The Girl from Hong-Kong: A Story of Adventure Under Five Suns — page 335: what you’re looking at

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

LHE GIRL FROM HONG-KONG. 329 watched, while a fond heart prayed for their well-being and success: ..*. No sooner does he land upon his feet than with a rush he is upon the fire. The supply of weeds continues to come down from above, as though unlimited, and with each. passing minute not only does the fire grow, but the amount of scent that. arises is more positive and overwhelming. : As he reaches the spot Terry instantly begins to kick the mass of burning material under his feet. An ordinary fire would only require separating to bring about its end, but in this case it is necessary that he trample every part of it under foot in order to make way with the intensely disagreeable odor that will continue to arise so long as a smoldering spark remains. Just as he expected, he is not given this chance to work undisturbed. ‘Perhaps, the followers of the avaricious senor who.lie in wait have expected some such bold movement on the part of the besieged—at any rate they are ready for it, as a crackling of firearms attests. . These shots do not wholly proceed from the besiegers, for General Lopez, realizing what good may be done by creating a diversion, blazes away without regard to the value of ammunition, taking his cue from each flash of light that cuts the darkness. Whether his leaden messages find a lodgment in any human frame or not does not give him present concern so long as he ably seconds this brave action on the part of young Donahue. | There are several positive things that favor Terry. He depends on material, not visionary, safeguards, for the little cherub that sits up aloft and watches over the sailor is-a-wretched reliance at best. The Puritans in their crude way struck the keynote of the whole fabric when they declared it their policy to “trust in the Lord and keep their powder dry,” evidently believing it essen- tial that human effort was just as necessary as a belief in Providence. Terry’s purposely eccentric movements in’ stamping out -the fire, the rapidly increasing darkness, and, above comichooks.conn