Jack and His Seven Foes — page 137: what you’re looking at

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

128 RN rea RC Kec A aah *s 4 A? eN Sot aa -) ee Wh Lae AN ~e y) Mh + 7 . : ‘ < » in b . ” JACK AND HIS SEVEN FOES, let him alone, he will let us go. may escape him yet.” As for Jim Black, he tried to hide behind the others, but his burly form was not so easily disposed of. Jack, without looking at him, had already noticed his presence—nay, more, he had known for days that the Settler had returned to his old ways and old companions. But how fared it with the terror- stricken Sneezer ? He saw the dread revolver raised, his lps moved, but no sound escaped him, and suddenly he fell, as if he had been shot. BS ie EN, Aah in 25 eS cc Nc We | ‘¢ Atch—e—e—e—e—ew ! ” ey At last his terror hadfound expression, — but the sound that so often caused mirth : among his companions raised no merri- ment now. It had an expression in it — that had never been heard before. After it escaped him he lay still, and Jack came down calmly and looked at him. The Sneezer lay still, with his eyes fixed. There was no terror in them now, no expression whatever, and a film was slowly gathering over the surface. The Sneezer was no more—mortal fear had killed him. of CPA OPA EG? EPI LD? 1A EMI ETRE LM LMG CHAPTER LI. DISHONOUR AMONG 'THIEVES—AN OFFER NOT TO BE REFUSED. Jack had not fired a shot, and replacing his revolver in his breast, he turned his back upon the living and the dead, and retraced his way up the mountain- side. The three living men let him go without moving, nor did they speak until he had deliberately clambered up the side of the pass, and disappeared over the summit. Then the spell that had been upon them was broken. They turned and looked at each other in a semi-sheepish fashion, and all began to make excuses for their cowardice at once. ‘TI thought you meant to bring him down,” said the Swaggerer to the Panther. “and I left him to you,” replied the Panther. “I felt sure you or Jim would do the trick.” “T’ve beaten him once,” said the Settler, “and that was my share of the work. But how about the Sneezer? He’s fainted.” “The cub didn’t think him worth shooting,” said the Swaggerer, with a faint smile. ‘Now, Sneezer, old man, up you get.” He was going to give him a friendly kick, but the action was stopped by the sight of the dead man’s face. ‘ Merciful powers!’’ he cried; “look there—he’s gone!” ‘‘He can’t be,’ cried the Panther, hurriedly; “he wasn’t even fired at.” “But he’s dead, I tell you.” And so they all saw, and again dark dread returned to dwell in their hearts. “T begin to think, with some that are dead and gone,” said the Swaggerer, hoarsely, ‘‘that there 1s more than a mortal power in this young Jack Bold- heart.”’ “ Killed without a touch,”’ murmured the Panther, and Jim Black’s brows were bent in troubled meditation. ‘He keeps his word,” he said, in a tone scarcely above a whisper. “Yes,” said the Swaggerer, involun- tarily answering him. And then there was a silence. “TL suppose we ought to bury the poor devil,”’ said the Settler, at last. “It’s only what we might look for— ourselves,’ rephed the Swaggerer. They buried him as they had buried the Pantaloon, by laying him in a hollow and covering him with huge stones, raising a cairn some eicht feet over him. While engaged in this work, they spoke in whispers, but after 1t was done, and they were moving on again, they talked in something like their old strain. “Tt’s all luck,’ said the Panther; “this young Jack’s got the run of it. He started well, and we play our game badly, but, by heaven! we'll winit yet.” — Com | SS COMNICL@@