Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1898-10-13

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course.
This brought me near to where en-
| countered Ben Gum, the maroon, and
walked more circumspectly, keeping
an eye on every side. The dusk had
come nigh hand completely, and, as Z
opened out the cleft between the two
| peaks, l became aware of a waver-
ing glow against the sky, where, as
| judged, the man of the island was cook
ing his supper before q roaring fire.
! And yet l wondered, in my heart, that
he should show himself so careless.
| For if L could see this radiance, might
it not reach the eye of Silver himself
where he camped upon the shore
among the marshes?
Gradually the night fell blacker; it
was all 1 could do to guide my
self even roughly toward my des-
tination; the double hill behind me
and the Spy-glass on my right
hand loomed faint and fainter;
the stars were few and pale; and in
the low ground where 1 wandered l
kept tripping among the bushes and
rolling into sandy pits.
Suddenly kind of brightness fell
about me. l looked up; pale glim-
mer of moonbeams had alighted on the
summit of the Spy-glass, and soon aft
er l saw something broad and silvery
moving low down behind the trees,
| and knew the moon had risen.
With this to help me l passed rapid
| ly over what remained to me of my
| journey; and, sometimes walking,
| sometimes running, impatiently drew
near to the stockade. Yet, as I began
to thread the grove that lies before it,
1 was not so thoughtless but that 1
| Stacked my pace and went trife war
lily. 1t would have been a poor end to
my adventures to get shot down by
my own party in mistake.
The moon was climbing higher and
higher; its light began to fall here and
there in masses through the more
open districts of the wood, and right in
front of me a glow of different color
appeared among the trees. 1t was red
and hot, and now and again it was a
little darkened-as it were the embers
Of a bonfire smoldering.
For the life of me l could not think
what IL might be.
At last 1 came right down upon the
borders of the clearing. The western
end was already stepped in moonshine;
the rest, and the block-house itself, still
lay in a black shadow, checkered with
long silvery streaks of light. On the 9TH
er side of the house an immense fire had
burned itself into clear embers, and
Hu
trasted strongly with the mellow pale
ness of the moon. There was not
soul stirring, nor a sound beside the
noises of the breeze.
l stopped, with much wonder in my
heart, and perhaps a little terror also.
1t had not been our way to build great
fires; we were, indeed, by the cap
tain's orders, somewhat niggardly of
firewood; and l began to fear that
something had gone wrong while l
was absent.
1 stole round by the eastern end,
keeping close in shadow, and at con-
venient place where the darkness was
thickest, crossed the palisade.
To make assurance surer, got upon
my hands and knees, and crawled, with
out word, toward the corner of the
house. AS I drew nearer, my heart
was suddenly and greatly lightened.
1t was not a pleasant noise in itself.
and l had often complained of it at
other times, but just then it was like
music to hear my friends snoring to-
gether so loud and peaceful in their
sleep. The sea-cry of the watch. that
;f,,1 Ill fou
reassuringly on my ear.
In the meantime, there was no doubt
Of one thing; they kept an infamous
bad watch. If it had been Silver and his
lads that were now creeping in on them,
not a soul would have seen daybreak.
That was what it was, thought I, to
have the captain wounded; and again
/ blamed myself sharply for leaving
them in that danger with so few to
mount guard.
BY this time had got to the door and
stood up. All was dark within, so that
l could distinguish nothing by the eye.
As for sounds, there was the steady
drone of the snorers, and small occa-
sional noise, fiickering or pecking that
l could in no way account for.
With my arms before me | walked
steadily in. I should lie down in nv
own place U thought, with a silent
chuckle) and enjoy their faces when
they found me in the morning. My
foot struck something yielding-it was
a sleeper's leg; and he turned and
groaned, but without awaking.
And then, all of a sudden, shrili
voice broke forth out of the darkness:
pieces of eight! pieces of eight
pieces of eight! pieces of eight! pieces
of eight" and so forth, without pause
or change, like the clacking of tiny
mill
Silver's green parrot, Capt. Flint! 1t
was She whom 1 had heard peclling at
piece of bark; it was she, keeping bet
ter watch than any human being who
thus announced my arrival with her
wearisome refrain.
l had no time left me to recover. At
the sharp, clipping tone of the parrot.