Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1897-12-09
CHAPTER XIV.
THE FIRST BLOW.

was 80 pleased at having given the
slip to Long John that began 10 enjoy
myself and look around me with some
interest on the strange land that was
in.
had crossed marshy tract full OF
willows, bulrushes, and odd outland-
sh. swampy trees, and had now come
OUT upon the skirts Of an open piece o.
undulating, sandy country. about q
mile long, dotted with few pines, and
great number of contorted trees, MOI
unlike the oak in growth, but pale IL
the foliage, like willows. On the fan
side of the open stood oUe of the hills,
wits two quaint. craggy peaks, shining
wildly in the sun.
now felt for the first time the joy
OF exploration The isle WAS uuinhab-
tied; my shipmates l had left behind.
and nothing lived in front of me bur
dumb brutek and fowls. turned
hitler and thither among the trees
Here and there were lowering plants
unknown TO me; here and there l saw
snakes. and one raised his head from
a ledge Of a rock and Kissed at me with
a noise not unlike the spinning Of a
top. Little did suppose that he was :
deadly enemy. and that the noise was
the famous rattle.
Then came TO 4 long thicket Of these
oak-like trees-iiye or evergreen, oaks.
| heard afterward hey should be called
which grew low along the sand like
brambles. the boughs curiously twist
ed. the foliage compact, like thatch
The thicket stretched down from thv
top one OF the sandy knobs, spreading
and growing taller as it went, until il
reached the margin OF the broad, reedy
fen. through which the nearest of the
little rivers soaked its way into the an
chorage. The marsh was steaming IN
the strong sun. and the outline OF the
Spy-glass trembled through the haze.
All at once there began to go a sort Of
hustle among the bulTushes; wild
duck Jew up with quack, another fol
lowed. and soon over the whole surface
of the marsh great cloud of birds
hung screaming and circliug in the
air. judged at once that some of my
shipmates must be drawing near along
The borders Of the fen. Nor was de-
ceived; for soon | heard the very dis.
tant and low tones of a human voice,
which as / continued to give ear, rrcv
steadily louder and nearer.
This put me in grea Ie.r, aud /
crawled under cover Of tie nearest live.
oak and squatted there, hoarkening. as
silent as mouse.
Another voice answered; and then
the first voice, which nov recognized
to be Silver's. once more took up the
story and ran on for a long while in i
stream, only now and again interrupt
ed by the other. BY the sound they
must have been talking earnestly, and
almost tiercely; but no distinct word
rame TO my hearing
At last the speakers seemed to have
caused, and perhaps TO have sat down:
for not only did they cease TO draw any
nearer. but the birds themselves began
to grow more quiet, and to settle again
to their places in the swamp.
And now l began to feel that l was
neglecting my business; that since
had been so foolhardy as to come ashore
with these desperadoes, the least /
could do was to overhear them at their
councils; and my plain and obvious
duty was to draw as close as l could
manage, under the favorable ambush
Of the crouching trees.
could tell the direction of the speak
ers pretty exactly, not only by the
sound of their voices. but by the be-
harior of the few birds that still hung
in alarm above the heads of the in
truders.
Crawling on all-fours, l made
steadily but slowly toward them; till
at last. raising my head TO an aperture
among the leaves. could see clear
down into a little green dell beside the
marsh, and closely set about with trees.
where Long John Silver and another
of the crew stood face to face in con
versation.
The sun beat full upon them. Silver
HAD fhrrxs.r his haT bacf1a hin, On ~