The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1883-12-29 00:00:00

EALL-lUOHTS RBSERTED.]
EVE AT THE WHEEL

G. MANVILLE PENN.
Author of "Ship Ahoy," "Dutch, the Diver," "2k.
Foundry Belle," #c., #o,

CHbPTER t....ICLEL

' 'THELLO'S DARING FEAT.

IT was a terrible nio-Ment. Holston stopped short,
as did also Laurent, helpless in such a fearful emer-
gency. The women shrieked, and -many of them,
in spite of the bravery they had previously dis-
played, covered their faces with their hands, and
turned away.
As for 'Thello, the sight was too much for him,
and he threw, himself flat upon the lava.
To have made the slightest advance now would
have been to ensure an awful death for poor Grace
Monroe; while to draw back seemed to be to open
up a way of escape to life, but, to a young, sensitive
girl, a life more terrible than any death.
"Oh, Mr. Helston," shrieked one of the girls,
"save her !—save her !fl

Ilelston would have given his life to save her, but
he is helpless; end, what was more, he had no
means of communicating with the savages except by
signs.
He tried, then, as so-on as the first shock was
past, to intimate to them that if they would give up
Grace they could go free.
At this, one who seemed to be the leader uttered
a mocking laughjahook hi 's head, and seemed to
point out by signs that as soon u the prisoner was
given tip they-.would be massacred.
He then signed to Helston to draw off his party,
andtlekthem go free, and he would not throw the
prisoner down; but if any attempt were made to
follow, he signified that Grace would be killed with
one of their wax-clubs.

"We must not give her up to them Laurent,"
groaned Helaton. "Can we not cut them off r
The savage seemed to interpret these w,rds, for,
making a backward movement, he stood on the ex-
treme edge with Grace so balanced now on his
shoulder tht:,t e. touch would. have sent hpr to cer-
tain death.

"I can say nothing," exclaimed Laurent, in a de-
spairing,tone, "only let them go. It is too horrible
for the poor girl to die."
"Better die, exclaimed Holston, than leave her
with these wretches. But they shall die with her,"
he cried, grinding his teeth, so that the savages
seemed to see their fate written in their pursuer's
eyes, and clubs were held ready as their lithe, active
bodies posed for the attack.
At that momentifirace stretched out her hands
to Helston—hinds that dumbly seemed to say,
"Save me! save me 1" And, unable to restrain
himself, lad:Elton made a dash forward.

"Come on! come on!" he shouted.
But Laurent and the women were paralyzed, and
hung back, watching the terrible[scene before them.
For there, not a foot behind the savage who held
Grace, was the awful void, Apparently a perpendicu-
lar descent into the centre of the volcano, where
Nature's grand furnace was fusing rock into a molten
friiid state, and where death would, of all deaths, be
most awful.

The savage's eyes glared with alorrible malignity
as fie saw Helston's intent, and, void of all feeling of
compassion for the poor girl he held, and only think-
ing Of his own defence, he gave his body a swing,
and in another moment Grace would have been
hurled into the gulf, when a dark figure seemed to
leap out of its depths, right upon the savage's back,
driving him helplessly forward towards Helston,
while Grace Monroe fell upon the lava and sulphur
crystals, a foot or two from the edge.
"Take dat, you black ruffyum ! ' cried 'Thello.
For he if was who had crept behind the women to
the edge of the gulf; found that, instead of the side
being perpendicular and smooth where they were, it
was broken up with sulphurocovered ledges, along
one of which he had boldly crept, in spite of the
awful depth beneath, and 'sprung up in time to save
the life of Grace.
rj his change-in the position galvanised Laurent
and the wbmen in new life, and a terrible struggle
commenced. Itlias brief, though, as it was bloody
and fierce; for; driven forward
,as he was by
'Thello, the savage who had held:Grace met Holston s
blow, delivered with his axe, full upon the temple,
just as, avoiding the war-club of his adversary,
Laurent struck him down, so that he rolled over and
fell into the depths beneath. v.
This so horrified the others, that, with the women
advancing •upon them, and Laurent and Heist=
each seeking a fresh enemy, they threw. down
their clubs just as they were driven to the very
edge of the gulf, and, going down upon their
linees, laid their heads upon the lava in token of
submission.

Their lives were spared; and it having been
ascertaineththat the leading savage was quite dead,
they were Bet to bury him, whi h they did after
searching for a hole ie-the sulphur.
Meanwhile Helston had been busy trying to
revive Grace, who lay there half dead from fear and
u.-&1;ntaob;

There were plenty of gourds ready -with water,
offered by the sympathising women grouped around;
and by degrees she recovered sufficiently to rise and
lean on the arras of two of the women, who helped
her over the rugged ground, while Holston. Lau-
rent, and the reA of the party followed with the
prisoners, who, on finding that their lives would be
spared, became profuse in their display of gratitude,
awl going down once mpre upon their hands and
knees, laid their foreheads to the earth in token of
submission.

"Yes, they seem abject enough," said Holston, in
reply to a remark from Laurent; "but we must not
trust them, for fear of treachery."
Ilels• on turned to 'Mello, who was refreshing him-
self from the mallet-cut gourd that he carried.
" Dis choky place make dis pussen berry fursty
an hungry, sah," he said, showing his white teeth.
rh-ello," said Helston, holding out his hand, and
al:ing that of the Lack, "thank you. We whites
are too often in the habit of despising men of your
colour: but you showed% courage and thoughtful-
ness in that terrible emergency that will always
make me think of you with respect, and look upon
3 ou as my friend."
"Thello ten-an to grin as he heard these words;
out as he ?ally felt their import, and the warm
pressure Of the hand that accompanied them, the
tears rose to his eyes and trickled down his black
cheeks.

" Sah, I tank you," he exclaimed, pressing Hel-
ston's hand, in return. "I nebber hear so pretty a
'peech address byaWhite kenlum to coloured genlum
tifore Sah, I tank you. Dis touch me to de heart;
for sometimes, after all, I feel I only niggah, aqd
sort ob trash beside white genlum:'
"sever mind that, 'Thello,"*said Helston—" a
man is a man."

"Yes, sah, so him am; but de colour make great
aeal of .dilierence. Plenty of de lilly women take
fancy to 'Thello, sah; hut he say to himselb some-
time, no Miss Grace Monroe or Miss Mary Dance
take fancy to him, and if dere been Lplenty white
sailor here, dey no take bit ob notice• of poor
'Thello."

"Never mind,that," began Helston.
No, sah, I no mind bit, and I no say word;
you touch rre to -de heart wid what you say.
Massa Helston, sah, dis niggeh—not dis colour gen-
lum, sah,,„dat humbug, sah 'tuff sah'— all
pride and 'nonsense, sah—dis niggah, sah, always-
tink you brave man, sah, and respeck you, sah;
now he downright love you, sah,'cAuse you got good
heart in de -right place, sah; and more, I tank
you, and I show you how faithful .a niggah can le.
Sah, you want me die for ycu some day—l go die
right or-F, and nebber say word. Tank—tank yon,
tank you,"..
'Thello wrung the hand that had teen exterrled
w him, and then turned away to rub his eyes; while
Helston, sutplised at this honest outburst, remained
by his side, and walked after the retiring party,
wlv progressing oval- ±}.,. rough lava and sulphur
.
ciysta!s.
Holston. kept back nom Grace Monroe. s side,
feeling satisfied that she was safe, and leaving it to
time to heal the breach bctween them. He knew
that, sooner or later, she would give him credit
for his honesty and truth, and he was content to
wait. if-
" 'Mello,' said Helston, as they climbed
-, now slowly making their way up the slope of
the ciat,r, with Laurent leading, and half a dozen
women acting as guards to their prisoners—" well,
'Thello, what aro.we to do with these savages?"
"Well, s di," said 'Thello, " dat's de question dat
f.rubbel me good deal. I no tink we able to trust

, -
-up.. •
"That's what I'm afraid of," said Helston.
"You no like to try urn, sah ?"
"How try them?"
"Try urn by court-martial for mutiny, Bah- find
urn guilty, and den kill um all."
't No, no," exclaimed Holston. "It would be like
murdering them in co d blood."
" Yes,sahl only quite lawful like den. I don't
want to kill the ugly ruffyums, but den s'pose dey
get kill us in cold blood? Dey do it, p'raps 'rout
any trial, and dat 1 erry much like murder us all in
cold blood, eh, Bah."
" Yes, you are right 'Thello," said Helston; "but
we must not bill them.'
"Den, eel, I gib um nuff to eat for week, plenty
water, and de paddle, and den stuff dem in one ob
de canoe, and say, Dab, now you me..e your hook,
and ncb ah show you Ugly face here 'gain. "
"I think that 14.111 I e the better plan, 'Thello,"
said Helston, thoughtfully ; "but we shall see.'
They climbed out of the crater with some diffi-
culty, and befoie bee inning to descend the narrow
gully which would t:ao th m the nearest to their
camp, Holston stoppcd on the edge to look down at
the horrible gulf from which Grace hadheen rescued;
and as he saw a puff ef grey vapour arise from its
black depth's, he gave a shudder, and turned away
from the grey and yellow deolatiou to look around
him.

From wheie he sto, d he nit a fine view of the
island, and (multi trace the ruin caused by the ei up-
tion with ti,e greatest ease. As far as ho could
make it, they were eb ntly lo ated in the moA
des late pa*. for far to the northward he could see
waving groves of trees and woodland, that had evi-

dently been untouched, and these promised fruit for
their sustenanLe, and pl-tuti ft,r culti, at ion.
Re then, having in mind le visit of the savages,
ti,S4 the consequen-es that had fol owed, spent some
time in gazing over the bright blue sea, to try and
discover the island or continent from whence they
had come. Once he fancied he oould make out a
faint haze low down on the ho.oizon, but he could
not be sure; while on every other side, far as his
eye could reach, there was the alistenina blue ocean
.le,kich girt them n..
Completing his observations, no at last tuned,
and began to descend from the giddy pinnacle
where he stood; for though the opening in the edge
of the crater.was jagged, and masses of lava rose on
either side, the edge beneath his feet was quite
sharp, and the gully beneath went down at a very
steep angle.
He followedlis party rapidly, and overtook them,
whole two of the women had been left in charge of
Deborah, who, though terribly injured about the
head, seemed to be breathing easily.
Here Grace Monroe expressed her ability to walk
alone; and a rough kind of hammock being con-
trived, Deborah, whose appearance made Grace
shudder and turn away, was placed upon it, and the
three savages and 'Thello took their places as
bearers, carrying their burden by a knotted cord at
each corner, and changing places and hands as they
grew fatigued.
The gully just allowed of this means of progres-
sion; but it was a long and toilsome descent before
they came to the lower slope of the mountain, where
camped for the night—the savages calmly sub-
mitting to be bound, and apparently perfectly satis-
fied that their lives were spared.
At daybreak, Helston, who had shared the watch
with Laurent, gave the signal to rise, and, after an
exceedingly light meal, the party set off, and at
length reached the camp without further adventure