The Maid of the Mountain — page 55: what you’re looking at

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

THE SECRET DOOR. 57 somehow neglected to spring the lock, and the blow of Elliot had caused it to open. They saw that a door of sione had been fitted into the rock, not a door regular in shape, but much like the massive fragments of quartz on every side. When Closed, it would have defied the sharpest eyes to detect its presence, and nothing but*the merest accident revealed it to ‘the young tor “We have the secret!” cried he, eagerly. “Hetp me to prop this open, Simpkins.” sstt As he spoke, there was a rush of feet in the passage, which looked so -bluck and grim beyond the'door. Elliot had push- el forward a stone and blocked the door, so that it could not swing shut. As he raised himself, he saw half a dozen say- age faces close to his, and knew that a deadly struggle was at hand. He had heard before of such men. He knew that the woods and mountains were full of them—desperadoes who delighted in scenes of blood, to whom death was a mockery, because the dead, with them, slept forever. Sunburned, bushy- haired, beetle-browed wretches, with i? <8!" ~ ‘“ Cheeks stamped in, - js)... » As ifwith the iron hoof of sin.” Elliot -knew that the first is always best, and he hit Out from ~ as right and left, at the foremost of the enemy. Two of | nem were floored by the strokes, but rose Regulator retreated to the rock and placed his back against it. Josh sauntered to his side, still whistling, as if nothing had occurred to disturb the-even tenor of his thoughts. “ Look out there,” cried Elliot. “I warn you that the first man who stirs dies by my hand.” ) ae “ Look yer, stranger,” said one of the men, roughly, “ what are yer a-pryin’ round these yer diggins fer? | poems know as yer hey got any call ter be hyar.” 7 “The mountains are free to any who choose to come,” said “P'raps yer tight,” said the man, “ But mayhup yer don't Know that thar’s a set of outlandish raffians hyarabouts, that don’t think a man has any right to pry inter their business.” “Speak out,” said Elliot. “You know my business; I conniclooolkks.comn