The Holly chieftain., 1899-04-14
CHAPTER XIV.
Sii-hi LIN ~ "
THE HAND OF BABETTE,

|
| 1 lay for time where l had been
flung, overwhelmed with the disaster.
| Then a frenzy came on me, and, but
for the gag in my mouth, could have
screamed out curses on my folly in al
lowing myself to be trapped like Wild
cat. Now that think of it, in the mad
ness of those moments, l did not pray
to the God who had so often and so re-
peatedly helped me; yet in His mercy
and goodness l was freed from my
straits, as will be shown hereafter.
In the meantime / was so securely
bound that it was all but impossible to
move, and the bandage over my eyes
prevented me from seeing anything.
writhed and twisted like serpent on
the wet flags, where lay, and in the
violence of my struggles gradually
moved the bandage, so that my eyes
were at last set free, and then, eX-
hausted by my efforts and half choked
by the gag, l became still once more
and looked around me. For all ! could
see l might have been as before-I was
| in blank, absolute darkness. Into the
void l peered, but could make out moth
| ing, though l could hear my own Ia
bored breathing and the melancholy
drip, drip" of water as it oozed from
above me and fell in sullen drops on
the slime below.
AS l strained into the velvet black OF
| the darkness, it came to me, some
fiend must have whispered it. that
was blind. My mind almost ceased
to work at the thought, and remained
in kind of torpor, trying in veal
manner TO mentally count the drops o.
water by the dull splashing sound they
made in falling. Ages seemed TO pass
as l lay there, and the first sense of
coming to myself was the thought
of Claude, whom / had lost, and the
quick agony of this made my other
suffe4ings seem as nothing. There is a
misery that words, at least such words
as l am master of, cannot picture and
! will therefore say no more of this.
\ little thing, however, now hap
pened, and but for this l might have
lain where was until died, so entirely
| Impressed was l with the idea that [
was sightless. In utter WEAKNESS |
turned my head to one side, and saw
two small beads of fire twinkling about
a yard or so from me. They were as
small as the far-away stars, and they
stared at me fixedly. This is some de-
ception of the mind" 1 thought to my
self, when suddenly another pair of
fiery eyes appeared; then there was a
slight shuflling, and all was still. But
it was the saving of me. Sight and
hearing could not both deceive. knew
what they We're. and knew, too, that
l was not blind. From that moment 1
began to regain possession of my fnc-
ulties and to think of means of escape.
In my vest pocket was a small clasp
knife. If 1 could but get at that could
free myself from my bonds. That at
any rate had to be the first step. | be-
gan to slowly move my arms up and
down with view to loosening the
cords that bound me; but after some
time spent in this exercise, realized the
fact that the ropes might cut through
me, but that they would not loosen.
Then it struck me, in my eagerness to
be free, that might get at the knots
with my teeth; and by n mighty effort /
raised myself I'd a sitting posture, only
to remember that was gagged, and
that it was Of no avail to think Of this
plan. There are those who will smile
perhaps If their eyes meet this, and
put me down in their estimation for
fool for my forgetfulness. That NAV
or may not be; but have written down
exactly what happened.
fro Br coNrrNurn1