Waterbury evening Democrat., 1906-01-11

Hood aCds bent oper the chests.
 ural and become merely human and prosaic.
 Here was one of our determined foes perambulating within the precincts of our hold, and even admitted to that privy place near which the hoard of treasure lay. Slowly and with great caution we followed. Our naked feet made no sound, but it was difficult to grope ones way in the darkness. Our direction lay round the castle walls and toward the drum towers, and it was upon the flight of stairs mounting to the guardroom in the northern tow CT that we came presently. The door at the top of this staircase stood ajar, and, proceeding with still greater care, we climbed up and looked through the chinks.
 A lantern, newly lit and shedding a dull glow through the opaque glasses, was 'set upon the floor and cast the long. black shadow of man against the wall. He was standing near the short. deep embrasure that yawned in the massive stone walls of the drum tower, scrutinizing the valley below What could he be there for? AS wondered turning over the circum- stances in my excited mind he stoOp- E ed, and picking up the lantern, thrust 1t into the window. waving 1t from side to side. l suppose this was in re- sponse to some signal from the valley but paid little heed to it aN the time being suddenly interested in a recogni tion. It was Hood.
 I will confess that the Identification of tbat unmistakable lean body and black head filled me with sudden dis quietude of which it would have beeL hard to give the reason. The very si lence of the man sowed fear and mis- trust in my heart. And so it was that instead of breaking from our hiding 'rpldte and seizing the ihiphdenr in- truder l put hand on Montgomery and constrained him to retire with me into the lower passages. We concealed ourselves in one of the side galleries and there awaited Hoods return. for that he would return had no doubt Evidently he and SercomLe communi- cated with each other by means of flashing lights. and it was equally evi- dent that Sercombe's signal must have been to postpone action. could see pretty plainly the method Hood intend. ed to adopt. He was to admit the marauders 10 the castle by lowering the drawbridge and raising the port cullis, after which they would have the three of Us at their mercy. But the presence of the police in the neigh borhood had saved us from that fate for one night at least, and. thanks to Montgomery's quick ears, it would be strange if We did not manage to put another face on the position by the morrow.
 was right in my conjecture, for shortly afterward we heard the re- turning feet sound along the stones. He passed the end of our passage holding his lantern before him, and when he had disappeared we hurried out into the corridor and sped after him. Once we saw the spot of light that glowed in the vicinity of that shadow pause and waver. I dare say that some sound had caught his ear. and he turned and listened. We shrank into the protection of the wall until the footsteps had resumed their way By this time 1 had guessed his errand. or at least his destination. He was. bound for the treasure chamber in the keep and had probably come from there previously Possibly 1t had been his hiding place Here again my as- sumption proved correct. and we watched him open the cupboard in the wall and vanish like an expert. lantern and all. into the abyss.
 We must take him tonight" said to Montgomery. ''It won't do to let him get out Of range"
 Montgomery nodded and. cautiously approaching. pulled open the door in the wall Drawing himself up, he clambered through the space and slid down into the farther room. making wonderfully small noise for SO huge a body. followed. But Hood was not in the lower rO1m-at least there was no light 10 pierce the utter darkness and moreover. think we both knew that he was in tine loft above us. To-: gether we crawled up the steps and once more looked in through the friend ly aperture of door upon the chief of our bitter enemies Hood. kneeling up- on the floor. was lent over the chests which contained the treasure Suddenly he started and lifted his: head It may have been that the door creaked. or perhaps he caught the sound of oar breathing All know is that the next moment. and just as MOateOnery Ieaped forward at stride UTSDu LID. he put out his arm and with. d swift movement overturned the Ian tern The room YVES at once plunged. TB darkness. dzrkness % thick and grzveIfke that 1t was incretlihIe- Eter- nal night dWeIf and bTOo5ei in those rayISs dungeons and sbe rtSunesI her empire g7sesiiiy from that meek. Usarp- ing candle M01tE0D@yls rush carried him to the corner where the t-oxex lzy.