The Halfpenny Marvel, Vol. 5, No. 109 — page 10: what you’re looking at

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

-flovdon looked cautiously round, . and, horrified, discerned - te ‘glint of many eyes as they pierced the darkness of the “Fe-stopped abruptly. hoping the horrible eyes might with- draw;'but, finding they still retained a watch, he huddled ¢lose beside the doctor, A horrible silence reigned, and the two men felt their blood run.cold as the white-garbed figures, seeming to issue from the wall, silently surrounded them. : — By. some miraculous. means they entered the cell: then, as others. fcllowing bore torches, the prisoners could not forbear & ory of terror, as they noted in whab manner of place they had been put. All around the four walls rose ledge upon ledge of ghasily, glaring skulls. ‘Through the sockets of some glinted human eyes behind. . Even the ceiling had not been untouched. rossed and recrossed were the blackened bones of men and BRUCE BAW IM TE OTSTANCH THE LANDSOAPE VANISH APPAIUNTLY TYTO TILN AIR, EXPOSING BEYOND THE STEEP SIDES OF THE MYSTERIOUS MOUNTAIN, animals. ‘It was a ghastly charnel-house, and the silent, ghastly figures that ministered to it seemed singularly appro- Priate in the dull red glare of the torches. Yn their right hands vhey ‘carried the two-edged spear, and suspended from a, belt obout their waists hung the skulls cf numbertess victims. _ 4 che inibs*: of the interior!” whispered Gordon hoorsely. I have heard of them and their atrocious rites: how they Toast and flay their victims alive; how death to them ia like & meal to ns, We are in the heart of Formosa, Heaven Protect us? Ue had'no time for further words. The savage priests surrounded them, and, driving their victims on at the point of numberless pears, drove them slowly towards the door. *"Thq name given by the hill tribes of Formous to their priests.” Their savage rites are too ghastly to recount. heir religion centres on two deities—a Spirit of Good and one of Evil. ‘They practise divination, and are supposed to be wonder- — fully expert at fortune-telling. Their power is supreme in. When’ enemies are not forthcoming for sacrifice, the Jand. 1 their people’ hunt each other, like the Dyaks of Borneo.—Enp, One Prize of Seven-and-six, Five Half-erowns,-and-Five “ANSWERS” Patent Fountain “- given away to the-readers of the “MARVEL,” 4 hist hy i ’ ‘ iN 5 a f ft At a signal from one of the tnibs, it was thrown open, ‘They: were. driven down a broad stone hall, and entered’ an open. vi courtyard in the rear, ‘Some rusty old cannon faced the entrance, and Bruce PeCOg nised their workmanship at once, “ Dutch!” he eried,' for 7 , built in the interior, two centuries ago, e “ This is said to have vanished unaccountably long ago,’® repliéd Gordon. _ - 2 The courtyard wag lighted with innumerable torches, which shed a ghastly yellow light over the scene of the preparations for their torture. In the centre of the courtyard stood the remains of an old flagstaff, and affixed td- this at intervals, about a foct apart, were a number of shimmering knives. Beneath a layer of red-hot embers spluttered and burnt, ag other priests added fuel to the lames. Two cane stretchers bad been placed beside the tire, and to these Brnee and Haverlocle wore led, They were forced to lie flat, while four of their tormentors raised them aloft, and slowly poised them over the razorlike edges of the knives, Crordon divined their purpose mstantly. Ata given signal the men who held them alot would throw them upon the knives, which, cutting partly through their agomsed bodies, would impale them, while by the tire beneath they would slowly roast to death. Shivering with fear and horror, the victims watted for the signal, On three sides the courtyard was Jined with a silent theong of people, hungry for the coming scene of torture and death, Tquorn was present, and looked indifferently on; but a hard, eruel smile played about his mouth as he noted the evideny terror of his humen prey, RP? tall priest raised aloft his ard, and for somo iminnteg fayed with the spear in his rand, At every movement the inibs who poised the vietims bent ready at amoment’s notice to hurl the quivering bodics over the cruel knives, Once the priest made a feing at giving the signal, ond the puiests supporting Haverlock tilted him swiftly over, but ia time saved hira from falling. The crowd shouted hoarsely, Presently the spear was finally raised in the air ready to descend, Instinctively the onlookers knew that the crucial moment had come, apd an awed hush overs spread the assembly. Once, twice, thrice the weapon, struck the air, Suddenly its prengvet wae arrested, and.a cry of terror burst from the BPeaple, Soave down in their midst, a small white bird struck the ground and fluttered helplesaly along. . Tquorn utters’ + hoarse ehriek of rage, as, recoiling aghast, the officiating pricet struck the stone courtyard with the haft of hia spear, and the two victims were quickly released, “Phe Aida 5* an omon of ill!” gasped the assembly. [quorn rushed forward. Contact with the outer world had dispelled much of the vulgar superstition associated with his tribe. [Efe saw that his prisoners were likely to he released, and single-handed he attempted to hurl Bruce over the ghastly instrument of torture. | A score cf hands restrained him, and, baffled once more, he was foreed into the background. yao (Sce pege 10.) te es, * A bird of omen. If the ‘natives meet this bird with a worm in its mouth, they consider it a propitious omen. But should it cross their path or fly from them, they look upon it ag a warning not to be disrezgarded.—Ep, ; Pens to be See this week’s “Tha Editor Sneaks.” wage , for the moment forgetting their peril.) ‘This must be the Miti city, which tradition asserts the Dutch’ « “ during their occupaney of the islands, :.; * : a 7, F EA : t | Eonnicboo