The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-04-13

that stood under the glare OF the Wlndo"
came my dear mistress running.
"All safe. Jackl But WHAT She drew
back from ouristrange equipage-
IAN in good time Firsts tell mellow
came the freT'
"Why, foul work, asdt seems. ALI know
is was sleeping, and awoke.to hear the black
seaman hammering on my door. Jumping
up. l found the room full Of smoke, and es-
caned The rooms beneath, they say, were
stuffed with straw, and the yard outside
heaped also with straw, and blazing. Ben
Halliday found two oil jars lying there'-
care the horses outF'
aOh, Jack-I do not know! Shame On me
to forget them"
I ran towards the stable Already the roof
was ablaze, and the straw yard beyond, a
very furnace. Rushing in | found the two
horses covering il their stalls, bathed in
sweat, and squealing But twas all fright.
So fetched Molly's saddle and spoke to her,
and set it across her back, and the sweet
thing was quiet IN moment, turning her
head to rub my sleeve gently with her muz-
zle, and followed me out like a lamb. The
bay gave more trouble, but 1 soothed him in
the same manner, and, patting his neck, led
him, too, into safety.
had fastened the horses by the gate and
was ready to join in the work when a shout
was raised:
BILLY! Where's Billy Pottery! Has any
seen the shpperp
Sure" I called, you don't say he was
never alarmed"
''Black Sampson was in his room-where's
Black SampsonE'
Here I be!n cried voice. ''To be sure |
woke the skipper before any o ye"
Then where's he hide Did any see him
come outg'
Now, that we have notr answered one or
two.
I stood by the house door shouting these
questions to the men inside, when a hand was
laid on my arm, and there in the shadow
waited Billy himself, with a mighty curious
twinkle in his eye. He put a finger up and
signed that I should follow.
We passed round the outbuildings where,
three hours before, Matt. Soaues and had
hid together. was minded TO stop and pull
on my boots, that were hid here; but (and
this was afterwards the saving Of me- on
second thought let them lie, and followed
Billy, who now led me ont the postern gate.
Without speech we stepped across the turf,
be a pace or two ahead. A night breeze was
blowing here, delicious after the heat of the
fire. We were walking quickly towards the
east side of the headland, and soon the blaze
behind flung our shadows right to the cliffs
edge, for which Billy made straight, as if to
fling himself over.
But when, at the very verge, he pulled up,
7 al ?
iron bar driven into the soil, and to it a stout
rope knotted, that ran over a block and dis
appeared down the cliff. l knelt, and, pull
ing at it softly, looked up. 1t came easy in
the hand.
Billy, with the glare in his face, nodded
and, bending to my ear, for once achieved a
whisper.
Saw one stealing lutheran followed. A
man Wi a limp foot-went over the side like
a cat"
must have appeared to doubt this good
fortune, for he added:
''Be a truth speakin' man i the main, Jack
lay over pom my belly, and spied ledge
fifty feet down or less-reckon there be a
way thence 30 the foot. Dear, now what a
rampin', tearin' sweat is thisr'
For, as fast as l could tug, was hauling ur
the rope Nearly sixty feet came up before
l reached the end-a thick twisted knot.
rove a long moose, pulled it over my head and
shoulders, and made Billy understand he was
to lower me-
Sit / the moose, lad, an hold round the
knot For sign to hoist again, tug the rope
hard. can hold"
He paid it out carefully while / stepped to
the edge. With the moose around my loins
l thrust myself gently over, and in a trice
hung swaying.
On three sides the sky comprised me-wild
and red, save where TO eastward the dawn
was paling; on the fourth the dark rocky
face seemed gliding upward as Billy lowered
Far below heard the wash of the sea, and
could Just spy the white spume of it glimmer
ing. 1t stole some Of the heart out Of ne
and 1 took my eyes OF it.
Some feet below the top, the cliff fetched g
slant inward, 50 that l dangled a full three
feet out from the face. As boy l had ad
veutured something of this sort on the NORTH
sides of Gable and the Pillar, and once after
a nest Of eagletsN on the MicEledore cliffs; bu1
then twas daylight. Now, though | saw the
ledge under me, about a third of the way
down. it looked, in the darkness, to be so ex
tremely narrow that It's probable l should
have called out to Billy to draw me up but
for the certainty that he would never hear
so, instead, l held very tight and wished il
over.
Down I swayed Billy letting out the rope
very steady, and at last swung myself IN
ward to the ledge, gained q footing and tool
a glance round before slipping OF the rope.
l stood on a shelf of sandy rock that wound
round the cliff some way TO my left and then
as ! thought, broke sharply away. 'Twa
mainly about a yard in width but in places
no more than two feet In the growing light
I noted the face Of the headland ribbed with
several of these lodges, of varying length
but all followed away underneath las l sup
pose by the sea in former ages, SO that the
cliffs summit overhung the base by a great
way, and peering over l saw the waves creep
Ing right beneath ME.
Now all this while I had not let Master
Tngcomb out of my mind. SO l slipped of
the rope and left it dangle, while ! crcpt for
ward to explore, keeping well against The
rock and planting my feet with great caution
/ believe | was twenty minutes taking q!
many steps, when at the point where the
ledge broke Off / saw the ends Of an iron lad
der sticking I'D. and close beside il a great
hole in the rock, which till now the curve OF
the cliff had hid The latter no doubt stood
on a second shelf below.
I was pausing TO consider this, when s
bright raw streamed across the sea towards
me. and the red rim Of the sun rose out of the
waters. outfaclng the glow on the headland
and rendlng the film Of smoke that hung Ike
a curtain about the horizon. Twas as If by
alchemy that the red rIppleS melted TO gold
and / stood watching with a child delight.
heard the sound OF q footstep, and faced
round.
Before me. not six PAGES of, stood Hanni
bal TingComb
He was Issuing from the hole with a sacL
on his shoulder, and sueaSing 10 descend the
steps, when he threw glance behInd--anc
saw me!
NnIthar s.A-.a WI q fana croN Is nsha-