The Armourer's Apprentice — page 30: what you’re looking at

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

PEE! ae on Bint tales ; . - . Ais ss 4 . » 7 as Yh J / J ors : ‘ 7 ° ; ° : . . ' > iyi « s - ; 4 , fOr ; 7 ‘, ~% z4 eh ? - » j ; . , “ = . f rf ds My, : . . ‘ , A t , . + Z ~ id ® . ’ Y * k pe e r c By ot . ” : p ae Ps is ’ ne: : a” rs ' ») >! *. . _ + : 4 “4 4“) AF ' ~ yh . conscience, and if he could gain by it, eae willingly renonuce his faith., But tell me, _‘Trlend, if thou wilt not join as one of my ae in. what character do you meah to “AS @ SPY OF 28 8 guide ; anyway so that Iam free to act against the Sheik Mahomed Abu,and so rift en myrevenge. On these con- ditions I will guide you to the camp before _ Acre, where Richard of England wili arrive in a few days, or for aught I know he ma be there now. If you refuse my offer _ trust to your honour to Jet me depart on my way tothe camp.” cee “EP will accept your offer. Now tell me whet name we are to call you.” © Giaffa,” replied the man, firmly: “and now, my lord. since you have taken me into | i | your service, I weuld advise you to fortify this encampment, and keep close watch for anattack. Ifyour foes have met the Sheik # vigh Abu you will be attacked to- Sighs Tf he be trustworthy or not,” muttered | Pes the Bow, “in that he speaks the truth.” | “He does so. Let the sentinels be duly Ze placed, and with the timbers of the ship let us at once make a stockade. Themen need - rest ; so we will encamp here, and to-morrow - we will start for the city of Acre.” "othe city of Acre!” shouted the men, who were thankful to be once more free from the ship, and commenced to set about the building of the stockade with a will. “Will!” said Stephen, “see that the : ~ archers have their weapons ready, place the best marksmen in the points of danger, and let them shoot all who approach, and warn _ them to keep an eye upon our friend Giaffa, He may be trustworthy, but in this state of e Menge we must trust no one blindly.” _ CHAPTER X. ‘GIAFWA PROVES HIMSELF TRUSTWORTHY— THE NIGHT ATTACK—THE BATTLE OF THE SAND-HILLS—BICHARD TO THE RES- CUE—ACERE., ot S T was night—the storm had gone down, if and the moon rode serenely up the blue Ki. vault of the heavens, paling the ight of the ‘stars. | _The sea was smooth, and as the tide rip- ‘pled on the sands and round the rocks it 3 made a pleasant but sleepy murmur. The sailors and soldiers had run up the - stockade, the sentinels had been placed, _ a} - o> , at a a n. £4.” ween A <™ 4 * . ‘ | ~ 4 - ; . — fe: ey Timea eres: isk i f % iy OR a > nee og ra > oy? Lait oes : ENE + * ‘> ‘ and with some saile a tent had en exci, where our hero, as commander, slept. 0 af . aA The heat was oppressive, and so. ‘Sir Stephen hed thrown back the curtain of his i tent to let the moonlight stream in, and also to admit the cool sea breeze. = = He was just in that peculiar state of being " half asleep and half awake, when we see” objects indistinctly and hear sounds dully, — when what happens seems like a dream, and our dreams appear reality. He was gust in this state when he fancied he sawa arge white log or stone, which had been 3 lying down by the sea, move nearer, He watched it dream ily ior some time, and being convinced it did not move, — turned to address himself to sleep again; but the movement awakened him a little, and after afew minutes he glanced onee — a more at the curious stone, ma This time he cculd not be mistaken—it_ had moved nearer. SB Rousimg himself, but yet keeping quite ote still, Sir Stephen watched the object care= — fully, It moved nearer and nearer, and he became convinced that it was aSaracen, who had managed to creep into the ene: = campment unobserved by the sentinels. a He was about to spring up when he per- ace ceived that the Sarscen, was followed by — some one who was adopting precocial “e same tactics as himself. a The first men was now close to the tent, and raising himself a little, glanced cau as ously round, my Seemingly satisfied that he was not per- 4 ceived, he drew along knifefrom hisgirdle, ~ and was about to creep into the tent, when, : with a bound like that of a tiger, on to its | prey, the second man—who our hero now — saw was no otiier than Giaffa—sprang upon — him and pinioned him to the earth, and th wresting the knife from the wretch’s od plu ed it into his heart. p, up, up!’ screamed Giaffa ; ‘up for your lives! Thefoeisuponus” ~~ By this time Sir Stephen was up, ar a seizing his battle-axe had rushed out of his — tent, calling his men to arms. | at i Everything was confusion for a few mo-- ce ments, and then, hke well-trained soldiers, — oe they hurried to their posts, and stood Lae ae to meet the foe. The first warning of the attacts ‘was @ a shower of arrows, which fortunately fell — quite harmlessly against the stockade, Bose: hind which, by Sir Stephen’s orders, the | men were hiding, aN yg Stephen coolly leaned over the soaked and plucked forth a couple of arrows. ay “Nay, Sir Stephen, be not so rash!” ( Will, as a number of arrows rattled on our hero’s coat of mail ; ‘what would you or “Discover what sort of 1 men are our x iS a - we 4! a Be + ‘comicbooks ee m *. e ' ~~? viet. ” ane, , ade