Show i f P ft 7 1 m tM I ij e eBy By JOHN R. R MUSICK AlUSICK J Author of oi Aly Mysterious t Mr Howard The Tbt Dark Stranger Charlie Allendar Allendale Double Etc L Copyright ht 1897 b bj by Soil Boca All An rights CHAPTER X Continued Y Course ye might hang him up UIl by bythe bythe the neck until ho he was dead an he wouldn't tell i What would a man care for bean bein killed himself Its It's when you begin an attack on his flesh 4 an blood he trembles F Well dye reckon that's certain asked Padgett rubbing his bullet head to get the Idea through Know It it Why didn't we light on that afore fore Because the youngster goes under undera a nickname Hes He's Crack lash Crack lash here an Paul Miller In Fresno That's the whole long and short o 0 It it W Well ll sail in on on the capen capon an see z wh what t ye kin do with him growled N Ned d seating himself on a stone stone f and twirling twirling- his stick in his hand I leave it ail all t you take it an au an see how yell come out rya- rya F Then another long consultation consultation consultation con con- among the other three It was not ot until late that night they W 3 proceeded to carry out their plan The Theold Theold Ther r old hermit whom they called the captain cap captain captain tain was taken apart from his fellow fellow fellow fel fel- v low prisoner and seated on ona a a aston astone stone ston Ben Allen then proceeded to Interrogate interrogate interrogate gate him t You are Captain Joseph Miller l of Y the schooner Eleanor aint ye he asked a Those two rogues told you that They know it and its it's no use to deny J it You left a wife wite at home home- home home-a a wife and child Y Yes s. s Your wife was was named Mollie and w ba y- y yb name y b baby's bys by's name n-me Paul aulT Pauli v r I dont don't admit or d deny deay 5 After you sailed away so many years your wife gave you up for dead and with her child removed to Fresno where she lives now She never told her son the sad uncertain fate of his father fearing when he grew up heV he V would start in search of him and 7 she always had a superstitious dread o 0 the forests o 0 Alaska The sea sea captain sat unmoved throughout the narrative Ben went wenton on S But when Paul Miller grew to be bea a man he heard of the fabulous ri riches hes in Alaska and came to find it He had 1 amassed quite a fortune when he v was robbed followed the robbers to the tha woods and was captured by them Now the young man yonder is Paul Miller your son The stern old captain was unmoved r save a slight twitching at the corners corners corners cor cor- ners of his mouth but he made no answer Ben continued Though you may have lo lost t the walrus hide on which the map to the buried treasure is yet you know the spot and can tal take e us there You shall do it or I swear that your son shall die before your face Again Ben Allen was disappointed The old man man was wholly unmoved as asif asT T if he had been talking to stone The captors waited about him with half- half 1 suppressed breathing hoping that something would occur to break his imperturbability but they were dis dis- appointed The threat of Morris had only been to intimidate the prisoner He was willing to make any sort of threats but not being the hardened criminal Ned Padgett was he c called a halt at atthe atthe atthe the line of murder Boys Doys continued Morris I haven't given up UIl all hope yet We may beable be beable g able to do with him Lets Let's keep up the scare Agreed G We can even get a rope and go through pretense o 0 hangin the youngster s it go through anything anthinE to tor 4 r i 1 I 1 J make the old oid rascal t tell ll us wi where r itis it itis I is With With this resolution more firmly fixed In their minds they once more returned to where the old captain sat as unmoved as when they left him W Well ll Captain Miller have you decided decided de de- to tell us where you cached the treasure asked Ben Den Allen No No was the immediate answer Do Do you want to see your son on hang before your eyes eyes eyes' I i 1 have no son Dont you know that that- young man manIs manis manis is your son son The prisoner fixed his great blue orbs on the speaker and andin in a firm unmoved unmoved un un- moved tone answered He is not my son I may have a ason ason ason son living I once did but he is not my son I like the young man for he heIs heIs heis is noble brave and honest but he is no relation to me They were wholly unprepared pared for this answer The sincerity with which it was given took everyone everyone aback and for several moments they stood aghast and silent The ex sea ex-sea sea captain after a brief silence continued continued- Even if I had the walrus hide I would not give it to you Even Even 1 if f could now go and unearth that buried burled treasure I would not do it Why For two reasons First I will not compromise with crime Second even if I did decide to do so and turn over the treasure to you it would be the signal for our own destruction You would never dare let us go after what you have done Bob Allen and Morris and the sailors sail saU ors were were abashed They fell back before the piercing glance of the officer om officer against whom they had The baffled rascals swore like troopers troop troop- ers and Ned Padgett made an appeal for hi hid hie knotted stick stick but was overruled overruled overruled over over- ruled ruled and after some more deliberation deliberation delibera delibera- tion it was decided decided to try the effe effect t of the rope on the young prisoner I tell you he is is- th the son of the old man watch him closely when we wego go goto to hang him up and see 1 If his eye does not moi moist t. t grow They They had had a a rope a rope ma made of se seal Sea l hide h ide and cutting a pole with their hand axes stretched it across the narrow end of the cavern and pla placed ed a rope about Pauls Paul's neck Now old man confess that you have lied and swear that you will take us to the gold or this young fellow will die die Paul who had not heard the conversation between the hermit ermit and his captors was unable to explain their conduct to his own satisfaction He believed his last hour had come and determined to meet his fate like a hero When told to prepare for d death dath ath he rose made madeno no resistance and his arms were tied behind his back The noose was adjusted about his n neck ck and he took I his position under the cross bar and closing his eyes murmured a short prayer All eyes were on the other captive but he sat with face averted and said not a word There was no change in his expression expression no no more Indication of grief than might have been expected at the death of a stranger When the miserable farce was over Paul had been released and the four rascals retired again to confer with each each other Tom Ambr Ambrose se said Well its it's my opinion that weve we've lost our last chance of ever getting his buried millions At this Padgett again proposed his knotted stick and swore he would brain both with it but he was prevented prevented prevented pre pre- vented by Morris and Allen who declared declared declared de de- there should be no real vio via lence The two prisoners were given givena a meagre supper of dried beef and a little meal gruel and driven to the far end of the cavern for the night When they were apart from the guard Paul asked What was meant by their extraordinary extraordinary extraordinary course to day to-day day They labor under the mistaken idea that we ar are related and both have some knowledge of the buried burled treasure As they are mistaken they will succeed in getting nothing from UI us 0 h i zi it J I have been mystified at their strange conduct all aU along said said- Paul and I would not be surprised at any anytime anytime time at their taking our lives His companion shook his grizzled head and answered No no they wont won't harm us so long as we have the secret in our own own breasts If we should tell teU them and they should find the treasure then we would be killed in short order Paul shuddered was silent for a awhile awhile while and asked Then you dont don't believe we h have ve veany any hope of mercy mercy- at their hands The sea captain answered I No Captain lets let's make our escape escape e. e USh Sh Speak lower you may be heard I will but I am in earnest earnest 1 So am I but we must be c cunning nning as the fox to escape from thos those ras ras- rasI I cals als i iI I I am willing to trust rust you Implicitly c- c itly Then say nothing Though night and day were the the same in that dungeon the captors had their sleeping and waking hours Pauland Pauland Paul Paul- Pauland and his companion threw themselves on on their miserable pallet of straw but but not to sleep The They lay so they hey co could ld watch their captors At last one after another they began began began be be- gan to grow dro drowsy sy One rose and went toward the pile of straw and stretching himself upon It was soon snoring A short quarrel l followed on on the subject t of guarding guarding- the prisoners Padgett was the man selected and he swore he had done more than his share at that business and he wouldn't db any any anymore more of it but Morris who seem seemed d the person person In command declared declared declared de de- he must take his turn of two hours and left him on duty while the others went to bed The whole matter could not have been better planned for Paul for Padgett Padgett Padgett Pad Pad- gett was careless and yawned sleepily sleepily sleepily sleep sleep- ily before his lis companions had closed their eyes For Fox a long t time me he made madea a fight against the wiles of b but t at last his head dropped forward on his chest I j a Paul Faul raised his own head head and shoulders sh shoulders from rom his his' pallet of of straw straw- and surveyed the entire cavern cavern rn at a sweeping glance There was a fire burning in the center which threw out outa a dull ruddy glow dimly lighting the scene scene Where the fire had been built the cavern cavern was wag wide and from the lofty ceiling cell ages ago great fragments of stone had been torn loose and lay in a heap on the floor a little to one side of the fire leaving a dark path pathin in the shadow Paul could also see that their captors had placed their rifles rifles in a corner farthest from them The three men sleeping on the straw were between the prisoners and the rifles which were on the right of the sleeping sentry All the advantages and disadvantages of the position were taken into consider consideration tion at a glance Pauls Paul's companion arose and gave their surroundings a quick survey survey survey sur sur- vey and then they exchanged glances The look was sufficient They understood understood understood under under- stood each other as well as as- if if they had spoken volumes Paul was to look after the guard and the captain to seize the rifles The young man nodded assent to the request ex expressed expressed expressed ex ex- pressed by the captains captain's eyes and began began began be be- gan to act They rolled up the blankets blankets blankets blank blank- ets and left them on the straw with their caps stuck over them giving them in the uncertain light the appearance appearance ap ap- appearance of two Sleeping men Paul Paull went first on hands and knees creeping creeping creep creep- ing around the little mound of stone and earth and over the loose stones with all the caution possible He was cl closely sely followed by the hermit who seemed to possess the wonderful faculty pf moving without noise The sentry stirred in his sleep when Paul was within ten or fifteen paces of him The determined youth i seized a stone and leaped toward him Ned Padgett suddenly started up with witha a yell and had half raised his rifle when the stone hurled with great precision precision precision pre pre- and force struck him on the shoulder Down he went under the blo blow dropping g the rifle at t Pauls Paul's f feet et lf j 4 7 f f To seize the he gun and turn at bay bayon bayon bayon on the others was the work of an in- in st stant nt They were starting up from their sleep and nd Ben Den Allen shouted The prisoners They are malting making their escape CHAPTER XI The Dog Courier Paul Miller drew his rifle to his shoulder and and nd let drive tw two or three or-three three shots in quick succession sending their late captors flying helter better to the rear of the cavern Whether any of them were wounded by his bullets or X not he did not stop t to learn He then seized the rifles blankets and caps aps and the two men hastened away from the cavern takIng taking tak tak- tak- tak taking ing the precaution to secure not not only the rifles but three pistols and all the belts of cartridges they could find Both of them had filled their capacious capacious capa capa- cious ious pockets with dried moose meat until they stuck out like stuffed tur tur- keys They broke two of the rifles because because they could not carry them and strapped the others on their backs Long they traveled in a western di direction direction direction di- di guided by the stars They had given up all aU hope of finding their f friends who no doubt supposing sing them lost had returned to th their ir home on the island After wanderIng wandering wandering wan wan- dering three or four foux hours into the forest and being completely exhausted ex- ex hausted the two fugitives rolled themselves in their blankets blankets- and slept They dared not build a fire for It might attract the attention of their pursuers When day dawned they made abre a a. bre breakfast on on some of the dried moose they had brought with them and prepared prepared prepared pre pre- pared to resume their journey They discovered that they were gradually ascending a mountain sId side On all sides of them were forests of scraggy spruce the trees seldom being over over five or six inches in diameter and ferns and other forms of plant life were occasionally noted At last they ca came e to a a- great c cleft eft between gigantic snow-robed snow moun moun- a Z talus t 1 The first first night after they h began tegan gaii their ascent they camped on the the- mountain side near a spring and spread their blankets under the lee of ofa a large bowlder 1 H Hope pe had been revived in the breast of Paul Miller but his companion who had been deceived and cheated so so- often by outrageous fortune evinced little or none of his spirits We Weare are a long way from civilization civilization tion yet he said to one of Pauls Paul's- remarks about their being safe So often my friend have I had my hopes raised only to be blighted that I allow allow al al- low myself to believe nothing good can come cometo to me A terrible fate 0 seems to have taken possession of my being being I I seem doomed The old gray head was was' bent on his hands and he heas was as silent while darkness came over the scene The next days day's travel over this unknown unknown un un- known region was but a repetition of or i 1 ithe the experiences of the day before before- Higher they climbed up up and and up approaching on the mountain side the theline theline theline line of eternal snow A few hundred yards more of climbing brought them to the summit of the divide where there was a pile of stones which seemed to have been placed there by human hands No life of any kind kinQ was visible unless that white speck on the distant ledge be a dog or a a. goat To be continued |