The Island School — page 96: what you’re looking at

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

MORE THAN sense, have descended from the stars aloft, and Romeo, squatting on the sand, bowed his head, mut- tering : ‘Tt am de voice ob a sperrit !” “ Strange,” muttered Morse, looking at his awe- stricken figure. “He humbugs the other niggers on that score, and yet he is as deeply soaked im supersti- tion as they are. Spirits! There are no such things on earth.” But for all that he felt that there was something uncanny in the night air. It was half an hour later when Jim returned. He had been unable to see anything of Charley, and after uselessly wandering up and down, had given him up. He had not heard the strange, far-off ery that fell upon the ears of those he left beside the wreck. “You are sure it was not imagination °” he asked. “We all heard it,” simply answered Morse. It might have been close upon another half-hour later when Charley came softly back and lay down, a little apart from the anxious watchers. And there was an air of contentment in the way he laid his huge jaws upon his forefeet and sighed. But they could make nothing of him, and as the hour was growing late, Jim suggested retiring to sleep. “Would it not be as well for one of us to keep watch °” asked Morse. “Where will you find a better sentry than our friend there °” asked Jim, pointing towards Charley. “True,” said Morse, and they all went inside the tent and lay down, imbued with the conviction that while the bear was nigh no unexpected foe could steal down upon them. CHAPTER XXXVIII. MORE THAN ONE SURPRISE. al was a fortunate thing that early in the morning Jim was up and stirring. Before the others were awake, he was out of the tent and strolling along the beach in the direction he had taken overnight. —— ae Charley followed him a little way, Sang then turned tothe tent again. The brute appeared to be uneasy, and even while return- ing, looked back at Jim as if inviting him to retrace his steps. A mile from the wreck there was a bend in the course of the beach, and the sands beyond were hidden by a projecting cliff that was in calm weather ONG SURPRISE. F lapped by the sea. impassable. Jim took the precaution to approach this jutting cliff warily, for which he had good reason to congratu- late himself. As he peered round it he saw there was a sandy semicircular arena beyond, and there were fully a score of men awake and gathered round some object, which at first Jim was unable to make out the nature of. These men were attired in the dress of Spanish fishermen, of the class he had seen in the company of Hspardo Reonardi. He almost expected to behold that worthy in their company ; but on scanning them over he saw they were all strangers. As yet it was not light enough to make out very small objects a distance away; but, although the features of the men were indistinct, he was certain. he had never seen one of them before. Hauled up on the sands was a small boat, and a short. way out a fishing-boat of some pretensions as to size- rode at anchor. mast. “Smugglers,” thought Jim; “but what on earth, are they so intently gazing on?” In rough times it would be The gestures indulged in by the group expressed. anger or grief, and as the men parted, and some of them moved towards the stranded boat, Jim saw what it was that troubled them. Stretched on the sands was the body of a man, one of their own,class, and his attitude was that of one who has been crushed bya heavy fall. But it flashed upon Jim that his death—for dead he was—could be attributable to another source, viz.,. Charley. So many things pointed to the probability of the. conjecture being correct. The stealthy way the bear went away on the previous. night, and his quiet, satisfied air when he returned, were suggestive of some work being done which the. animal, in its dull way, prided itself upon, By the gestures of the body of men it was apparent, too, that the cause of their comrade’s death was a mystery to them. But the great thing Jim had to think of was the fact that the life he had designed to spend on that side of the island for a week or so was no longer possible. It was true that the smugglers—he was certain that was their calline—might go away without dis- covering the presence of himself and friends, but the. chances were heavily against it. And suppose they were discovered; would not. these strangers lay the death of their comrade to the charge of the boys, and seek revenge ? One thing must be done for certain, The camp on It was a decked one, with a double: an 00 (ele) cS co Cc