrambling up. A few yards behind him were old aap | 107 a Ben and Jacob S Hastie puting like ® pair of old grampuses. Last of all eame he who might, if he had willed it so, have been foremost— Jack, without a burden, mmble and active on his feet, and with no sign of loss ot breath. “ Get on,” he eried to Jacob and Ben. “Weare going,” gasped Jacob ; ‘ but why do you keep behind, Master Jack?” “Tl join you in a moment,” >he answered. As he spoke, he swung round and stood upright as an arrow before his. advancing foes. The action was so unexpected that the foremost had no time to mark its purport, and the Bolter came headlong on. “Stop!” ened Jack, levelling his revolver at him. Ife did not stop, though he saw death in the muzzle, because he could not, and. sudden terror prevented him using his own weapon. Jack fired point-blank at the ruffian. The Bolter leaped into the air, and Makepeace Jibber tripped over him as he fell. The rest pulled up, aud the Swag- oerer, the Sneezer, and the Panther turned tail and fairly ran. ‘weil tah hha A nm dae a LI AIN LI Otto DVDs IAI LPR Ft OUTitD CHAPTER XLII. A FRIENDLY HINT—A NIGHT ALARM. “Tue man who comes a step farther, dies !’ cried Jack, still with his weapon raised. “Keep your hands down there.” They kept them down, for they saw that he was not to be trifled with, and he backed slowly until he etched his triends, who were waiting for him a hundred yards away. Then they faced about and walked coolly up the slope, as if they left nothing but stones and trees behind them. ee Bolter and Makepeace Jibber lay sti The others, amazed, gathered round ! and looked first at their prostrate forms, then at each other. “Did he pink the pair ?” asked one. ‘Seems so,’ said another; birds with one bullet.’ Makepeace Jibber opened one eye. “Ts that young cantankerous cata- mount gone ?”’ he softly asked. “Yes, he’s gone,” repled another ;: “walked off hke a New York swell crawling to his dinner. He wasn’t in any hurry, he wasn’t.” Makepeace Jibber opened the other eye. ' “ Why didn’t some of youshoot him: he asked. “Why didn’t you?” they retorted. “A man lying doubled up like a blessed armadillo can’t shoot.” ‘““No more can people with hands down. He'd have picked out the first of us that so much as winked.” D 99: “ two GEOG aoo (SC gs) (C©)