The Island School — page 249: what you’re looking at

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

U5 All round, in design and workmanship, it was a good piece of mechanism. : They carried it outside, and after a careful look round to see if they were watched by the bird they hoped to catch, carefully set it near the gate, and on the middle of the bridge. Having secured it to the ring, it was covered with earth and small stones, and left. “Tf that doesn’t catch him,” said Martin, “ nothing will.” As the trap would act as well for anyone going as coming in, a warning was issued to all not to attempt to leave the castle on the morrow until the wild man was caught, or, in case of failure, the trap removed. This was necessary, as very early in the morning Mrs. Farrell proposed to be up superintending the baking of bread, a class of manufacture in which many of the smaller boys were called on to assist. But, as things turned out, Jim and Martin both awoke just as the first ray of morning light shone on ' the castle, and meeting in the hall as they descended from their sleeping-rooms, they went out to the gate together. Before opening it they stood still and listened. There was no sound outside, save the soft sighing of the trees, stirred by the gentle morning breeze. Martin lifted out the big bar that was the final fastening and drew back the bolts. Jim opened the gate. ‘‘ Nobody here,” he said. “But somebody has been here,” said Martin, quickly, “and caught in the trap, too; but as he could not get out, he smashed it. We forgot he carries a heavy club.” “ By George !” was all Jim could say, as he ruefully scratched his head and surveyed the broken ironwork | of the trap strewn about the bridge. The work of demolition had been effectually done. There was not one piece of steel left more than a few inches long, and on some pieces that formed the broken | teeth they found drops of blood. “ The fellow got a stiffish nip,” said Martin, “and perhaps, like a snared bird that manages to get free, he will not come here again.” “Tshall never rest until he is caught,” said Jim, as he turned back into the castle. “A once trapped bird does not often come again,” said Martin, “and the wilder they are the harder they are to catch.” “ We must try something else,” said Jim. “It will never do to live on in a dread uncertainty about the creature.” * No, sir,” assented Martin, “that would be worse than anything we have as yet had to deal with.” THE ISLAND SCHOOL, CHAPTER CXIITI, THE SCHOOE RESUMED.—LETTERS FOR HOME. T was a_ great dis- appointment to the boys that the wild man had not been a ! z caught, but the ia ce me smashed trap gave an ad- Vigees7 ditional interest to this weird being, and none cared to leave the castle alone. Mr. Farrell, thanks to his mysterious adventure, got on better terms with © his wife, but she was very angry with him for letting Eveline know of the proposal of the wild man that she should be given to him for a wife. It was indiscreet, anyway, and the school-master got pretty well confounded all round for his lack of feeling and indiscretion. ‘He must have been an idiot,” was the general opinion, “ to give her so much as a hint about it.” Eveline professed to laugh at the idea, but it was certain that the matter worried her. Jim could see it in her cautious way of goig about even in the castle, when alone. And she showed a very strong disinclination to go outside alone or in company. But three or four days passed by, and nothing more was seen of the weird creature of the woods. The notion entertained by Martin, that having been caught would act as a deterrent to his coming near the castle again, began to gain ground. Confidence was in a measure restored, and the boys wandered round about the castle, going down below and even wandering in the wood at the rear, as if they were not threatened in’ any way. During this time Jim and Morse had been busy in the tower, where the latter had found the rooms closed and locked. At first they tried to pick the locks and failed. Then Morse introduced a little explosive material into the wards and blew them off. As they were fixed inside they fell there, leaving no opening besides the keyhole. And the doors still held as firm as a sunken rock. “They are barred inside,” said Morse, “ and strongly, too.” There could be no doubt about this, as on the outside there were no signs of nailing up or any other form of fastening. It was the same in the case of all three chambers, and it was an inscrutable mystery, for, examine the tower how they might, they could find no mdication vt iy Fan sc rae an Yy Z fed, 4 ‘Ys Eom @ 900 cs.com