shadow of a big tombstone."

The Irishman had now almost reached the climax of his story, and was
intensely graphic in his descriptions--especially at the horrible parts.
He was obviously spinning it out, and the profound silence around told
how completely he had enchained his hearers. It also warned Tom Brixton
that his time was short, and that in his case it was indeed, "now or
never."

He crept quietly towards the bushes near him. In passing a tree against
which several rifles had been placed he could not resist the temptation
to take one. Laying hold of that which stood nearest, and which seemed
to be similar in make to the rifle they had taken from himself when he
was captured, he drew it towards him. Unfortunately it formed a prop to
several other rifles, which fell with a crash, and one of them exploded
in the fall.

The effect on Paddy's highly-strung audience was tremendous. Many of
them yelled as if they had received an electric shock. All of them
sprang up and turned round just in time to see their captive vanish, not
unlike a ghost, into the thick darkness!

That glance, however, was sufficient to enlighten them. With shouts of
rage many of them darted after the fugitive, and followed him up like
bloodhounds. Others, who had never been very anxious for his capture or
death, and had been turned somewhat in his favour by the bold stand he
had made against the bear, returned to the fire after a short run.

If there had been even a glimmering of light Tom would certainly have
been retaken at once, for not a few of his pursuers were quite as active
and hardy as himself, but the intense darkness favoured him.
Fortunately the forest immediately behind him was not so dense as
elsewhere, else in his first desperate rush, regardless of consequences,
he would probably have dashed himself against a tree. As it was he went
right through a thicket and plunged headlong into a deep hole. He
scrambled out of this with the agility of a panther, just in time to
escape Gashford, who chanced to plunge into the same hole, but not so
lightly. Heavy though he was, however, his strength was equal to the
shock, and he would have scrambled out quickly enough if Crossby had not
run on the same course and tumbled on the top of him.

Amid the growling half-fight, half-scramble that ensued, Tom crept
swiftly away to the left, but the pursuers had so scattered themselves
that he heard them panting and stumbling about in ev