Jack and His Seven Foes — page 188: what you’re looking at

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

, ¥ .® were away all day. - be i vest PRBS. JACK “AND . HIS her ittand: and as soon as ae could speak she asked for Jack. ‘Dead, I fear,’ was the answer. * Tt’s a certainty,” said Ralph, with a stony stare ahead of him, and Jacob Sturmby groaned. ‘He took the road for the settlement,” continued the trapper, ‘‘ and there’s only one. We've come by it, and it’s like walking over the cooling iron of a foundry.” “Tt’s broken up in every direction,” added Deane. “The Black Mountain has fallen. The whole ground is broken rocks. We had some hope that he might be among you.’ “ He’s not been here.” “You fled to here for safety,’ said Deane. “There are nine dead bodies among the ruins,” replied Mrs. Deane. They sat down, sad and silent, for a while. But their return had put a little life into the people, and the women began to prepare a fire. Two of the men volunteered to go up to the old place for provisions, and brought back what they could find in a first search among the ruins. After a sparing breakfast, Ralph rose. “Where are you gomg?”’ cried Sturmby. “T’m going up yonder to see if I can find any signs of him,” replied the trapper. “Tl go with you,’ said Sturmby. “Tt’s a waste of time,’ said Deane, sadly. “Tt’s miserable to spend it here,” replied Ralph. He and Sturmby set out, and they The earthquake was over, and the volume of smoke from the Black Mountain subsiding. In the afternoon a general move was made back to the settlement. —- SSVGIT FLO i) ¥ s ‘ - ‘ ‘*. ie - a ‘ oT @ * } ee Te ; Mi y -* ‘a 7 . ‘ pe i.e 3 *) > a ' cl as i ¥ * ; * ; at iy 5 ane ‘" SEVEN FOES, a “Tt we keep a fire burning,” said Deane, “they will know where to find us.” Tt was a sad task, putting the ruins into order, and estimating the damage ; but the sight of the dead was the bitterest thing of all. | Crushed and mangled as they were, with one exception their faces remained umnjured. The little children looked as if they were asleep. They laid them out on the hillside, and covered them with the branches that had fallen. Men were appointed to take their turn of watching by the dead. It was a wise precaution, for ere sun- down the birds of prey were hovering in the air, and the howl of the prairie- wolf echoed in the woods. 4 an) Night had fallen when Jacob Sturmby and Ralph came in, utterly worn out, 9% They had found nothing. ~ ‘We have been over the whole track, and found nothing but this,” said Ralph, as he mourntully drew out Jack’s cap from his breast; ‘‘ the poor lad’s gone.”’ ‘“'There’s one crack in the earth a thousand feet deep,” said Sturmby. “You can hear the lava still boiling over below. He fell insomewhere. It must have been awful for him to be alone at such a time.” “ Horrible! ”’ exclaimed Deane. ‘““‘There’s a place to which this news must be taken,” said Ralph. “ Abel Newcombe will take 1t sore.’ ‘And how will that pretty daughter of his bear it ?’’ asked Jacob. “Tt will break her heart.” ‘We cannot go too soon.” “Let it be to-morrow.” And when the next day came without any sign or intelligence of Jack, they set out to bear the dismal tidings to the house of Abel Newcombe, tho Silver King. DEDPVLFELI VLE INI SVP WVGILFi oi CHAPTER LXXIII. THE NEWS CARRIED TO THE NEWCOMBES—-THE SILVER KING LEAVES HIS KINGDOM. Att things went well with Abel New- | combe. Six months after Jack went away he had almost doubled his vast fortune. The earth, in a manner of speaking, sent him up fountains of silver ore. Mrs. Newcombe rejoiced with him, but Annie did not seem to care for Gomiichdoo s) (<(0)