Again that mirthless smile, the whiteness of the pointed teeth, as he push: ed towards me the bottle of pickles, and gently closed the door! Now I knew that chance was to eat, and eat, in the hope that the futai hooks would lodge in the food and not in me! I had heard that bread more bread might save the life of a man who swallowed any sharp objects such as hooks or broken glass, and I had only a bottle of pickles between life wud a lingering And my devilish captor knew it also! With feverish hands I tore at the cork, breaking my nails in my excitement, The ttle hammers inside my head were beating, faster and faster, and I could hardly see! last I got the cork out, I suppose I was delirious—it seemed to me that the gherkins in the bottle were prisoners, like myself, snubbing their noses agains! the glass walls of their prison, aching to get out and yet knowing that outside was destruction! An absurd saying that T had read somewhere came into my mind "For the first of the bottle, like the first kiss, cometh hard, but the rest are easy!" So I sat there, laughing crazily to myself, and fishing out pickles with my fingers! And then, mersifally, exme oblivion!
Tt was daylight! On the floor beside me were nine pieces of my rod, snapped off into neat lengths. I was suffering intense pain and in spite of all my efforts could move neither my arms nor my legs. I became aware that each arm and each leg was roped ind tied to a stake in the floor. After a few convulsive struggles I realised my helplessness and lay passive, and then slowly the door began to open and in came the chief. The tenth and last piece of my rod—a wonderful cork-handle-was in one hand and a curvuth dagger in the other.. Grinning like Saten himself he crept towards me! His eyes, smouldering fires, fascinated me, deprived me even of the will to struggle. 1 felt the point the dagger against my heart. A" het burning agony consumed me! And then, in the distance I heard voices, ing' English. My enemy heard also—and ran out, leaving mew gasping wreck, nailed be" the floor.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.