Jack and His Seven Foes — page 99: what you’re looking at

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

cS) Axis ¥? JACK AND HIS SEVEN FOES. ‘“ We shall be six months, 1t may be a year, out this wav, and if you get over the first two months, you may reckon upon the other ten.” They consented to this with a nod. “What you airn,”’ pursued Jibber, ‘you can’t spend here.’ “Thats true.” “And 1f our young friend bowlase you over, where will be the use of what you have? TVmaman of reason, and I’m reasonable. Two months for me, and the rest for yourselves, and, above all, treedom.”’ ‘What do you say ?”’ the Swaggerer asked the Panther. “It’s fair enough,’ was the answer. “ And you, Sneezer 2” “I’m agreeable to serve anybody two years 1{.my hfe is saved,’ replied Sneezer, “‘ but I’m afraid, oh—atchew ! —atchew !—atchew !— ~“ Cats on the tiles are nothing to him,” said the Panther. ‘ Well, Ji ibber, we say done.” ‘“‘ Hands on it, then.” He shook hands with them, and he furthermore sealed it with a little drop of good fiery whisky, that in case of | emergency would have taken the place of turpentine, out of his own private flask, that held about a quart. ‘Ask no questions,” he said, leave all to me.” “Good. We consider it done.”’ “ And now for a toss to see ay bead first watch.” Makepeace Jibber took a coin yin his pocket, and was about to spin when the Sneezer, who had ei a a if bb sitting position, uttered an exclamation ot “Hone “What's the row now?” asked the Panther. ‘took -at that doliay,- cried. the sneezer, ‘ there’s part of a man’s life upon at!” It was stained with blood, and Jibber, although not over-sensitive, shivered as he aes spate “It’s one we took out of that fellow’s pocket,” he said. His first intention was to clean it by rubbing it on the sleeve of his coat, but the thought that thé stain would remain upon him caused him to desist. “It’s only a dollar, after all,” he said, and threw it away behind him Taking another from his_ nee and | finding it clean, he called on te others to spin with him. | Odd man out resulted. in the first watch falling upon the Sneezer. “Just as well,” said the Panther, “Tor jelly-bag would not have slept a wink in any case.’ “tiow long am I to watch?” asked the Sneezer. “ Until we wake up,” replied J Wher, and there appeared to be sufficient humour in the observation to draw a laugh from the others. The Sneezer had the pleasure of watch- ing all night, and it was surely a fore- taste of after puDlenntei that he endured. Even the snores of his companions, nothing out of the common. way, appalled him, and every little sound around caused him to quake and groan with fear. Perfect stillness is not to be found at any time in any place on earth. Tn the house, large or small, there is the creaking of hantils and re the mysterious “little clicks that tell of shifting and slowly- “approaching decay. On the plains there is the rustling footsteps of animals, in the woods the snapping of br anches of trees. Stillness, in its perfect form, 1s not to be found in sublunary itfe. And then the forms he made out in the darkness ! Jack had said that he would return when he chose, and the fears of the Sneezer prompted him to ask himself: “Why may he not return to-night P” This thought acting upon his dis- ordered Tania created thee image of Jack a hundred times over, and vee Sneezer saw him coming down upon him with vengeful eyes. And as many times as tancy plnged him this trick, he fell upon his knees, and begged tor mercy. een sien he knew that 1t must be fancy, he knelt so as to be on the safe side in case of the offchance of its being reality, and his sobs and groans would cave awakened ordinary sicepers a score times or more. Again he was troubled with visions of his ald comrade, the Pantaloon. THe saw hin mn lying dead a few yards away, and ¥ a this spectre melted into EO NOOKS «EO (¢ s) am