The Argosy — page 366: what you’re looking at

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

350 “We Fell Out, my Wife and I.” ‘* For all that, sir, it is by the road you must go. I see you’re a2 stranger here, sir, or you wouldn’t talk so calm of walking to St. Bridgets over the Witches’ Sands, the awfullest quicksands along the coast. The Lord help you, for no one else could, if you got into those sands !” * Quicksands !” I said with a gasp, as I thought that only for my chance meé¢ting with this man I should, in all probability, have walked on unconsciously to an awful doom. “ Do they lie between us and the point ?” ‘¢'Yes, sir.” I looked along the level sands. The rain had quite stopped. The sun was low down on the horizon, and the wet sand was gleam- ing in the setting rays. Here and there the retreating tide had left pools of water behind it, and in these I could see the reflection of the pale yellow band of light, in the middle of which the sun was sinking to rest. To my eyes it all seemed one long even stretch—with nothing to tell of the treacherous sands which were waiting to swallow up the unwary traveller. “Ah! sir! you might look a long while afore you’d see the Witches’ Sands,” said Bill, interpreting my puzzled expression. ‘¢ There’s but the one mark you can steer by——Heaven’s danger signals, I calls them. Do you see, sir, a white mark there down the face of the rock, about one hundred yards this side of the point, and another mark the same about one hundred and fifty yards along from where you are standing now? Well! you’re safe enough so long as you don’t get inside either of them. They’re some sort of white moss stuff as grows down the cliff, and only for them there’s many a one would have lost his life. There’s some of them foolhardy chaps as don’t seem happy unless they’re putting their precious lives in danger, wi’-out givin’ a thought to the mother or wife that’s maybe dependin’ upon them, as has climbed the whole way along the face of the cliff, round to St. Bridgets. But you see, sir, the cliff hangs over a good bit, and ’tis nasty shaley stuff as gives no grip for hands and feet, and if it gives way under you—down you go, straight on to the quicksands, and then nothing but a miracle could save you.” ‘S Well,” I said, “it is most fortunate I met you here, for I should most certainly have tried to find my way home across the sands. It is a great shame the authorities do not put up a notice-board to warm people of their danger.” “ Aye, sir! there was a warning-board up all through the summer, but the first storm in the winter carried it away ; and you see, sir, it’s only once in a way as visitors comes here afore June or July; so I suppose as how they thought it wasn’t worth while to put it up so soon like. And so ” He stopped short and shaded his eyes from the dazzle of the setting sun. ‘Good heavens!” he ejaculated. ‘“‘ What is that? Can you see, ECOMicbooolkxs.com