Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 658 — page 10: what you’re looking at

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

—~———e “artes ee -_ = oO ee - oe 10 Peter, Sree ee a Sky-Rocket Rob, the Life-Saver. The interior of the place was not open to the life-saver’s view, and no one was visible outside. He waited for some time, in hopes that chance would reveal more, but there was no change. Then he dropped upon his bands and knees and crept cautiously forward, pushing the bushes out of his way with great care. Reaching the wall, he found that it was thicker than was to be expected, No crevice was to be seen, and he could gain no view. He drew his knife and began to cut an opening. This was not difficult; the wood was somewhat rotten, and a crevice was soon made, The desired chance was gained. He looked inside. First of all he saw two men. One was moving about and, as it proved, was preparing an apology for supper. The other sat on a block of wood, evidently buried in thought. No woman was visible. The men were of the ordinary kind, Rob was hapa to see persons well dressed, but of sin- ster cast of countenance, These meu answered to the first requirement, but not to the second. No stretch of fancy could make them look like ruffians. Neither were they especially prepos- sessing. In every way they were ordinary men. He who was silent had an angry look, Some- thing had gone amiss with him. He suddenly raised his head, looked across the shanty—almost at Rob, the latter thought—and impatiently ex- claimed: “Well, perhaps you'll suggest something?” ‘JT will. Let us make an effort to find some inhabited house.” The Life-Saver started. It was the voice of Carona Dane, and it sounded from 4 point not three feet from him. ‘But consider the darkness, the swamp and the lonesome coast,” urged the first speaker. ‘There must be a house somewhere !” ‘Tt may be en A miles away, and the storm will soon break,” ‘‘T care not for that,” Caronareplied. ‘‘Ican endure the journey; I only ask that you will let me go. {fam afraid of this wretched place!” CHAPTER XII. URGENT NEED OF HELP. THe Life-Saver was drinking in every word, and his mind was as busy as his ears. From what he had heard, and the manner of the speakers, he believed that if the men were villains, which he did not doubt now, they bad not yet revealed their character fully to Carona. The spokesman’s voice and way were alike per- suasive, while she spoke with uneasiness and fear of something alarming to come, rather than with a clear perception of known peril. “| wish your mother had come along,” the spokesman gently observed. Rob beard a sigh. ‘¢ Would to Heaven she had!” Carona replied. “Yet,” he added, ** her poor health would illy fit her for such hardship.” ‘‘ Somehow, I cannot realize it.” ‘* Realize what?” “That she was my mother.” ‘¢ Indeed! but I have seen you grow up in her house, you know,” “ Strange that I don’t remember you.” ‘Ah! but your mind is not yet strong.” “Tf memory ever returnsit must be because some object, or incident, of my old lifeis brought before me so powerfully and vividly that the whole comes back with arusb. I feel that ” ‘ Possibly it will be so when you see her,” \( Perhaps 80,” Carona doubtful replied. “Don't get downhearted, Miss Dane; all will yet be well.” *« Anyhow, I want to leave here as soon as we have eaten supper.” , A look of annoyance appeared on the man’s ace. “Are you willing to pass through the swamps, with mud and water at times waist- deep, perbaps, and risk a journey of twenty or thirty miles?” ‘¢ Yes,” was the prompt answer, ‘‘Then I must say that you are very foolisb. The squall which is coming up will be a brief disturbance, and, by morning, the ocean will have become still enough to enable us to make a safe, quick and comfortable run up the coast, and finish our journey,” “T am not content to wait until morning, and must ask you to carry out the idea I bave advanced, Let the journey be as loug and diffi- cult as it may, I want to make an effort to find some house at once.” ‘Strikes me you are confounded obstinate ” cried the stranger, roughly. “ What would you expect?” Carona asked, tremulously. ‘' This wild, deserted, gloomy knoll and camp fills me with fear. You sur- mise that, in the past, it was the temporary residence of a party of fishermen, or somebody of the kind, you say. It may be safe enough, but I can’t convince myself of it.” “We are certainly able to protect you from any outside danger, for we are well armed and should shoot any one who might approach the camp; so it must be that you lack faith in Al- berts and me.” ‘Remember, Mr. Call, that you and your friend are strangers tome. True, you say that you have known me ever since we were chil- dren, but, as I cannot remember that fact, or you, [am compelled to take the word of one just the same as a stranger.” ‘Considering all we bave done for think you are ungrateful!” declared Call. The man was very transparent to Sky-Rocket Rob, and the latter clearly saw tbat Carona had many doubts and fears. Her voice was eloquent with these emotions, and he did not hesitate to believe that she bitterly repented having come with the men. A sail up the coast by daylight was very dif- ferent from a night on the ridge in the deserted sbanty. It wasa place to try stronger nerves than Carona ever had. The fire was the only cheer- ful thing in the situation. The shanty was miserable; the trees and bushes were dark and pend a storm was impending; she had doubt- ul company, and there could be no privacy for her at the camp. Rob suspected that if she dared to express her opinion of the: men it would be more em- phatically unfavorable than bad yet appe red, As for him, be knew that they were rascals, rhs that Carona was the victim of a nefarious plot. Naturally, as she was not sure of her position, and was so alarmed over the situation, Call’s last complaint added to her distress. She has- tened to make peace, and displayed not a little skill, while not trespassing upon veracity by as- serting a confidence in them which she did not feel; and a degree of harmony was Tre stored. She, however, insisted upon leaving the island, as, judging by the man’s words, the land really was, while he heard her in such a mood that Rob suspected the mask would be thrown off you, I soon. The Life-Saver turned and made his way back to Tony Bristles. It was evident to even an unpracticed eye that the squall was inevitable. Black, detached clouds rushed along the gloomy expanse above as though in haste to reach some given point, and it would not have surprised Rob to see the outbreak come at any moment, Tony Bristles was calmly enjoying a chew of tobacco when found. “Was it a hotel?’ he asked, innocently. ‘Tt was the abductors, with Corona in charge, camped in an old shanty.” ‘Did you ask them fur her?” ‘‘ Hardly! They are armed, and I heard them oe they would shoot any one who ap- roached,” “The dickens! Say, le’s go back!” ‘“‘T thought you were eager to fight pirates?” “T be—at long range. Besides, pirates are gentlemen. I don’t believe these fellers be.” “Tony, be sensible, Carona must be res- cued.” ‘ That's so,” “( Have you any paar ‘‘No, Hev you?” Tony’s indifference was very amazing. Weak- minded as the young man was, Rob did not for- et that be was ten years older than himself, n this emergency he felt the need of an old head . to manage affairs. But Tony appeared to be absolutely of no value. ~ «We can’t fight them openly,” he pursued. ‘¢ 7 had rather not,” agreed Tony. “On the other hand, they will not be likely to leave the camp—the squall will iin oped overcome Carona’s desire to leave—and as the have no reason to suppose they will be attacked, we may be able to foil asleep, ‘‘ Hadn't we better go back fur help?” ‘‘No, no; we must depend selves. Now that we must keep them under watch until we can res- cue Corona, into you. afraid of?” “ Tt’s their revolvers I’m tremulous on!” “ But you'll help me?” ‘* Yes; ef it’s safe.” cigars and began to smoke, them.after they get wholly on our- have sighted them we Tony, you must get some pluck You have a revolver; what are you Rob was angry. Always erratic, Tony was now in a mood that promised but little for the future. His early enthusiasm and courage were alike gone, and he manifested both indifference and cowardice, Paying no further attention to his ally, the Life-Saver sat down to try aud form some plan, It was not yet settled whether the final scenes would be in the shanty, but he did not believe that the men would allow Carona to go away. Unless they had decided previously to stop at 8 ot inde how happened it that they had food alon " Phey had planned to stop here; they will stop, in spite of Carona’s requests, and we can only wait until one or both get asleep. Then we must fight them!” Such was his decision, and, by the time it was made, there was something else to occupy his attention. The wind had begun to blow again, and its suspended fury suddenly found vent} it unced down upon the knoll witha sheet of rain jorne along with it. The trees bent and writhed, some branches fell, and the noise was great. Then the darkness was banished tem- porarily by a flash of vivid lightning, and the thunder that followed was short and sharp, like the sound of a mammoth whip-lash cracked by giant hands. It was not a pleasant storm to face, and Rob and Tony looked for better quarters. Boldness seemed safe, then, and they actually went again to the shanty and crouched by its walls, while Rob used bis old means of observa- tion. v Call and Alberts were eating supper, and Ca- rova was trying to do the same, but her efforts amounted to but little. and so suspicious of her companions, that appe- She was so worried, tite would not answer her summons, The leading abductor had recovered bis usual equanimity, and his conversation was pleasant and respectful. Whatever the plot was, Carona did not seem to be in immediate danger. Supper over, Call and Alberts produced Even Carona did not speak of departure in the furious storm then raging. One thing she did observe with uneasiness. As before stated, the fire, while inside the shanty walls, was at a point where no roof was over it, and the heavy fall of rain was already putting it out. Lower and lower sunk the once big blaze, and dark shadows began to creep into the long shanty. ltimately, unless a change was made, total darkness would prevail there. She was about to mention the matter, when she had a fresh shock, The big trees had been kept in constant convulsions ever since the van- guard of the storm struck, and to cne the ordeal had been too great. There was a new, sudden sound, and a many- limbed giant of the knoll swept through the air in resistless downfall, No ove there saw it come, but they were not left ignorant. It struck the shanty, crushing & part of it almost into a shapeless mass, CHAP’.ER XIII. THE LIFE-SAVER’S PUZZLING SITUATION. THE last event was *o abrupt and radical that Carona uttered a cry of alarm, and Call and Alberts sprung to their feet in a mood scarcely calmer. None of the three had been injured, and that part of the long shanty beaten down was not near enough to deprive them of shelter, but they looked at the tree in uneasiness while the storm roared outside as loud as ever. “Touch and go, by Jove!” Call exclaimed, ‘‘ A little more this way, and it would have been more ‘ touch ’and less ‘go,’” Alberts added, “True, If it bad taken the shanty in the middle it would bave crushed it like an egg- shell.” “TI reckon we wa’n’t born to go under that way. ‘?T don’t know. If one tree bas yielded to the wind, others may follow suit. Stay here, Al, and 1’/] goout and sum up the chances,” He went at once, The trees were still writh- ing in the grasp of the wind, and some, were swaying toward the shanty in a way far from pleasant to see, but the Ganev ery that there had been a slight imperfection in the fallen giant, where it was twisted from the trunk, gave him ground to hope that the otbers would outlive the storm. 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