The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1883-10-20 00:00:00

CALL RIGHTS RESERVED.]
EVE AT THE WHEEL.

G. MANVILLE FENN.
luther of "Ship Ahoy," "Dutch, the Diver," "The
Foundry Belle," fc., #c.

CHAPTER XXV.
DRBORAII9I3 GRATITITDB.

- -
As, hand in hand, Helston and the fair girl at his
side went cautiously through the wood, seeking for
safety, they became aware of the fact that the erup-
tion was at an end; the mountain had made its last
effort in the burst of lava, and it was now compara-
tively silent, though the lava flowed on.
After about a couple of hours, the roar of the
steam became less awful; and by the afternoon the
lava scarcely moved across the sands. A breeze
had sprung up, which bore off the clouds of steam
and smoke; and to the great joy of Helston, he awl
his companion were able to make signals to their
friends all of whom seemed in safety upon the knoll,
though' they were surrounded by a glassy river of
lava, which, as it slowly cooled, looked lurid in the
light of the day.
For now the sun shone out, as if to display to the
despairing people the hideous ruin round. As far
as eye could reach, all was black desolation—smoke
rising from wood and dale, steam from the dried-up
beds of streamlets, the ship vanished from sight, and
starvation before them.
They returned again and again to Deborah, to
find that she had not moved from the position in
which she had been left, and whether in stupor or
sleep, she seemed to be breathing heavily.
Helston knelt by her and placed his hands upon
her pulse, when she opened her eyes, gazed at him
for a moment, clined them, and turned away.
"Are you in pain?" he asked.
There was no reply.
" Can I do anything for you?'
Deborah turned a desolate look upon 'him fu s
moment, and then, closing her eyes, motioned to
him to leave her; and at rest somewhat as to her
condition, he walked slowly away and rejoined
Grace, not seeing that Deborah -hail nano," herself
and watched them for a few moments, with a look of
intense hatred upon her face.
"if she were dead—if she were dead !" the woman
muttered; and then, shivering, she turned away,
covered her face with her hands, and lay perfectly
still.
As night came on, the horrors of the scene in-
creased, for a dull red glow shone up from the lava
streams, and was reflected from the sky. Helston
had made several attempts to get near to the others,
but in vain; and at last, as darkness fell, parched
with thirst, faint with hunger, Grace knelt vith
Holston upon the soft dry sands to ask in prayer for
protection through the night, ere, utterly ex-
hausted, she sank to rest upon her sandy pillow, with
Helston watching by her side; but inexorable
sleep soon closed his eyes till the coming of another
day.
Had he been wakeful, he would have seen twice
over during the night a sight which would have
Chilled the very blood within his veins; for about
midnight, when the sky was darkest, save where it
was illumined by the lurid glow from the lava,
Deborah, who had been sleeping, rose slowly to her
feet, and began to walk to and fro.
At first her steps were feeble, and she staggered,
for her head swam; but the cool, soft breeze which
now blew from the sea revived her
By 6agrees, however, she grew firmer; and then,
mutterng to herself, she began to search about in
the darkness, till she felt her hand come in contact
with a block of stone.
She essayed to lift it, but it was too heavy; so she
sought about again, ending by finding a piece to her
mind.
This she poised for a few moments in her hands,
raised it as high as her head, and then dashed it down
upon the sand, where it fell with a heavy thud.
She uttered a low, harsh laugh as she picked it up,
and placed it beneath her arm.
"What of her beautiful face after that ? " she ex-
claimed. "What of her life? Let him kiss and
caress her then, if he will—"
She stopped short, looking about for the spot where
she had been so carefully carried when her life
was saved; but she had paid no heed to her steps
when seeking for the stone, and her head was
confused.
She took a dozen paces in one- direction, then as
many in another, but to be no nearer, for she had
utterly forgotten the way she had gone; and not only
was the darkness confusing, but the various land-
marks that might have been made out even in the
gloom were gone; tall, palm-like trees being turned
to stunted, charred poles where they were not levelled
with the ground.
Deborah uttered an exclamation of annoyance,
and want on searching.
"If I could only find them," she muttered.
And her fell design was only too plain, as she
sought about in every d' ection for the spot where
she had seen, though apparently asleep, Grace lie
down to rest. with Heist= watching at her side.
For quite an hour she wandered about, sometime
laying the heavy stone down she paused to
rest, and then lifting it once more, as she continued
her b, rah, sometimes near, sometimes far off:
for the gloom confused her as much as her fevered
'brain.
Twice over she passed within a few yards of where
Grace lay peacefully asleep; and upon the second
occasion she stopped short, with her back to those
she sought, and, with her hand over her eyes, care-
fully scanned the ground.
It seemed that now she must see them; but no,
she passed on, and Grace Monroe was saved from
a fearful death; for, had the wretched woman seen
her, she would have dashed out her brains as she
lay.
The darkness saved her, for Deborah wandered
on and on, till, weary and confused, she stumbled so
near to the lava that her face was scorched again by
the glow.
As she staggered back, she dropped the stone;
and when she made an effort to regain it, her head
swam, and she fell down, while, when ,she strove to
rise, she sank back once more, and was fain to crawl
painfully on her hands and knees farther and farther
away from the glowing heat, till, utterly spent, she
sank upon her side and fell into a deep, stupor-like

deep. -
As HeTeton started into wakefulness, half con-
fused still, his eyes fell upon the sleeping face of
Grace; and, as he bent over it, she unclosed her
eyes, to gaze wonderingly in his for a few moments.
Then the lipt of recollection cpme, and as he bent
lower, her lips did not refuse the kiss that he placed
upon them.
Grace started into wakefulness at that touch, and
a cry of fear escaped h at the sight of the seared
and blackened fa ,hich was within a few inches
of her own.
Recollecting all that had passed, however, on the
instant, she rose (quick v, and placed her hands in
Heiden's.
"And I have slept all night," she exclaimed.
"Yes," he replied, gazing lovingly into the sweet
face before him. "And I was to have watched over
you; but I, too, was overcome by sleep, and proved
a pobr guardian. But there, I think the danger; is
ended now."
"Let us go aid see to Deborah,". said Grace,

hastily.
%And she led the way, giving Helston a pang as
he noted how eager she was to have a third person
in their company.
"Yes, certainly," he said, trying to hide his

annoyance.
But on reaching the spot, it was to find the im-
pression of Deborah's body plainly marked in the
thick coating of grey ash which lay upon the earth;
and they were able to trace her footsteps for a time,
but they soon became obliterated or confused; and
though they sought in all directions they were un-
able to find further trace of the wretched woman.
"Heaven forfend that she may not have come to
harm!" ejaculated Ilelston. "Let us go and see if
our friends have noticed her."
The next minute they were walking towards the
half .burned wood which came nearest to the lava
that separated them from the knoll, and now they
got new enough to talk to their friends, though the
heat fnr ade a nearer approach. They were suffer-
ing horribly from thirst, and a terrible feeling of
despair was creeping over all; for they could see no
chance of escape from their fire-surrounded prison
which would take days to 000 l sufficiently for than
torioross, perhaps more.
CH.APTER X.X171,
LADRENT AND Dis ENEILY.
LAMENT felt that his last moment had come, for tne
monster that had seized him compressed his arms
against his sides- in a way that threatened instant
death. He seized the huge fold with one hand:
but, though a muscular man, and he pushed with all
his might, his efforts seemed perfectly futile, and,
with a sickening feeling of horror and disgust, he
felt the hideous embrace tightening, and saw by the
pale glow that shone through the smoke the ghastly,
spectral-like head rising slowly hgher and higher,
and then drawn back preparatory to the creature
striking him.
At this moment his muscles refused their office;
.. and nerveless, flaccid, and helpless as one in a dream,
: he felt that he was completely in the monster's
power, and even though the pressure was now suffo-
cating, he felt but very little pain, only a feeling of
~. sorrow for tb,-,se whom he had been called upon to
. , protect shot through his brain, and then he felt him-
self hurled backwards, for with a terrible blow the
serpent struck him on the shoulder, close to his arm,
and the sharp teeth closed upon it tightly.
There was a terrible motion, then, of the coils of
the serpent's body as they ascended his chest, and
a couple more enveloped his legs as he lay prone in
the creature's embr ce, now nearly stupefied, for all
seemed over.
Had Laurent been capable of seeing that which
tooa place in tne circle of fire where he was suffer-
ing so horrible a fate, he would have been aware of
the fact that Mary Dance had stood, for a time,
perfectly paralysed, and had seen the terrible struggle
from the first; but, suddenly throwing off her inani-
mation, she uttered a cry like a wounded tigress,
her comely face WAS distorted with rage, and she
darted towards the hatchet that hn fa= trona her
kw& hialL, -