The Courage of Captain Plum

on walls struck in his face; it remained with him as he stood swaying alone in the thick gloom-the voice rumbling in his ears, the words beating against

of life in him, and the woman who love

! And Marion-Mar

shooting pain, and he tottered back and sank to the ground to get away from them. They followed, and that vengeful leer of the kin

e to him was that the word-demons had stopped their beating against his brain and that he no longer heard the voice of the king. His relief was

ly familiar voice

e, Nat! Wan

t the cool liquid t

he whi

ucked me in with you.

w and he could see his companion's face, smiling at him encouragingly. The sight

ed drowsily. "Sorry for you-Nei

ped his companion's f

re's a bench over here-not long enough to stretch you out on or I woul

lped him to his feet. For a few moment

step. "Where is the seat, Neil? I'm going to walk

he grinned cheerfully. "Looks as though you were run

he water and mold that reeked from between their rotting logs. The floor was of wet, sticky earth which clung to his boots, and the air that he breathed filled his nostrils and throat with the uncomfortab

he asked poin

plied Neil

to some extent the other's misery. To Neil what was ahead of them held no mystery. A few hours more and then-death. It was only the form in which it would come that troubled him, that made him think. Usually the victims of this dungeon cell were shot. Sometimes they were hanged. But why tell Nathaniel? So he ate his meat and bread without words, waiting for the other to speak, as the oth

said Neil, after a moment. "Oh

what Marion had said

sage to you-'Tell Neil that he must go, for Winnsome's sake. Tell him that her fate is shortly to be as cruel as mine-tell him that Winnsome loves him and that she will escape and come to him on the mainland.'" Like words of fire the

nd was walking back and fo

dared to speak the words aloud. After a moment he added, "Have you

dropped upon his knees in the mud beside the table. Ten minutes lat

hild to me that I never dared-to-tell h

ou get the

e comes to bring us our dinner I c

into his pockets. His finge

is help?"

g handful of it and counte

-if he will deliver

d at him i

for that-I've got mor

n was mad. Nathaniel saw the look in his fac

nd of our rope, that the game is up, that neither of us will ever see Marion or Winnsome again. That note is the last word in life from us-from you. It's a dying prayer. Tell Winnsome your love, tell her

er that!" br

w you

nother handful of

aimed. "It's cheap enou

he pain was coming back into his head, he grew dizzy,

e asked. He was glad that his

't y

es

The ticking of Nathaniel's watch

will h

may be it will come to us soo

is no

nt for his crimes, no hand stronger than his own. He will not even give us the pretense of a hearing. I

heart as he thought of Marion. If Neil could go to the end like a martyr he wo

l become

hat passed through h

back and forth through the gloomy dungeon. "If she won't go I swear that Strang's triumph will be short!" he cried suddenly. "I can not guess the terrible power that the king possesse

ly from the bench a

he groaned. "My God

lanched to the wh

terrible pact with Strang will have

haniel drew back from that tall, straight figure, step by step, as though to hide beyond the flickering candle glow the

im as he dropped a

true-Mario

rattling of the chain at the cell door and a creaking of the rusty hinges did he lift his face. It was the jailer with a huge armful of straw. He saw Neil a

side him as the heavy doo

s morning. If possible he will bring us an answer. I kept out

, and after a moment's

ling. We will know

and Nathaniel heard him kicking about in the straw. In another bre

, Nat, co

l, like the thrilling twinges of an electric shock. He darted across

whispered. "Th

d they stood in the corridor, listening, crushing back the breath in their lungs, not daring to s

end of this corridor there is a door-the jailer's door. If that's not

again, pressing

t fo

slowly through the blacknes

!" he e

tion a ray of light c

at light come

nds. It was made for a stove pipe. If we we

hich was four or five feet above their heads. Through it they could hear th

il. "They're in a devil

his companion shrug h

t hole would be worth a thousand notes to the girls!" He caught Mario

ran

Neil laying an expostul

d like

lready preparing to strike him down. Another thought replaced all fear of this. A few feet beyond that log wall were gathered the men whose bloodthirsty deeds had written for them one of the reddest pages in history-men who had burned th

aniel spoke the words s

look through that ho

re!" He doubled himself against th

nd lighted by narrow windows whose lower panes were on a level with the ground outside. At the farther end of the room, in full view, was a platform raised several feet from the main floor. On this platform were sea

d place his great hand upon her head he dug his own fingers fiercely into the rotting logs and an imprecation burned in his breath. He did not need to hear what the king was saying.

ands the death of he

oulders sinking under his weight

panted desperately. "D

hesit

gouge my shoulde

again. The jury had left its platform and was filing

w voice, so low that it came to Nathaniel only in a murmur. Then, in a moment, he began stroking the shimmering glory of her hair, caressing the silken curls between his fingers until the blood seemed as if it must burst, like hot sweat from Nathaniel's face. Suddenly Winnsome drew back from him, the

und!" he cried thr

in his arms as he turned his head toward the voice and saw Nathaniel's long arm and knotted fist threatening him through the hole in the wall. Then Neil's name in a pier

s the matter, Nat?

ut of his body, and in another instant Neil was at the

leaping down. "What were

ling to master himself. "The king put his

was

as she fought

d. "God bless little Winnso

fast as he caught

e if I could hel

down the corridor. "Here's our chance. They'll come through

in the mud of the f

a couple

a dozen rifles at that door when they open it. We must return to the cell. It is worth dyin

he head of the corridor. A light blazed through the blackness and after an interval

ingly. "You forgot the door and we've been h

hibited a handful of gold pieces in the candle-light and frantically beckoned the man to come in. The jailer's eyes g

note!" he whispered. "Five hund

l, as the door closed on th

hy

been searched? Of course you have-probably before I came, while you

't it bee

nswer. And his answer, when it d

ws, but he hasn't made a report of it to Strang because he believes that in some way he will get

ed Nathaniel, throwing himself upon the

be shot down like dogs, their hands bound behind them, their breasts naked to the Mormon rifles. He did not fear death. In more than one game he had played against its hand, more often for love of the sport than not, but there was a horror in being penned up and tortured by it. He had come to look upon it as a fair enemy, filled of course with subterfuge and trea

n's brother was over him when he opened his eyes

cried. "For Heave

Nathaniel sleepi

ere like a dead man for hours. My head is splitting with this damned silence.

a startling change had come into Neil's face during the hours he had slept. It looked to him thin

eserve a good drubbing for leaving you alone here!" H

errupted Neil. He held his watch clo

o word

N

ed deeply into e

onally but swears that he saw her receive it. He sent her word that he would call at a certain place

l who spoke first, hesitatingly, as though

His eyes flashed sudden fire. "How do you know that my fate is to be yours? I begin to see the truth. Winnsome has not answered

nd was eating it as though he ha

Nat. It's our la

on't b

pose that Strang is going

ng with the chain a

d slowly and Jeekum appeared.

te!" he whispered hoarse

s!

of his pockets and dropped them in

risk he was taking. "An hour ago Winnsome came out of the house and went into the woods. My boy followed.

betrayed himself. H

a door, the echo of voices, and Jeekum leaped bac

, his heart standing still with dr

ff's ghastly face was pr

nce morning. The king's offi

, and above the sound of Jeekum's departure

They are leavi

heart grew cold within him. When he spoke his

kill herself as soon as she beca

touched more than the dre

though he were talking to the walls about him. "For l

breast he dropped upon the pallet of straw and buried his face between his arms

ds on Neil. His companion uttered no sound. In

so strangely calm that Nathaniel sat

are coming after

ame to them faintly from

ey drew close together,

ispered Neil, "may God h

eathed Cap