Jack and His Seven Foes — page 187: what you’re looking at

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

ne SE pa PRA ae Sa I SEER hr har sd pitas ain 1p SRW Lay ee tye A ed Be PR ae nr te, tgltae |be ue bd BEBE hay >) ee OnEAC Teh Ahad PP eee BOL. < 2 eae ; » Na ee hep ee ve fos bl SEAS sh te ee a aS ERE AMA eA : 1 mers. Ss matte The whole earth seemed to heave and roll like a great billow, then a wide opening, almost at Jack’s feet, appeared, and flame leaped out. He staggered back, terror-stricken, but still with his head clear. Ahead of him he saw the Swaggerer and Panther, standing as if panic-stricken, with the glow of the red hight upon them. They were close under the huge spur of the Black Mountain. It towered high above them, its face glowing with the red glare, its summit lost in the dense black smoke. Suddenly it was rent in twain, fire | leapt out of its midst, and with a roar =f JACK AND HIS SEVEN FOES, ae and a crash. that made puny all other sounds, it fell. | oe | The Swaggerer and Panther were — directly under it. Though all that happened was over in a moment, Jack took in every detail. He saw the huge rock splitting, the flames savagely dancing, the terror- maddened men throw up their arms, the mighty mass bend over and fall upon them, crushing and burying them a hundred fathoms deep for ever. He could bear no more himself. On every side the ground was breaking up, and fire and smoke rushing forth. With agaspand a sob hefelland knew no more. GpmEPresse eT nr. os EDAD Ee SR MON ECan Eater areas Ca OP2 OD CO OO BOT BA £2 OPA EM LOE pe CHAPTER LXXIT. WHAT THE EARTHQUAKE DID AT THE A witp dawn broke after a night of violence and storm, its light falling on wreck and ruin. | The Silver Settlement, as a settlement, was no more. The huts lay mere heaps ot wreckage; the little rivulet where the diggers used to wash their soil had disappeared. Five children, three women, and one man lay dead. The rest of the people cowered together in terror on the plain. Uhe wildest and fiercest work of Nature known to man had been going on through the dark hours, and now there was a lull. Save from the crest of the Black Mountain, which poured out fire and smoke. A wind carried the smoke away from the trembling settlers, but the huge out- pouring of the volcano was sufficiently appailine. But it had more than ordinary terror for them. Two of their company were believed to have perished when the great eruption began within the earth. Mrs. Deane had no hope of her husband living, but she it was who went about comforting the trembling women _who had lost—nobody.”’ | “The worst is over,’ she said, “ we have nothing to fear now.” But it was not easy to reassure them. The dreadful experience of the past | tain, and a cry of joy rent the air. one. SETTLEMENT—-A VAIN SEARCH FOR JACK. night was a thing not to be forgotten during hfe. How, then, could it be ~ buried in the waters of Lethe in a few hours P How could they shut out the memory of that tremendous upheaval, of. the rending of the earth, of the collapse of their houses, of the hghtning, thunder, rumblings, fire, and smoke P > _ Not while they breathed and moved, and memory held its seat. To the open plain they instinctively fled for safety, and found it. Save the nine hapless beings, old and young, who lay crushed underthe falling timber. No camp-fire was lighted, no food being prepared. Who thinks of the morning meal when they believe the crash of doom to be near? Daylight was an hour old when four men were seen advancing from the moun- “They are saved!” shouted the dis- tracted people. : “There ought to be five,” said Mrs. Deane, and they were silent again. Who was the lost one ? Doubt did not last long. It was soon seen that the brave hand- some lad who had come to avenge their wrongs and his own was the missing Mrs. Deane ran forward to embrace ICOMIGIOOKS CO