Argosy, Vol. 1 (1882) — page 208: what you’re looking at

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

AN AFRICAN SECRET. 199 There were pages devoted to his happy boyhood, and these, quickly turning, gave place to others descrip- tive of his early struggles in the city; fair pages, these, for fortune had fa- vored him, and all were illuminated, all from boyhood on, by one sweet, girlish face whose tender eyes looked out up- on him trustfully; and here, where should be but the prologue to the larger book, was a page that terminated ab- _ ruptly in blood red letters: FINIS. Working apparently from habit rather than from express command, for he of the bright sash said nothing to them, the blacks tied the thong that bound Bradshaw’s neck to the tree trunk, and stood aside. Those whose weight -had bent the tree down were still holding to it. The victim fixed his eyes unflinchingly up- on the leader. Death in this horrible form might come, but it should not be accompanied by the expected whining. The dignitary raised his right hand high above his head. “Summon your protecting spirits,” said he, “for when I lower my hand the tree will hurl you to death.” “The tree will not risel” cried Bradshaw loudly. Even then, while a sneer distorted the face of the black, the hand began to descend. “ Farewell, Irene!” was Bradshaw’s . mental cry, his lips remaining tightly closed, his eyes fixed as ever upon the face of his murderer. CHAPTER IIL. RETREAT. Tue hand fell sharply to the black dignitary’s side, and the men who held the tree leaped away. There was a momentary, uncom- fortable tug at Bradshaw’s throat, but not even his heels were lifted from the ground. A light breeze set the foliage of the bended crest to rustling. It seemed as if the tree were sighing re- gretfully at its incapacity to rise. Well nigh shocked with amazement at the justification of his prophecy, Bradshaw began to cry “ You see——” when his words were lost in a loud re- port from the top of the gully. It was followed instantly by another. With the first report, the black leader leaped straight into the air, and with the sec- ond his attendant executed gymnastics of a similar sort. It was all accomplished in a second. At the first sign that the tree was fail- ing td do its deadly work, the digni- tary’s lips had parted as with unutter- able rage, his eyes had bulged, and he had seemed on the point of leaping for- ward to attack the prisoner. The shot struck him before he had stirred, and when he leaped, it was to fall lifeless at Bradshaw’s feet. ‘The attendant stumbled and fell across the . body of his master. The other blacks, momentarily par- alyzed at the inaction of the tree, were thrown into a panic by the shots. They set up a howl of dismay as they saw their leader fall, and ran with all pos- sible speed out of the gully. They were still.in sight when Brad- shaw heard steps hurriedly descending the steep path at his back, and in an- other instant Pan was at his side, his smoking rifle in one hand, a heavy hunting knife in the other. Bradshaw tried to speak, but his voice, so strong when the peril was greatest, utterly failed him. He could only choke inarticulately, and there was a mist before his eyes. “We must hurry, Mr. Bradshaw!” exclaimed Pan, as with quick strokes he severed the thongs that bound his - employer’s arms and neck; “ they have left you your rifle. Together we can give them a good fight, but we must. get into a better position. They might surround us here.” Before he had finished speaking, Pan had freed the American, and they im- mediately climbed up fae tid aperiss CO