Beadle's Dime Novels No. 119: Blackeyes — page 65: what you’re looking at

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

THE RUINED BUILDING. 67 and had once been, apparently, of the same hight, but the walls had crumbled away so.much, and it was so filled with rubbish, that it was hardly breast. high in some. places, . As Lieutenant Bent looked at the mass of ruins and the ground about it, he regarded it with a military eye, estimating and admiring its capacity for. defense. “Tf I had Bill Ward and Royston with me,” said hie, “ to- gether with three or four men of my company, and plenty of arms and ammunition, we could hold out here against a brig- ade of these Mexicans, “ He sighed as he reflected that he was alone and unaided, and went back to the passage from which he had come, for the descending sun warned him that it was time to be seeking his prison-quarters. He passed a restless night, dreaming horsible dreams of himself and Fanny Buttress, with whom he imagined that he was about to be sacrificed by the priests and worshipers: of the Sun. In the morning, after breakfast, he set out on an- other journey of discovery, but was obliged to defer it,.as the great hall. was occupied by the adorers of the God of Day and of the sacred fire. In fact, he narrowly escaped sehen: tion as he was returning to his dungeon. His dinner was brought to him as usual, and was shauehent and of excellent quality. Shortly after he had finished . it, the turning of a key in the lock announced . another ae, and Padre Abrojo entered the room. “What do you want now ?” asked the young man, Tising, and expressing in his countenance the disgust that he felt for the intruder. _“ Have you come to tell me to prepare for your horrible sacrifice, or to inform me of the hour at which I aes be offered up ?” “T have brought you no such good. news as that,” seiiciag: ly replied the padre. “On the contrary, my son, I have come to announce to you that you will probably be deprived of the Gistingolaked , honor which I promised you at our last interview.” “What do you mean now? Is this another of your strat- agems, as you call your infamous lies ?” “You ought. not to be so severe, my son... Some of your expressions are really quite insulting. I have simply told. you commiclboOolkks. conn