DOROTHY'S DOUBLE
BY G. A. HENTY
AUTHOR OF 'RUJUB THE JUGGLER' 'IN THE DAYS OF THE MUTINY'
'THE CURSE OFCARNE'S HOLD' ETC.
IN THREE VOLUMES—VOL. III.
London
CHATTO & WINDUS, PICCADILLY
1894
PRINTED BY
SPOTTISWOODE AND CO., NEW-STREET SQUARE
LONDON
CONTENTS
CHAPTER XVII
CHAPTER XVIII
CHAPTER XIX
CHAPTER XX
CHAPTER XXI
CHAPTER XXII
CHAPTER XXIII
NEW LIBRARY NOVELS.
CHAPTER XVII
Higher and higher rose the flames as fresh sticks were constantly piledon. The blood again began to circulate through the veins, and enjoyableas the heat was, the sharp tingling in the hands and feet caused thegirls acute pain. Then came a feeling of pleasant drowsiness.
'It will do them no harm to go to sleep, I suppose?' Mr. Hawtrey askedGiuseppe.
'No, monsieur. Now that they are warm it is the best thing for them. Wewill keep up the fire.'
Scarcely a word had yet been spoken. Both Mr. Hawtrey and his friendwere completely exhausted. Since they had left the glacier they hadstaggered along in a half-stupefied condition, feeling that in spite oftheir exertions they were gradually becoming more and more chilled. Assoon as the fire blazed up and there was nothing more to do for thegirls, they had thrown themselves down near the fire, and a feeling ofdrowsiness, against which they had been fighting ever since the stormstruck them, was now almost overpowering. Giuseppe produced from hiswallet a bottle of wine and some cold meat and bread. These had formedpart of the supply that had been brought up for lunch. The rest had beenleft behind, at the spot where they had started on the glacier.
'Let us eat, monsieur,' he said to Captain Armstrong.
'But the others will want something when they wake.'
'Conrad will start as soon as he has eaten, monsieur, to get help. It istwo o'clock now; he will be down at the village in three hours, and willbring up porters and food. The ladies will not be able to walk. It hasbeen a narrow escape.'
'It has indeed. We all owe our lives to you, my good fellows.'
'It is our business,' the man said simply; 'we were wrong in letting yougo on to the glacier, but we did not think the storm would have come onso quickly. Sometimes the clouds will be like that for hours before theyburst; but it is getting late in the season, and we ought to have run norisks.'
Just as they had finished their meal Giuseppe exclaimed, 'I hear ashout!'
The others listened, and above the roaring of the wind in the pinesoverhead they heard the sharp bark of a dog.
'It must be a rescue party,' Conrad said, leaping to his feet. 'They aresure to have seen the clouds rolling down the mountains, and would knowthat there was a storm raging up here,' and accompanied by Giuseppe hehurried away in the direction from which the sound had come, shoutingoccasionally as they went.
In five minutes Captain Armstrong heard them returning, and the sound ofvoices and of stumbling feet among the rocks showed that they had aparty with them. He rose to his feet just as the figures of the guides,with three or four men, emerged from the mist.
'Thank God we have found you, Armstrong!' Lord Hallibur