Page:Rowland--The Mountain of Fears.djvu/49

  Hush!—ah, hush!' whispered Vinckers.

" 'Why shall I hush!' said I, and my voice was shaking. 'Waken her, MacFarlane.'

"The Scotchman thrust out his great arm slowly, and in the faint yellow light I saw him snatch it quickly away; heard the choking rattle in his throat; felt my own heart flickering like a candle burned low.

Ou—ou—ou' Hush—hush—s'h'hh!' whispered Vinckers. "And then, Doctor" Leyden's voice had sunk until one scarce caught the bitter mockery—"I did the bravest act of my life. I slid out of my hammock." Leyden laughed in a way that sent a chill through me.

"Can you understand, Doctor? Do you know what fear is? Did you ever awake suddenly from a dreamless sleep with a devitalizing fear crushing the very blood out of your heart? No dream no recollection only the fear sometimes hung like a black mantle over the nearest object, no matter how familiar. [ 33 ]