The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1883-10-13 00:00:00

CHAPTER XXIIL

A REPRIEVE.
lists Tow had for the moment been stupefied, but
Grace's cry roused him; and with a tremendous effort
he forced Deborah to the ship's side, and together,
as he caught with one hand at the rope, they rolled
over the broken bulwark, to fall heavily upon the
sands, as the lava seemed to lick up the ship, and it
roared into a mighty flame.
There sas no pause: one moment the ship was
atand.ng bedded in sand, its rusty black sides glisten-
hig in the glow, where the molten pitch was oozing
and bubbling out; the next, the river of golden fire
was upon it, touching it, for it to blaze up at every
touch. _ _ _

Ralf-stunned, Helston rose, and tried to drag his
"ernpanion away, for the lava was creeping round
4,0 w at either end of the burning ship; but had it
eepended on him alone, they must have perished.
As it was, Grace ran to them, and seizing one of the
Prostrate woman's wrists, they together dragged her
41eng the sand, racing against the fiery stream, which
threatened to cut them off.
Ilelston was so stunned by his fall that he hurried
on in a dazed, helpless way; and the lot fell to Grace
to direct their course Twice over it seemed that
they must fail, for they had to drag their burden
diagonally towards the sea, the lava coming on
farther and farther; but another fifty yards, and hey
Would clear the stream, and stand on higher ground,
Where the sand was thrown up by the tide.
Th( y had nearly reached it, with the ship a tower
151 flame, and the golden creeping stream nearing
hem ever, when, utterly. exhausted, Helston stum-
bled and fell.
" Fly—escape," he groaned.
As he uttered those words he darted an anguished
took at Grace, in whose countenance was depicted
the anguish of her heart. It seemed to her, for the
moment, that all was over, and that a horrible death
Was about to overtake the man she loved.
For herself she thought nothing; but, turning
!len' him, took two or three steps towards the burn-
ing flood, in the mad idea that she might offer her-
self a sacrifice in-his stead, and so save him.
A moment's glance at the awful, relentless manner
in which the lava advanced taught her the folly of
her plan. In another minute it would have swept
over where they all stood, and her little body would
have had as much effect in staying the fiery wave as
It fly.
She ran back, her face blistering and smarting
With the awful heat; and as Helston saw her ani-
mated countenance lit up by the glow of the flood,
. she seemed to him more beautiful than ever.
'Quick !" she gasped; "you must make an effort.
rT-try to escape—here, farther up the slope !"
"It is useless, "groaned Helston. "Save your
own life.'
But Grace threw herself upon him, and, with the
lava scorching him, he struggled once more to his
feet ; they seized their insensible burden, staggered
en for another twenty yards, and, with Deborah
and Grace's clothes already smouldering, fell upon a
billoek of sand, to be hidden the next moment from
Bight, as the lava flowed by them and met the sea
with a frightful hiss, and a cloud of steam, which
increased in volume as the sea hissed and boiled,
floated over the shore.
The roar and shriek of the conflict was then awful,
for, as the lava stream, golden and glowing, plunged
into the sea, the latter, as if resenting the intrusion,
kept sending in great waves—the subsiding relics ot
that which had swept the shore at an early stage of
the eruption—and these leaped up and spent them-
selves upon the fiery flood, which, remorseless, wave-
es, and calm, swept on, driving the sea back and
'lack, its advance guards breaking up into hissing,
streamy clouds, which, like the spirits of the
slaughtered waves, floated upward, away from the
scorching earth.
A few moments' breathing space, and they dragged
the inanimate burden another fifty yards. Then a
re,t, and a hundred yards were placed between the
g'le wing danger and themselves; for the lava flowed
Straight on towards the sea, cutting a channel in the
sand, and spreading no more in their direction, as
Grace threw her arms round Helston's neck, and
buried her face in his breast.
Deborah lay beside them, but insensible, or a
witness of her passion, Grace heeded not. In those
awful moments of peril maidenly reserve and every
thought of restraint were swept away. She could
only think of the safety of the man she loved.
And there he lay back upon the scorched earth,
blackened, stupefied, dazed. He did not iseed her,
only lay struggling for his breath, and feebly won-
dering whether they were yet to live.
One movement he made, though, sent a thrill of
delight through the frame of the exhausted, trem-
bling girl—for once he raised a weary arm and laid
his hand upon her head, when she nestled closer to
his breast, weeping silently, and waiting for the end,
believing that ere many minutes had elapsed they
should have to give up the little life that remained.
It was a good half-hour, though, before be re-
covered sufficiently to do more than lay his cheek
Upon her silky h9ir, for he had been sorely stricken
by his fall. At last, though, half suffocated by the
steam, he kissed her, and told her it was time to try
for safety.
"We may yet live, darling," he whispered; and,
struggling to his knees, he held the gentle form to
Ills breast.

" Live ?" she murmured—" live? No, it is im-
possible !
She darted a shuddering glance round at the glow-
lug lava, at the clouds of steam and ashes, and her
voice seemed the feeblest of whispers.
" No," he said, "it is not impossible, Grace; we
Must struggle to the last."
, Ile made an effort and rose, leaving her crouch-
On the sand, as he tried, in a giddy, helpless way,
te make some observation as to their position; but
amidst the din and confusion of roaring lava and
shrieking steam, he could make out nothing, save
that there was a possibility of their getting a little
farther from the clouds of steam, which—sulphurous
and hydrogenous—were wafted again and again to-
Wards them, and rendered respiration almost im-
possible.
He crawled back to where Grace was crouching.
and laid his hand upon her.
The poor girl shivered and started; but, as he
raised her head and her eyes met his, a faint, weary
smile crossed her lips, and she made no resistance
as he drew her towards him,
"One word," he whispered, "only one. In a few
toinutes' time you may not be able to speak it.
Grace, I love you with my whole heart. Tell me it
is returned."
She smiled again very feebly, and her eyes ball
closed ; but one arm was thrown round his neck,
and she laid her head for a moment against his
throbbing heart.
The contact gave him strength, and, with nervous
force, he strained her to his breast, held her there
lor a minute, and then gently released her.
-"` There is—there must be hope," he cried.
, And he started up with an intense feeling upon
'lira that life would now be ten thousand times
tnipre bright and joyous, even if it were to be
existence on a scorched and burning desert like this
e,
th
-Y Were upon.
IN And then, and then only, did he try to revive
" eborah, who lay as they had left her—her clothes
!eerched and burnt, but her face untouched, and
r!earing a calms smile upon the lips, as she lay with
Rer eyes half-clothed.
"Deborah, Deborah!" he said, excitedly, "wake
"ele are safe."
„.She paid no heed to his words, and he repeated
I'tern when his cry aroused Grace, who came to his
Side.
She is stunned by the fall, or else the shock of
"lege horrors has been too much for her reason."
At that moment the flood of lava seemed to
receive fresh ,impetus, the sea boiled and shrieked,
,lid scalding clouds of steam swept over them,
Qinding and almost suffocating with their dreadful
fumes.
•- • -
"Can you help me wirer so little, Grace ? " Helston
Clouted, though it sounded like a hoarse whisper.
" VII try," she answered.; "but this heat suffocates
atd seems to render me helpless."
" Let us try,7 he said.
_Auk as they moved her, Deborah muttered a few
":ords. in which the names of Helston and ,Monroe
were
str auring: a -lull in ,the elemental
Grace
heard
•, •
'sighed heavily; but she did not pause in
her task, but, exerting what strength she _possessed;
41,8 'Wiped her companion, and together', they eon-
4.tu, by littlegstagesiio bear Deborah higher
alld laid her a,milltit the'scorched-and withered trees.
Artwful roir,4*-its dill going on, and a 'mighty
cloud Qf
;0* itetith Aigher and , highey„
,the
tolava
wed id& 03:04 04 4te.itick was' less oppres.,
flitsy. as it floated (far aho.v,e;,,
%el/14_
„The', ft.l* intenee,.
and the fumes of burnt and sma4hiering.wocectwere
at invaa ilnrnst, 4:010 tPufiltt .14,4 a ,vo;
-uelaturotofirstiehought. seamoVwelte4lutltherciwia-4,
_tone to be Wits* nothing could bedoneAt) revive,
ueborah, Th'ey =laid her with her fate towards the
lea, sto•that she' might catch *hat little feeiNair *Ai -1
tafted in fitful puffs towards them and then left
n to -keeif they Wild fliSdlitikt
Lret.,ra •
b"it as fearful Onia infterwP*Kuit.6llWY
nootolince-Aa-',: „al the
.00104 girding tlianrsu the fiery
Of lava, which might at any moment rise Fe-,
ntlee4,lkighf3tOtncl, sweep over them,-.1,
an°a veilletuktstera,Ahe AIODSB demo t
b-4.atillotakset-,,Anakhav-novras dark as night,
vAtlteeibytthe flasherettightning, the bursts .01
he .inddr Olden' • grOW'from the broad-
cad rivers of molten stone.-- •
At times, the darkness would be almost black, the
tl24ds coming lower and lower; but when suffoca-
iZa seemed imminent—for it would have been
...LuPossible to breathe in such a breeze, charged as it
e"iar%with fine ashes which choked their nostrils—a
would seem to supervene amongst the clouds,
eh were whirled in wild chaos aloft; and at such
"I" hot, but refreshing, Gwento of air would reach

them from the sea, and give them respite from what
seemed 'instant death.'
It seemed wondrous to Helston That they could
have existed so long, and the feelings of despair that
had fallen upon them so frequently when they had
been covered with finely-powdered, choking dust. or
smitten by fiery blasts of cinders from the volcano,
ceased to have their old effect; and in a dumb, stupid
kind of despair they staggered a few yards this way
or that way, within their circle of fire and water,
hardly heeding the perils around.
Was it night? was it morning P
Neither could say. Time seemed to have been
obliterated, and their reflective powers were so
numbed that they could do no more than wait—
helplessly wait—for that which was to come.