The Young Briton: Sam Sawbones — page 10: what you’re looking at

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

10 He did not give expression to it, though. The words would not come. With another long wail—‘* Ochone, ochoné ! ”’ —he stooped down beside the poor lsd, and lifted his head upon his knee. Pityingly, some of the constabulary had crowded round, ‘‘Is it dead he is?’’? asked one of them, quickly, Without answering, Shadrach gazed anxionely in Stephen’s white: face, Though the poor lad’s eyes wers open, he made no sign of recognition. ‘* Spake to me—spake to me, aroon! ”’ cried our hero, tearfully. ~ : But the exhortation passed unheeded. ‘The puir wee soul il no spake ony mair, my laddie,’’ put in Malcolm, ‘‘ He’s been ta’en awa t’ a better laun.”’ Though uttered kindly, the words c.used a sharp pain to rash to our hero’s heart. ‘* No—no,’” he exclaimed, excitedly. ‘“ Sure yo didn’t mane that! I’ll nivir belave it— piver!” | And with trembling hands he gently shook - the apparently dead body of his friend. ‘‘Spake to me—spake to meé!”’ again wailed | hi he, in @ tone so full of agony that it tonched the aert of the strong men around. ‘Spake to me Stephen’s eyes, which were seer ingly fixed in death, now moved slightly, anda tremor passed through his form. For a moment he fixedly. 2 Then a falnt smile—a smile of intense regret— came into his face. } ‘‘Shadrach ! ’? murmured he, in & voice so low that it was scarcely audible, ‘‘Yis, Stephen, beg?” ‘Stay with mesa moment. I am dying.’’ “Dying? No, no! Sure ye’re betiher than twinty deid wans yet.’’ gazed in our hero’s eyes, All this time, Captain Biyerley, the father of the pods dying boy, hart hee : silence, stili in the firm grip of two of the con- stabulary. 3 A look of intense hate played on his eruel | countenance. He now broke in— = - ** Dying, are you, whelp? Ha, ha! I’m glad to hear it, though—curge you !—you are my fiesh and blood. Go and join your mother, and may the devil have both your souls! ”’ Captain Beverley turned upon him as if he would have smote him te the ground. * Silence, wretch !’’ roared he, fiercely. ‘¢ Have you no feeling ?—are you worse than a dog ?’’ Without heeding the indignant words, the emuggler captain, actually foaming with rage, went on— ‘¢ Yes, curse you, ITsay! It is you, and the wheip bending Over you, that have brought me to this! Curse you !—curse you !”” “Oh, father, father!’’ came tremulously and faintly from the dying lad’s lips. ‘Yon know that 1 could never bear your evil ways. Have I not often told you that I would sooner die than bea smuggler? Have——’ The effort was too much for him. With a cry of pain, he fell back in Shadrach’s ams, — All save Beverley himself were struck with pify at the sight. “Is he badly wounded ? ”’ asked Captain Car- penter, for in the excitern ent no one had attempted to see, all takiag it for granted, from his words, that such was the case. ‘* Perhaps wa can save him yet. Let me look.” Saying which, he stooped down. But when he touched the poor boy in the sido, & low moan came from him. ‘** Hold the light nearer,’’ said the good-hearted head-constable. No sooner was this done than he rose with a grave face to his feet. “ Poor boy,’’ muttered he, * poor boy. He bas been shot in s vital part. Hs will surely die.”’ Our hero threw up his hands in despair. At the same moment, Stephen again openei his * es. ‘* Good-bye, Shadrach,’’ murmured he, press- ing ourhero’s hand; “ good-bye. I trust you will be happy.” standing a» the time closes to the rock banind which that worthy was hiding. fHSB YOUNG BRITON. Then, looking with eyes that were dim and toodshot, now towards the smuggler captain, the dying lad went on in a voice so full of pathos that is brought tears to the eyes of more than one present— ** Good-bye, fa-father! Good~<bye, all!”’ ? = sigh, @ slight shiver, and Stephen was ead. een ores CHAPTER XXVI. CAPTAIN BEVERLEY UPRAIDS SIR PSTER DAGNELL AND THREATENS TO EXPOSE HIM. DovuBT Less it has struck the reader that im the last chapter Or two ho mention has becn madé of. forts, hor daughter, and ¢ Sir Peter Dagnell, The reason is_soon explained. . Arrant coward that_be was, he had taken no part in the recent struggle. Not he. . Instead of entering the cave, ho had remaine® | to behind, well out of view, on the seashore, trust- ing that in the €xcitement of the coming combat his preeence would not be missed. Neither wasit. — Indeed; every one had forgotten all about m. | Nor was it till after poor Stephen had breathed his last, and preparations were being made for the constabulary and their prisoners marching forth, that Captain Carpenter asked— “Where is Sir Peter? Has any one seen him? Surely he, too, has not met his death ?”’ | With these words, he scanned the entrance to the cave carefully, but of course could see no sign of the missing baronef, | ‘ There’s no muckle fear o’ him being kilt, I'll wager,” muttered Malcolm, who, as you know, had anintensé contempt for the wily Sir Peter. *T’d bet a poond to a banbee he’s no struck a blow the nicht.” Low though the tone in which the words were uttered, they were overheard by Sir Peter him- Without pretending, however, to have heard them, Sir Peter now hastily came up.. He had disarranged his dress, and was making believe that he was pufling and blowing with exertion. © Z ‘* We've hada hot time of it, captain,” ex- claimed he to the. head-constable; ‘* but than Heaven, we're gained the victory.”’ ; Captain Carpenter looked at him somewhat sceptically. ‘+7 don’t remember having seen you during the conflict,’’ he replied, with a slight frown. Wily Sir Peter was equal to the occasion, however. He was not in the least put ont. ‘¢ Very. likely not, captain,” he instantly an- swered, “very likely not, I had my own work cut out for moe. I suppoe you know that one of the villains has escaped. I chased him for quite half a mile along the shore,and I’m much mistaken if we don’t find bis dead body in the morning.”’ ‘‘TIndeed !”’ exclaimed Captain Carpenter, still eyeing him somewhat dubiously. “I had thought we had captured every one of the yvil- lains, save those we have killed.’’ “So I had thought till L saw tae coward running away,” responded the baronet, not one whit abashed. ‘“‘ Bat had we not better be moving, captain’? ’* he added, with the object of putting an end tothe conversation. «March !’’ commanded Captain Carpsnter, And onward they went along the shore towards my Lord Seaforth’s mansion, which soon was reached. Oa the way, Sic Peter in vain endeayoured to whisper in the smuggler capiain’s car. The instant they had seen one another a mean- ing look had passed batween them. As it was so late and so far from the village, it had been determined that, instead of going to the village lock-up, the constabulary and-their prisoners suould put up for the night at the castle, and start direct for the county gaol in the morn- ing. The arrangement was suggested by Sir Poter, atid naturally Captain Carpenter, tired and slightly wounded as he wa, readily fell in with Sept. 8, 5877. He little koew why the baronet proposed it. If he had overheard the words that Sir Peter kept muttering to himself he would have acted difforentiy. : ‘* Beverley must ke released some way, or he’Jl blab, that’s certain. His look tells me so.”’ Sir Peter never said a truer word in his life. For was not this thought passing through the smuggler captain’s mind ? “* We shalt fall together at any rate ; there’ll be some satisfac'ion in that, if he doesn’t enable ms to escape.” . Hearing their footsteps as they walked up the long ayenue leading to the mansion, Lady Sea- ptaiti Dagnell were Waiting at the hall door to receive them. ~ All was quickly explained to them, but nothing touched them #0 much as the recital of the death of Stephen, Whom they had at once taken a fancy Poor boy !”” exclaimed her ladyship; “I am * Sure, 1’d sooner hays died meself,’’ put in our hero, whoze eyes were red with weeping. : however, was no time for grief. The smugglers had to be secured. This wassoon done. * Lhe men were locked in the strong room of the castle, and poli¢s.placed at the windows and doors to give the alarm in case they should attempt’ to escape. % As for the smuggler captain himself, he was placed in one Of the rooms alone. As this was done Sir Peter contrived to whisper a word to him. - Whatever it was if caused a look of satisfaction to play for an isstant on Beverley’s face. At the same moment the door was locked beliind him. . He, too, was a fast prisoner. . Ac hour afterwards all, save those on guard, were asleep. No; there werd two other exceptions. ‘Phese were Sie Petér Dagnell and Captain Stealthily the former groped his way upstairs fo # small aparment over that in which the smuggler captain was confined. ‘Phen he paused and listened. Ail was still, Stooping down, he gave three knocks on the floor of the lumber-room—for such it was. Immediately three knocks Came in response. ‘Good !’’ muttered the wily baronet, with a Wicked prin. ‘‘ He is evidently as anxions to get free as I am to see him him off, curse him! If he hadn’t been a fool, he’d have boen half across the Atlantic by now. Why, even that bungler, Dennis O’Connor, thought he had set sail,’ Ashe Ceased, he moved a huge trunk asife, muttering the while— ‘How lucky I kept my knowldge of this secret passage to myself. Ha,ha, ha! Little did I imagine that it would ever stand me in such goud stead.”’ The trunk carefully moved away, Sir Peter touched what looked like a knot in the flooring. Thereupon, instantly a flap flew up, disclosing a kind of lift. Oa this Sir Peter stood, when it glided nolse- leasiy down with him, and a moment afterwards he reappeared with Beverley by his side. 4‘ Why, you're ’cuter than even I took you for, Sir Peter,’ muitered Beverley, with a sneer, as he got off the lift. ‘Am 1?” said the other, coolly. won’t discuss that point now. momenttoloze. Follow me! ’”’ As the baronel spoke he put his finger to his lips in token of silence. Bavorley, however, was evidently in no very good humour. “ Yoa, that’s all very woll,’’ he returned. “ But do you think I’m going off in this way, with not a farthing in my pocket? Not i! Gurseit! I’m a complete pauper. I’ve lost everything—even my ship is a wreck ; else, do you think I would have been caught napping in this way?’ ‘‘Oh, that’s it, is it?’ reaponded Sir Peter, on whom the announcement came as a surprise. ‘¢ Well, don’t bandy words now. Be off, in the ‘* Well, we You haven’t a devil’s name! ”’ sat himself es) Instead of complying, Beverley EOMiGboo + Eom