The weekly mountain Democrat. [volume] (Placerville, El Dorado County, Calif.) 1861-1862, 1861-12-07

EN-, cried the commander, in mingled an
ger and grief Here have, | doubt not,
lost one of the best and clevercst Of fcl-
lows, but he must 60 poking about among
piles of rocks
What can have happened to him ? ven-
tured the purser to remark. Going to
he married to the conSul'S daughter so soon
as we get to Smyrna, and now lost
'The prettiest girl in the wOrd' said
the captain. lie has either tumbled down
the hill and broken his neck and every
bone in his body, or else he has been muir
dere1 by some Of the ban1itti, that are
thick among those old rookclies as liz
ards
What shall we do, captain:' asked Mid
dleton. Hadn't we better take a boats
crew and hunt him up!'
Yes, and don't you come back till yon
can give some account of HIM. Take the
first and second cutters and thirty men.
Lieutenant GanZevOrt will go in the first
cutter and command the expedition; but
when you land, you had better divide
your forces. With the first breath of wind
will stand in towards the island
In half an hours time the boats were in
readiness alongside of the brigantinc, and
at the command of the captain, put off
and pulled for the island Of Esina. He
watched them as they rOwcd across the
bright plain of moonlight waters, until
they were lost to his sight in the black
shadow of the island.
The reader has by this time understood
that the LIST Lieutenant of the brigan,ine,
Gordon Randolph, had taken the boat
sometime before sunset to visit ruin OH
a hcadland Of Egina, the brig, nt the time
he LEFT her, being bccalmed, with no pres
ent prospect Of breeze.
We will now follow the young officer,
after he had parted from the four men
who had pulled him to the shore Of the
island. The ruins, which were supposed
TO be those Of a temple dedicated by the
Corinthians to Minerva. crowned height
which rose about three hundred feet above
the sea. The base Of the hill upon which
it stood was denSely grown up with olive
trees and grape vines, so that the laths
which the islanders had made through
had been cut out like garden paths. Into
one OF them he tiuck after leaving the
shore, aud with vigorous step, clilLcd
10 the summit, which was open and free
| from undprwUUri- -tfcrr-hc ffot,t,tl- -si,airs--
tic walls, lofty columns spanncd by no.
bic architecture, and other relics of what
had been in the days of the glory of
Greece, been a superb temple of their
goddess. After having wandered over
every part Of it with the admiration which
the true lover Of antiC uity Can only ap-
preciatc, he climbed to the top of the east
ern wall, to take view Of the wide pros
pect'which it Afforded. The scene was
truly grand. The island was, beneath
and about him, a league or more in extent,
varied with woods, VINEYARDS, fields cot
tageS, ruins and hamlrts, and the veidue
was of a green so purely emerald that he
could not weary Of gazing on it, The SEA
around the island was dotted with lesser
isles. and relieved by the boats Of the
Greek fishermen aud pearl divers. The
brgantine with her flag hanging istIrsS
in the universal calm. was visible. black
and symmetrical. half league distant,
motionlcss as the islands. The. blue line
of the northern shore Of the Bay Of Co.
rinth was drawn Upon the horizon in un-
du!ating shadows. The sun was setting,
and filled not only the western sky with
the dazzling glory of every tint radiantly
commiligled IN every varying beauty, but
lent to the sea Spcndor Of cOloring
scarcely less gorgeous.
The young American gaZcd with rap.
lure upon the scene, aud as his classical
mind marked site after site within the
range Of vision, celebrated by the poets
and histO'i ianS Of IA departed age, he SEEM
cd 10 catch the inspiration of the past and
to see the Grccian fleet out in the Arch-
pciso, steering its long line towaid DIS Troy
to avcngc the wrongs Of Helen; to see
the Persian fleet advancing in the bay be-
low to meet the warike ships Of Athens;
to see the professions of Virgins landing
from their silvery bargeS, ascend the
height crowned with flowers, and hearing
garlands and lambs for the sacrifices ut
the altar now in ruins at his feet.
While he was lost in contemplation Of
the past, the sun went down; the twilight
decpened into starlight, and lie found him.
self envelopcd in the mantle Of night, yet
with the west still in a lingering glow.
The moon, now little past its full, rose
like shield of gold raised in the dir by
some invisible Titan, and flung her mlder
radiance over sea and land.
Gordon sat upon the wall, watching her
rise out of the sea, and as he did so he no.
ticed that twO-lnaSted vessel slowly
crossed her disc, and disappeared about a
mile off AS there was no wind, he knew
that she must be propelled by oars, and
as he was aware that this was the iavorite
method Of moving among the islands of
the Egean pirates, the idea struck him that
this was one Of these vessels, then known
to be so numerous in those waters that
the Turks had sent a corvette to cruise
against them.
Absorbed, however, in the new born
beauty of the scene under the moons mild
sccptre, he speedily forgot the xcbec, and
gave his soul up to the loveiincss Of the
present and associations of the past.
At length descending 10 the court Of the
temple, he walked around it to cOntem-
plate it in the light of the sunny moon, as
the moonlight Of those attitudes may well
be termed lie noticed the contrast Of the
masses of light and shadow; now column
would fling a shadow black as broad
chasm in the earth, and by its side would
lay floor of moonbeama, whit aud shi-
nine as alabaster or snow. He was nearly
an hour observing the effects Of parts and
of the whole, seen under this new aspect,
and at length, satcd with beauty, lie be-
gan to think of returning to the We sci.
lie left the height with regret, and pro-
ceedcd down the path he came up, until
at length it branched into three, midway
the hillside Not knowing up which he
came, he took the right hand one at ven
ture, believing it would conduct him 10
the spot where be had left the boat. But
after going down some little distance, be
became sensible that he was winding off
to the right, and leading him away from
the side Of the island on Nhich the brig
antine lay, but it was tedious to go back,
so he thought he would continue on till
he reached the beach, and then walk
along the sands till he should find the