The Halfpenny Marvel, Vol. 5, No. 109 — page 9: what you’re looking at

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

_ Haverlock knew what had happened. The friction had caused the gas to ignite, and thua the horrible vegetable was quickly consumed to ashes.* He waited till the embers cooled, and cautiously approached. - Not @ vestige remained of the plant; the fire had burned down into the very roots. The only thing that had not been cone sumed was the iron grappling-rod. He recoiled, for i3 awoke him to a sense of his position. The only chance of escape from the island had gone, and jn a manner which no man could have anticipated. With a strange foreboding of coming trouble, he retraced his steps. But before he had covered half tho distance the mantle of night swiftly descended, and Gordon realised that he was alone and had lost his bearings, while the friend whom he had grown to Inow so well might, perchance, be dead or dying far down on the mountain side. CHAPTER Vi. Surrounded by Revtiles—The Snake-wort * vain-—- A Daring Ruse-Saved!—In the Clutch of the Foe--The Doctor's Plight—A Strange City—The Cell of Skulls — Midnight Watchers — Ghasily Torture--A Miraculous Escape, The moon shone forth resplendently ag the lost man wandered down the mountain side and struck the giant grey valley below. Along the jagged edges of steep chaxms Gordon sought for hig low. companion. More than ones he started hack in terror ag some imaginary cry, persuading himself that Bruce lay tortured at the bottem of some black, impenetrable pit. Far into the night be stumbled on, till hig jaded limbs refused to move auother step. ‘Then, halting at the foot af a gigantic boulder, he rested wearily for support. Nos a sound dis- turbed the -tiJness of the night, aud the intense silence awed the wanderer, Restinz for an hour, he stumbled forward once more, and Jaboriousty beyan to ascend, All at once he paused, and, listening intently, his heart beat fast at the sound which he heard. Tt neght have been mistaken for the rustle of the foliage; but, expvrienced traveller ag he was, Haverloek knew different. Jie quickened hiy steps, for he knew that a brood of snakes was advancing in the rear, The knowledge sent a chill of foar through his veins. Then a faint glittering object, some two hundred yards ahead, made him recoil jn amazement, Ife waited, The ominous rustle seemed io encircle him on 71 sides. Evidently a host of reptiles were advancing in a body. ‘Then with a flash it crossed his mind that the glitter- ing object ahead waa the deadly rnake-wort. The doctor's story recurred vividly, le stood rooted to the apot with terror. An ominous hiss issued from the right. It was taken up and re-eclined on all sides, ‘Then, to bis intense horror, the very ground about him seemed to move snd quiver; while on came a dark line, glid- ing noigelessly over ite surface. Rushing forward, he made straight for the mark in the centre. A fow paces, and he had gained i4, Stooping forward, he gravped the stone, and, flashing it in the moonlight, knew that he ‘had found ence more the snake-wort, His triumphant ery was drowned in the angry hiss of countless reptiles. Hla could see them now, eg, converging towards him, they glided, with heads poised for striking, over the broken ground, He looked quickly round. natiug their number and that portion of the ine whieh was thickest. Desperate, and at bay, lic knew that prompt acticn was imperative. To any other men his plight would have seemed hopeless; but EHaverlock had vast experience to assist fli, He knew that where the snakes were most numerous, there lay the path of escape. unmug swiftly towards the thickest line, he nerved his energies and leapt. High over the heads of the forormnst he rose, describing a semi-cirele, as, landing ten feet beyend, he cleared the outer cirele, and sped desperately over the rough ground. 4 | A succession of fierce, angry hisses, fotlowed bv an aritated rustle, told Gardeu that lis ruse had proved effectual. Bvt he neither stepped nor paused till, having outdistaneed his deadly antagonists hy several miles, be strmbled exhausted on the bank of a swiftly flowing stream. Too weak to rise, he lay through the remainder of that horrible night beside the rivulet, The heat of the sun awokened bim Ja time to hide the Precious stone he had ¢o strangely recovered ere a horde of ficrce-looking Majays appeared on the opposite hank, and jn . -_— Ph et Se ae ee ws 8 ee ee ee tt me ees — 1 *The description of this wonderful and uncanny plant js written by Mr. Waverlock. The plant is a speciey of the upas- tree, and is indizenons to the island of Formesa, The natives style it the " Death Tree,” and truly its horrible voracity well deseryey the name.—-Ep. " THE DOUBLE THE % yO a “THE PHANTOM MOUNTAIN” DOUBLE NUMBER OF “CHIPS” COMES OUT TO-MORROW. JSUAL LENGTH, BUT ONLY THE SAME a trice eurrounded him, Then, as they carrfed him off, Gordon Haverlock, for the first time, lost hope. But Baverleck’s luck, which had become proverbial, did nog altogether desert him, a9 subsequent events soon proved. The natives‘carried their prisoner round.the east side of the mountain, and, binding him gecurely, fastened the thongs to w Tude stretcher, Your of the stoutest retained the stretcher, while the others disappeared ahead. | Be | Judging by the position of the sun, Haverlock concluded that two hours had elapsed. when he heard the tramp of many footsteps, and shortly after saw the party return, carrying Bruce in a similiar fashion. Bound, and unable to express their feelings, both men. were inexpressibly relieved to find that the other still lived, | | The marks of hia struggle were plainly visible about the doctor. Still, considering his lamentable position, he ap- peared remarkably cheerful: and Haverloclr,. accustomed (4 rapid deduction, concluded rightly that Bruce had conceiven g plan to aid their escape when a favourable opportunity might present itself, ) Presently the disfigured and bruised visage of Iquorn loome.t among the crowd. He glared vindictively at his victims, and gruffy ordered the cavalcade to move on. The men obwyed metantly, and, borne on the shoulders of four of the bigyvst. looking villains he had ever seen, Taverlock wag carvied fo- ward, What their captor intended to do was a question which his prisoners inwardly debated, till, turning the crest of the mountain, their attention wag otherwise attracted. Low down on the slopes, which met a valley of exceeding richness, the Englishmen could seo the fortified walls of « jarge town. They glimmered white and grey in the afternors1 sun; and, as their captors followed the steep descent, the presence of people and cattle became manifest. {t struck Haverlock as being exceedingly odd that they had not discerned the buildings before. Nor eould he vatis- factorily account for the presence of thé big mountain they were treading. _ When the balloon passed over the island, he was sure ths roximity of a snow peak had not been detected, Still, th mo ¢ ave escaped their observation, though the fact none the |r. greatly puzzled him. The descent, though steep, was coraparatively easy, and 42 hour before sundown the natives reached their eity. Uhe captives could scarcely believe their eyes as they entered by a large stone gate, and found the buildings wore a strany.ly ‘amiliar aspect. ‘They were composed of a white stone, avid, though somewhat antiquated in ghape and architécture, {hy i: resemblance to a European city was most striking. One long, narrow street intersected the town, and up this the two prisoners were carried. Crowds of women and children gathered round, and gestirit Jationg seemed to imply that there and then they would tio to tear the limbs of the strangers, aud wreak a deadly veng:a: 01 on the white intruders. But Tquorn, stern and forbidding, warned them imperat. ve. away. He evidently wielded immense influence in this strays, place, for old and young, man and woman, obeyed hig ari ts without a murmur. ; At the steps of a square one-storeyed building they halve. Their captors placed the stretchers on the ground and ts «J away, waile the rest of the people gathered at a reaper t{si distance, Even Tquorn seemed abashed ay presently a strin? of white-robed figures, clothed literally from head to foot « flowing ; rments, filed out of the narrow door, hoy va. wwild, uuearthly chant, as, forming into line, they ecamplet el surrounded the two prisoners, | ‘i, Then the tallest of theu number stepped forward, ar, poising a, two-edgzed spear aloft, let it glitter for @ momen. 2: the sunhght; then brenght it, with a sharp whirl, down with i: an inch of Bruce's side, One of the thongs which bound him snapped asunder, ‘1 » aim was marvellous, and, rouch aa he dreaded the repetit: . he was foreed to admire the wonderful precision with wir - lus Iberator manipulated the weapon. VWaverlock was served in the same manner. Then Iquern strode forward; and, speaking some sti: 9:3 jargon, evidently requested the white-robed figures to reni.e the priceners inside, This was done fortwith, and the two men were hiusuled inte a close, dark cell. For some minutes both were too agtonishe 3 to comment upon the strange sequence of events whieh fii led up to their present position. But, finding the silence ur- bearable, Bruce related his story. He had not mach to ti! bevond the fact that, regaining conaciousness, he found fin self a prisoner among a band of dark-skinned ruffians, Tqaucin had threatened him with dire revenge, which, apparently, he was about, to take. | mo The doctor Hstened amazed at Haverlock’s startling advei- tures, but. when the latter related the recovery of the suahe- wart, he quickly silenced him. ° . “We are being watched!’ he cried. hia frame. And a shudder shock Ir WILL BE <OimiGcodooks An Co