The Island School — page 190: what you’re looking at

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

“MISSING RELATIVES. CHAPTER LXXXVI. MISSING RELATIVES.—A NIGHT OF UNREST. IM .did not feel com- fortable. over the indication of the near presence of the foe. Whatever losses they might have ex- perienced it was clear that they were . not entirely beaten off. . Ad- ditional proof of it was given by another shot being fired as he was going downstairs. This time it was fired at the door, and he heard it strike the woodwork with terrific force. At the foot of the stairs he saw Martin and the men seated by ap specemyS ~~~ oe the wall on either side of the door through which the | bullet had penetrated and flattened itself against the opposite wall. Morse was with the men, and when Jim appeared he motioned for him to be careful how he crossed the hall. “There are a lot of them outside,” he ant ‘Somehow they have screwed up their courage to return. I fancy they must be rather short of ammu- nition, or they would make freer use of it.” He explained that he had got at an idea of their numbers by the murmuring of voices and sounds of movement outside, : “You may hear them,” he said, “by placing your ear to the keyhole. But, as it is risky, you may take my word for it.” . Jim, however, preferred hearing for himself, and notwithstanding the whispered expostulation of Martin, he listened as Merse had evidently done before him. Then the unmistakable sounds of men moving about and exchanging words in an undertone reached his ears. “TY understand the solitary shots,” he said; “they arise from the fact that only two or three are armed with rifles; but it is a state of things I cannot account for, as I saw that the greater portion of ) them had the long old-fashioned rifles when they were in hiding earlier in the day.” “TI reckon that, in the confusion of flight,” sug- gested Morse, “ the men dropped their guns, and have not teen able to recover them in the dark.” This appeared to be a reasonable supposition ; there was, indeed, no other they could think of. For a time there were no more shots, and no sound of | _ movement without. Jim, missing Romeo and Charley, 199 the bear went to the back part of the house and found them partaking of supper together. “Here am a job, Marse Gordon,” said Romeo, “ no fader and grandfader lef’ for me. Dey gone ’way jes’ hike ole Farrell.” “T cannot understood their being such fools,” said Jim. * When did they go?” | “Dunno, Marse Gordon. Dey wasn’t here when mecomein. Datall’boutit. Dey get inter trouble, I ’spect, and serbe ’em right for a pair ob ole fools.” “ Am we?” said a muffled voice from somewhere near. ‘There was a shuffling sound, and a pair of big black feet and shins came sliding down the chimney. They were followed by the rest of the body of Hamlet, whose sable countenance was speckled with wood-ash from the crevices in the flue. He was promptly followed by the aged Macbeth in a similar condition. It was to be inferred that they had taken to the chimney in their fright, Mac- beth leading the way and Hamlet going after. “Ole fools, am we?” said Hamlet, wrathfully. “So we may be, to stick up dere ’cause we not suttin 1t am you here gorgering yourself.” “We tink it am de robbers,’ said Macbeth. ‘‘Marse Gordon, axing you pardon, but me not see you, for de ash in me eye, till dis moment.” “You berrer go up de chimley agen,” Romeo, rebelliously. ‘“ What good am you ?” “They had better make some coffee,’ said Jim; “it will be wanted. Sleep to-night cannot be thought of. Let all the boys have some and what they may need in the way of food.” “Toramarcy, sure!” groaned Macbeth, “but dis a bad job, sure. Dere nuffin’ to do but to lay up de ghose.” Muttering dolorously, he went into the store-room advised at the back of the kitchen to get some coffee, of which there was fortunately still a considerable store. Jim again visited the various groups of boys posted in different parts of the building. Then he went on to the dormitories, where the youngest of them were lying down in their clothes. As he feared, not one of them was asleep. He told them not to be afraid, as the worst was over. But, as if in mockery of him, the firing outside was at that very moment renewed. He counted seven rapid shots in succession, and he judged that Morse was correct in his surmise. The Spaniards had dropped their weapons in their first fright, but now had recovered some of them. They seemed to have no definite idea of attacking | any particular part of the house; for after the first | few shots they fired through the upper windows, and | | | even at the walls of the house. For a,quarter of an hour the desultory fire was kept up, and then ceased as suddenly as it began. 00 mn ‘co cs co