The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1883-09-29 00:00:00

CHAPTER XIX.

CRUSHING THE REBELS.
DEBORAH decided the question by beating at,the
door of her cabin, and calling for help; with the
result that a loud hurrying noise began to be heard,
Which soon ran through the ship, and shrieks and
cries soon followed, showing the alarm of those
below.
Helston walked to the cabin door, and, in a loud
voice, told the prisoner to be silent.
" Help—help " shrieked Deborah.
"I tink, inl'am, you 'pare your broil," said
'Thello, laughing; "de ladies am all 'tickler
engage."
"This is your doing, Grace Monroe," shrieked
Deborah, in her impotent rage.
And she beat at the bulkhead.
"Is Miss Monroe in here ? " said Helston, at the
next cabin door.
"Yes, she is,' said Mary Dance, sharply; "what
do you want ? "
"Perhaps you will both step out, at your conveni-
ence," said Helston, loudly.
And he turned the key.
Mary threw open the door, and, holding Grace
Monroe's arm, they walked out upon the deck;
Where, far from taking a suppliant tone, Hels'ou
said, firmly—
" Mr. Laurent and I have decided that it was time
.0 put an end to all this mummery, and we have
Come on board to do so. Miss Monroe, Mary Dance,
You may rely upon receiving respect and the treat-
ment that your position deserves. I ask you, will
You undertake to return to your position of emi-
grants under our charge, or must I request you to
go ashore for the present?"
"Mr. Helston," said Grace, in agitated tones, as
sne gazed tremblingly in the firm, hard face before
her, "what are you going to do?"
"Treat women as women—as those who call upon
us for protection and respect; but if necessary, to
use force to gain the upper hand over those mad
creatures who have driven their companions wild."
"Mr. Helston," said Mary Dance, quietly, "we
have never fought against the discipline of the ship.
You see, we are prisoners."
"Then will you both go below, and see if you can
bring these women to reason? Miss Monroe, I am
sorry to behave harshly, but the circumstances of
the case compel it. Now, listen to me—both. Will
You aid in bringing these people under control ? '
"Yes," said Mary Dance, gazing admiringly at

"And you, Miss Monroe P," said Helston, sharply.
"Yes, sir—l will do my best," she said, meekly.
And her heart throbbed, for she thought she had
never seen him look so manly and handsome before.
As a suppliant, she had loved him almost against
her will; as one who commanded, she felt that she
was his slave.
"Then go down below, both of you," said Helston,
firmly. "You are our ambassadors—tell these
women they came out in this ship under us, as
their officers; and that, if they choose to forget their
sex, they -forfeit all claim on us to be treated as
Women. Tell them," he continued, "that I feel
reyself answerable to the Government for their well-
being, and that it is my duty to protect and aid
them to the last. Therefore if one, a dozen, a
hundred, fight against the discipline of this ship,
they make us, their officers, their enemies, and for
the benefit of the whole they must suffer. You hear
sue?"
"Yes, sir, I hear," said Mary Dance.
And every word was distinctly heard, too, in the
cabin by Deborah Burrows.
" La-tly," said Helston, "tell them that Mr. Lau-
rent and I. are well armed, and that, without hesita-
tion, we shall use those arms upon those who will
not submit."
"On women—on helpless women P" shouted
Deborah from the cabin.
" No " thundered Helston; "but upon mad crea-
tures who have unsexed themselves, and led a pack
01 foolish women astray. Now, go ! "
In spite of herself, Grace Monroe's eyes met those
of Helston for an instant; but it was to find no
softening love-light there: the man was roused,
and he pointed imperiously to the hatchway, which
Laurent and 'Thello stood ready to open; and she
felt that she could kneel at his feet and kiss his
bands.
"Stand back! below there or we fire," shouted
Laurent, as he threw up the hatch.
But Helston's words had been heard, and the
Women shrank away.
Grace and Mary Dance passed down, and the
hatchway was clapped to behind them, Helston
standing motionless upon the deck, and Laurent
looking at him with admiration, as he said to him-
self:
"By Jove, what a captain he would have made ! "
At the end of five minutes there was a knocking
at the hatchway.
"Well ?" said Holston, advancing.
And Mary Dance answered.
"Open the hatchway," said Holston, sharply.
And upon its being done, the two messengers
stepped out.
" They all submit, sir," said Grace, quietly; "and
they request that Deborah Burrows may be kept
away from them."
"I'll take care of that," said Holston, grimly.
And Grace gazed at him wonderingly, as she
Raked herself- -
"Is this the calm,"quiet doctor ?"
Then they were sent down the forecastle and into
the saloon, to come back with the same undertakings
of submission.
"And now, sir," said Mary Dance, firmly, "I
think I can answer for them all, if my influence is
brought to bear upon them in place of that of
Deborah Burrows. I have no feeling of bitterness
against her; but she is to blame for all this."
"I know she is," said Helston, "and shall act
accordingly. Now, throw open the hatches, and
tell every one to come up."
Grace looked at him wonderingly, and her heart
beat faster as she saw him stand aside till all the
Women were on deck, when he said, in a calm, sharp
voice—
"We shall now go on with the same routine as
Chat observed before the wreck. It is my wish to
do all possible for your comfort as well as health;
but, till help comes, every one must work. You,
sir," to 'Thello, "return at once to your galley, and
let the cooking be carried on as of old. You will
have help appointed to you. You, Mary Dance, I
appoint matron, vice Mrs. Kent, deceased • and if you
practice any arbitrary harshness to any of women,
I shall call you to account, even as I shall severely
punish any one who breaks your rules."
A pin might have been heard to drop upon the
deck as he went on:
"You, Grace Monroe, I appoint the matron's aid;
and you, Lee and Smith, chief assistants. Deborah
Burrows will remain under confinement till further
orders. Lastly, my good women, let me remind
You that, by right of my appointment, I am
governor of this island, and I exercise my right of
seniority over Mr. Laurent, who is, by succession,
Captain Laurent, in command of the Zenobia. Mind
this, then, that my rule here over you will be rigid
and stern, tempered with kindness; but, above all,
X shall be quick to punish every offence. Now for
breakfast."
The revolution was crushed, and he walked
aight into the captain's cabin, to send for Mary
L'allee the next minute.
"Let this place be cleared out at once," he said,
nl3-. "Some of the women have been occupying
"Yes, sir," said Mary Dance, respectfully.
And she went out to join Grace.
Oh, my darling," she whispered, "he's glorious
Could love him with all my heart."
Grace turned away, and the ship was all a buzz
ith preparation.
The next minute Laurent had followed Helston
into the cabin, to hold out his hand.
'Thanks," he said, quietly. Helston, I'll help
'von as long as I've breath."
Ilelsion grasped his hand firmly, but his face m-
mined stern, and his brow knit; for there was ci
question to solve yet.
What was to be done with Deborah Burrows

CHAPTER XX
THB ERUPTION.
TRE revolution was, indeed, at an end. Deborah
tetnained a close prisoner, and the work of the little
01°nY went on; for, to a woman, they all fell
rito their places, and seemed to rejoice in being
4reed from s state of affairs that was growing
itkisome.
Weeks passed away in the exercise of preparation
!or the future. Pigs were killed and salted down.
Dread was made. fish were netted, and gardening
'went on. Helston's rules were of the most rigid. and he
11,_ever gave way in the least. He and Laurent took
gneir meals together. and thoroughly kept
&heir distance; while to Grace Monroe, and Mary
theY were always coldly politer
. "It is a necessity of the case," said Helston, talk-
lizt, I? one day upon the subject; "and believe me.
~aurent, though our behaviour may seem' harsh, if
it !'llB3' are women worth winning they must applaud
and, honour us the more." "
• •• • /
131'4
*Seeks ivery haidto thehoor said
—4urent.
" But you have 'no rivals to fear,',' Said 'Helsten,
quietly;
Aud the subject dropped.
Six
months passed rapidly away, for ail were
and It seemed as if release would never
marls
_ •

rjhe island still smiled in beauty, for it was ever a
al
Ming of spring, summer, and autumn there;
Wed the d 9
clays glided on when suddenly, on a calm,
)t
Bvening,toshen thw.
beeeh was thronged by the
• °lnen resting after the telt-6f ,the- day,--the whiff!?
!Bland quivered with a tremendous shock, and the
!lia_sotant after there vras a.desiening roar, as of a
usand peals of thinFlere.”).'
The women rushed thitherih :affright,
for _
.I+s sea seemed madam* to la gipu towirdi th•ln

in a great wave; but just as they felt that they
were about to be swallowed up, it ran back—down,
down, for quite a quarter of a mile, leaving the
Zenobia high and dry amongst the sand; and a
silence that was absolutely awful followed,as a great
black cloud gathered above their heads.
Holston was in the ship with Laurent, but they
hurried out with the rest of the women, lest the
wave should again rise.
rhe women ran shrieking round their leader as he
came up from the ship, and on every hand the cry
rose—,

"What is it—an earthquake!'
The answer was there; for, with a tremendous
report, a burst of flame came from the centre of the
volcano, seeming to ascend quite a mile in the air;
and against the vivid orange light the flagstaff with
the ship's colours, which had been replaced by Hel-
don's orders, was plainly to be seen.
The volcano, which had probably been quiescent
for hundreds of years, was once more in eruption,
the sole warnings the inhabitants of the island had
received being a few flashes like lightning round
the summit, and an occasional burst of muttering
subterr.nean thunder.

The first question was where to go for safety, and
the women clustered round, asking for advice which
it was impossible to give; for now the black cloud
seemed riven by fire, and then accompanied by a
horrible sulphurous smell; then fell a shower of
dust, quickly followed by darkness, so intense that,
but for the flickering flashes of light from the moun-
tain, it would have been impossible for one of the
frightened crowd to have seen a neighbour.
"Keep all together," shouted Helston, as soon as
he could make himself heard; "and let us go in-
land to the green knoll."
A hill about a quarter of a mile from the shore.
"But that is nearer the burning mountain,"
shrieked half a dozen trembling women.
"Yes, and farther from the sea, which may sweep
as away if it rises again," cried Helston.
And without further opposition, but with tears,
and cries and lamentions, the terrified, crowd went
towards the green knoll.
As they went, a hot blast, as from the mouth of a
'furnace, rushed by them, and whenever a flash came
they could see the glorious vegetation of the island
drooping and withering away, the smaller leaves
even turning crisp under the awful heat.
They reached the knoll in safety, and from this
commanding spot could see that the eruption was
fast gaining force—large red masses of fire were
being thrown straight up, with awful reports, and,
falling back into the crater, a wild, red glare lit up
the sky; and at one point, where the dark edge of
the crater was plainly to be seen, there was a vivid
orange light; and then, as if the crater, with its
fused rock, had boiled over, a thin, golden, jagged
line, like a fixed flash of lightning, appeared: the
lava was beginning to flow.
All below, though, was intensely dark—mist, a dust
of ashes, and unwholesome gases seemed to float
over the lower parts of the island, stifling to breathe,
and threatening suffocation to the horror-stricken
colonists.

But they were 'not the only affrighted creatures;
twice over did a herd of the wild pigs rush franti-
cally by, yelling and shrieking in fear; and, as the
trembling womenlhuddled together amidst the bushes
on the knoll, they disturbed three serpents, which
only uttered loud hisses, and glided slowly away.
"Who is this " said Holston, as he went round
his party, like a shepherd, with his flask, and helped
several half-fainting women higher up.
"I—Laurent," was the answer.
"Alone P"
"No, Grace Monroe and Mary Dance are here
by me."
"Laurent," said Helstan, in a low voice—dis-
tinctly heard, though, by the two women—" I can't
stay with you, or devote myself more to them than
to the others; but hold their lives as a sacred charge,
and save them, even at the expense of your own.
Where is Mary Dancer
"Here." said a voice from out of the darkness.
"Mary," said Belston, taking her hand," Heaven
bless and preserve you. If I have seemed harsh
and hard lately it has been from necessity. We
may not meet again. If not, good-bye."
Mary sobbed, as she convulsively pressed his
hand.

"Where is Miss Monroe Fil,heisaid then.
'I am here, Mr. Holston," said a low, awed
voice. _ _ _

And in an instant he was at her side.
-

"Grace," he said, catching her hands in his, "if I
ould do as I wished, I should stay to protect you;
but my duty is to try and save all. I have been
harsh and hard, and have lately seemed to resent
your coldness; but under the mask there has been
the same warm, passionate love for you. If it could
have been returned, you would have made me a
happy man. If we never meet again, think of me
kindly as one who loved you well.
As his words fell upon her ear, uttered in a calm,
unimpassioned way, Grace Monroe trembled; and,
in spite of the danger that surrounded them, her
heart beat fast. She loved him—she knew she loved
him, and far more dearly since she had seen his
behaviour of late. She felt that she hated herself
for the cruel sturpieions that she had harboured;
and with lips parted, head thrown back, and the
hot tears streaming down her cheeks she timidly
stretched forth her bands towards where he stoot4
to speak to her.
Then she took a step forward, and, had he touched
her, she would have thrown herself upon his breast,
saying—
", Take me I am yours."
But her hands touched nothing; and as, from a
distance, she heard his firm, authoritative voice
giving warning and advice; she uttered a loud wail,
and sank weeping upon the ground.
"Don't cry, dear,' whispered a soft voice, and
Mary Dance's arms, were clasped round her. "He
is a true man, aneht loves you. He is sure to be
back."

_
Hour after hour went by, and the heat became
intense—the scene awful. The mountain vomited
forth flame and smoke; showers of volcanic dust
half-stifled the group; then a rain of hot cinders
fell around them, so that the hill was covered; and
then there was a sweeping hot wind, which bore
away the darkness, and the whole island was lit up
by the wondrous glowing light of the mountain.
So scorching had been the blasts, so heated the
showers of dust and cinders, that the exposed parts
of those who huddled there were blistered; and as
they sought around for a place of refuge, they found
that the whole face of the island seemed changed by
the withering of the verdure. Where glorious
groves had stood, lush with broad-leaved palms and
far-spreading tree ferns, were now a few sticks;
and the island, in:parte, seemed to have been swept
bare.
Holston was going constantly from one to
another, telling them to be of good cheer, for the
violence of the eruption betokened but a short
duration.
"It will soon be over," he said.
But as he spoke, flame and red-hot cinders were
roaring like some mighty blast from the mouth of
the crater, and the whole area of heaven glowed
like the roof of some awful furnace.
Helston had looked about, and considered whether
it would be advisable to change their position; but,
as far ahe could see, every other hill or undulation
of the soil was worse off for exposure than the one
they occupied. The very streams ran through their
beds emitting clouds of steam, by which their
courses could be traced. And now came one of the
most critical dangers of all; for as they gazed upon
the -olcano, which seemed to tremble and rock with
the roes which convulsed it, the summit split with'
a hideous convulsion, and from half-a-dozen rifts as
many floods of molten fire came rushing down, de-
stroying all before them, as they flowed on like so
many golden rivers; trees and bushes in their way
suddenly leaped into flame, which blazed to their
summits in a few seconds, and the roar of the fire
became deafening.
Holston, after gazing perfectly astounded at the
aearful sight with the glow of the vivid streams
growing painful to the eyes, now made for where
Laurent stood holding Mary Dance's hand; for she
had in this time of tribulation given him ample
proof of the love she bore him.
"What it; to be dens, Laurent ?" he said. "Shall
WO make fox,the ship r
"No," said Laurent, "there Is a valley now on
either side of us, and the lava will, I reckon, sweep
round us below the hill, and then flow over the sand
where the ship lies."
"Yes," said Holston, quietly; "and she will be
destroyed like a scrap of paper. You are quite
right, we must stay where. we are, and trust in
Heaven. Our only hope is m the eruption coming
to an end."
He stood gazing at the epectacle, which enchained
every trembling woman with its awful grandeur;
and though the heat was oppress: , they suffered
less than before, for a rushing wind now set in from
all parts of the compass towards the roaring furnace
in the middle of the island, and, fanning the flame,
it rushed eddying up, apparently miles into the
glowing skies.
I Suddenly Helston'e voice was heard to cry, autho-
ritatively—
" Let no one straggle down the side of the hill.
All keep close together on the summit. Let there
be no panic, either, even if the lava comes right
round. It will not rise so high as this."
And the night passed on—such a night of horror
as could hardly have before fallen to the lot of
mortal. After what seemed to have been an inter-
minable length of time, a sickly, faint light
tTeared in the east, and morning dawned just as
e lava flood touched the foot of the green knoll
—the blackened knoll now—and divided into two

rivers.
"Where 'is Deborah Burrows ?" exclaimed ifiel-
aton, suddenly, his voice heard above the roar of the
fiery streams. But there was no reply.
"Where is Deborah Burrows ?" shouted Holston
'Again.
" Tink, sah, she le ff on boar," cried a smothered
voice ; and then the speaker groaned to himself,
"Oh, lor oh, ion what a wicked ole man dis chile
hab been."
Almost before the words were uttered, Helston
ur.
was running rapidly down towards the shore; and,
by thedid ght, active forra VMS seenin
!all pursini, as, with a cry of despair, Grace Monroe
sli-.
leaped from Mary Dance's side, and ran after him.
Good heavens, they will both perish !" exclaimed
Laurent.
And he rose to follow; but a pair of strong arms

Le''-'l,