Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1859-12-31

point above the len ear-and, ~ ne aia So ne
whispesed-
"Look out--tbey asked for the captn. That's
where they struck' lie tried 10 speak further but
his voice failed him.
wha. could this mean 2 Maurice Lester started to
his feet and gazed around. Who had killed his men
The captain was disturbed In his meditation by
the sound Of voices not far of, and upon turning be
beheld four coming mp from the water lie who
came in advance was a tall muscular man with
gaunt heavy frame somewhere about fifty or my
FIVE years Of age; and habted In garb OF blue
CLOTH cut into frock, shirt, which was secured
at the waist by broad pisiol-belt
Maurice Lester was startled when he beheld the
stnwart leader and his three rufiaply companions j
and considering all the circumstance II Is no won
der that he was startled However, he had not much
opportunity for reflection, for. by the time he had
fairly made out the party, they were upon him.
HALO" the leader cried, as he saw our hero,
q here VIC have another" And, MS he came up, he
added. "And guess we've found live one, too,
one that knows something Say-who are yer
This last sentence was addressed to Maurice, who
quickly answered
my name 10 Lester. And now TO be fair, what 10
your name ~
Well guess you've heard it before. Men call
me Ryan Wolfgang,"
"WoLydAN0i' repeated Lester with start
Yes. That il my name.
Then WoLFGAkd was not myth after all. That
mysterious wrecker whose name WAS source OF ter
ror to honest sailors, being of flesh and blood,
like other men Maurice gnzed npon him with Won
der and as he gazed, he felt that he looked upon
Gend ncnrnatc. lIe had often heard Of the pirate
wrcckcr and so dark and mystic had been the tales
which the North Sea sailors had told, that he had
been inclined to believe that the whole theme was
fabrication. Now, however, he had no more
doubt for the man before him looked ms dark and
bloody any of the pictures he had heard
drawn OF him upon the forecastle.
But our hero was not allowed much time for rcicc
ton WoIfgnng piled him with questions TO all Of
which Lester gave straightforward answers; well
knowing that evasion would serve no practical pur-
pose aud hoping by his irankness TO propitiate the
merciless fcnd in whose unrestrnned power he knew
himself To he.
When the wrcckcr chief had elected all the nfor-
nation he could and learned with what "A rich cargo
the vessel ireghel md that she had S4o,ooo in
specie an board he smiled grimly, and remarked TO
one of his contederates that she would perhaps lac
richer prize even than the jVhUe Fara had been IL
few years before. The mention Of the name of the
i'll fed ship in which Carrie Thornton and her father
had been lost, gave Maurice Lester such shock that
he nearly fell to the earth. lie grew deadly pale,
and his frame qui,cred consusivcly.
What's the mattcr2' said Wolf9ang. "You
don't seem 10 have much strength left bring him
along. boys, where We can doctor him.
The sinister glance which accompanied this last
remark, and the peculiar emphasis laid upon the
word "d,ctor," struck chill to our heros heart.
Bat he could not give his own safety much thought,
while lac partly forced and partly carried along
after Wogang, who strobe rapidly on for nearly
half an hour. lie could think only of the Whie
fawn that had been wrecked on that coast and of
his beloved Carrie who had, perhaps, in company
with those same men, trod the same path he was now
trctding. What had been her fate Had she been
murdered by those wrctches, or reserved for some
more dcplorahle doom? These thoughts filled him
with unuttcrablc agony
Wolfgaug had now drawn near the waters edge !;
aud soon coming TO the mouth of cave he entered
it, followed by the three ruinns who had charge Of
Our hero. The bottom of the cave slopcd upward
from its entrance for some distance and then became
almost level The captive (for such Maurice Lester
now felt himself to he frequently hit his feet against
what he thought with chill of horror, were human
homes strcwn around the cavern, hut he could not
clearly make them out in the dim light lie also
noticed that the bottom of the cave very wet,
rs though it had recently been covered with water.
The wrcckcr chicftnin stopped, at last, near what
seemed the end of the cave, and making sign 10
his followers, they caprcd manares on the wrists
and ankles Of Maurice before he had time to note
their intention.
d" Now Captain Lester said Wolfgang, you NUS
remain in this place for short season. ION are
perfectly slte here. Sicnce Say not a word 1t
you attempt to leave this spot, you will be slain the
moment you set foot outside the cave
Thus speaking, the chcltain and his followers ST.
lcnty bat rapidly withdrew, leaving Maurice nearly
stnrcdcd with establishment. As they passed from
the mouth of the cave, their feet were wet by the
rising waves The hde mds fast coming in
After short time, the captive looked about him
with eyes somewhat accustomed TO the dim light,
and became satisfied that what he had supposed to
be human bones were really such. There were many
of them And moving among them were huge rats,
seeking for prey. The top OF tho cavern, in some
places, but few feet above his head, md in one
place he discovered small aperture through which
faint light struggled and going underneath il,
he thought he snell the odor OF veget 'ton and flow
ers,
On turning, from the contemplation Of This aper-
turc, towards the mouth of the cave, Captain Lester
observed, with alarm, that the water creeping up
the sloping bottom. What it, should fill the cavern?
All now he could account for the presence there OF
those human bones They were the sad memorials
of other hap!ess prisoners who had been left in the
cave To J',, ssh by 3,yUai,.
Slowly but surely the waters crept along. The
min fled before them to the elevated spot ON which
Maurice stood. Slowly following, the in coming W.T.
ter ut length reached his ite.
At the end of the cave, within II few feet of the
wall, and underneath the aperture before spoken Of
was large piece Of rock four feet high, that
might have fallen from above To this Maurice has
tened rs quickly as his manaces would permit, AZ
ter sumo cXcrtion he succeeded in climbing to the
top Of it, aud stood erect his head within few inches
of the roof Of the But he wa, not allow ed To
| occupy this retreat alone AS the water began TO
circle round its base, the rats also sought refuge
IN great numbers and in vain did Maurice try 10 dis
| lodge them with his manacled feet
Soon as 1t seemed to the capivel the water came
ripping over the top of the rock He felt its moisture
| upon his feet. Aud still it rose-slowly but releut-
lessly IT rose heherhigher and as it rose the rat.
climbed up his limbs for safety II was in vain tina,
| he brushed them off with his fe,tered hands They
instantly returned They Hammered up his back&-
over the back OF his neck to the crown of his head
their clammy bodies striking chill to his very
| heart.
And still higher the waters rose, and moro thicky
the foul vermin clustered up the devoted csptiye's
shoulders aud head rs their only places of safetv-
Driven frantic at last by the horrors Of his situation
he was about to plunge into the surging tide and
seek wutery grave when his attention was arrested
by the trend of rand footsteps near the anertnrr