Part 36 (2/2)

”I'll have to jump down,” said David

And both, of them tried to push themselves farther out, while their faces were turned down, and they see with their eyes the distance between theround

CHAPTER XXVIII

_The Salamander inaccessible to Fire--The last Appeal--Frank takes Action--He fires--Casualty to Frank and Bob--Onset of the Monster--Flight--Treend of Albano--On to Rome_

For some time Frank had felt an intolerable i in his owna scene which was not only painful to the poor prisoners, but hu to himself In spite, however, of the i party, Frank could not think of any way ofthose odds available under present circumstances, when the last plaintive appeal and the desperate proposal of Clive and David ca tortures froer, and that they would have to er that ht result frorasped his rusty fowling-piece with a deadly purpose, and rushed to the narrow doorway of the old house Bob followed at once with his pitchfork, resolved to go wherever Frank led the way, and to stand by hi on Uncle Moses also stood still, and made a feeble attempt to order the two boys back; but his words were neither heard nor heeded At this David and Clive stopped in their desperate design, and looked down at Frank and Bob

Frank stood by the doorway

He put his head inside, and looked all around, cautiously, yet resolutely The interior, however, was always a dark place; and now the fuh his eyes saw nothing of the fierce beast, his ears could detect the rustle and the crackle which were produced by the ots This noise showed him plainly where it er

He raised his rusty fowling-piece to his shoulder!

He took deadly ai!!!

The flash illuun united with the s and the flash, Frank felt hiround, knocked down by the recoil of the gun, flat on his back

Up rushed Bob, full of the deepest anxiety

But just as he reached the prostrate form of Frank, there was a hurried clatter from within, and then--down he also went--head first--over and over--struck down by soots, burst through the doorway, and was now careering wildly over the fields

Uncle Moses saw that figure, and then hurried up to his two prostrate boys

David and Clive from their stations at theit, and then instantly hurried down the ladder, and out of the house, where they stood panting and staring wildly at vacancy

The guide saw it, and as he saw it there came over his face an expression of an utterly indescribable kind He clasped his hands together, and then uttered a series of exclae, or indeed any other language but the Italian, can afford no equivalent

While he was thus standing with clasped hands, vociferating and staring, in coure, Frank had sprung to his feet, and so had Bob; Uncle Moses, too, stood gazing at the object of universal interest; and thus all of thes that defy description, at the scene before theaze?

Well, in the first place, there was that valley, already so familiar to David and Clive--a smooth slope on either side, some olive trees near, but beyond that all bare, and no houses visible in that direction Now, over this open space there was running--so swift and so straight that it was evidently i!_

A pig, s--of no particular breed--the commonest of animals Moreover, it was black It was also, undoubtedly, as has just been re froun, or froht have been excited by its report And now this little black pig was running as fast as its absurd little legs could carry it--far away across the fields

”O, holy saints!” cried the guide; ”it's the little black pig, that we --the little black pig--the pig--the pig! Is it possible? O, is it possible?”

Every word of this was heard by the boys They understood it all now It see acco can ever hope to bring about, was evidently ht, for the convent This they saw, and they gazed in silence

Nothing was said, for nothing could be said They could not even look at one another David and Clive were of course the most crestfallen; but the others had equal cause for huantic preparations, their cautions advances, and their final blow,--to find their antagonist reduced to this was too much Now, the fact is, that if it had really been a wild boar, Frank's act would have been the same; and as he acted under the belief that it was so, it was undoubtedly daring, and plucky, and self-sacrificing; but, unfortunately, the conclusion of the affair did not allow hiht