Part 46 (2/2)

”Back to your oars, sailoraiety ”The dark is closing in and Mrs Mals she would not dare say, even if she were able”

Late that night, I heard the second verse of Mary's little song It was hardly sung; it hispered, as if she feared that even the fairies and sprites ; but, had she lilted it in her heart only, still, I think, I should have heard it

A ay little, blythe little ht ca and so tenderlee

And, day by day, as their fond love grew, Her spinning wheel stood with its threads askew; It stood--It stood--It stood with its threads askew

CHAPTER XXI

The Beachcothening nights, was upon Golden Crescent, but still the chars were unimpaired

I never tired of the scenes, for they were kaleidoscopic in their changing Even in the night, when sleep was unable to bind me, I have risen and stood by my open , in reverie and peaceful conterown to dawn ere I turned back to bed

It was on such an occasion as I speak of I was leaning on theledge, looking far across the Bay The sea was afairly high in the south, laying a streak of silver along the face of the water near the far shore It was a night when every dip of an oar would threaten to bring up the reflectedof a sea-fowl, or the plop of a fish, could be heard a mile away In the stillness could be heard the occasional tinkle, tinkle of a cow-bell fro lands across the Bay

As I listened to the night noises, I heard the distant throb of a launch out in the vicinity of the Ghoul Rock Suddenly, the throbbing stopped and I fancied I caught the sound of deep voices All went still again, but, soon after,of oars and the rattle of a badly fitting rowlock

I watched, peering out into the darkness The moon shot swiftly from under a cloud and threw its white illu boat as it crept up past the wharf, soures in the boat, which was heading up the Bay

A cloud passed over the ain and the picture of the boat and its occupants vanished froht, why these men should arrive in a launch, leave it so far out and coood, safe and convenient anchorage alain The sound of the rattling row-lock ceased and I heard the grinding of a boat's bottoravel somewhere in the vicinity of Jake's cove

I stood in indecision for some minutes, then I decided that I would find out what these men were up to I put on my clothes without haste, picked up a broken axe-handle that lay near the doorway and started noiselessly down the back path in the direction of Meaghan's shack, reaching there about half an hour after I had first detected the boat

When I caht in the cabin As I drew closer, I heard the sound of hoarse voices Stepping cautiously, I went up to theand peered through

I saw four strange men there The lower parts of their faces were hwaymen fashi+on

With a dirty neckcloth stuffed into hison a chair and tied securely to it by ropes Mike, his faithful old dog, was lying at his feet in a puddle of blood

The liquor keg in the corner had been broached, and I could see that, already, theJake's brass-bound chest had been dragged to the middle of the floor and theastride of it, with a cup of liquor in his hand, laughing boisterously

My anger rose furiously

”The low skunks,” I growled, grippingto rush in, injure some of them and stampede the others before they would know by howthe handle, when so crashed down on my head I stue voices sang inbecame blurred

It could have been only a few minutes later when I revived I was in Jake's cabin, and was trussed with ropes, hands and feet, to one of the wooden uprights of the old Klondiker's ho war its way from my hair, down the back of h caain Then I opened them once more, cautiously and narrowly