, 1873-01-19


dnrEened, until now at evening, whca tho En1
sets behind it, one can hardly recognize his disk
it appears so lurid aud blurred
Tho old man laughed aloud, and rather mock
ingly:
"'Why, you strangers he cried, are TINT
40 children. have been sixty years On thi:
island, and many time I've seen our mountain:
! wrapped in fire aud smoke and I've known tx
ground to rock under mo like q Sea, and the ali
grow sitting IS the wind passed away into calu
I woEso than any tempest and Two heard the
/ thundcrs below undor the earth, louder and
| wilder than over they doomed from the heavens
Yes, all this was terrible but yapor on tho tor
! OF q mountain-pehaw it's been there, bellke,
from the beginning O the vorld'
without yentuIiug to offend the speakers
national pride by the Suggestion OF cer.ain geol.
| oSists, among whom was Professor Thoro, that
! lis Island was probably created at later date
than the remainder OF the globe, 7 merely dis
| puted his conclusion about my lack OF nerve,
! and pursued my walk along tho borders Of t1e5
stream alone.
| "RambGng thoughtfu1ly on, 7 met Stephen and
Christina. Never had eeen the latter so lovely.
| The glow. OF healthful roses On her check, the
gentle meaning in her eyes, the half-dlsordered
| locks which caught and retained tho sunbeatns,
! tho elastic step, and the 1.-the, active, buoyant
| fgure-tho tout ensemble, in q word, Of gracious
beauty aud exultant hopo-in these, who could
fail to recognize an embodiment Of all most at
traetiye to youthful sentiment and passion?
With how unspeakablc a fonduess my
brother regarded ler! Transitory hope and
g1adncss OF an hour! Eros ON tho verge Of tho
shades! How look back to wonder at the hap
pineas, so soon to become But must not
anticipate, though heaven knows could will
Angy spare you the details to follow.
1.-The pair greeted me, and passed on. felt
no disposition to join them, but. as they loi-
tered along the green slopo beyond our tents,
turned with interest to survey their motions.
Stephen stopped for moment, and WAS pluck
ing somo flower from the path, which ho
handed to his companion. saw her place it in
her bosom, and then tho lovers drow closer to-
gcther, and their converse seemed subdued and
absorbing.
resumed my way. Suddenly, before 7 was At all
aware Of the distance trarorsel, 1 stumbled
over some Fragments OF baaaltic formation, end,
looking up, there stood tho mountain-that
dreadful skaptar Yokul! absolutely shud-
'tWhat can be the meaning Of this Z" Was ea
inward query that in vain demanded Of recson or
nature q response.
The oraeles Of tho Judgment were dumb; but
that singular conviction OF impending i'll, that
warning of aome faculty beyond the scrutiny Of
logic, or the analysis OF ordinary intelligence,
which has given birth to tie doctrine of present-
monte, almost overpowered me!
Reason cannot combat such sentiment, for
believe reason to be subordinate to it.
80 Christ! these ahadovy, ine1plicablo
promptinSs. SO little revereaced, yet 30 fearfully
true!
Dsregnrding them, men have burst from
the arms OF wife, lover, children, to meet death.
possibly in Bome weird. exceptional shape, ere
tLcn, women, feir, noble, and innocent, OF
acrupa1ous honor, and dehcaey shrinking ns
the sansitive-p1ant- deserving all good
gifts Of life and love. have welded themselves
Walsinghan, and subtle as Italian MachiaSol1i,
have fallen in single day from the cabinet to
the scatYo1d what miseries, in fine, without
number, and without alleviation, have not fol-
lowed the neglect OF this unerring monitor!
the ba snou g @ e1s udo hng ano a s6ed 6sd
somo good angel seconded that warning instinct,
which whispers, as it were, On the e1troma verge
OF conscious organized intelligence, an awful
experience, tremendous memory, might have
been spared me.
"But ali things we're destined to tako their ap-
pointed COURSE could no moro tear myself, for
q long time, from the vicinity of the mountain.
than had been able previously. when it lowered
pleasing characteristics Of the scene. The tveu-
ly precipifous, rugged hills, and the dark cone |
in tho middle, possessed basiliak fascination !
would hsve given much to ba rid of. Indeed, I !
stroye persisteatly against it, but always fruit
Lessly.
supper table that night, was unnaturally gay. I
felt like the member OF efor1orn hope caro- us |
ing Just before some desperate encounter.
There WIS no restraining my excitement. |
aad parta@en Of the punch which our steward
aever failed to prepare With his own hands, this
night have been accounted for; but woll ro-
member that the testy Basehanalian was mortal
= cGended at my declining to join him in his
evening potations. Muttering something about
he wretched condition Of 1nornls in Europe, |
vhen mon in respectable society were 80 ahoek-
ngly abBtlnent aB to retire sans q night~cap,' |
he grizzly old grumbler seated himself on a bar
el in the corner, and washed down his wrath
sith the contents Of bowl Eric 6cambester
"Tho seat he had chosen WAS fortunately near
lis couch, for, after two hours OF meditation
nd drinking (which latter operation embraced
our -ffths Of tho time), he probably thought his
sufficiently adjusted, and tu1nbled
into bod
tour entire party, except myself, Me-o now
unk in reposo. Silence rested On tho eucamp-
1ent, the deep rush OF the river alone breaking
be stillness: I fnncied there was somethi Dg
nusual III the sound. The dull monotony Of
Ta7es was unvaried, but it seemed as if their
oice was deeper and their aov more turbid.
"What struck me, too, aa strange, waa that
ae temperature in the tent, which always grow | :
lany degrees colder after night-fan, continued
8 during the day.
" Soon the heat increased; it became intoler- +,
bic.
$50 startling phenomenon needed confirms {
on. Was it the fever in my own blood 3?
hung near.
F" examined it by the smou1dering embers Of
o fire. t
's It vas true; my sensations had not deceired
10. The quicksilver tretnbled ut q point, denot-
'g IN atmospheric condition which belonged to
le tropics, aud to the tropics only in the meri-
an Of summer.
II felt the blood tingle toward my heart, and t
grew faint from this indescribable suspense of
3ony.
kf1ex xAuS-~