The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1902-03-28
7 z. = A SU X T.
ISLAND -: :: ::::::::::|

rupted by a noise. I 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 horrd, long-drawn
scream. The rocks of the Spy glass re-
echoed it a score of times; the whole
troop of marsh birds rose again, dark
ening heaven, with a simultaneous
Whlr; and long after that death yell
was still ringing in my brain, silence
had reestablished its empire and only
the rustic Of the redescending birds
and the boom Of the distant surges dis
turbed the dangour Of the afternoon.
Tom had leaped at the sound like 81
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 snake
about to spring.
Joint" said the sailor, stretching
out his hand
Hands off, cried Silver, leaping
back yard, as it seemed to me, with
the speed and security of trained
| gymnast. Too
Hands off, if you like, John Silver"
SAID the other. Its black conscience
that can make you feared of me- But
IN Heavens name, tell me what was
! that?"
!"That?" returned Silver, smiling
away, but warier than ever, his eye
mere pin-point in his big face but
cleaning like crumb of glass.
That? Oh, I reckon that'll be Alan"
And at this poor Tom flashed out like
a hero.
"Alan! he cried. "Then rest his
soul for true seaman! And as for
you, John Silver long you've been
q 70 Of WHY l&,,&
no more. If l die like dog, I'll die in
my dooty. You've killed Alan, have
YOU? Kill me. too, if you can But 1
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 a 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
1leW UP, he gave 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 recover. Silver, agile as
| a monkey, even without leg or crutch,
was on the top Of him the next moment,
| and had twice buried his knife up to
the hilt In that defenseless body. From
my place of ambush I could hear him
pant loudly as he struck the blows.
| DO not know what it rightly is to
faint, but I do know that for the next
| little while the whole world swan
away from before me III whirling
mist; Silver and the birds and the tall
Spy-glass hilltop, going round and
| round and topsy turvy before my eyes,
and all manner of bells ringing and dis
tant voices shouting in my ears.
When came again to myself, the
monster had pulled himself together,
| his crutch under his arm his hat upon
his head. Just before him Tom lay
| motionless upon the sward; but the
murderer minded him not a whit,
cleansing his blood stained knife the
| while upon whisp of grass Every
! thing else was unchanged, the sun still
SHINING mercllessly on the streaming
marsh and the tall pinnacle Of the
mountain, and 1 could scarce persuade
myself that murder had actually been
| done, and a human life cruelty cut
snort moment since before my eyes.
but now John put his hand into his
pocket. brought out a whistle and blew
upon It several modulated blasts, that
rang far across the heated air. 1 could
not tell, of course, the meaning of the
signal, but it instantly awoke my fears.
More men would be coming. might
be discovered. They had already slain
Two OF the honest people; after Tom
and Alan, might not come next?
instantly began to extricate myself
and crawl back again, with what speed
ana silence could manage, to the more
open portion Of the wood. AS I did SO,
l could hear halls coming and going
between the old buccaneer and his
comrades, and this sound of danger
lent me wings. AS soon as 1 was clear
OF the thicket ran as l never ran be-
fore, scarce minding the direction of
my flight so long as it led me from the
murderers; and as I ran, fear grew
and grew upon me, until it turned into
q kind of frenzy
indeed, could any one be more entire
~ lost than I? When the gun fired.
how should dare go down to the boats
among those t1ends, 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,
and therefore of my fatal knowledge?
It was all over. thought. Goodby to
The Hispaniola; goodby to the squire,
the doctor and 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,I was still
running. and, without taking any no.
tice. | had drawn near 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 were a few scattered pines
| some SO. some nearly 70 feet high The
air. too, smelled more freshly than
! down beside the marsh.
And here a fresh alarm brought me
to a standstili with athumping heart
| CHAPTER XIV.