Ensign Merrill — page 200: what you’re looking at

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

“ of - ‘cH . A>) + we t 2 ee oo ya 4 "y Nothing occurred dneine the night to sight the ee Mark did not anticipate an attack from the pirates, as they had received too thorough a lesson the — previous evening to risk another. Still, discretion be- ing the better part of valor, be had made all prepara- tions for receiving them. | At the first sign of dawn all hands were up and | about. The first thing Mark did was to dispatch a boat to the ship for provisions. A huge pot of coffee was brewed, which, together with canned meat and _ hard- tack, appeased their hunger for the time being. After this agreeable duty had been attended to, the ensign ordered a number of men to search the clearing thor- oughly for underground storehouses. Now Chow Tow was dead he had no one to reyeal their whereabouts, and would be compelled to trust to his own resources in finding the other caverns, said by the Clfinaman to exist on the island. The remainder of the sailors were sent to break out the stores in the. one already known. Mark followed them after taking a general observation of the weather and the surrounding country. It promised to be a fine day. Only afew fleecy clouds could be seen in the zenith, and even they gave evidence of clearing away. The somber walls of the cliff loomed dark in the shadows of early morning, but far above them towered the volcano peak, ablaze with many dewy jewels created by the sun’s magic rays. The pellucid waters of the little basin stretched without a ripple from shore to shore. Mirrored on its bosom, motionless and seem- ingly deserted, was the Badger, forming a picture of | silent strength, with its frowning port-holes and grim- | looking cannon: Mark turned away at last, and walked ap the hill. a pone the ruins of the stone house his eyes fell auek Eomicbooks.co THE END Or svorr CLEMMONS. es 195 | AE