“I thought they would never return after the smoking we gave them,” he continued, as a dozen of the hideous beings darted from the wall to which they had been clinging. “But I’ll fight and drive them out now, for we must take this chamber. Here, and here only, do we breathe fresh air. It comes from the forest above us; the atmosphere in other chambers is noxious.”
He thrust the torch into Huldah’s hands, and doffed his coat. Then, catching it at the neck, he braced himself, and struck boldly at the hideous, chattering, screeching bats.
The walls of the chamber, which were black upon the couple’s entrance, were now gray, for they had been literally covered with the somber mammals, which now flew about in every direction.
More than one great horned owl added to the terror of the combat, and the monster wings brushed the cheeks of our heroine, who held the torch above her head that the Night-Hawk might see what he was doing.
The heavy coat did good service. It knocked the bats to the right and left, and dashed many to the feet of other characters of our story, as the reader has seen.
“We’re whipping the demons, Huldah!” exclaimed Roy Funk, triumphantly, glancing at the girl. “Already they are retreating to other fastnesses. Aha! they know Roy Funk! they’ve met him before!”
He stood like a giant in the center of the cave, whirling the curious weapon about his head, and dashing his enemies to the stones. His arm never grew weary, nor did his blows weaken. But all at once he started back, and, dropping the coat, picked up the musket, that lay at his feet.
His face was turned toward the entrance to the cave, upon which the firelight fell, and his eyes were riveted upon three figures standing there.
They were Wolf-Cap, Mark Harmon, and Silver Hand. The outlaw saw this in an instant.
To recover the musket was the work of a second, and quickly whirling upon Huldah, he snatched the torch from her hand, and threw it above his head for the purpose of sending it after the bats he had hurled to the dark corridors below. In darkness he might hope to escape his new enemies, who, alas for his plans, had been, for once, too quick for him.