not imagine.
“Where am I?” he asked; “and who are you?”
“Ah, you’re awake, awake, are you?” was the reply. “You’ll find out who I am soon enough. I’ll take you to a place where you’ll come to terms, I’ll be bound. If you had been reasonable, and given me what I wanted, you might have been abed and asleep by this time. Now I’m afraid it will go a little hard with you.”
“Oh, you’re still harping on that, are you?” said Leonard. “Well, I’ll give you all the pieces of paper I’ve got, if you will leave me one ten-dollar bill for present necessities.”
“Too late now; you ought to have made that offer when I first came up with you. You must go with me now, and I’m thinking you won’t come back in a hurry either.”
“Why? What do you mean?” asked Leonard, in some alarm.
“Oh, nothing, only it will be necessary to take you to a place that you probably never dreamt of; and if we should let you go, it might be the ruination of us.”
“If you should let me go! And don’t you mean to let me go?”
“We can tell better about that pretty soon. By the lightning, how it does pour down! Get up, Bill!”
For as much as half an hour longer they went on their lonely road, now through thick woods, now by open fields. At last the murmur of the sea was faintly heard. They were approaching the shore of the ocean.
Leonard kept a sharp lookout.
Their course was now over rough places and through jagged paths. Every moment the roar of the sea grew more distinct.
At length Leonard’s captor reined in the horse. He took a small instrument from his pocket, placed it to his mouth, and gave three long, shrill whistles.
After a moment’s pause, the signal was answered. Then they pushed forward again, and after riding a short distance, halted.
Leonard could just discern in the darkness a high mass of rocks near him, while the washing of the waves on the shore could be heard close at hand.
“Now,” said his captor, “I’m going to take you down from the horse, and you’ll have to walk a spell. But I warn you that there’ll be no use in
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