The Young Briton: Sam Sawbones — page 6: what you’re looking at

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166 THE LAKE OF LIGHT: SEARCH FOR THE DEAMOND MOUNT. CHAPTER XVIII, iN: THE WITCH’s HUT. “ 4NOLLOW me,” paid a voice, which j seem2d to come from the mule. - « Hillo!’’ eried Jack, looking down at the mu'e’s nosé, ‘who aré you?” — This last question wad addraésed to a little dwarf who stodd béviedth ths mule’s rose, The littlé crdatute Was about two feet and al half hich, with broad shoulders, long muscitar arms, Which toushed the ankles of his little bandy ‘legs, anf a stomich 43 protruding ais} Falstaff’s, * ry was hideously uwély, afd as black as coal. “T gm Nombaté, the sérvarit of the Black Witch ; she sent me to you.”’ | Jack looked down at this hideous little fellow, who’ was dressed in the usual style of a few wild cats tails and monkeys’ skins ingeniously fastened | together, and wondéred if tire little monster wak real or noft,’’ ‘“ Bot how didshe knov I was-coming ?”’ de+ manded Jack, after a pauso. . ‘The great Black Witch knows everything,’ replied Nombate.. : “Indeed ! what alady for pezzling thé Civil Servic e Examiners? Who are the people whb ate making that terrible noise up yonder ?”’ de- manded our hero, laughing. ‘‘Taey are not people,” replied the dwarf, curtly. | ‘‘ Who are they, then, or perhaps I cupht to say, what are they P”’ , | ; ‘6 Davils— snirite—spectres—ghosts! 7’ was the Etartling answer of the little monster, | ‘My young friend,’’ said Jack, gently, ‘I db riot sich fo say anything rude; butI don’t believe in ghosts,’’ ‘(No?” relied the dwarf. No; of ghosts stich es you mention I have no belief at all.” | ‘¢Wait,”’ was the only rophy the little rmhonster made af this. They parsed on fok somes yards in sileice ; then the dwatf balteéd. ae : “Took!” hé said, pointing td a thoudd of earth abont six feet long and two brokd. ~ * That mound you mean,”’ said Jack; ‘ well, I see if.; whatof that? ’’ ) “Grave. Doerd mari’s grave !’’ called ont the little. fiend. ) ) | : “That is more uspleasant than extraordinary,” Faid Jack, coolly. —Phé-dstarf ran up to. the mound. and ginote it: threé.or four times with his naked foot. Scarcely had he dose so when e bluish thin flame _rose up from-the earth, lt flickered about for a few seconds en1 then vanished. . 7 | You saw thal P’’ demanded fie little fellow, returning to ee ‘Ves, said our herd, shuddering in spite of himself, ‘* Isaw it.”’ : , | ‘That ghost,” said the dwarf, and recdm- meneced his march ae if rothing had happened. “Can such things really be?”’ thought Jack, ds they tur-éd Up the path, ~ «hey can,” replied the dwarf, who seemed to be able to read Jack’s thoughts. | This last proof of the dwarf’s magical powers considerably startled our hero. ‘Tho littie brat has some power,” ho thought, and then added alond— : ‘Ds you Mean to tell m6 that the living can comn*s.nd the dead ?”’ = ‘*oms living can command some dead,” was the an wer. 3 « Yous avidently conld command the spirit of the ma* whose grave we just passed.” ‘““Yex; he wat very wicked—loved blood, his Spirit is chained tO the éearth.’’ ‘€So yor can rue him.” * You saw,” replied the dwarf, sharply, and hurried on, evidently detérmined to end the con- Versation - . THE YOUNG BRITON, They now reached another platform; on which Jack perceived a rude hut. 3 Tne noises had ceased, and all was atill-as the CTAVO,. pn ‘¢‘ Dismount,’’ said Nombate, ina sharp authori- tative tone. : , Jack thought if bast to obey, and so leaped to the ground at once. | Ses 2 “That. is the door. Knock three times. I will look after your mule.”’ = Jack advanced to the door; but before he knocked he listened to the chant of the witch. Phe corpse fire dauces above the grave, The ghosts of the drowned dance over the wave, . The poisono#s cobra creeps through the} The scorpion crawls on the hard mountain pass ; From each ore afid all I bave gathered a spell, es | With which Zauzinamb:’s pale ghost I com- pel, Ts leavs hid datk home in the festering grave, And bend to my will—my bohdanian—tmy slave; ‘Hash ! There stands st my portal, A. brave-bearted mortal, Desiring my power and kcowledge to prove, So fearlessly knock, Bac bolt and back lock, Door open to him, for boldness I love.”’ “So; 80,’’ thotzht Jack; “at all events that sounds friendly enough; andas she lik’s boldness ‘he shall bave if.” three times on the door. At tbe third stroke the door flew open, ahd Jack s‘ood in the witch’s presence, Por & faw wWietmerita J ek could scareély distin- guish enything, for tne place was filled with fetid smoke. But this cleared off at last, and he was ab‘e to gaz* around hin. he wails of the hut wero hute rownd with } the skins of #taked and wild animals. Huge bats hung suspended from the roof ; toads, lizards, aud other reptiles crawled round the floor, which was miade of some kind of plaster ialaid with human bones. In the cefttre of the room was 4 stall braz'er flied with coals which burned brightly, casting a lurid light around, by which Jack was able to see that what be had taken at first ds 4 cornicd ronting roun? the walls of thé cefliig was reilly a row of human skulls nailed there. _ Round the fire was a circle of skulls and cross- bone®, and by these stood thé wited. Jack had expected to sce a withered crone such as we called witches, but the Black Witch wasa tall, basdeome!y proportioned woman of about thirty, with a beautiful, commanding face, and eyes which sparkled with wild fire, making our hero come to the conclusion that she was mad. Heér body was a8 black a3 ebony, and the skin go smooth and polished that if glistenedi Over her shoaldéefs was the #kin'of a lion, and round hér loins was girded & phort patticoat of wild-¢at skins. O1 her wtistsand apk'es were large bangles of gold, with pieces of the sime precious metal attached lodsély, 80 that they jingled as she walked or movea her arms. On hér héad she wore the skull of some animal so as to furm a kiad of hslmét. This again was surmounted by -a ciown of) feathers, and Jack, to bis horror, beheld the head of a Cobra di Cupello, the most poisonous sake known. At first he thought the créature was dead ; but it raised its héad and fixed its evil eyes upon him, and then writhed its body into one of the eye sockets of the skull, and evidently took up a com- fortable plate upon the top of its mistress’s head. ‘itis well, The snake likes you,’’ said the witch; ‘‘had he struck out at you, our meeting would have ended—we should have been enenties. Now what isyour desire?’’ E “T have come to you from the Hagle Rock,” 3 -it,’’ replied Jack, boldly, He raised the hilt of his sword, and struck | - >. : Sept. 8, 1877 }commence? Jack, but the witch interrupted bim with a shrill langh. | | ‘‘ Ha, ha,” she exclaimied, “fhe cagle has lost his eyes and is at the mercy of the hawk.”’ “Strange woman,”’ cried Jack; “how do you know all this ?”’ “My dark messengers bring me all the news. The spirits of the air seek me out and tell me all, Aye, and they read the dark thoughts which bubble up in nien’s inmost souls, but are crushed and kept back before they reacli the lips.” | ‘If that be the case, what need have you to ask mé what I would desirs? You must know it.”’ ‘You would know if Hassan Al Ferez will conquer and cast back your expedition? ”’ “T would !’’ : : ‘* You would léarm if there ba not some way of tiddigg the world of suc a creature? ” “That, indeed, I would gladiy learn, for I would fain do such @ good work.’’ “ You are eager forthe bleod of your foe. I blame you not—it is nature. Jack was startled by the horrible truism of ‘this speech. _ “Nay, Ido not hunger to kill any but those who work evil,’’ he said: ‘Add those who work evil on!y wish to slay | those who work good,”’ she replied. ‘Perhaps you are right,’’ said Jack; ‘‘ but I ami not here to argue. Can you tell me this ? ” ‘ Stay, yOu would yet wieh to know more. You would tearm where is the keke of Light and the D:amond Mount ?”’ ‘¢T would; and also if wethall b3 able to reach them.”’ | “ Have you codrage to go tlirough a terrib’e -Ordeéat ?”’ ‘Try me—yon shall not find ma shrink from ‘* Good! stand over there,” said the witeh, pointing to a place insite the ring of grinning sculls. = Our hero gdvanced boldly, and took up his — place on the spot pointed ont to him. Then ths @{tch beean a slow, monotonous chant, waving her bands and arms about. Then she began to swing ber body backwards atid forwards in time to the mustie. As the chant becawe louder and faster, her ac- tion became moré and moré frantic, until the con- tortions of her body were awful. She bent for- ward uotil her f-reHead nearly reached her knees. Then with a jerk she tent her body backwards, until the crown of her head nearly touched the earth. After that she swayed her body from ‘siJe to side, snd twirled her hesd abou: until the white foata flew from her lipa, and her eyes glared with the fierce fire of frenzy. . ‘© He comes! hd comes!” she yelled ; “ tho térrible fiend of the Djebil Kumsi comes,’ Seiziog a human skull that was near her, she held it up by a thong of leather which was attached to the top of the cr@miam, so that it hung down like a hideous bell. On this she beat with atl her might, using a thigh-bone for clapper. Suddenly the fire burned a rich purgle, sending forth different coloured sparks. st Then the hideous charivari we have already mentioned began again. The bat’ dropped from ths ceilfag, aud flitted througt the. murky air, Qae huge creature fluttered to the witeh, and clung to her breasts if sucking there. Now the witch commencéd a most fantastic and furious sort of Gapee. E She bounded high wp ia air, twi-ted her body about, and then cams down on her feet. O ver the fire, round the fire, and sometimes it seemed to Jack that she went into the fire. But nothing seemed to burt her only shenever went outside of the circle of skulls. The hat was now filled with a denSe smoke, through which now and then shot flashes of lurid light. , 7 this dense cloud Jack now and then saw pale and black faces pressing forward as if in anger, and desirous to get to the witch and him. But they all séemed unable to cross the charmed circie, dnd were swept back into the smoke and disappeared. High above the othor din came & fearful roar. | Gom GOmicoooks Eieh creature loves ; . . ie *; f