The weekly mountain Democrat. [volume] (Placerville, El Dorado County, Calif.) 1861-1862, 1861-12-28


warm and mOtiOnlrSs; clouds, however.
had crept so plentiGuIly as to cover the
sky. While he stood there outside the
chapel, the moon, which was about n eek
old, became Obscurcd, and the darkness
drew close to his eyes. lie could not See
yard before him he listened, but heard
only the slow wash Of the swell rs the
rising tide carried it ito the cliffs among
the rocks, with now and then liquid flap,
as a wave ran into Sudden angle, and
fell back upon itself This was the only
sound. 1t was night for hearing, too.
lie felt for his lantern, and got out his
steel to strike a light. Having dropped
his flint, in cropping about to find it, he
forgot the directionjn which he had stood
and, when he had got upon his feet again,
after an unsuccessful search, he felt him
self so utterly at loss, that, after walking
few steps with his hands stretched out
before him, he determined to wait for the
morning, rather than risk fall over one
Of the slippery rocks in his attempt to
return home.
When he had sat there for some time,
the rain began to fall in large drops, these
were, however, but the splashcs from the
bucket.fullS which were soon poured upon
his head. The wind. too, was loOscd at
the same time. and rushed on him with
such violence that, though he dare not
search for shelter lest he should fall over
the rock, he was glad to sit down on Il
large stone which he felt at his feet. The
first flash of lightning, however, showed
l. I,;,,, nI,o,,,l tN.,,lf eh0n fcI
yards off. lie groped towards it imme-
diatrly in the gloom, with his hands
stretched out before him, right glad when
he felt its rough stones. The wall once
found, he soon discovered the path with
his feet aud, when he got home, was glad
to go to rest at once
lie had not slept many hours before he
was aroused to visit dying man in one
rf the neighboring houses. Hurrying on
his clothes, he FASTENED to the place,
where crowd was gathered about the
door, many Of them dripping from the
SEA. The storm which he had seen the
evening before, had grown into terrible
tempest, during which a ship had been
driven OH the rocks and utterly wrecked.
All the crew were drowned hut one man
whom they had dragged out OG the surf.
and carried to Derby Haven. lie had
apparently, however, bern Savss1 Ir"sn
death in the water 10 die OH the lsnd. kw.
he was so gricvUusly ISrSsia. ssrl rsss ~
tho rocks Oh which he hasl In~a slsSsSS.
that life was ready ~ lraSs hisa sla'rsSA.
er. When Father Kelly rass.r ~. ~ Hssss-l
him lying on the h.nVV. WSt.f,t - ~
such dry clOth,A o. Ih~ I''.1sl- hsA -
hand. iiaAad l~gHr.l tl,vss :" ee.'h sAr
priest Ills back, ~ sSkl. uss l''sdAse.
and he knew he cOuld Ss.a hsv ss..aisvs
hour; so the people EI'l'.'i IS'lsss =. y. I.
ms We have sccn, and Ian t'r tee s''s''
together.
Father sail the dying msM. ~ill ys's
hear the confession Of q pirate aIsd sssuS
lcrrr:'
The priest. seeing there was ~" time Z"
lose, sisnilird his assent, aud, knrrliUg
down bv his side, bent his rnr I" liH'rE.
Then the man, with strange breaks and
rambling in his speech, told him Of mur.
dcrS out in the wide seas, aud horrible
rccollcctionS of cruelty and rapine.
I'VE took Spanish ship some weeks
ago. added the man, and came in here
to water, it being n safe place; when l.
God Gorvivc my soul!-I committed my
last crime, aud stole from the captain
box Of gold he had taken out Of the
Spaniard. Another man and ! were in
the secret. We brought it with us, and
buried it in the graveyard of your little
chapel, intending to make our escape
from the ship on the first opportunity,
find our way over here, and enjoy the
booty we had got
TO whom did it belong?' asked the
priest.
God knows replied the man; 'tO me,
now, suppose. Those who owned it,
can use it no more the ship from which
the captain took it, went down with all on
board we burned her.
what was her name? 2 asked Father
Kelly.
Name p said the dying man. There,
take the gold and shrivc me: have con-
lesSed y
Without another word, he died. The
people buried him, and gathered up some
few pieces Of timber from the wreck Of
his ship, but nothing came ashore to
show whether she was laden or not. -
They never knew her name, nor, for IA
great while, what she was--the priest not
cnnccving himself bound to tel even so
much Of what he had heard in confession.
Many years afterwards, the whole story
was found in book which the priest left
after him when he died.
The words, take the gold! haunted
the good father long after the man who
died in nttering them had been committed
to the ground. The chapel was finished
but hot fnrniShcd; the fullilmcnt of the
dream was incomplete. Many night
the priest lay awakcarguing with himself
the lawfulncss of q search among the
graves for the treasure which he had no
doubt was hidden there. Suppose he
could find il, should he credit the pirate 5
word about the death Of the owner p
:. Could he conscieutiuuSiy appropriate il,
not indeed TO his own use, but to that Of
the chapel! lie thought Of the sentence
which fell on those who put unhallowcd
fire IN their ccnScrs; he thought Of the
accnrscd thing found in the jews tent,
which brought trouble upon the whole
people to which he belonged. Then,
again, it looked as if the sin attached to
the appropriation Of this gold, had been
punished in the persons of the pirates
who had taken it. 1t Looked as if it were
rescued from the service of the world II
be devoted to that ofthc church-snatched
from the devil himself, to be given to ST.
Michael, his chief enemy.
On the whole, he decided upon using
the gold, If he could find it. He must
however, be cautious in the search b,
would not trust the people to look. II
might not be there, and then he would
be ashamed. There might be more thar
he thought, and they might be tempted
to take some; or, il not that, be jealous
rof his retaining possession Of it, liz
would search alone. The conversation h,
, had heard outside Of the chapel. while b,
. liStent Op the eve Of the storm, indica
tUd the spot in which he should look.
!; Having, therefore, waited for u suitabl,