The Argosy — page 92: what you’re looking at

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

82 How Lord Roland Met hts Wife. towards them—of being lifted by all three, and carried swiftly in the direction of the cliffs. Then, for an uncertain period, a darkness as of midnight came upon him, and he knew no more. When he regained his senses, he was seated at the back of a deep cave upon a heavy block of wood, to which he was secured by an iron chain. The dwarf was sitting on the ground before him, evidently awaiting his return to life. Theothermen had disappeared. The dwarf’s eye glittered in its sunken socket like that of a demoniac. He rose, and placed himself before his prisoner. ** Listen,” he said, “Lord Roland Raven. Do you know me?” é¢ No.” The dwarf paused an instant ; then, forcing his voice to steadiness, apparently by strong compulsion, though his one eye burned and his harsh features worked with passion, he thus spoke :— ‘A year ago a smuggler’s boat, with two men in it (not on this coast—a hundred miles from here), was captured by the coastguard. The night was dark, a shot was fired, and an officer was shot dead. The men were brought to trial, and sentenced to be hanged in chains ; but the younger of the two would have been spared, but for the owner of the land on which the deed was done. He made complaint at Court. He was a powerful lord, he had his way, and both the men were hanged.” The dwarf advanced his face until his mouth was close against the listener’s ear, the forced calmness of his manner suddenly gave way, and his voice rose to a hissing scream: “ That lord was your father, and the young man was my son!” The dwarf paused. Then, as Roland sat silent in amazement, he went on: ‘‘'They hanged him on a gibbet on the cliffs above the spot where he was taken. I took an oath of vengeance—on his corpse I swore it. I vowed to kill the man to whom he owed his death. Buta few days later he died suddenly, and cheated me of my revenge.” Again he paused an instant; then added in a voice of terrible significance : “ Now—/J have got his son /” The tone in which he spoke the words made Roland’s blood run chill. The story might be true—was likely to be true. His father had, he knew, exerted all his influence to inflict the utmost rigour of the law upon all smugglers; and he had, as the man said, died sud- denly about a year before. Yes—the man’s story might be true; a sense of injuries and of brooding vengeance might have touched his brain. For in all this there was one most clear and awful fact. He was at the mercy of a madman. Whilst the thought went through his mind, the dwarf had struck a light, which he now held burning in his hand. Beside him—the only article in the cave—stood a cask, or rather keg, set upright on one end. The top was open, and the keg seemed filled with coarse black sand. The dwarf pointed to this apparatus with his finger. COnmicloooel —_— SS (CO