Jack and His Seven Foes — page 178: what you’re looking at

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

ever to find their way back again,” ~ muttered the Panther. «Tt would be a good joke for them to ~ come upon Pluto in his realm.” « And who is Pluto?” “The King of Hades.” “Qh, is he, ’ orowled the Panther. “Then we are likely to meet him some day. It’s growing ‘dark outside.” And so it was. The day was over, the sun gone down, and the stars were | beginning to peep out from the sky. Anxiety “had taken possession of the watchers outside. «What's come to them ?”’ they asked each other. ‘ Fallen into some trap,”’ said another. « What can we do to help them?” “* Nothing.” What could they do, indeed? All the leading spirits of the community had gone into “the cave, and those outside were no more than so many. sentries at their post. They had been told to keep watch and await the return of the others, and it was only this they could do. —- CAR 4 La “JACK AND” ) HIS SEVEN FOES. tOPNDPR EDAD LM EC LC ECM LM wmnaim CNR ee ven oy It certainly required more than ordinary courage to enter the narrow- mouthed cave, and the stimulus which led Jack to lead the way was wanting in those he left behind. They lit a fire as the sun fell, and eathered round it, leaving one man to watch the cave. He paced up and down with a rifle resting on his arm, occasionally stopping to listen. All within the cave was dark silent. “Perhaps it’s like a rabbit-burrow,”’ he thought, “more ways out of it than one.’ The idea in his opinion was a good one, and he walked over to his comrades to lay it before them. The moment his back was turned, the Panther glided out, and the Swaggerer swiftly followed him. The sentinel was not a minute from his post, but that time sufficed for the Swagegerer and the Panther to get down the mountain and clear away. and j— CHAPTER LXVIII. HOE CORSE MoE eran. Seba WASTED, “ Donz ’em this time!’ chuckled the Panther. “They don’t get everything their own way.” “ Not quite—nor do we,’ returned the Swaggerer. He paused a moment, and looked back at the glow of the fire high above them. All seemed quiet there, and they laughed softly over their escape. “That fellow was kind to us,” the Panther. Swaggerer.”’ “ What is it?” “All the men of the settlement are up there.” “‘ Seems so,” “ Well, if that’s the case, only women and children are down there.” “ No, Panther—no more of it.” : “JT say yes. We'll leave our mark _ uponthem. I’m bent on finisning with a regular blaze of fireworks. Id like to be let loose on a children’s school _ just now.” said “ Now, Ive an idea, “T shouldn’t mind if there was no danger,” replied the Swaggerer; “but there’s no safety here. Let us get away.” “Tl do a little business in the settle- ment first,’ said the Panther, dog- gedly. He moved on, and the Swaggerer perforce followed. Rebellion was too risky, and his only chance of safety lay in obedience, for the Panther was a desperate brute, and if angered, might do anything. The evil of this half-bred gipsy’s nature had lately developed amazingly, and even the Swaggerer was appalled by the intense remorseless ferocity he exhibited. But as Norton Gray, alias Hiram Crayton, alias the Swaggerer, had sown, so he was reaping, and the harvest was a heavy one. “What would I give to 20 Yous 2 1 aks Tt CORNIELYOC € Ss) (EO)