Page:Dick Sands the Boy Captain.djvu/256

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DICK SANDS, THE BOY CAPTAIN.

attack of fever. The shelter of a large thicket had just been selected by Dick a a suitable resting-place for the night, when Tom, who was assisting in the necessary preparations, suddenly gave a cry of horror.

"What is it, Tom?" asked Dick very calmly.

"Look! look at thwse trees! they are spattered with blood! and look here! here are hands, men's hands, cut off and lying on the ground!"

"What? cried Dick, and in an instant was at his side. His presence of mind did not fail him; he whispered,—

"Hush! Tom! hush! not a word!"

But it was with a shudder that ran through his veins that he witnessed for himself the mutilated fragments of several human bodies, and saw, lying beside them, some broken forks, and some bits of iron chain.

The sight of the gory remains made Dingo bark ferociously, and Dick, who was most anxious that Mrs. Weldon's attention should not be called to the discovery, had the greatwst difficulty in driving him back ; but fortunatcly the lady's mind was so engrosscd wîth her patient, that she did not observe the commotion. Harrîs stood aloof; there was no one to notice the change that passed over his countenance, but the expression was almost diabolical in its malignity. Poor old Tom himself seemed perfectly spell-bound. With his hands clenched, his eyes dilated, and his breast hcavinj^ with émotion, he kept repeating without anything like cohérence, the words, — " r'orks ! chaîns ! forks ! . . . long ago . . . remember , . . too wcll . . . chains !" "Vox Mrs. Weldon's sake, Tom, hold your tongue!" Dick implorcd him. Tom, hcnvcvcr, was full with some remembrance of the past ; he continued to repeat, — " Long ago . . . forks , . . chaîns !" untîl Dîck led him ont of hearing. A frcsh halting-place was chosen a short distance further on, and supper was prepared. But the meal was left almost untasted ; not so much that hunger had been overcome by