Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1860-01-19

with the fear that after all he should be unable
to reach place of safety-cold and wet, suf-
fering in body and mind, he watched till mid
night, when overcome with exhaustion, and loss
of blood, he fell asleep.
Rock Island, as have said, stood boldly out
of the water, half mile distant from where
Howard was cast upon the rocks 1t was only
about three quarters of mile in circumference,
circular in form, and the rocks rising perpen-
dicularly out of the water for five OF fifteen
feet, differently in different places so as to be
almost unapproachable. 1t was quite different
in character and appearance from other islands
farther south and east, and, as may well be sup
posed, never visited by the passing boatman.
There was little that could be called vegeta-
tion upon the island anywhere, though in few
instances, clumps of cedarS and hemlocks had
gained foothold among the crevices in the
rocks. In the rough, craggy appearance of its
outline, the topof the island presented much
the appearance that an enormous iceberg may
be supposed to present.
1t was about the year lS- that Don Alberto,
hunted out from the coast of Spain, where from
mere youth he had lived by plunder, sought
refuge in this wild northern region of America.
Searching for some favorable place to " set up"
on his own hook, he made the discovery that
Rock island presented facilities WHICH, with
little la Dor, might not only be made available,
but really favorable.
On the south east of the island, he discover
ed little aperture in the solid rock, which rose
perpendicularly eleven feet in height, of just
size enough to admit large canoe in high wa
ter, and but triAe larger in low water, as the
aperture deepened but did not widen.
Within the cavity was a chamber, of perhaps
twelve by twenty feet, and from eight to eleven
feet high, (though unfortunately it was so ir-
regular as to make it next to impossible to get
it's exact size,) with floor of water six feet
deep. The entrance to this chamber was con-
cealed from view by a clump of evergreens
which grew in the rocks and hung over the wa
ter. About FIVE feet above the water, Don Al
berto discovered another opening, which led to
q series of the most spacious and beautiful
caverns, with hard rock bottoms. The first was
q room about fifteen feet square, and only seven
feet high and unfit for anything but recep-
tacle for old clothing, disguises, and other
coarse articles of the most common and worth
less character.
The second cave, which opened from the first,
directly toward the heart of the island, was
more spacious and gorgeous. 1t was large
hall, thirty feet in length by fifteen feet wide at
one end, and twenty at the other. The floor
was solid rock, somewhat rough and irregular
at first, but which Don Alberto, with his own
hands, had worked smooth and level. The
height of this room varied considerably in diff
ferent places, at the south end reaching the
splendid height of twenty-five feet, while at the
north end it did not exceed twelve. Quite a
number of little closets opened from this hail.
which Don Alberto fitted up for store rooms
and sleeping apartments, and one at the south
end, which was the largest, and higher than
the hall itself, for an office for himself
Having satisfied himself of its practlcability,
and that it was unknown to the boatmen who
frequently passed it, he gathered around him
the congenial spirits he had commanded in an
other land, and instituted system of robbery
and murder on large scale.
With great labor they fitted doors of stone to
the openings of the caverns, in such way that
the stranger would be unable to distinguish
them from the solid rock.
Directly over the Captains Office, on the out
side Of the island, shot up high rock, some
twenty feet above all its surroundings, and not
more than six feet in diameter. 1t was cone
shaped, like Peter Bottes mountain, and quite
as difficult of ascent. Of this rock Don AL
berto conceived the sublime idea of making
watch tower. ScafOldings were built to with
in about four feet of the top, holes drilled en-,
tirely around it, and by the use of iron wedges
CRACKED off, but remaining in its original posi-
tion Screws were then sot, and the whole top
raised to a height which would admit of labor
beneath A cavity was then worked out in the
solid rock under it, of sufficient size for man
to stand and move in, and small cavity in the
rock above. This aperture was worked at the
top, to within an inch Of the edge, or outside,
and the screws set carefully in tho solid rock,
in such a manner that one man could, with the
use Of the lever, raise or lower the rock at his
pleasure Thus when the cap rock was raised
only half an inch, it gave clear view of the
whole region around. To complete the ar