CHAPTER XIV
Will Plays his little Game
Lying in his little bunk, which was an upper one, Will Raymond did not go to sleep.
He saw the men drop off one by one, from their card playing, he watched the last one up draw on the ropes, to raise the skylights and let in more air, and, as he came to the one near him, he feared he was going to see if he was asleep, so he closed his eyes and breathed hard.
But the man drew on the rope, that raised the skylight, some ten feet above Will's head, and then putting out the lamp he went to bed.
Still gazing upward Will saw the stars fade from view, and the skylights rattled, showing that the clouds had obscured the sky and a wind was springing up.
Until all seemed to be asleep, Will lay quiet as a mouse; then he bent over the edge of his bunk and looked about him.
Raising himself then to a kneeling posture, he saw that the ladder, before referred to as going up to a skylight, was right by the foot of his berth.
Softly he arose, grasped one of the rounds, and drew himself up.
Without the slightest sound, he ascended the ladder, crept up through the skylight, and found himself upon the peak of the high roof.
Standing up he glanced about him, and his eye fell upon nothing but roofs.
He saw that the building on which he stood ran back some distance from the street, was very high, narrow, and ended fifty feet away in a large chimney.
On each side of the sharp roof were slats, a foot from the top, evidently placed there to serve as footguards in a walk toward the chimney.
The clouds, black as night, were now flying low, and skurrying along before an approaching storm. The lightning came in vivid flashes, and it was enough to appall the heart of a seaman, there on that high perch, where the slightest misstep would hurl him to death, the tremor of a nerve would dash him to his doom.
But there was death behind him, sure, and a struggle against death before him, with chances of the boy's triumph, so he held on in his determination to escape.
He knew that the men had placed those slats along the roof for some purpose and that there was a way to escape from the roof he did not doubt, so he determined to find it.
With the bundle at his back, tied with a string about his waist, bare-headed, bare-footed, jacketless, the brave boy stood on the dangerous perch, to return to the outlaw band certain death, to advance a chance for life, while the lightning fairly blinded him with its vividness.
Step by step the boy advanced toward the chimney, for he dared not tarry there long, as any moment the storm might awaken the Land Sharks, as Will had heard the band speak of themselves, and, if missed, he would be pursued and taken.
But he had arranged his bedding so as to look like a form in his berth and placed his jacket, shoes, and hat so as to be seen if he was suspected, which he did not believe.
As he took the first step the rain began to descend in torrents, and a sound behind him caused him to turn his head quickly.
He saw that the skylights were being lowered by someone in the room and he breathed more freely as he felt that he had not been discovered.
But the rain driving into his face blinded him, as he had no hat to shelter his eyes, and the slats and roof being wet, rendered his position far more perilous.
But on he went, step by step, until he reached the chimney. It was breast high to him, and he noticed that it was very large.
From there down to the ground was a long way, and he saw no means of descending.
Perhaps upon the other side, there was a ladder, he thought, and again it came to his mind that the men might have a rope ladder to bring with them.
If this was the case he was doomed, and, the thought in spite of the driving cold rain made him break out into a dense perspiration.
Leaping upon the chimney, for his experience as an amateur sailor had helped him, and he had often gone on board ships at the wharf and ascended to the highest point he could reach, he gazed over the side of the brickwork to see if there was aught to aid his descent.
But he saw that the roof was even with the chimney, so no ladder could go down it.
"They must hook a rope ladder into the chimney in some way," he muttered, and he ran his hand around inside to find the hook, determined to tear his clothing in strips and make a rope so that he might escape.
"Ah!" he said, as his hand touched a piece of iron.
"A ladder inside," he cried, joyously, as he felt rods of iron going down as far as he could reach. Instantly he lowered himself into the chimney and commenced the descent.
Feeling with his feet he found the rods, two feet apart, and down he went into the gloom.
One thing was certain, the chimney was not used as a smoke-conductor, for there was no soot in it. Down, down he went into the darkness, only a shadowy light showing the opening in the top of the chimney.
He had counted twenty rods, and so knew that he must have descended some forty feet.
Then his feet touched the bottom, and turning, he saw the glimmer of a light through a crack.
Stooping, he gazed through the crack and looked out into a room dimly lighted, the gas being turned down low.
He saw that a fire-board hid the open chimney in which he stood, and moving it out he beheld the interior of the room distinctly.
There were two windows, one on either side of the fireplace, and he heard the wind rattling the sashes furiously, and the rain pattering viciously against the panes of glass.
There was a stove before him, but it was evidently there for show, as the smoke-stack entered the chimney, yet no soot was in it, which proved that a fire could not have been lighted in it.
A table with books on it, some pictures on the walls, a clothes press, and over on one side of a door was a bed, while horrors! there was a man in it!
The occupant of the bed was asleep, that was certain, his face turned toward the wall, as Will could see by the dimly burning gas jet over the table.
To escape, the boy saw that his only chance was to get out of his hiding place, cross the room, unlock the door, and thus get out; but when out of the room would he be free?
This was the startling question he asked himself, as he grasped the fireguard to push it to one side, determined to at once make the venture, for he did not know at what moment he might find a pursuer coming down the chimney on his track.
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