Jack and His Seven Foes — page 136: what you’re looking at

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

terrible to hin. increase in length, The gaps of silence between were also They appeared to and at times the Swaggerer thought that his doomed comrade must have fallen asleep. “At last,’ he would say, and immediately the monotonous words would boom in his ears— “ To-morrow.” The Panther might express disbelief in, or indifference to, this portent, but the Swaggerer was sure that Jack had appeared, and named the coming day for vengeance. “He is not to be shaken off,” he thought, “‘and he will leave me to the last.” The night passed slowly, wretchedly, wearily. At the first streak of dawn they were all moving. “We will get on,” said the Settler; “a bit of breakfast now, and something | more the other side of the pass.”’ The Swaggerer took his share, but did not eat it; the Sneezer did not even take his. When the Panther offered him some dried meat, he only said, ‘‘ To-morrow.’ “Curse to-morrow ! ‘9 hissed the Panther. ““No—to-day, to-day!” cried the Sneezer: ‘‘for me itis accursed. I am | a doomed man! ”’ He was speaking more rationally, but the terror was as strong as ever upon him. The Swaggerer asked him what had happened in the gorge on the previous day. “< What answered ; soon.” ““We will stand by you,” Panther ; time comes you must fight. Jack can’t kill the lot.” ‘““ But you can do nothing for me,’ he said. “You could not save the Pantaloon, or Dunmore, or Magson.”’ 8. saved myself,” said Jim Black, with a braggart air. “‘ Perhaps,” said the Sneezer. It was observed by the others that, _ although terrified so much, the Sneezer gave ont none of those nasal outbursts with which they had so long been Oo matters?” the Sneezer said the 7 familiar, and it puzzled them not alittle. “you will see the end of it | “don’t be afraid. When the | Young | 2 SSS sss ees _ bade them keep still. It did not occur to these men that there is a terror too great for ordinary expression, as well as a grief too deep for tears. But so it is, and such a terror was on the Sneezer. There was only one -road open to them if they meant to go on, and that was the pass before them; so they started, the three boastful ruffians ahead, and the Sneezer lagging a little behind them. He walked with his head down, and the movement was merely mechanical. Each moment his eyes grew wilder. His gaze wandered up and down the great slopes of broken rock on either side of him. Hach moment he expected Jack to appear. But an hour passed, and they saw nothing of him. “Tt was all fancy,” said. ‘You bet ten to one on it,” replied Jim Black. But barely had the words been uttered, when a gasping cry was heard from the Sneezer behind them. They turned quickly, and saw him in the last stage of mortal fear. He was still erect, but all life, save in his eyes, had left his face. His gaze was turned to the summit of the pass, and they, following it, saw a figure high above them. It was some three hundred feet away, and of greatly diminished proportions, but there was no need for them to look twice to see who it was. The slim, lithe, well-proportioned firure of Jack the Avenger was too well known to them. He was slowly descending, and carried in his hand a revolver. As he drew nearer, they saw that his eyes were fixed on the hapless Sneezer. He did not seem to be aware of their presence. Certainly he did not heed them, and came slowly down until he was within thirty yards of them. Then he paused, and slowly raised his revolver. Where was the courage of the braggarts then? It oozed out of their finger-ends. A whisper in each of their hearts It said— “He has come to kill butone. If we the Swaggerer Gomicdoo 1970) ey Tih 08 i Ntie i ‘ ov >." > : ‘ veo? nd A: a4 * . v9 A we | Li's u “ #\" a* wi -