Читать книгу A West Point Treasure; Or, Mark Mallory's Strange Find онлайн

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With fear and trembling Dewey prepared to light it. Every one of them dreaded the moment; horrible though the darkness was, it might be a black shroud for yet more horrible things.

Mark caught him by the arm just as he was in the act of doing it; but it was not for that reason. He suggested that they have papers ready to keep that precious fire going. It was a good idea, and proved so popular that the Parson, filled with a spirit of self-sacrifice, even tore out the blank title pages of his Dana to contribute. And then at last Dewey struck the light.

The match was a good one fortunately. It flickered and sputtered a moment, seeming to hesitate about burning, while the lads gasped in suspense. Then suddenly it flared up brightly, and they gazed about them in dread.

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What a lot of grewsomeness a little match can remove, to be sure! This one did not solve the mysteries of that wondrous cave, but it removed most of the horror of the explorers. It showed, for instance, that the furry thing which Mark had vowed was alive was an ordinary plush-covered chair!