"
"Aye--that was when 'e slipped off the darbies--Oh, a desp'rit cove
an' the more credit to us! A desp'rit villain--slipped th' darbies, 'e
did, an' us was forced to truss 'im wi' rope."
Here every one vied in expressions of acclaim and all eyes turned to
that shadowy corner where the prisoner sat crouched in the same
posture, bloody head bowed feebly on bowed breast. And now, as the
glasses emptied and were refilled (with the exception of mine), we
hearkened to tales of horrid murders and ghastly suicides, of gruesome
deeds and bloody affrays of hunters and hunted until the landlady
gasped and, calling the maid for company, went off to bed, while the
men turned to stare uneasily behind them and I myself felt my flesh
creep. But as the great bowl emptied, tongues began to stutter, and in
the midst of a somewhat incoherent reminiscence of Tom's, the man
Vokes snored loudly, whereupon Tom blinked and pillowing his bullet
head on the table, promptly snored also; and glancing drowsily around
upon the others, I saw they slumbered every one. Hereupon I rose,
minded to seek my chamber, but before I reached the door I was
arrested by a hoarse whisper:
"Brother--for th' love o' God!"
Peering towards the captive, I saw him upon his back, his face ghastly
in the shadow. "Oh, brother," he whispered faintly, "I think I'm
a-dyin'! Show kindness to a dyin' man an' ease my poor arms a bit."
Moved by pity for his misery and seeing how cruelly he was bound, I
contrived, with no small ado, to loosen his bonds somewhat, whereupon
he blessed me faintly and closed his eyes.
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