Show ra I 1 ae I 1 atagi itagi a at I 1 a I 1 tat a I avae P on on FA DICK DIP I 1 C K RODNEY RO B is W u UP 41 00 vr B v M i vy v y m 1 1 il u U in u in S ft 11 I 1 n or I 1 I 1 he Advent Adventure ut es of I 1 kb s 1 in 1 jj ra 41 in an eton boy j ua W h if 10 16 0 11 5 BY C w III ft C f C f 6 ca s C efa CHAPTER C continued bah bab said the spaniard grinning and showing a row of sharp white teeth under a dirty and sable mustache thoi though gh I 1 said so I 1 knew better A seldom has a gold watch like this he added displaying my gold repeater now we shall keep you and if this seaman atter after he has first sworn that lie he will not betray us does not return to us here with will within two hours hour atter after sunset par el here let c he made iric ide a dreadful vow in spanish we will toss you like a dead dog into the ventana kentana of the mountain look flown down and see what a journey is before you he added with a diabolical smile as he dragged me to the beetling edge of the chasm and forced me to look into it our eyes and now become so accustomed to the light of the gallery gall ery or grotto that the rays of sunshine e talling falling through the fissure above u us a were sufficient to disclose a portion ol of the tile vast profundity on the verge of 0 which we stood front from the earths womb far tar far down clown below there came upward a choking steam with a hollow buzzing sound which deepened at times to to a rumble this steam or mist rose and tell fell on the currents of air sometimes it sank so low that nothing but a black and dreary vold void met the eye which ached in attempting to pierce it anon the steam would rise in spiral curls from that gloomy bed below where doubtless the files dies of the now almost extinct volia iio seethe their embers in the waves of the ocean the words have mercy were on my lips but I 1 could not utter them nor would they have availed me ignorant 0 of what the ruffian said and believing lie he was about to thrust roe me in poor toni tom ram raebourne Lambo bourne in the fullness of his heart uttered a howl ot of dismay and at that moment the sentinel whom the gang had biad left at the entrance to their lurking place came hurriedly on with alarm expressed in his glittering eyes and a finger placed as a warning on his hairy bairy lip para paz Sl St lenzio hold peace silence he exclaimed and added that tour four officers from the garrison of santa cruz had dismounted in the ravine their horses and had seated themselves under a tree to j smoke this information was received by the band with oaths and mutterings rings of impatience and by us with mingled emotions of hope and assony aripe that they might b be the means of our I 1 ane ne or rescue ana t UL L alny to 0 now o that seeb means were so near and yet could avail us nothing for on the slightest sound round being made by either of 0 us there were the albacete knives of our captors on oil one land hand and the ventana kentana that awful ventana kentana on the other to insure forever the silence and oblivion of 0 the grave not the least of my sufferings was from the cord which secured my wrists already the skin was swollen cut and bleeding in consequence of the tightness with which these wretches had bound me CHAPTER XI sequel to our adventure for two hours they seemed an eternity to me it would appear the four spanish officers lingered over their wine ine flacks flasks and cigars in the wooded ravine their movements being duly reported from time to time by one of th the e laws who stole to tile the cavern mouth and peeped out at last they mounted and rode off when a fresh cause for wrath and delay was produced by the announcement that a wagon drawn by mules and attended by several laborers and nei negroes groes had bad broken down on all the road about a mile distant the irritation of our spaniards some of whom spoke of having a ship to join was now so great that I 1 feared they might end the whole affair by disposing of us in a summary manner this wagon being beilig heavily laden caused a delay for several hours the suns rays ceased to shine through the fissure above us the grotto drew dark by the increase of imperceptible shadows the dingy faces of our olive skin tied ned detainers retainers deta iners grew darker still and their impatience was only surpassed uy dy ours for we too had a ship to rejoin every minute of these hours every second of every minute passed slowly like a pang of agony in my heart and every feature of that natural vault through which the dying daylight stole with the faces and voices of the men whose victims we vve were and more than all the ceaseless and eternal buzz in the th C dark chasm that yawned dawned close by the ventana kentana ven tana or nostril of the alton are yet vet vividly impressed upon my memory at last the darkness was so great that a lantern was lighted and its wavering n gleams glean 18 as they s fell on 0 the crystals the spar quartz and glassy blaesy blocks of black obsidian and luddy lava which formed the walls and arch of the cavern on oil the dark ferocious visages vi sages the gaudy sashes gashes the naked arms and feet the scrubby black beards and brass mounted knives and muskets of the taciturn spaniards who sat in a sullen group smoking paper all added to the gloomy but picturesque horror ot of the place and ot of the incident antonio que hora es I 1 heard one say inquiring the time las neuve beuve y media companero half past nine replied the possessor of my gold watch which he consulted with considerable complacency Ilal dita growled the others knitting their brows for the dusk was rapidly becoming darkness and they had no desire for killing us its it we could be made profitable I 1 have often thought since that had tom actually procured and returned with the required ransom of 0 they would have pocketed it and then killed us its both me most certainly as they seemed to have other views for poor toni tom in the southern states we have had a long spell of 0 this said he in a low voice 1 I am going to escape if I 1 can escape but how bow 1 I dont know exactly how yet but we must first have haie our lashings cast off would to heaven they were tom my itly hands bands are so swollen and my wrists so cut and benumbed that my arms are well nigh powerless 1 I whispered in a low voice like a groan sit with fill me here in the shadow of 0 this angle of rock and now as the darkness is dahly set in I 1 shall soon malie make you tree free by a rapid and skillful skill tul application of his strong teeth to lo the ord which bound my wrists hp he untwisted the knot and freed my hands and then in the suddenly given luxury of being able to stretch my arms I 1 almost forgot the necessity for or concealing once aling the tact fact that I 1 was now unbound I 1 soon found an all opportunity for untying toms fetters lues we kept our hands clasped before us waited and hoped we scarcely knew for what while in the further end of this inner cave our detain retainers detainers deta iners ees sat sullenly smoking and by the dim lantern light making up from their tobacco pouches and those little rice paper books which are now able nearly evelynn everywhere here from the conversation of our captors I 1 could gather that our brig the eugenie was visible at anchor in the roadstead of santa cruz a mile or so distant three of these spaniards had placed their muskets against the wall of 0 rock and seemed disposed to doze off to sleep close by b us lay the plank which th at dread ventana kentana ven tana like the inert illert inu cri S U 1 o ct 9 so which the fernal bridge or of haq believe crosses the e be seiri of fire that on the day of doom shall I 1 separate good from evil tom and t 11 looked at it and exchanged glances ot ot intelligence from time to time but the attempt to lush 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 hed fled from and met by that of the armed man at the mouth ot of the g grotto thus our position and I 1 its ts perils were somewhat complicated suddenly the distant report of a piece of ordnance coming from the seaward made us its look up and listen el ruido que hace el canon the crack of a gun exclaimed a spaniard scrambling up to the lower end of the fissure in the arch of tile the grotto and looking out we all know that well enough but what does it mean asked the other the english brig at the anchorage has fired it I 1 see a light glittering on her deck and now away it goes up lip to the foremast lead head it is the eugenie eugenic taster master rodney whispered torn toni carl can the captain be about to sail tonight and without us said 1 I with will growing dismay no but he be Is impatient tor for us to come off lie he knows well what a no slippery set of imps these jack spaniards are and has shown a light and fired a gun as a hint tor for us to look sharp companero eald eaid one of the spaniards to the other who was looking out are you ure sure that it is the english brig and not ours yes but by st paul there Is a 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 senor goberna dor have smelt a rat this announcement though we knew not what it referred to had an evident effect on our captors cap lors who were probably part of a slavers clavers sl avers crew tor for they all scrambled up to the opening in the rocks to look out now now Is the time to slip our cables and run follow me inc said bald tom Lana La bourne in a hoarse but determined ter mined whisper as he sprang forward snatched up two of 0 the muskets and rushed across the plank tripping as lightly as he would have done along a boom or yard though ah it crossed a gulf so terrible less steadily but not less rapidly you may bo be assured yet with a frozen heart beart I 1 followed hint him and lil h hard i tarry hand was ready to grabp mine anti anil dragged me forward into safety while with a violent kick hick he tossed the che plank away and urging down it went into tile the black gulf we had crossed it vanis vanished lien in a moment and no sound bound ever ascended tor for it seemed to 10 have fallen into a pit that was as dark as it was bottomless take tin this s mus kt t and see sec that you can use it sir said tom as an emotion of bravado seized him and so you spanish greenhorns greenhorne green horns he shouted hh you thought to sell me for a to the yankees did you I 1 whoop hurrah A volley of spanish oaths followed this rash outburst which drew their attention at once upon us its some rushed to the dark brink and paused I 1 suppose for neither tom nor I 1 could see distinctly as there was a double explosion which filled the cavern with echoes like those of rolling thunder and a momentary glare of 0 smoky light while two musket balls whistled past us and I 1 felt one like a hot cinder as it grazed my left ear then came an albacete knife which was hurled by no erring hand tor for it wounded toms right knee give them a behot mr rodney said he furiously ill reserve my affire for the sentry and here he Is already and just as the eighth fellow who was on the watch alarmed by the firing cattle came rushing in with his piece at full cock tom fired at him saints and angels yelled the spaniard as he bounded into the air and then fell ell flat on his face where he be lay jay beating the earth with his feet and hands fire fire master rodney and then itin inn for it before they can reload 10 ad cried tom who saw that I 1 was irresolute give em cm a stern chaser my blood was now fairly up wheeling round I 1 leveled full at the group one of 0 whom was in the act of taking aim at me while I 1 saw the steel ramrod rot of the other who had a musket glitter in the lantern light as he reloaded I 1 fired I 1 know not whether the ball hit but one of the ruffians sprang wildly mildly forwand and fell ell headlong into the ventana kentana ven tana that will do cried tom away now as fast as we can stretch out bear away for or the harbor and the brig grasping our newly acquired weapons which we never thought of relinquishing linquish ing we rushed out and descending sc the avine favored by the starlight instinctively took the path which led directly to the harbor with a heart that beat wildly a head in a whirl of thoughts and every pulse quickened by the whole affair by the ferocious treatment to which we had been subjected for so many hours by the perils which had menaced by the narrow escapes we had made dom bullets by the wild and disastrous tragedy which closed the adventures ot of a long and exciting day I 1 ran beside tom lambourne Lambou ine on on without 1 a I breath to spare or a word to utter to bo be continued |