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The Tiger's Awakening.

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The Tiger's Awakening. BY FRED G. LUNGE. A THRILLING STORY OF ADVENTURE. CHAPTER XVI.—(Continued.) Her Bon swayed like a drunken man. and passed his hand over his eyes. "Am I dream- ing?" he muttered, addressing the question to himself rather than to the others. "My mother—my lost mother—come to life again, after all these years, and in such a place as this! I cannot grasp it; it surely must be a dream!" Her answer was singular in the extreme. "What month is this" she asked, with the far-off look of a visionary. "Ah, I remem- ber—January. The snow will be six inches deep on the braes of Invergoran." Then suddenly a revelation flashed upon her son's bewildered brain, and with an inarticulate cry he flung himself upon his knees before his mother and pressed her thin White hands against his heart. "My mother, yes, you are my mother! I feel it; I know it. Flora, she is found!" The old lady bent over him and touched his brow with her lips, and then looked up- ward with a wondrous light upon her face. "Lord God, I thank Thee from my heart!" the whispered. "Through many a dark day and year I waited upon Thee in faithfulness and humility. And, lo! Thou hast not for- gotten Thy handmaiden. And now that it has pleased Thee to crown my sorrowful life With this unspeakable joy, now can I go hence in peace. Call me. oh. Gracious and Host Merciful God: I am ready to do Thy bidding." "No. no, my mother!" exclaimed Hector impetuously; "we have only just found each other after a long and cruel separation; let .8 think of Life, not Death! Surely, God Would not have brought us together in this miraculous fashion did He not mean us to forget the tragedy of your past in a happy and unclouded future." But Satyavama shook her grey head and looked down upon him with a mournful smile. "My boy," she answered, stroking his old young face, "God knows how much I should like to have seen you and this sweet girl in your own bright home; but I have a strong presentiment that it is not to be." "Oh, mother, don't say that!" cried both her hearers in dismay, for her words had been uttered in a tone of prophetic convic- tion that struck a chill to the hearts of both. During the last few momenta her figure loomed to have grown more fragile, more ethereal than ever, and her eyes had begun to shine with a starry radiance that was not I' of this earth. Looking at her spiritualised presence and hearing her talk in this eerie strain, Flora felt her heart contract and her eyes fill, whfet Hector, too, could scarcely Suppress his emotion. "Come, mother," he said with put-on gTuffness as he rose to his feet; "I want you and Flora to get ready for flight as eoon as possible. I have made all necessary arrange- ments, and at the stroke of midnight we shall leave this building by way of the balcony facing south." He was longing to dispel the gloom that had taken possession of him with some vigorous physical action. "At midnight only?" queried his young wife apprehensively. "But all the women will be back by then, and so will those horrid eunuchs!" "I know, I know," he answered, patting her little hand; "all that is provided for. But now I must slip upstairs and get to work upon the marble lattice-screen. Give me that heavy brass vase yonder, Flora; I want to use it as a mallet, in default of a better tool. The chisel, as you see, I have got here in my belt." "One moment, dear," begged his mother, detaining him by the sleeve. "I have some- thing of the greatest importance to tell you. No, no, not afterwards, but now! I feel that I have no time to lose in acquainting you with what I know. Perhaps my end is nearer than we think." The sturdy Scotsman gulped and looked away. "Speak, mother," he saidi simply, not trusting himself to say more. "Then listen attentively, and you, too. lass. You know, of course, the history of tne Omra dynasty—how after the fall or the Mahratta empire the exiled Moslem pnce returned with a Pathan army and occupied the throne of Pritnagar; also how h.« and his decendants' Hindu subjects have rebelled again and again and tried to drive their hated rulers out. Well, when this summer palace was constructed some fiye and twenty years ago, the Maharajah of the day (Earn Shri Omra-a fa-ther), deeming it advisable to prepare some loophole m case of a surpr, caused a, certain secret passage to be built, the existence of which has never till now been divulged to a living soul outside the ruling family, with, possibly, the exception of some few trusted servants and retainers. In order to ensure the silence of the workmen, the Prince, with all the treaoherouB cunning of his tribe, had the unfortunate fellows butchered in their beds one night and their bodies thrown to the crocodiles. Dead men tell no tales." x "And you—you are acquainted with the secret?" asked Hector, listening with all his ears. His mother glanced towards the purdah. "I am," she said, speaking more rapidly than before; "nor does anybody here suspect my knowledge. Concealed behind a bush in the zenana garden, I one day overheard a con- versation between the old Maharajah and his son, the present ruler, in the course of which the former let the boy (as he then was) into the family secret. Now, listen, .both of you: No doubt, you have already noticed the swarm of islets in the lake. Well, in the olden days, when the religion of Buddha still prevailed in this country, these islands were dedicated to that divinity, and reserved exclusively for religious purposes. On several there are Buddhist idols—placed there many generations ago, which never seem to have been disturbed, although for centuries the land has belonged alternately to Hindus and Mohammedans, one creed more fanati- cally intolerant than the other. Now, on the islet nearest to the landing place—you can- not mistake it: a perfect semi-circle, thickly wooded—there stands a monster image of Buddha, which the designer of the passage selected as its starting point. In the head of this idol, which, of course, is hollow, the old Rajah had a kind of trap-door inserted, which opens if you press the crystal eye in the fore- head of the god. The passage runs beneath the bottom of the lake; but where it leads to. that I did not learn. Is any case, you may rest content that if only you can manage to reach the island and mount the idol unobserved your immediate safety will be assured. That is all I wished to say; and 1 thank God that I have found an oppor. tunity of doing so, my children." "Your information is. indeed, of the utmost value to us, mother," replied the young man eagerly. "Strange to say, it was part and parcel of our original plan to take to the water and hide among the islands; but by a stroke of exceptional good fortune you now supply us with the one thing wanted to ensure our complete SUCOOBs-a. back door to our contemplated hiding-place! But now," with a glance at his watch. "I must start Work without a second's delay; it is nearly half-past nine, and the performance is timed to be over by ten. I hate to leave you, even for a short time," he added, with a fond, lingering gaze at the two beloved women; "but you see that I cannot safely procras- tinate." "Kiss me before you go," entreated his mother, opening her arms and looking up to him with tear-filled eyes, and with a lump in his throat Hector stooped and did as he was bidden. "I am so glad I have told you about that secret," she added softly; "you don't know how it has relieved my mind. Good-bye, my boy—good-bye!" "Good-bye for the present, mother," responded he as he gently released himself from her embrace; "and the same to you, my darling little wife!" Only pausing to imprint a hasty kiss upon Flora's swelling lips, he threw open his bull's-eye lantern, strode swiftly across the room, and, lifting the esparto curtain, disappeared in the gloom of the corridor. "Come. Bit close beside me, lass," said Satyavama ten minutes later, "and put your arm round my waist—so!" "How uncomfortably nervous you are to- Right, dear mother," responded Flora cheer- fully. The two women seemed to have completely reversed their respective positions. It was Hector's mother now upon whom a clinging, haunting terror had descended; while her daughter-in-law, entirely transformed by the knowledge that her strong, brave, manly husband was within call, had apparently dismissed all care, and strove with word and caress to encourage the shrinking spirits of the elder woman. From the room above their heads a mumed sound of hammering descended-Hootor was hard at work upon the lattice enclosure of the balcony. At any Hioment he might re-appear to announce that he had succeeded in chiselling a hole in the Garble screen, whence his lasso would establish communication with the spiked Otlter wall, at the foot of which his friends Were even then waiting. "Listen! Here he comes!" exclaimed Flora Sladly, as hurried footsteps echoed through the silent passage. "No, no; it is not Hector!" panted Satya- vama, turning ashen grey; "I can still hear the hammering upstairs!" Flora checked her high spirits as abruptly J\g one reins in a horse. "Then who she Commenced in an awe-struck whisqjer; but re she could complete the phrase the purdah suddenly torn aside, and a bearded, ,-hite-clad figure burst like a whirlwind into the room and rushed towards the horror- f girl with outstretched arms, and eyes Jcintillating with fire. It was the Maha- Insti»ctrvely the elder woman rose •ad ntede.% asmsneirt to atfeqjpae herself between the intruder and her threatened daughter-in-law; but he, dashing forward like a soldier at the chaa-ge, hurled, her aside with a single twist of his hand, and threw his arms round the still rigid girl. At his touch the momentary paralysis went out of Flora, and with an anguished cry of "Hector! Hector!" she tried to break away from the encircling arms; but Ram Shri Omra, irresis- tible in the frenzy of his passion, whipped her nine stone off the ground as one lifts a babe, and, whispering impassioned love terms in her ear, swung round with her toward the door. However, not more than two etaps had he taken when he dropped his burden with the roar of a wounded buffalo and clutched his left elbow, where an oozing stream of bloody was crimsoning the sleeve. Old Satyavama, rendered desperate with fear for her son's wife, had, unperceived, withdrawn the yatar ghan from his sash and given him a sharp, though superficial, dig, so as to compel him to release his victim. The move succeeded. But at what a cost! Beside himself with pain and fury, the man turned on her like a cornered tiger. His hand flew to his sabre's hilt; the blade leapt whistling from the scabbard; a flash of lightning zig-zagged overhead, and the hapless interferer fell on to the floor in a heap. Flora uttered a long and piercing scream that ended in a gurgle as she dropped down in a swoon; whilst the murderer stood with dripping sword, and by the brazier'i subdued vermilion gleam gazed down upon, his handiwork. He was enraged no longer; his ferocity had spent itself in that one terrific blow. Nay, it was almost with a feel- ing of curiosity that he Wtrtched the black, glistening pool that fornled round the huddled-up shape and slowly crept towards him across the sodden carpet. The girl—so recently the object of his passion-lay sense- less yonder on the tiger skin; but never a glance did he send in that direction. The very fact of her existence had been expunged from his mind. Then, of a sudden, he started. Quick, heavy steps came thudding down the stairs at the far end of the passage, and the sounds (entirely human as they were) sufficed to conjure up a world of superstitious terror in his brain; the stifled conscience of the matri- cide had awakened, and was clamouring in shrill trumpet notes for recognition. He quaked at the thought of Allah's certain I wrath. The footsteps raced along the empty corridor. He knew that the zenana had been emptied of its inmates save the two Peringhi women only; whose footsteps could these be His dread increased. Was this the awful angel Azrael, a.bout to claim him for the punishment due to such as he? His strength "iwirie himself with pain and fury the blade leapt whistling from the scab- bardflnd the hapless interferer fell on the floor in a heap." of will, his courage gave way utterly. With j a maniac's shriek, he and, bounding from the room. tore off m the direction of the dov^onn^nly just m tame to avoid a collision with Hector .CwJ. who. three seconds afterwards, burst precipi tately into the room. CHAPTER XVII. THE ESCAPE. The spectacle that met the fear-strained eyes of Hector acted blow. He reeled against the ing; a sudden blackness blotted *11 eur rounding objects; his^ thunder of Niagara. The two shapes stretched motionless before him, P reek of warm blood in the air-what further proof was wanted? The steel of the assassin had been busy. At the ele^e^^ur the cup of happiness had been dashed from has 1 ps- The Hand of God had smitten him with anni- hilating power. A low moan from the figure on the-tig skin repealled him to himself. He set teeth, and bravely shook himself togeth • The blinding veil cleared vision. With outstretched hands and totter ing steps he approached the form whence that feeble sign of life ba4,f p^ >je "Flora, my wife! Oh, God! oh, God! he groaned despairingly as he sank upon hia, knees and gently raised the limp and heavy head. "Are you aJive? Can you hear my, voice? Speak to me, darling-only just a. word! Oh. God Almighty, have mercy upon my soul!" The prayer was still quivering upon his lip when a long, deep sigh swelled Flora s breast and rustled on her lips. The long-fringed lids rolled back from her great eyes, and with a scared, bewildered expression she looked up into her husband's face. A thro of hope leapt wildly through his breast as: he bent still lower and brought his ear to humoo. "My own—my darling wife!" he muttered thickly, "tell me, where is your wound. The question .clove a sudden path of l}j»ut through the darkness of the young wife's understanding, and quick as a darting bird her thoughts travelled back W, the scene of horror she had so lately witnessed. A violent shudder shook her frame; then she raised herself upon her elbow and replied,^ I a*11 not wounded at all. Hector, but • said no more, for with a shout of delig her husband clasped her in his arms and vehemently kissed her eyes and brow and lips. "Thank God! Thank God!" was all that he could babble in the ecstasy of the: moment.. But hard upon the heels of this surge of joy pressed a horrid, sickening consciousness that murder had been done. Abruptly he released his wife and turned towards that other silent figure. A single glance sufficed to tell him all. The blade of the assassin, sweeping down obliquely with terrific force, had struck poor Satyavama at the base of the neck and killed her instantaneously. Fer son's brain reeled at the shocking sight; red-hot alons seemed to rend and lacerate his heart; all he could moan was, "Mother— my unfortunate mother! So your presenti- ment has come true!" Meanwhile an uncontrollable fascination had led Flora to venture a timid glance past Hector at the gruesome object on the carpet. The result was what might have been ex- pected. She clutched her husband's arm in frantic terror and gave utterance to a series of sharp, hysteric screams that echoed harshly through the quiet building. In the midst of his own poignant sorrow the young man turned to comfort his distracted wife, -when suddenly the banging of a gong and a loud, confused hubbub in the distance warned him that the jugglers' performance was at an end. Again he glanood at the blood-bathed corpse. To remoye it was out rp of the question; it would take the living all their time to make their own escape. So Hector. quietening the girl by pointing out their grave danger, went and tore down some of the silken hangings, and reverentially covered up his mother's remains, mattering at the same time a tender, soft farewell. Thoxioiwdrew wareraad UeOTer. Already the sound of women's laughter could be plainly distinguished. The Maharajah's wives with their eunuch escort were return- ing to the zenana. Not a minute was to be lost. "Come, Flora," urged her husband, taking her hand; but the poor young wife, quite overcome by what she had gone through, in vain attempted to rise. Her limbs doubled up under her weight before she could get upon her feet, and in a piteous voice she wailed, "I cannot walk, oh, Hector; what am I to do?" In reply, he picked her up bodily in his strong, muscular arms and carried her --3- swittly from the scene oi tne iaxe nrageuy, leaving that still, dark, oblong heap on the carpet alone in the fitful shadows—alone with the grim, gaunt spectre—Death! "They will give her a decent burial," argued the young man with himself as he hastened along the corridor. "Whatever the reason for this infamous murder, they will not dare to dishonour the remains of one of her age and sex." Apparently oblivious of his burden, the Scotsman climbed the flight ef stairs three steps at a time; skimmed like a deer along the upper passage, and wheeled abruptly into the moonlit chamber where he had lately been at work. Three long strides brought him out into the latticed balcony, where a large, irregular hole in the marble fretwork gaped invitingly. Lowering Flora upon her feet and finding that she was now able to stand, Hector rapidly unslung his silken rope, thrust his head and shoulders out through the opening, and gave a sharp double whistle. Immediately a small tur- baned head shot up from behind the spiked enclosure, and the slim figure of a native boy climbed nimbly on to the wall. "That you, Samru?" exclaimed the planter, without troubling to modulate his voice. "Look out!" and simultaneously the snake line of the lasso curled whizzing through the air. The son of Tippoo, standing upright on his lofty eminence, put out both hands, and deftly caugh the noose, which he slipped over two of the iron spikes without a word. As soon ae Hector was assured of the success of his throw, he threaded the other end in and out of a dozen of the little apertures that pierced the stone slab, and lugged at the line until it was perfectly taut; which done, he knotted its extremity round a stout,, jagged projection. While he was thus occupied the boy had dived out of sight, and re-appeared with a huge, apparently empty crate; and the moment that communication was established between the building and the wall the daring youngster, balancing this load upon his head, first tested the rope with one bare foot, and then deliberately walked over on it to the opposite terminus. Here the Sahib caught him by the shoulders and relieved him of his burden, congratulating him upon his pluck. "My father waits outside with the elephant," returned the youthful acrobat, modestly ignoring the word of praise. Still standing on the improvised tight-rope, he steadied himself against the lattice-work of the balcony; while Hector, as arranged with Tippoo in advance, lost no time in passing the thong of buffalo hide attached to the right handle over the communication-rope and securing the loose end to the left side < of the crate. By this time the Maharajah's womenfolk and their guardians had entered the zenana, and were filling the dove-court with their I chattering and bursts of laughter. "Quick, Hector, quick!" urged Flora., trembling and very white; "the body may be discovered any moment!" "In less than two minutes we shall be safe," he re-assured her as he let himself out through the opening and sprang into the swaying basket. At the bottom of the latter he found a coiled-up lasso, similar to his own, the loop of which he passed over his head and shoulders and drew it tight round the mouth of the crate, whereupon littJe Samru itook possession of the rest of the cord and | promptly started on his return journey, pay- ing out the rope as he walked. In less time i than it takes to narrate he reached the wall, flung down the fag-end of his lasso to his father, who, seated on the neck of his un- couth beast, was fairly simmering with ifeverish excitement, then turned', and beckoned eagerly to the Sahib. Hector opened his arms and called to his (wife, "Come, darling! Tour feet first! Don't |be afraid; I shall catch you as you drop." But Flora's brain grew dizzy as dbe looked at the frail, oscillating bridge, and then into the abyss that yawned below; and her cotlMge broke down as completely as her physical powers had done a short time since. Her husband called to her again and again, each time more anxiously than before; but still the girl hung back, fearful and dis- mayed, unable to brace herself up for eo nerve-trying an ordeal.. All at once a startled shriek vibrated on the night air, emanating from the room where dead Satyavama lay; then followed the thudding rush of many feet, and Flora knew that the corpse had been discovered, and with it her own flight! "God's will be done!" she muttered, with a wild glance star- wards, as she climbed out through the open- ing and threw herself recklessly into her husband's ready arms. The crate swung and bounced like a living thing upon the strain- ing rope, but steadied itself in a moment, and glided slowly towards the outer wall, as the elephant began to tow the aerial trolley. The planter drew his half-conscious wife to his breast. "We are safe now, lassie—or practically safe!" he said encouragingly; but at the same moment the pavement under them rang with a rapid footstep, and Hector, glancing over Flora's shoulder, met the up- turned gaze of the huge Afridi whom, a couple of hours earlier, he had chloroformed a.nd bound. Apparently, the man had regained his strength and burst his bonds as the effects of the ansesthetic wore off. On sighting them the Pathan gave a short, fierce laugh of triumph, and, raising his rifle to his shoulder (the same Lee-Metford that the, Scotsman had neglected to secure), took a careful aim and fired. The bullet ploughed a diagonal furrow up Hector's cheek, and the ¡ warm blood spurted freely over his wife's face andV breast. A scream of terror burst from Flora's lips, whilst the wounded man—for- getful of his injury and seeing only the i bright red moisture upon the one he loved- inquired in a breathess agony of mind whether she was hurt. I "No, no-not I," gasped the girl, "but you, my Hector. How about yourself?" | Instead of answering, he jerked out his revolver and commenced banging away at his assailant below. The rocking of the crate, however, spoilt his aim; the bullets splashed innocuously against the marble flags, whilst the big Afridi, laughing more derisively than ever, prepared to take another shot. It came. The bullet chipped some strands off the tight-rope and sped away into space; then succeeded a third that pierced the bottom of. the car, tore a long rent in one I of the legs of Flora's Turkish trousers, and bit some braiding off her sleeve in its upward course. That hil-I man certainly had been an expert sniper in his native Borderland! The crate now bumped against the masonry and came to a standstill; and Hector, seizing his opportunity, rested his pistol-barrel upon the edge of the trolley and loosed another abot,-bis last--at the great, dark figure framed in glaring moonlight. The Pathan dropped has rifle with a. Bznotb9ce4 cry, tbrew tip iris anas, and, i slammed down headlong upon the pavement, never to rise again. "Good shot!" observed young Samru criti- cally from his dangerous perch (which he had maintained during the quick, sharp fusillade, in spite of his parent's entreaties to hide himself); then, shouting jungleward, "Here, father! Bring old Ganesa hither!" "I come, I come!" replied the eager voice of Tippoo. and simultaneously the speaker emerged from the tall, dense bamboo grass, high up on the neck of his colossal steed. With word and goad he forced the latter to the foot of the wall, where the clever brute, flapping his ears and twinkling his eyes in a most knowing way, put up his great proboscis to receive the fugitives. Meanwhile the young Scotsman had scrambled out of the crate and Beated, him- self astride the wall beneath two of the spikes. As soon as he caught sight of the rampant trunk he bent down to the baskets holding on with his left hand. by the front spike—put his right arm round the girl's yielding waist, and with a mighty effort hoisted her up on to the crest of the wall. At this moment a eunuch's head appeared at the aperture in the balcony screen, and a loud, excited yell signalised his discovery of the fugitives. "Now put your arms round my neck and hold on for dear life!" exclaimed the planter, as, passing her from his right arm to his left, he gripped the outside rope by which young Samru had ascended with his free right hand, and commenced letting himself down. The skin peeled off his palm and fingers, and the raw flesh burnt like fire; but, shutting his teeth like a wolf-trap to prevent himself from crying out, our friend continued his painful downward trip, until he came within reach of the elephant, when something like a, hirsute boa constrictor encircled him and his burden and lifted both with the utmost gentleness right into the roofless howdah, whither the boy had already preceded them. "Lie down! Lie down!" cried Tippoo over his shoulder, and with that the heavy ankus fell with a thud; the mahout uttered some strange sounds, and instantly the elephant started off at a swinging trot. Hector soon succeeded in staunching the now of blood from his wound, and he and Flora now "ay panting in the howdah, which heaved and rolled like the deck of a steamer in a choppy sea. Neither spoke, but their hearts w-ere full to bursting, and their pulses fairly leapt; for were they not at last re-united after their short, but dreadful, separation? And did not Liberty and Safety beckon to them but a short way off? Yet in the midst of their silent gladness the memory of Poor Satyavama and her awful end cast a gloom over them both. Dear, gentle Satyavama. so I patient and long-suffering!—so kind and thoughtful of ot¡""ra! Oh, that she could have lived to h le with them the sweet air of Freedom! "18, that Providence should have willed otherwise! The elephant was thundering on like a typhoon, maintaining his course midway between the impassable jungle and the spiked enclosure that walled in the vast com- pound of the summer palace. Ere long the moonlit expanse of the lake shone brightly through the deep-black fringe of trees ahead, and Tippoo slackened speed and walked his animal into the denser vegetation, through which "Ganesa" tunnelled a path without the slightest visible effort. The alarm had evidently not yet spread from the zenana to the palace proper; for, although several voices could be heard within inquiring after the meaning of the distant shots, there was nothing to show that the hue and cry had passed the skull-crowned border line. Still, this respite could be only temporary, and the greatest circumspection had to be employed so as to escape premature detection. Under a huge, spreading peepul-tree Tippoo brought the elephant to a halt and blew three different notes upon a toumril (reed- pipe), which he carried in his bosom. In prompt response to the summons, a small, dark figure dived out of the thicket, when the following dialogue ensued:— "Thou hast succeeded, Tippoo?" "The Sahib-log are with me now!" "Good! Let them hasten to the ghat with- out delay, while I bring the elephant into safety." "The camp has broken up?" "And dispersed, as soon aBl the perform- ance was over. We meet at Kali's ruined temple a day's march due south hence. I have the money, tOO-a goodly harvest!" The juggler gave a contented grunt; then, turning towards his passengers, he announced, "It is time that we descend." "But how?" asked Flora timidly of her husba.nd. remarking the absence of the customary ladder. "In the same way as we mounted," he ex- plained. "See, Tippoo is telling we elephant to kneel down."✓ It was true. At a. word from his mahout, the grey colossus bent his knee and settled his bulk among the grass. Tippoo, holding on by one of the great, shield-like ears, glided dexterously to the ground, which example was promptly fol- lowed by his agile son. Then, at a further word of command, "Ganesa" passed his trunk backwards over his head, and, coiling it round Flora's waist, deposited her safely on terra firma. A minute afterwards Hector stood by her side, and the mysterious stranger—who proved to be the little, hunch- backed serpent cha.rmer, the headman of the troupe—was lifted by the elephant into the mahout's place. "One moment, Tippoo." said the planter to his juggler ally. "Before we continue our flight, I have something of importance to tell thee." And forthwith he imparted Satya- vama's secret to his eager listener. The Nair made no attempt to hide his surprise and pleasure at the unexpected news. "Truly, the great Trimurti smiles upon our enterprise!" he remarked, with one of his rare smiles; "but come, Sahib-log, this way!" And, beckoning to the Europeans, he led the way towards the Ithat close by, the alabaster steps of which gleamed dazzling white under the lunar beams. "Do you think you can walk now, Flora?" asked the young man tenderly. "If not, I'll gladly carry you as far as the boat." "Thank you, Hector, I feel much better now—quite my old self. in fact!" was her reply, delivered in an almost cheerful tone. The fresh night breeze that made music in the tree-tops and stirred the limpid waters of the lake had a. wonderfully brightening effect upon the girl, as Hector noticed with keen satisfaction. "Look, lass," he whispered, pointing to a bunch of sharp-prowed boats that clustered along the bottom step of the ghat- "every- thing is going first-rate. Even the boat- gua.rd seems to have gone away." In that, however, he was mistaken, for suddenly Tip- poo ducked down among the grass, and, with a warning "Hist!" signed to the whites and to his son to follow his example. "The sentry sits in the nearest boat," he whispered to them behind his hand; "his head alone is visible, and see-his face is turned toward us even now!" (To be continued.)

RUN ON A BANK.

INGENIOUS ESCAPE FROM GAOL.

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----,I ATTACK ON CHURCH SCHOOLS.

iDIFFICULTIES OF THE TRADE

SWANSEA PERJURY CHARGEi -I

STRUCK OFF THE ROLLS.

PICTURE PUZZLE SOLUTIONS.

BOUND TO GIVE EVIDENCE.

THE CRUISER MONMOUTH.

ALLEGED SERIOUS ASSAULT.

iSTOP-DAY ACTION.

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