Argosy, Vol. 1 (1882) — page 335: what you’re looking at

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

326 forward as with a goad; I panted with the horror’ of his oncoming. Above me sat Garlicke, rifle in hand, breaking the clean outline of the ridge against the sky. The rifle was sil- houetted thin and delicate as a needle against the brightness. A spurt of blue smoke burst from the muzzle, and the crack of it rang across the hollow. I heard a thud as the bullet struck the mass of hungry desire behind me, and glanced again quickly, hoping for effect. A red weal shone upon one of the horny eyelids. He stopped, blink- ing stupidly, and half stunned by the shock. But the ball had not penetrated, and with a puzzled swinging of the wounded neck he resumed his scram- bling, ungainly gait. Still a hundred yards, and my eyes grew dizzy. A red mist seemed to close upon them, which, lifting now and - again, showed me surrounding objects defined as on the slides of a magic lan- tern. My breath rasped with such a wheezing whistle that I looked wonder- ingly to see whence the sound could come. My arms were like wire ropes, strained to the breaking. My legs shuffled painfully under me. [I felt the strength going out from me as water leaks from an unbunged cask. The sound of Garlicke’s shots struck fainter and fainter upon my ears. I stumbled again, and only saved myself from plunging forward by an in- stinctive straightening of my shoulders. The sunlight was shadowing to a night —a black darkness that could be felt. Then, dimly, a familiar voice broke upon my ears; I was conscious of a hand seizing my arm; of some one struggling with me for Gwen. Yet, thought I, we will die together. Then the friendly hand, leaving this useless striving, dragged me forward; behind me some unseen power was thrusting me with mad shoves up the Titan steps of the cliff face. Suddenly came clearness of vision, and I knew Denvarre and Gerry, who THE ARGOSY. were hauling and jerking me up the crevices of our rock of defense. Gwen was still in my arms, and below, the great Monster scrabbled at the cliff foot, reaching up his neck in raging, ravenous disappointment. So, Denvarre dragging and Gerry butting like some benevolent goat, from niche to niche I stumbled with my burden, the little stones rattling down in their thousands upon the Beast below. : Upon the top I staggered forward into the shelter of the tarpaulin, and laid Gwen down upon the rocky floor. Then, in the sudden impulse of her love, and in her revulsion from that great dread, she flung her arms about me as I stooped over her, and before them all had kissed me on the lips. And who was I that I should not kiss back once and again. So my love and I came to an under- standing, and sealed our betrothal as the shadow of death passed from us— passing as a cloud when the breeze ts strong and outleaps the sun; while above us the mountain still belched fire and molten stone, and below the Beast prowled, and sought hungrily for our blood. And I take it that never have man and maid plighted troth in stran- ger circumstance. CHAPTER XXI. A WONDROUS BREACHING OF THE WALL. A Goop man allthrough is Denvarre, as I said before, and like a good man he took the failure of his hopes. And they had never been anything more. For as he explained to me, when we had changed our dripping clothes and joined the others on the ciff top, he had no knowledge of Lady Delahay’s very distorted rendering of the situation. And he shook my hand and looked me straight in the eyes, and then like the gentleman he was, went away to leave my sweetheart and me to say all we had to sav to each other behind a GON GOOO SS CO