Roanoke of Roanoke Hall: A Romance — page 90: what you’re looking at

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

84 Roanoke of Roanoke Halt. door into the little dark chamber from which the postern opened, and so onto the plat- form. A chill sea-fog hung over the wave- less ocean, which further obscured the scanty light, but I felt sure that if any birds came within range I should be able to see them clearly enough against the sky above. It was bitterly cold waiting, but my heart beat high with excitement as I heard the rush of approaching wings, The gun went up to my shoulder of its own accord, and my eye trav- elled swiftly along the sights, but, when the birds suddenly loomed vague through the mist, I saw that:they were beyond reach, and _ I did not fire. Glad was I next minute that I had not done so. Even as I lowered the gun I heard faint in the distance the regular thump, thump, of oars in the rowlocks, approaching so rapidly that I had scarcely realized what the sound was when I caught also the splash of the blades. Whoever was pulling was in great haste, for, though as he was approaching towards the house along the river from the north-east he - had the assistance of the tide race, yet he comichbooks.com