Beadle's Dime Novels No. 215: The White Hermit — page 81: what you’re looking at

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

- an , A P, es = A PARLEY. 3 es oe i > . »*t_. -c down small saplings with their hatchets, with which they _ <I made a sort of shovel, and began to dig into the earth which Bes formed the entrance to the place. Thirty men, working even with such inefficient tools, make quick work, and in less than helf an hour a passage was opened sufficiently wide to ad- as mit the body of a man, just over the flight of steps. te i ae “ Aba!” cried the mask. “ We shall have them now. Hi, ts within: there! ~Come out and talk to me.” ree _ Do you promise to let me return if your terms do not suit us?” said a voice, which sounded strangely hollow in the depths of thé cavern. aha : “ Ay,” replied the mask. “ We can afford to be generous ¥ in that respect. You are caught like rats in a trap.” , = “Then I will come out,” said the same voice, and Captain — Austen appeared upon the steps below, carrying a torch. = “What would you have ?” he said. “a A howl of rage from the savages above told that they re- _ Se cognized him, and the part he had taken in their various re-— stp _ pulses of the past few days. But their rage was still more ae loudly expressed when Bill Epps appeared at his side. Epes . “ Good-evening,” he said, pleasantly, nodding round the cir cle of wild faces peering in at the hole aboye him. “Nice kind of surprise party, this is. The old man is glad to see you.” | ee oat “You take it coolly, Bill Epps,” said Gerard. “Perhaps — We may change that.” | ee > “Pd rather you wouldn’t, boys,” said Bill. “ What do ea Want with us?” ; atc “ You must surrender.” : Patent A. nh “Surrender! Whatfur? All friends. here, ain't we??? : “ Good friends enough, as far as most friendships go. We think so much of you and your friends that we want to see a \— you all up here.” % eae « We can’t come.” pa = “Then we must fetch you.” 23% _--——s- “ That’s about it. . You see, we are bashful down here, and we rually can’t come out. We'd a durn sight ruther 4 ¥ _‘Blay whar we be, ef you'd jest ez lieve.” meee!