The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-07-31

oame in. and the old woman had met Black
| Jnck running as hard as he was ut from our
house to Cases. Una neither spoke nor
stopped, but lit right out to come and warn
me- She was so close at my heels that the
lantern was her guide across the beach. and
nftoryard. by the glimmer OF IL in the trees.
she got her line uphill, II was only when had
got TO tho ton or was In tho cellar that she
wandered-Lord knows where land lost
sipbt Of nreoious time. afraid TO call out lest
Case was at the heels of her. and failing in the
hush 40 that sbe was nil KIN cd and bruised.
| Tint must bave boon when she got too far to
tho southward. and how she came to take mo
in tho flank at Inst and friebten me beyond
| what I've got the words to toll Of
We'll. ANYTHING was better than n devil
woman. hut 7 thought her yarn serious
enough. black Jack had no call to be about
| NV bouse unJoss be was set there to witch
and IL looked TO mo as II nv tomfool word
| ahout tho naint and nerhaps some chatter OF
| Maoa's. had got us oil In a Glove hitch. Ono
thing was clear. Uma and were here for the
| night: we daren't try to 90 home before day
| and even then a. would be safer To strike
| round I'M tho mountain and come in by the
| back of the village. or wa might walk into m
| ambuscade II was plain. too. that the mine
should be sprunp inn ediately, or Case might
| be in time To atom II.
| 1 marched into tho tunnel Uma keepinR
tight hold OF mo. opened my lantern and lit
| tho match The first length Of It burned like
| n spill OF paper, and stood STUPID, watching
| It burn. md thinking wa were going aloft with
| Tiapolo. which was none OF nv views. Thu
second took to a better rate, though better than
| I cared about: and at that got m wits again
hauled Una cloar OF the passage, blew out and
| dronped tho lantern and the mir of us proped
our wny into the hush until thou cht IL might
| be safe and lay down together by n tree.
"Old lady," said, II won't forget this
| night. You're n trump. and that's Nhat's
wrong with YOU"
She bumped herself close IN to ma. She Ind
run out the way she was. with nothing on her
| but her kilt. and she was all wet with the dews
and tho sea on the black beach, and shook
| straight on with cold and the terror OF the
dark and the devils.
TOO much 'fraid." was all she said.
Tho far side of Cases hill goes down near as
| steep as precipice into the next valley We
| were on tho very edge of it. and could see the
| dead wood shine and hear the sen rsound far
below. didn't care about tho position. which
left mo no retreat, but was afraid to change,
Then saw had made worse mistake about
the lantern. which should have loft lipbtsd
SO that could have had crack at Case when
he stepped into the shine Of 1t. And since I
| hadn't had the wit t0 do that n cd n
senseless thing n leave the good ,.ntarn 80
blow up with the craven Images Tho thina
belonped 70 mo aftar nil and .,.s ,ron.s
monev, and mgh, coma In handy Tfr oonIa
have trusted the match T might bava nm IN
| still and rescned n Rnt who Mao goina -
| trust the mntrh2 Won tnnw what tad 10
| The stuff was good enough for Kanakas to 90
fishing with where they've got to look lively
| any way, and the most they risk is only to have
| their hand blown off But for anv ono TIN :
wanted to fool around a blow.up like m ina
| that match was rubbish.
Altogether tho best could do was 70 liz
still, see my shotgun handy. and wait for tho
explosion. But it was solemn kind n, a bue-
mess. The blackness or tbe night was i'll.
solid: the only thing YOU could ace was tho
nasty bogy climmer Of the dead wood and
| that showed YOU nothing hut itself. and nc Tor
sounds, l stretched nv ears till I Thought
could have heard the match burn in the tim.
mel, and that bush was as silent as A CONN.
\ Now and then there was bit OF a crack: Init
| whether it was near or far. whether n was