Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1902-03-29
ASH
ISLAND $50

And Their all of a sudden he was inter-
rupted by a noise. l had found one OF
the honest hands-well, here, at that
same moment, came news of another.
Far away out in the marsh there arose,
all of a sudden, a sound like the cry of
anger, then another on the back Of it;
and then one horrid, long-drawn
scream. The rocks of the Spy-glass re-
echoed 1t a score of times; the whole
troop Of marsh-birds rose again, dark
ening heaven, with q simultaneous
whir; and long after that death yell
was still ringing in my BRAIN, silence
a reestablished it's empire and only
the rustic OF the redescending birds
n the boom of the distant surges dis
turbed the dangour of the afternoon.
Tom had leaped at the sound, like a
horse at the spur: but Silver had not
winked an eye. He stood where he
was resting lightly on his crutch,
watching his companion like a snake
about to spring.
"John!" said the sailor, stretching
out his hand.
Hands Off" cried Silver, leaping
back q yard, as 1t seemed TO me, with
the speed and security of a trained
gymnast.
Hands off, If you like, John Silver"
said the other. ITS q black conscience
tANek AAAh wv 4LNolS VI lAN bhA
In Heavens name, tell me what was
that?"
THAR" returned Silver, smiling
away, but warier than ever, his eye a
mere %pin-point in his big face, but
cleaning like a crumb of glass.
THAT? oh, / reckon thatll be Alan"
And at this poor Tom flashed out like
a hero.
Alan he cried. Then rest his
Gnnl for a frtYa caayaanf Avl ae For
you, John Silver, long you've been a
mate OF mine, but you're mate of mine
no more. If l die like a dog, I'll die in
my dooty. You've killed Alan, have
you? Kill me. too, if you can. But l
defies you"
And with that, this brave fellow
turned his back directly on the cook,
and set off walking for the beach. But
he was not destined to go far. With a
cry, John seized the branch of q tree,
whipped the crutch out of his armpit,
and sent that uncouth missile hurting
through the air. 1t struck poor Tom,
point foremost, and with stunning
violence, right between the shoulders
in the middle of his back. His hands
flew up, he gave a sort of gasp and
fell.
Whether he was injured much or
little none could ever tell. Like enough,
to judge from the sound, his back was
broken on the spot, but he had no time
given him to ecove Silver, agile as
a monkey, even without leg or crutch,
was on he top of him the next moment,
n had twice buried his knife up to
the hilt in.that defenseless body. From
my place of ambush l could hear him
pant loudly as he struck the blows.
l do not know what 1t rightly is to
rant but l do know that for the next
little while the whole world swan
away from before me in a whirling
mist; Silver and the birds and the tall
Spy-glass hilltop, going round and
round and topsy turvy before my eyes,
n all manne of bells ringing and dis
tant voices shouting in my ears.
When l came again to myself, the
monster had pulled himself together,
his crutch under his arm, his hal upon
his head. Just before him Tom lay
motionless upon the sward; but the
murderer minded hin not a whit,
cleansing his blood stained knife the
while upon a whisp OF grass. Every
thing else was unchanged, the sun still
shining mercilessly on the streaming
marsh and the tall pinnacle Of the
mountain, and / could scarce persuade
myself that murder had actually been
done, and Il human life cruelty cut
snort a since before my eyes.
But now John put his hand into his
pocket, brought out q whistle and blew
upon 1t several modulated blasts, that
rang far across the heated air. ] could
not tell, of course, the meaning Of the
signal, but 1t instantly awoke my fears.
More men would be coming. | might
be discovered. They had already slain
two of the honest people; after Tom
n Alan, might not | come next?
instantly i began to eXtricate myself
n crawl back again, with what speed
and silence j could manage, to the more
open portion or the wood. AS | did so,
/ could hear halls coming and going
between the old buccaneer and his
comrades, and this sound of danger
lent me wings. AS soon. as / was clear
or the thicket / ran as / never ran be-
fore, scarce minding the direction Of
my flight so long as it led me from the
murderers; and as | ran, fear grew
and grew upon me-, until it turned into
a kin Of frenzy.
Indeed, could any one be more entire
ly lost than |? When the gun fired,
how should dare go down to the boats
among those fiends, still smoking from
their crime? Would not the first of
them who saw me wiring my neck like
a snipe's? Would not my absence itself
be an evidence to them OF my alarm,
n therefore of my fatal knowledge?
1t was all over, / thought. Goodby to
The Hispaniola; goodby to the squire,
the doctor n the captain. There was
nothing left for me but death by. star
walton or death by the hands of the
mutineers.
All this while, as | say / was still
running, and, without taking any no
tice, l had drawn neal to the foot of
the little hill with the two peaks, and
had got into a part Of the island where
the wild oaks grew more widely apart,
and seemed more like forest trees in
their bearings and dimensions, Mingled
with these We're a few scattered pines.
some so, some. nearly 20 feet high. The
air, too, smelled more freshly than
down beside the marsh.
And here a fresh alarm brought me
to a ~standstill with athumping heart.