Argosy, Volume XXIII — Index Page, 1897 — page 154: what you’re looking at

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

724 THE BUNKEL MYSTERY. last named ; but it all depends on circumstances, of which I ama creature,’’ replied the robber. ‘‘ ‘ Blessed be the man that invented sleep,’ said Sancho Panza; and that is just what Tom is saying to himself at this moment.’’ Tom Sawder had stretched himself on the platform as soon as the boat was in position, and by this time he was snoring like a young elephant with the nightmare. The chief himself was gaping with long stretches, and the eyes of the prisoners were heavy. Poddy took out the thwarts of the boat, and spread a couple of blankets in the bottom of it. ‘“T am sorry that I cannot offer to our distinguished guests any better bed than the bottom of this boat, but it is the best at my command,’’ said Poddy. “It will do very well,’’ replied Dolph. ‘Tomorrow you can gather twigs to make your couch a little softer but we can’t do any better tonight. Pope speaks of sermons in stones, and I might introduce a sermon in rocks ; but I won’t, and you must recall the discourse I gave you at the landing. I must remind you that if you get out of the cave, you can’t get away from the island without a boat. A word to the wise is as good as.an oration to a dead horse,’’ said Poddy, as he left the prisoners, and lay. down on the platform, foot to foot with Tom. Dolph and Phin were tired enough to sleep, for it had been a long day to both of them. Dolph had done more hard work within the last eighteen hours than he had ever done before in his life ; yet though he was sleepy, he was not inclined to sleep. Dolph was the more enterprising of the two prisoners, and he was not ready to believe that he should stay in the cave, or on the island, three weeks, or even three days. He wanted to consider some plan to get out of the scrape. He tried to think of some way to get ahead of the cool and good natured bank robber; but he realized that he would be a tiger in the face of any opposition. Poddy had promised to shoot the prisoners, or either of them, if any attempt to escape was made. Dolph had not the least doubt that he would keep his word to the letter. Such a catastrophe was not pleasant to think of ; but the revolver he had seen two or three times might be made to change hands, and the boot shifted from one leg to the other. Dolph thought at last that he could not hit upon any plan of action until he had seen more of the surroundings, and especially till he had ascertained ~ where the robber kept the pistols after they were settled down to cave life. While he was thinking of it, he dropped asleep. Phin canvassed the subject a little, though his thought took a different direction. The robbery of the banks would be discovered in the morning, and both Dolph and himself would be missed at home. A search would cer- tainly be made, and his hope was that the police and others would find the cave, ‘This was as far as he got when he was overtaken by slumber. All was silent in the cave, except the sonorous breathings of om Sawder, which degenerated into snoring some of the time. Poddy slept as quietly as though he was resting from the fatigues of an honest day’s work. The cComichooks => (E(0)