The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1869-01-09


"Steady, please; don't relinquish
your hold; it is all right, mo fear" he
cried, aa he kept his hand on their sail.
Heheld this course for mile or more,
and then judging with long tack he
could weather the southerly side of the
island, he put the boat about He took
occasion to explain to Helen how this
operatiOn was necessary, and she learn
ed the alphabet of navigation. The
western end of their little land now
lay before them; it was about three
miles in breadth, For two miles the
bluff coast line continued unbroken
then deep bay, mile in width and
two miles in depth, was made by long
tongue of sand projecting westerly; on
it's extremity grew the gigantic palm,
we'll recognized as Helen's landmark.
Hazel stood up in the boat TO reCOnnoi-
ire the coast. BE perceived the sandy
shore was dotted with multitudes OF
dark objects. Erelong, these objects
were seen to be in motion, and, pointing
them out to Helen, with smile, he
said,-
"Beware, Miss Rolleston, yonder are
your bugbears,-andi in some force, too.
Those dark masses, moving upon the
hilIocks of sand, or rolling on the surf,
are sea-liOns,-the PhOcG tcOninG, or
lion-seal."
Helen strained her eyes to distinguish
objects. While thus engaged, she al
lowed the cutter to fall off a little, and,
ere Hazel had resumed his hold upon
the tiller, they were fairly i'll the bay;
the great pulIn-tree on their starboard-
bow.
"You seem determined to make the
acquaintance of your Nightmares" he
remarked: ''you perceive that we are
embayed."
Her CONSERVATION amused him; she
saw that if they held their present
course, the cutter would take the beach
about a mile ahead, where these ami
mails were densely crowded.
At this moment, something dark
bulred up close beside her in the sea,
and the rounded back of a monster
rolled over and disappeared. Hazel let
drop the sail, for they were not fairly
in the smooth water of the bay, and
close to the sandy spit, the gigantic
stem of the palm-tree was on their
quarter, about half mile of.
lie took to the oars, and roWed slowly
towards the shore. 4 small seal rose
playing with the blade, its gambOls re-
sembling that of a kitten. He pointed
out to Helen the mild expression of the
creatures face, and assured her that all
this tribe was harmless animals, and
susceptible of demonstration. The cub
swan up to the boat quite fearlessly,
and he touched its head gently; he en-
couraged her to do the like, but she
shrank from its contact. They were
now close ashore, and Hazel, throwing
ont his anchor in two feet OF water,
prepared to land the beam OF wood he
no had brought to decorate the palm
treeHs Il signal.
The huge stick was soon heaved over
board, and he Ieaped after it. lie tow
-. 81,
and dragged it high up on shore.
Scarcely had he disposed it convent
emily, Intending to return in day or
two, with the means OF athxlng 1t in
prominent and remarkable manner, in
the form of u spar across the trunk OF
the palm, when cry from Helen re-
called him. A large number of the sea-
lions were coasting quietly down the
surf towards the boat; indeed, dozen
OF them had made their appearance
around 1t.
Hazel shouted to her not to fear, and
desiring that her alarm should not
spread TO the swarm, he passed back
quietly but rapidly. When he reached
the water, three or four OF the animals
were already laundering between him
and the boat. He wnded slowly to-
wards one Of them, and stood beside it.
The man and the creature looked Qui-
city at each other, and then the seal
rolled over, with a smiling, self-satis-
fled air, winking its soft eyes with COM
plaCency.
n smile ut this conclusion Of so terrible
a demonstration; for, with all their
gentle expression, the tuSks Of the
brute looked formidable. But, when
she saw Hazel pushing them aside, and
pattin9 very small cub on the back,
she recovered her courage completely.
l,C IN
aided bv the tide, which was now on
the ebb, he rOwed round the southwest
ern extremity of the island. He found
the water here, as anticipated, very
shallow.
II was midday when they were fairly
on the southern coast; and now, sailing
with the wind ait, the cutter ran through
tho water at racing speed. Fearing
that some reels or rocky formations
might exist in their course, he reduced
sail, and kept away from the shOref
about II mile, At this distance he was
better able to see the inland, and mark
down the accidence of its formation.
The southern coast was UNIFORM ana
Helen said it reSembled the ellis OF the
Kentish or Sussex coast OF England,
only the English white was here re-
placed by the pale volcanic gray. BY
one o'clock thsy came abreast the very
spot where they had first made land;
and, as they judged, due south Of their
residence. Had they landed here,
walk OF three miles across the center OF
the island would have brought them
home.
For about similar distance the
coast exhibited mOnOtOnOus cliffs un-
broken even by rill. 1t was plain
that the watershed of the island was all
northwArd. They now approached the
eastern end, where rose the circular
,S,nI, kNoa
already made. The eminenCe had evil
IDENTIFY at one time been detached from
the rest of the land to which it was now
Joined bv neck of swamp about a
mile and half in breadth, and two
miles in length.
Hazel proposed to reconnOi:re this
part OF the shore nearly, and ran the
boat close in to land. The reeds or
canes with which this bog was densely
clothed, grew in dark spOngy soil.
Here and there this waste was dotted
with ragged trees which he recognized
as the cypress; from its guunt branches
hung Il black, funeral kind OF Weeper,
a kind OF moss, resembling iron gray
horsehair both in texture and uses,
though not so long in the staple.
This parasite, uaZal explained to
Helen, was very common in such mar
Rhv ground, and was the death-tlag
hung out by Nature to warn man that
malaria and fever were the invisible
and innlienable inhabitants of that fatal
neighbOrhOod.
Looking narrowly along the low
shore for some good landing, where un-
der shelter of a tree they might repose
for an hour, and spread their midday
repast, they discovered an opening in
the reeds, a kind of lagoon or bayou,
extending into the mOrass between the
highlands of the island and the circular
mountain, but close under the base OF