The Argosy — page 151: what you’re looking at

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

THE RIVER OF DARKNESS. 343 getting for the moment the hopelessness of their present situation, the living tomb that had cut them off forever from the light of day. ‘“This reminds me of something I read a few months ago,’’ said Sir Arthur, who was facing the situation with surprising calmness. ‘‘ Some person mailed me from London Blackwood’s Monthly containing an instal- meut of a story by the fellow who wrote that deucedly clever book, ‘ King Solomon’s Wives.’ Ah! what was the name now—aw, yes, Haggard—Rider Haggard ee ‘‘ Beg pardon, Sir Arthur,’’ interrupted the colonel, ‘‘ but the title was ‘King Solomon’s Mines,’ not his wives.’’ ‘“Aw, that so, Carrington? Very well; doesn’t make much difference. However, the hero of the story was traveling, as we are, on a lake, only it was in the open air, and the outlet was slightly beneath the surface. /’T’he water ran under a high wall of rock, and sucked the poor fellows and the canoe under. It would be funny if this lake had the same sort of an arrange- ment.’’, ‘Well, it hasn’t,’’ replied the colonel. ‘‘ We went all around the walls in a canoe, and if any such place as that had been in existence we would not be here now, that’s all.’ , ‘“ No, I suppose not,’’ said Sir Arthur. ‘‘I’m going to take a nap. Wake me if anything turns up, will you?’’? And making a pillow of one of the rugs, he was soon snoring vociferously. ‘“ It will be a mercy if he never wakes,’’ said Chutney in a husky voice. ‘“Not much danger of that, however. We have food enough to last usa couple of weeks yet, and unless we take your suggestion, colonel, and toss it into the lake, we are good for that length of time, I suppose. ’’ ~ Yes,’”’ rejoined the colonel, ‘‘ unless we get sucked into a whirlpool or the serpents attack the raft in force.'’ After that nothing was said for an hour or more. ‘heir fate stared them in the face with all its awful realism. But even under these circumstances they grew drowsy, and dropped off one by one among the rugs, except Guy, who declared his intention to stay awake and be on the lookout for any danger that might threaten. His was a solemn and lonely vigil. He envied his companions their power to sleep, as the canoe drifted on through the gloom. ‘The torch burned slowly out, and he replaced it with a fresh one. His loaded rifle lay within reach, but nothing happened to arouse his fear. Sad and bitter were the reflections that surged into his mind. As the events of his life rose up before him with wonderful clearness time passed unheeded, and at last his brain grew weary, and rolling over on the rugs he fell instantly into a deep slumber. Strangely enough he was the first to awake. He had slept a long while, he saw at a glance, for the torch was burnt almost to a cinder. ‘The rest were still sleeping. ‘“We must have been drifting for at least twelve hours,’’ he said half aloud. ‘‘ We should be across the lake by this time.’’ He picked up a fresh torch and lit it from the expiring flame of the other. GComicbooks (S@)