Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1899-05-05
An Eton Boy.

u :
me most certainly, as they seemed to
have other views for poor Tom in the
Southern States.
1--WE have had long spell Of this, !"
said he, in a low voice. Il am going
to escape, II I can. y
Escape! but how" 4es
II don't know exactly how yet; but
we must first have our lashings cast
OF. IA, .E. zt5.5s a. \, u 4. tg.sjl
Would to heaven they were. Tom.
My hands are so swollen and my
wrists so cut and benumbed that my
arms are well-nigh powerless," I
whispered in low voice, like groan.
"Sit with me here, In the shadow Of
this angle of rock; and now, as the
darkness is fairly set in, ] shall soon
make you free" ,s3.l 3
BY rapid and skillful application
Of his strong teeth to the cord, which
| bound my wrists. he UNFINISHED the
knot and freed my hands; and then in
the suddenly-given luxury of being
able to stretch my arms, / almost for
got the necessity for concealing the
fact that I was now unbound.
i soon found an opportunity for un-
tying Toms letters. Then we kept
our hands clasped before us. waited
and hoped-we scarcely knew for what
while in the further end of this In
ner cave, our detainers sat sullenly
smoking, and, by the dim lantern light,
making up cigaritos from their tobacco
pouches and those little rice-paper
books which are now procurable nearly
everywhere.
From the conversation Of our captors
l could gather that our brig, the Eu-
genie, was visible at anchor In the
roadstead Of Santa Cruz, mile or SO
distant. %.;o~
Three of these Spaniards had placed
their muskets against the wall OF rock
and seemed disposed to doze on to
Sleep. % "
Close by us lay the plank which
crossed that dread ventana, like the In
fernal bridge OF Poulsherro, which the
Mahommedans believe crosses the sea
of fire that on the day Of doom shall
separate Good from Evil. Tom and
looked at it and exchanged glances OF
intelligence from time to time, but
the attempt to rush across might prove
doubly fatal to one or both. A slip
of the foot would hurl us into eternity;
and If the passage were achieved we
would be exposed to the fire of those
we fled from and met by that of the
armed man at the mouth of the
grotto.
Thus our position and its perlls were
somewhat complicated.
Suddenly the distant report of a
piece of ordnance, coming from the
seward, made lis look up and list
en-.
eel ruido que hace ell canon" (the
crack Of gum, exclaimed a Spaniard,
scrambling up to the lower end Of
the assure in the arch of the grotto,
and looking out.
1--WE all know that we'll enough; but
what does it mean?" asked the other.
The English brig at the anchorage
has fired it. I see light glittering on
her deck; and now away 1t goes up to
the foremost head" 5'.s> s.
1T is the Eugene, Master Rodney"
whispered Tom. al. ..@ 81,
Can the captain be about to sail to-
highland without u.s." said l, with
growing dismay. ....
! mo; but he is impatient for us to
come off,. He knows well what a tar
nal slippery set of imps these Jack
Spaniards are, and has shown light
and fred gun as a hint for US to
look sharp" 80 II
"Companero," said one of the Span
iards to the other, who was looking
out, ARE you sure that it is the Eng
lish brig and not ours?"
| yes; but by st. Paul! there Is q
light burning now on the Castle de
Santa Cruz; SO our craft had better get
her sweeps out and put to sea. even
without us. Can the Senior Goberna-
dor have smelt q rat?"
This announcement, though we knew
not what 1t referred to, had an evident
effect on our captors, who were proba-
bly, part of slaver's crew; for they
all scrambled up to the opening in the
rocks to look out.
Nov, now Is the time to slip our
cables and run. Follow mel" said
Tom .Lambourne, in q hoarse but de-
termined whisper, as he sprang for
ward, snatched up two OF the muskets
and rushed across the plank, tripping
as lightly as he would have done along
q boom or yard, though it crossed a
gulf 80 terrible. 3.
4 Less steadily, but not less rapidly.
you may be assured---yet with q frozen
heart-I followed him, and his hard,
tarry hand was ready to grasp mine
and dragged me forward into safety,
while with violent kick he tossed the
plank away, and surgins, down it went
into the black gulf We had crossed.
1 It vanished IN q moment, and no
sound ever ascended, for It seemed to
have fallen into . pit that was as dark
a. 1t was bottomless.
"Take this musket, and see that
you can use It, sir" said Tom, as an
emotion OF bravado seized him. "And
SO, you, Spanish greenhorns!" he
shouted, you thought to sell me. for
La niger to the Yankees, did you!
Whoop! hurrah!" rs
"A volley of Spanish oaths followed
this rash outburst, which drew their
attention at once upon us. Some
rushed to the dark brink, and paused
l suppose, for neither Tom nor