The Secret Shot; Or, The Rivals Of Misty Mount — page 42: what you’re looking at

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

— fe 40 ; THE SECRET SHOT. Slowly she raised her hand, her eyes blazing with the still malignity of an angry pythoness, “ Begone !” she hissed, flinging him away with a repelling gesture, but not’ touching hin: Wandalo disappeared like a shadow, and with a smile of conscious triumph the woman proceeded to the prisoner’s cell with ‘stealthy steps. She put herear to the door —there was no sound, and she chuckled to herself to think that her victim was asleep. Swiftly drawing the bolts, Judith, holding her lamp in her left hand and her dagger in her right, burst into the apartment. It was empty. With a hoarse cry, she sprung into the room. The window was open—the bird had flown. Whither ?- She sprung upon the sill of the lattice; but the loud echo of many feet entering the main cavern recalled her to her usual cau- tion. Instantly blowing out her lamp, she crept back into the great chamber and list- ened. Tramp! tramp! came the tread of armed men. And then she saw them bringing in torches. She knew of a secret chamber not far off, into which she hastily concealed herself, just before the entire cavern became brilliantly illuminated from the torches which were being brought in. “That must be the prison!” exclaimed old Godfrey, who was in advance of the soldiers, at the same time pointing to - open door of the dungeon. “ Forward—marca!” cried Cleaveland, who was immediately behind him, and the troop Wheeled across the great chamber, followed by the torch-bearers. And now Judith, who watched from her hiding-place, saw a sight which made her teeth meet through her nether lip, with sup- pressed rage. Just as the foremost of the band of res- cuers were within a dozen yards or so of the cell, what appeared to be a fragment of the wall of the chamber fell out with a loud clang, and “Ida tottered out of the solid |. reck, and swooned at her father’s feet, The joy with which that anxious father gathered his long-lost child to his arms, the emotions of her soldier-loyer, the wild shouts of honest exultation that rose from the throng of neighbors and soldiers, may be imagined, but not adequately described. Water was hastily sprinkled over the faint- ing girl. She slowly revived, but still clung to her father with feeble strength. But, in the midst of this joy, while the old man bent tenderly over his child, a hideous appa- rition startled the spectators. Judith, unable any longer to control her ferocious spite, suddenly leaped from her hiding-place, near which the old man and his daughter were leaning, and raised her dagger to plunge it into Ida’s breast. So unexpected was this maneuver, so ghostly the appearance of the quadroon, that every one, for an instant, seemed petri- fied with horror. But Cleayeland, the first to recover, struck the uplifted arm with the scabbard of his sword, before mischief could be effected, and, grasping Judith, hurled her far away from her innocent victim. Seeing herself foiled, the quadroon did not attempt an escape from the cavern, but sprung upon a little ledge in the wall, andyclambering cat-like, with her dagger in her teeth, gained a foothold far above their heads. “Woman, surrender yourself immediate- ly !” exclaimed the colonel. “T will not.” “Sergeant Downing,” said the colonel, turning quietly to one of his men, “ enforce the surrender of that woman.” The sergeant touched his cap respectfully, stepped briskly out from among his com- rades, and confronted the scornful and inac- cessible quadroon. “J will ask you to surrender three times,” said the sergeant; “if you refuse, or deign no answer to the last question, I will shoot you. ” “One question will be. quite se 4 said Judith. The sergeant made no answer, but quietly cocked his rifle, primed, and brought the butt to his shoulder, with the muzzle pointed at her. “Once—surrender !” he exclaimed. She made no answer. “Thoice—surrender !” No answer. After a long interval: “Thrice—surrender !” No answer. The threatening gun was kept upraised for a long time, and then lowered without being discharged. “Ha! ha! ha!’ laughed the mocking woman, in derision. “ Unhappy being !” exclaimed Cleaveland, with horror, and yet with an unconscious admiration of her bravery, “what motive GoOmicbdooks: (C@)