The Argosy, Vol. XXIV, No. 3 — page 171: what you’re looking at

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

THE MUTINY ON THE FLYING CLOUD. 395 departure, and his heart sank with dismal apprehension as he thought of the distance those little feet would have to traverse ere the refuge of the fort would be won, of their liability to become fagged and to lag upon the way, and of the fleetness of foot displayed by their cruel pursuers when starting upon their relentless errand. And when, from the prolonged absence of the pursuers, apprehension was beginning to yield to a hope that the children were safe, he was plunged into the bitterest distress by the reappearance of one of the miscreants, roughly and cruelly dragging along by the arm his only son, Percy, the poor child crying bitterly with terror and the rufhanly usage to wh’ “!he was being subjected. : or 128 seeing his father, the little fellow managed, by a sudden and unex- pec,,,, effort, to break away from his captor, and, running up to Grant, em- br [6 péim, crying : yme tw, father, make that cruel man leave me alone ; he has been whipping me As twisting my arm and hurting it so much that I can scarcely use it. mb., don’t let him touch me again, father,’’ as he saw the Malay approach- ingargm with a scowl of hideous malignity upon his ugly features. ch My darling boy, I cannot help you,’’ groaned Grant. “ Would to God that I could! ‘but you see they have bound me to this tree so that I cannot move. Listen, Percy dear; we can do nothing at present but submit to these men, who have us in their power, so you must just let them do what they will with you, my precious one ; go with the man very quietly, and then perhaps he will not ill treat you any more.”’ “ Yust I, father ?’’ asked the little fellow tearfully, and looking at his father in vague surprise at so seemingly heartless a command. ‘Ves, dear boy, yes. It is for your own good that I tell you todo this,’’ answered Grant brokenly, for he keenly felt the unspoken reproach which he saw in the child’s eyes as the little fellow forlornly turned away and with a piteous sob quietly surrendered himself to the brute, who now again with ruffianly violence seized upon his helpless victim. “Oh, don’t! you hurt me so!’’ the poor little fellow suddenly screamed out; and the father’s heart swelled almost to bursting with impotent fury as he saw the cruel clutch with which the wretch was digging his long, thin, sinewy fingers into the tender flesh of the boy’s shoulder as he forced him to an adjoining tree, to which he forthwith proceeded to lash him, drawing the cord so tightly round the slender wrists that the little fellow fairly screamed with the intolerable pain. ‘Curse you!’’ yelled Grant, now fairly stung to madness and foaming at the mouth with fury ; ‘‘ curse you, fiend that you are!”’ And as he hurled forth words of rage and defiance he tugged and strained with such super- human strength upon his bonds that the stout rope fairly cracked whilst it cut into the flesh of his wrists down to the bone. But the lashing was too strong to yield to even his frenzied efforts, apart from the fact that, with his hands lashed behind him, he had no opportunity to exert his strength effectively, and at length, completely exhausted, he was fain to desist, to the undisguised delight of a little knot of the Malays who had gathered round and were keenly enjoying the scene. CONNIGOOoOKS. EO S}