Mountain Home Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1915-1946, 1924-01-04

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men was as though he had been
struck. But with Silver the blow
passed almost instantly. Every
thought OF his soul had been set full
stretch, like a racer, on that money;
we'll, he was brought up in a single
second, dead; and he kept his head,
found his temper, and changed his
plan before the others had had time
to realize the disappointment.
jim he whispered, take that
and stand by for trouble"
And he passed me double-bar-
relied pistol.
AT the same time he began quietly
moving northward and in few
steps had put the hollow between us
two and the other five Then, he
looked at me and nodded as much
as to say Here is narrow corner"
as, indeed, / thought it was. His
looks were now quiet frinedly, and
| was so revolted at these constant
changes that ! could not forbear
whispering; 80 you've changed sides
again"
There was no time left for him
to answer The buccaneers, with oaths
md cries. began to leap one after
another, into the pit, and to dig with
their fingers, throwing the boards
side as they did so. Morgan found a
piece of gold. He held it up with a
perfect spout of oaths. 1t was two
guinea piece, and it went from hand
70 hand among them for a quarter OF
minute
1.-TWO guineas!" roared Merry,
shaking it at Silver That's your
seven hundred thousand pounds, is
{? You're the man for bargains,
amt you? You're him that never
bungled nothing, you wooden-hea
hubert"
dig away, boys, said Silver. with
the coolest insolenee; you'll find
'ome pig-nuts, and | shouldn't Won
Ter"
"Pig-nuts!" repeated Merry, in
scream. Mates do you hear that?
ell you now, that man there knew
it all along. Look in the face OF
aim, and you'll see IL wrote there"
"Ah, Merry" remarked Silver.
standing for cap'n again? You're
l pushing lad, to be sure"
But this time everyone was en-
irely in Merry's favor. They began
o scramble out of the excavation,
arting furious glances behind them
one thing l observed which looked
well for US; they all got out upon
he opposite side from Silver.
Well, there we stood, two on one
ide, FIVE on the other, the pit be-
ween us, and nobody screwed up
nigh enough to- offer the first blow.
Silver never moved. he watched
them, very upright on his crutch,
md looked as cool as ever l saw him.
lie was brave, and no mistake.
At last, Merry seemed to think a
ipeech might help matters.
Mates" says he, there's two of
hem alone there; ones the old Grip
lie that brought us all here and
Numbered us down to this; the
TIERS that cub that / mean to have
he heart of. Now, mates"
He was raising his arm and his
voice, and plainly meant to lead a
aharge. But just then crack
crack crack three musket-shots
flashed out of the thicket. Merry
umbled head-foremost into the ex-
eayation the man with the bandage
spun around like teetotum, and
fell all his length upon HIS side,
where he lay dead, but still witch
ing; and the other three turned and
ran for it with all their might.
Before you could wink Long John
had fired two barrels of pistol in
to the struggling Merry. and as the
man rolled up his eyes atN,rfm in Che
last agony, George" said he, II
reckon | settled you
At the same moment the doctor,
Gray, and Ben Gum Joined u.s. with
smoking muskets, from among the
nutmeg trees.
Forward" cried the doctor. 'Dou
BILE quick, my lads. We must head
EN- off the boats"
And we set off at a great pace,
sometimes plunging through the
bushes to the chest.
tell you, but Silver was anxious
10. keep un with us. The work that
nan went through, leaping on his
crutch till the muscles of his chest
were tit to burst, was work no sound
man ever eqUaled; and so thinks the
doctor. AS II was, he was already
thirty yards behind us, and on the
verge OF strangling, when we reached
the brow of the slope.
Doctor" he hailed "see there! no
hurryl'
cure bbOuBA litfIt Ndo nv AANf
In a more open part OF the plateau
we could see the three survivors still
running for Mizzen-mast HILL We
were already between them and the
boats, and so we four sat down to
breathe, while Long John, hopping
his face, came slowly up with us.
THANK we kindly, doctor" says
he "You came in in about the nick,
( guess for me and Hawkins. And
20 it's you, Ben Gunnl" he added.
well, you're a nice one, 70 be sure
I'm Ben Gum, / am, replied the
maroon, wriggling like an eel In his
embarrassment. "And," he added,
after a long pause, how do, Mr.. Sil-
vert Pretty well, thank ye, says
you"
ben, Ben" murmured Silver, TO
think as you've done me-"
The doctor sent back Gray for one
of the pick-axes. deserted, in their
flight, by the mutineers; and then
we proceeded leisurely downhill to
where the boats were lying, and the
doctor related IN few words, what
had taken Mace 1t was a story that