CHAPTER XXIII.

Waikato Times, Volume VI, Issue 183, 10 July 1873, Page 2

CHAPTER XXIII.

Or to tho dreadful summit of the cliff That beetle-! o'er his base into the set. ' Ui: WK\T/r powers •' cried Ellis, ' it is the joung man who was drowned! — John, whul shall we do? Let us run for our lives.' All were awestruck for a moment, as thej recognibi'd, in tho figure crouclied against the corner of the rock, tho joung man whom they thought they had left behind them, a corpse, on Ynys Enlh. Even Brumfit was staggered, and put hi» hands to his eyes, to hide the droadful eight. But Ins stupor was only for n, moment. Gerard moved, and as ho moved, the money in tlie canvas-bag, which he had placed in his pocket, chinked and n tied. The sound awoke the fury of Brumfit. ' Man or devil, you shan't rob us of our gold !' he cried. ' Here, man or devil, overboard you go.' And he advanced to seize Gerard in his powerful arms. But John, who now stiw how matters stood, caught Brumfit by the arm. ' Where's the bag ? Get that first,' he shrieked. ' Throw away tho money, you fool, again!' Then Brumfit recoiled. After all, to do a murder is a very horrible thing to the most brutal nature, and oftener done under the influence of brute fear than of brute courage. To leave a man to drown, had been easy enough ; the boat was overloaded, and every man ought to look after himself; but to kill him now in cold blood was different. ' Come out here into the light, young chap, do you hear?' Gerard wouldn't move. That he hod overheard more than these rascals would dare to let him go free to repeat, was evident enough. As 1n» as lie held to tho bag, they wouldn't throw him over the rocks ; but his life would not be safe the moment he parted with that. As long as he held it, he was safe, but not for a moment after. His position was a strong one, w ith his back against tho crag, in the an 1> between the rock and the summer-house; lie had secured a splinter from the rock, a sharp triangular stone ; his right arm was still powerful, he could knock over the first man who approached him. ' Give up that money bng, >oung man, that you snatched out of my hands. It isn't yours ; and if you don't work fair, ! you'll hare to be dealt with foul !' ' If it isn't mine, it isn't yours,' said Gerard. 'Come, young gentleman,' said John, interposing, ' let us j have our money, and then go your way. You shan't bo j touched afterwards ; no, indeed.' ' If you will go before me to tho banker's house — you are Ins servant, I know — 1( jmi will qo — you three — and wake up master, I u ill hand him the money to hold for you * ' The money is ours, and Mr llowlands has nothing to do with it,' said John. Give it up, and you go safe ; if not' — ' Well, if not «" ' If not, yon beggar, you shall swing for it!' cried an exulting voice from above, and at the same moment Gerard felt a rope about him. Whilst he had been talking to the clerk, Brtimfit had crept back into the room above in the summer-house, had noosed a cord, and thrown it over Gerard's head. ' I ain't been rough-riding in the Pampas for nothing, my bullies !' said Brumfit exultingly, as he tightened tho cord and drew it round a massive beam in tho roof. ' Now, lm beauty, hand out that bag before I count ten, or up you go dnnciug tho devil's hornpipe. One, two, three !' ' Stop !' cried Gerard m agony ; ' if I give it to you, will you let mo go free ?' ' Eli ?' said the man doubtfully, bending down and scrutinising the prisoner's face. 'What! you won't die game thon, now, eh ? You're showing the white feather, eh?' The mocking fair, with its long rough beard, was brought within a few feet of Gerard's head, as the man leaned forward, gripping tho rope with both his hands, and tightening its tension till it was agony to bear it. Gerard made a spring— it was his only chance — sprang like a tiger at the brutal mocking face, and grasped it iirmly by the beard, twisting his hand round and round in the bau' of it Brumfit shrieked and roared with the pain, and perforce loosened his grasp of the rope, as he used his hands to grapple with his assailant; but the other two now seized their opportunity, and pinioning Gerard by tho arms and legs, dragged him back to tbe platform in front of the summer house. INo bloodshed,' said John. • Tie his arms and legs, and fling him into the cellar.' ' Ah ! tie him up and fling him into the cellar,' whispered Brumfit hoarsely. ' Curse hvm ! he's torn out half my beard. Fling bun down the hole ; he'll tell no tales there. There's three feet of water down there to stop hu> mouth.' In all this struggle for life and death, there had been no loud shouting, no cries, tho silence of the night had hardly been disturbed. As they stood now, Gerard, a hopelessprisoner in tho hands of his captors, he looked round once more at the fair scene which should be his last vision of life. Oh, it could not be that he was going to die — drowned like a pat in a hole. It could not be that all this fair world to him should bo as nothing! that the coldness and darkness of death should blot him out for over! Surely, helplessly to meet death with nil tho faculties undimmed, with every power and desire in full foree — to meet deoth with life unfulfilled, was to compress all human woe into one short spaco of bewilderod agony! And yet, doubtless, the recording spirit undismayed witne-sed tho terrified rush of all tho currents of life, noted their agonies, noted and pitied with a profound sadness perchance with an awful curiosity ! Was ther*> no help, then, in this calm, unfeeling world ; in the cruel sea, chafing its rocky bounds ; in tbe cold moon, even now rising sadly over the mountains ; 'in the dark shadows of the lulls ; m the twinkling lights of the shore ? No ; there was no help for him ; he must die ! But whilst ho thus hopelessly looked round, ho heard a faint noise liko the opening of a door or window a long way off. Coming in the stillness of tho night — a stillness unbroken, except by the thick, hurried breathing of tho men who stood over him — tins faint noise was heard by all who stood on the rocky plateau ; and for a moment tho grasp of hands upon Gerard slackened, and all looked eagerly in the direction from which tho sound proceeded — that is, along the narrow ledge or pathway which led from tho wicket-gate in the garden of Bodgadfan. All of a sudden, thero appeared at the gate a white and vestal form. Thrown up against tho deep, luminous gray of sea and sky, the figure seemed almost gigantic. Clad in white from head to foot, glowing with a mystic light, her face directed to the crouching men on the rock, sho seemed a very embodiment of an accusing spirit to the would-be murderers. In horror and oxpectation they huddled together on the steps of the summerhouse, leaving Gerard unguarded for the moment. But he also was too much entranced by what he saw to tako advantage of their neglect. She — tho whito vesta! figure — moantime noticing nothing of this, came forward through the gatr, and along the narrow, rooky path. Freely and unconstrained sho walked, easily erect ; her hair hung down in looso and careloss masses ; her eyes, solemnly inquiring < f something, wero steadfastly fixed, looking into mid-air; fair embroidery was Jabout her neck and shoulders ; her loose, win to garment floated about her, showing here the fair lines of a rounded bust, thero the flowing curves of the limbs of ,i nymph of Diana. Beneath her robes, her whito and naked feetfgleamed on tho rocky path; her arms were hanging carelessly by her side ; and in her hand she held a candlestick with extinguished candle. All the living things of the night seemed to call her back as she opened that wicket gate. Tho glowim; light from her chnrabcr-window,{shinin * now white, now red — the round red oyes of the light-tower on the ehlF — the twinkling lamps of tho ships — the sad and gleaming stars, all wero calling to her : ' Come back, come back !' But she heeded none of these, but went forth into the darkness, her eyes fixed on mid-air. And thus she walked on void alike of fear, of hope, or of purpose, except for tho vague questioning of her solemn eyes. Sho walked steadily along the path, steadily and yet doubtfully, as though her limbs, like well-trained steeds, obeyed yet questioned tho guidance of an unfamiliar hand. Along the path eho came, her robo floating over the abyss, treading fearlessly, as with accustomed footsteps. But the gully, ah! the gully, whero tho footpath had crumbled away ! The small white foot was put out, that step was destruction ! With a loud shout, Gerard leaped from his nook on the rock, sprang across the gully n little above where stood rocking over tho abyss, seizing her bv tho arm as he sprang, and clasping her firmly to him with his sound arm, carried her safely to the wicket gate, laid her tenderly on the grass, and thon turned round to face his pursuers.