The King's Talisman — page 168: what you’re looking at

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

THE KINGS TALISMAN. 159 “But you will let the poor fellows be armed against the beasts?” ventured Ahab, who could not repress a shudder at the thought of the cold-blooded purpose of his mon- arch. ‘* Kach shall have a club, but no swords or knives; they shall not have a vantage. And even then, Ahab, they will be twelve against two. Ha, ha!” The last clause of the king’s sentence was accompanied by a low chuckle of savage delight, and he. actually seemed to forget his troubles in view of the demoniacal recreation he had planned. ‘* How think you the people will take it?” he continued, losing nothing of his strange satisfaction. ‘‘If they knew it to be the king’s order, they will take it quietly, and no doubt it will prove acceptable to them.” Ahab knew that he spoke falsely, and he turned his gaze upon the knotting of his sword belt to hide his guilty face. Had he dared, he would have advised the king to forego his unnatural pastime, for well he knew that the people were already much incensed by the summary seizure of the censors; and he knew, too, that they liked not such inhuman scenes as were thus proposed. But he dared not tell the king of this; and though he himself looked with loathing upon the spirit which could prompt such cruel measures, yet he strove hard to make it appear that he participated somewhat in the monarch’s revengeful feel- ings. ‘‘It must prove so, Ahab,” the king returned, ‘‘ for it hath been a long time since they have been treated to such sport. Go now, and set the officers on the watch at the pass, and see, too, that the haunt of that old hag, Ossifrage; is well looked to, for that contains a traitor which I must hold in my power. Abdah Nazor and this bold youth must be in the city somewhere, and as there is life in my heart they shall not escape me.” comichbooks (Elo)