Jack and His Seven Foes — page 33: what you’re looking at

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

24 The handsome boy, but a shadow of his former self, sat propped up at the door of the hut, the men sitting and lying ina double circle around him. Straight ahead was the sun sinking in the sea, “high i in the sky great patches of red clouds, and every wave tipped with scarlet. The vivid light lay on the face of the boy, on the hut, and on every rock upon the shore. It seemed as if all Nature was for the time dyed with blood. The men heard the story, and no sound broke from them until it was all told. | Then they rose up with wild eyes, and their very hair stiffened with fury. Some took up big stones and dashed them into the sea, others shook their fists in the air, and the rest walked up and down in uncontrollable agitation. Jacob Sturmby alone among them re- mained quiet. “My lad,” he said, “you ought not to have spoken of this to-night. It has tried you sore. Let me carry you in.” He lifted up Jack, who indeed was chastly pale and trembling again, and carried him inside the hut. Then he laid him down on a soft couch of skins, and closed the door. “We'll not talk of this again for a week, at least, my lad,” he said; “try to forget it.” “How can I forget?” asked Jack, with a wail. Jacob lighted a spirit-lamp, and hung a kettle over it. As soon as the water boiled, he made Jack some tea, and soaked a little biscuit in it. JACK AND HIS SEVEN FOES. Jack ate and drank. not because he had any appetite, but because he was resolved to live. Hire long he lay down and fell asleep, and Jacob “Sturmby having assured him- self that he was really sleeping, softly left the tent. On the beach he found the men in knots, still discussing the story they had © heard. ““ Liads,”’ he said, “‘ I have a little bit of work for you to do, but 1t must be done quietly.” They gathered around him, and looked with interest on his pallid ‘face, made more impressive by the light ‘of the moon that fell upon it. It was not until that moment that he showed how deeply he had been moved. “ We have listened toa story to-night,” he said, ‘and I'll not say much about it. We have felt it. It has touched us to the quick, and I for one will not spare one of those hellish villainsif ever I get them in my power. Silence! Don’ t ery out, the dear lad is sleep- ing.’ ‘He held up his hand to check them, for they, too, were ready to cry out in chorus that they were as ready as he to do this work of vengeance. Lowering his hand, he pointed to the hut. “Lads,” he said, “they have rested there, these unspeakable villains. Is it fit that anything living should seek shelter from such a place? ”’ “ No,” they murmured. ef Burn it, then,’’ he said ; quietly.” And turning away, he went back to the sleeping boy. “but do it tr wor DDI DAPI COD (2 C2 WD HO UPD nfo pu COE INO P20 WDD? WMT. CHAPTER IX. A FOUL ATTEMPT FOILED—JACK’S LIFE ON SHORE—A START IN SEARCH OF THE SEVEN. Lue men did their work well. They brought a lot of brushwood and bits of timber, and laid great heaps on every side of the hut. On the top of all they tossed great pieces of fat and tallow, so as to have a merry blaze. No man entered the hut to remove anything. The skins on which the band of ruffians had slept were to be burned also. §0 “The only pity is,” said one man, “that we haven’t got the blackguards inside, too.” Quietly they made their preparations, as not to disturb Jack; and the Swaggerer, who, with Jim Black and Dunmore, were stealing down from the wood, failed to perceive what was going on. CONIC OOKS.EO (¢