The Island School — page 109: what you’re looking at

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

85 four men besides myself, sound, wind and limb, and we have some with beggarly wounds that ought not to debar them from fighting boys. Boys! Think of it, and from the school—out at play, perhaps, and yet, thanks to them, two of our friends lie there—dead! And see Capio, wounded so that he will limp for ever while he lives. Is itnot enough to make us curse the hour we were born? Follow me to the spot where I saw the cubs at play.” They were guided by him up the cliff, each man, including the wounded who were able to walk, carry- ing hisarms. Judging by what Giuseppo had told them, they believed that they had only to go to the spot where four boys were to be found, fall upon them, and avenge their comrades. But on arriving at the spot where Giuseppo had seen the boys in consultation, it was discovered they had already departed. “See here,” said the wrathful Giuseppo, ‘“ they had atent here. Mark the holes where the pegs were— and they have taken it with them. Boys carrying a tent must travel slowly. Let us hasten in pursuit. Before noon they will need others to carry them.” From these words may be gathered the fact that Giuseppo had seen neither Romeo nor the bear, Charley. When creeping up he saw the boys together. The negro and the sagacious brute were in the wood, the former gathering sticks for a fire, and the latter keeping him company. But the fire was never lighted. Guiuseppo, on his way back, was espied by Morse, who promptly gave orders for the tent to be struck and a retreat begun. With an hour’s start he was already well on his way through the wood, making tracks for the dead city. Giuseppo followed without food or any provision for the comfort of his men, fondly hoping to speedily overtake the four tent-laden boys, and satisfy his thirst for vengeance by slaying them. | It was the sense of his having been made ridiculous that especially embittered him. The loss of men, fighting with men, would have been of little account, but to have been slain by Joys was inexpressibly mortifying. We can all of us sooner forgive anything serious than the misery of being made ridiculous. The trail of the boys was easily followed, not only on account of that which they made on the back journey, but because they kept to that they made on their way thither. Giuseppo, in hot haste, led the way. Indeed, ere he had gone far he outstripped his men, and for a time they lost sight of him. But suddenly he was seen flying towards them with his very hair bristling with fear. “Comrades,” he gasped, “ phe secret of the death of Kthardo is made clear to me.’ a —— — — THE ISLAND SCHOOL HKthardo, it may be said, was the man whom Charley had squeezed to death. The men, huddling together, stared at their leader in affright. Never before had they seen him really overcome with terror. “ Kthardo,’ he groaned, with a backward look, “was killed by a monster bear. One who stands high in the back even as the elephant does.” The little exaggeration he was guilty of was pardon- able, for the fact was that he came suddenly upon Charley sitting upright on his haunches and bent on barring the way. If Giuseppo had not promptly turned ard fled, he would probably have met with a fate similar to that of Kthardo. ‘But whoever heard of bears in Fermentera ?” asked one of the’ men. “Is it not enough, fool!” cried Giuseppo, angrily, “that such bears are here? Ihave seen one, and where there is one is there not two P” Men generally keep quiet when asked sarcastic question by their superiors, and the smugglers simply shifted their feet about and said nothing. “See to your arms,” said Giuseppo, in a softer tone, “ and follow me. No man alone isa match fora bear, but in numbers there is a prospect of victory.” He had recovered himself ina measure, now that he was no longer alone, and, with a revolver in lis hand, he led them on the route he had previously taken. Onand on they walked without meeting with the bear or seeing anything to account for the presence of a beast of that description.. The men eyed each other askance, and seemed to think that their leader was the victim of an hallucination. | Nor was there anything seen to disturb them until, ‘pretty well pumped out, they came to where the trees thinned and they saw a party of boys, with Romeo, tent-laden, hurrying on before them. A shout of triumph burst from the lips of the men, and they would have rushed forward but for Giuseppo, who called upon them to stop. “ Do you not see where youare ©” he cried. They looked at him wonderingly, and as he pointed down the slope the boys were swiftly traversing, un- heeding or unconscious of the vicinity of a foe, andat the bottom of and rising up to the left they saw the City of the Dead. Some there knew of it by the legend, to others it was as yet a complete mystery. “Who passes into the gates of yonder city,” Giuseppo, “is doomed to die accursed.” Then he went a little forward, and squatting on his haunches, watched in grim silence the march of the boys. “ We may bid farewell to them,” he said, gleefully. ‘Our wounded comrades and fede friends are avenged.” said 900 (Gl 0) CS CoO mn