The Portland daily press., 1867-07-27


the noise of cymbals was doubled.
At last the ascent became less steep; we
reached the pasturaee of Chevreuil. | had
kept my head turned and my eyes fixed on
the grand view, but now turned back, and
we saw 100 steps off the cave of Spinbronn.
The bushes near it were magnificent green,
and the spring that, before it fell from the
plateau, spread itself out ON bed OF SAND
and dark pebbles, was so clear that one might
have thought it frozen but Tor the thin vapOr
that covered its surface.
The horse stopped to breathe, and Sir
Thomas looked al the landscape for few Sec
onds, and said, "How calm everything isv
Then, after a pause, ''If you were not here,
Frantz, would gladly battle in that BASIN"
"But why don't you bathe, commodore ?"
| said 10 him. II will take walk. There on
the mountain is a great bed of Strawberries 4; l
will go and get some, and in an hour viii
be back"
That's good idea. DIR. Weber pretends
that drink too much Burgundy; Unjust neu-
tralize the wine 10y mineral water This lit
tie bed o. sand is pleasant"
Then he descended, fastened the horse, and
waved his hand to me as ii to say, "You can
CO." ..- -,
saw him sit down on the moss and take
off his boots. AS went away. he turned and
called; Sin an hour, Frantzp p
Those were his last words.
In an hour returned to the spring. There
was nothing there but the horse, the carriage,
and Sir Thomas clothes. The sun was set
ting. The shadows heightened. Not sound
of bird in the trees. Not sound OF insect in
the tall grass The solitude was still as
death. | climbed up rock which overlooked
the cave: Hooked to the right and the lett
no one there. L called-no reply The sound
OF my voice repeated by the echoes frightened
me. The night fell slowly-an indefinable
anguish oppressed me. Suddenly tina story
OF the young girl who disappeared came to my
MAD, and began to run, but in front of the
cave stopped, seized with inexpressble ter
ror; casting glance into the black shadow
OF the spring, l could just see two red motion
less points; then long lines moved in
strange way in the midst of the shadows, and
this perhaps at depth where no human eye
had yet penetrated. Fear gave to my sight,
to all my orgaus an unnatural delicacy of per-
ception. For some seconds distinctly h. ard
the evening complaint of cieada in the edge
of the wood, and a Cog bark far, far away in
the valley. Then my heart stilled for a mo-
ment by intense emotion, began to beat furl-
ously, and heard nothing more. }s 2 { =.
Uttering a scream fed, leaving horse and
carriage In less than twenty minutes, leap
ing over rocks and hrambles, reached the
voice: Sir Hamerburch is in the cave!"
After these words, uttered in presence of
my tutor, OF old Agatha, and two OF three
persons whom the doctor had invited that
evening, tainted. have since known that
for an hour was delirious.
Everybody set out to seek for the commo-
dore. Christian Weber had hurried them off.
At ten o'clock the crowd returned, bringing
the carriage, and the clothes of Sir Hamer.
bmch. They had discovered nothing. II
was impossible to take ten steps into the cave
without being sufocated. -
While they were gone Agatha and sat IN
the chimney corner; talking incoherently in
my terror she, with hands crossed ON her
knees, and eyes wide open, going occasionally
to the window to sec what happened, for we
could see from the foot of the mountain the
torches moving about in the woods-we could
hear the hoarse voices far away, calling to
each other fi
AT the approach of her master, Agatha
trembled. The doctor came in quickly-pale
his lips compressed-despair in bis face, A
score of Wood-cuttcrs noisily followed him.
with their broad brim, felt hats, their tanned
faces-swnging what was left of their torch
es. AS soon as he enteied the glittering ewes
ofmy tutor seemed to seek somethingEhe
perceived the negress, and Without a word
cry: "No! no! 1 will notp
"And will" answered the doctor in a hard
tone. Yon would have said that the negress
was seized by an invincible power She trem-
bled from head to foot, and when Christian
Weber pointed to seat, she sat down rigid
as a corpse.
Ali who Witnessed THIS lrigntfuI scene good
people with simple, rough manners, but full
OF religious feeling, crossed themselves, and
xxylln n han, l.
rible magnetic power of the will, trembed
thinking that Agatha was dead.
Christian Weber drew near the negress. and
passing his hand over her forehead with a
quick motion: a.8 -lt5I
Are you there ?" he said.
Yes, master" s,A ai o10la
"Sir Thomas Hamerburch ~ -stif
At these words she trembled again.
"Do you see him?''
Yes, yes" She said with choking voice,
81 see himp H1-5
"Where is hep"
"Up therein the bottom of the cave
dead'
"Dead?' said the doctor. "How?"
The spideI-oh, the spider crab-otp 0
Calm yourself" said the doctor very pale;
"tell us clearly 500
THE spider. crab holds him by the throat;
he is there in the cave-rmder the rock-fast-
ened With bOndS-ah p 80
Christian Weber cast cold glance on the
spectators, who listened, leaning forward, with
eyes starting from their sockets. and heard
him murmur: cit is Notwithstanding
Then he continued: Scan YOU see him ?v
% l. can see him." A2'Y 90 81 Is - =
"And the SPIDERS that larger"
t"Oh, master, never, never saw so large q
,ne-not on the banks of the Mocaris-not in
he swamps of Konanama-it is as large as
ny head" lseE
There was long silence. All present look
ed at each other with pale faces, and hair on
end. Christian Weber alone appeared calm
having passed his hands many times over
he forehead of the negress, he continued:
Agatha, tell us how Sir Hamerburch died."
"He was bathing in the basin of the spring.
The spider behind him saw his bare back. 1t
was hungry, had tasted for long time; it
saw his arms in the water. Suddenly it dart
ed forth like lightning, and fastened its claws
'ound the neck of the commodore, who cried
oh! oh! my Godp lt,pierced him and fed. |
SIR Hamerburch sank in the water and died |
| hen the spider returned and twisted his |
hfead around him, and lie SWAN gently, gen
~ to the very end of the cave. The spider |
rev the thread. Now all is dark"
Inc doctor turning to me, who was no
onser afraid, said: is il true, Franz, that |
he commodore went in bathing?n
Eyes, cousin
"At what O'Clock 81
CAT four" 49,, . ..I.I-f.I -..-.
AT four-it was hot, wasn't it ?"
"Yes"
That was right" said he, striking his fore
lead, the monster could come out satelv.o-I
lie uttered some unintelIigible words, then
boxing at the mountaineers, he said:
MY friends, you see where this mass of |
uDDisll--of skeletons-which frightened the |
atherS SO, has come from. You see what
as ruined you all; it is the spider-crab! 1t
there, squatting In its web, and living in
yalt for its prey, in the depths of its cave ~
Who can tell the number of its victimsp
And filled with kind of fury, he rushed
ut, shouting, ''fagots fagots p All the wood
otters followed him i'm tumuIt.
len en-, minutes later, two great wagons load
~ WIN laeots slowly mounted the hill; long
nr, " woou,cotiers with axes on their Shout
CTS iolowed IN the midst OF the darl-ness
ly totor and L walked in front IeaJinn AZ
or5e5, and the melancholy moon d;n,i,, 5;o Sue
d this fInereal march. 'ty lsno-
Near the cave the procession hailed ond
ne torches were lighted. The clear water
elected The blush flames Of the resinous
}. ches, the rays OF which illuminated the
Dps OF the dark pines leaning over the rock
we e9, must unload here" said the doctor.
nd MI up The mouth of the cave" About mid