, 1873-01-19

+ tho teEt, and gazed out into the night. God o
no1cy! whnt . sight was thero Tie fea1fa
1,l dread, the inexplicablo doubt. flashed on ms
! Like fam cfrom q charnel. no were in the
| midst Of al eruption OF the 5kaptar rokuI!'
t'Seldom to mo:ta. eyes had been revealed be.
foro naightia1 subliinity Of horrors. Tho cloud
| that ut sunset WAS comparatively 4 mere blot in
| the distance, had now widened through apace,
drifting in cddies along the heavens, and mo-
monty obscuring the moon, that cleaned diuly
beyond the shroud. Tie air reeked with an in
sutferable admi1ture OF gases, vapoI. and pumice.
and the eslos sl1owe:ed around fell thicaly and
with unparalleled velocity
"But the spectacle moro terrible than au ght
elsc,-a spectacle Of Faralyzing grandeur, was
q volume OF liquid fire. that swept toward tho
Late peacefu1 channels OF the river.
Cleaning and swelling as it progressed,
saw that tho tide already overtopped tho banks,
and that soon tho level meadoHa, supporting our
encampment, would be oyernowed.
-. 10 rush shrieking among my comrades; to
intimate hurrledly thu danger, to loose from the
adjoining tent (Which had served as stab1o) the
first horses could secure; to drug Stephen and
Christina, half stupeded by the suddenness OF
our peril, to position where We could mount
and brave together the daugers that besot us !;
to plunge tho spurs madly into the Hanks OF my
stood, and lead tho Way, il possible, to some
though in reality accomplished With the CELEBRITY
of desperation
"As we advanced, tho imminence OF our peril
became more and moro evident. We were trav-
crsing valley between two extensive ridges,
and it WAS clear that, il the waters Of the river
(Which, swayod by the commissions OF earthquake,
wero rising in boiling eddies above the embank-
ments) should reach the sumit We had left, tho
interspaces must almost Immediately be do7asted
by the food.
1"But thore was no leisure for thought. Wo
boro rccklossly on.
"To treble our difficulties, the moon now
Withdrew even tho uncertain light she had at
forded us, md darkness, almost total, encom-
passed our path. Still trusting to the instinct
Of our horses, we speeded onward, onward like
the wind
II supposed that vie had ridden some miles
that the crisis OF our trial wus over-when tho
broken: flinty ground We were passing curved
suddenly up into hill As VIC reached the top,
Kissing. and sparkling, sea Of molten fire (for'
the union Of gases, phosphorus, and lava
seemed to lnvo sot the tide ablaze) writhed and
tra-ailed below; and, splitting against every
obstruction in it's course, dashed into jets Of
flame, like monster sorpcpt splitting venom
and blood.
Sour true situation bocamo at once apparent.
Relying upon thesagacity of our anin2fs-them-
solves half wild from fright-wa had made half
circle in the darkness, md were reapproaehing
stood.
s.The glaro from those infcQal waves showed
US each others faces. Seldom hare such couu-
tenances been soen this side the grave. At length
Stephen spoke. His voice was strained, husky,
sayage almost, in its agony Of suppication:
you SOC that her strength il failing her7 Oa!'
and ho pointed to Christina, whom he hnd taken
on tho saddle before him and was trying to sup
port in her precazious seat-
"Dunbly motioning him again to follow,
spurrcd down the descent. and made for the up
1anda. which now knew lay about mile and .
half due north.
"For several hundred yards We were corl-
PEELED to keep on line with the river, AZ af-
1ording the only tenable ground in the noigh- |
II had observed the day previous that a deep
morass bordered our path on tho right. To |
nvoid this, without yenturing too necr the river,
Was an object tasked every faculty to accom- |
pliah. |
"Wo had just cleared tho narrow ridge T haze
described, when q tu1nultuous crash in the d-
rection Of the stream caused me to look back
md ascertain what additional danger threatened |
e. "A single glance informed mo that escape |
Sas hopeless. The rampant Of rocks and sand |
lad completely given way. |
Failing from the height, g cataract OF fire,
md bearing directly On our road with q swift
less doubled by tho elevation ofits egress, the
;laring waters burst forward to enngulf u.s.:
There was piercing CT, and the tau Of
~ companions, goaded to frenzy, had snapped
he rein, and hurled his riders to the earth. Ho
remplcd by me like tempest. I snatched at
he bridlo as he passed, but might as we'll have
ried to grasp an electric current. at this mo-
nd ashes that had o6scured the light, and the
noon allone upon the horrors Of the scene.
lIy own horse now grew ungovernable.
Harmed by tho others flight, he dashed furious
? in lis track. Ny brain spun with tho madness
+ the motion, and the soil glided beneath US
18th the rapiditv of thought.
"a dull-gray object ia front caught my view. |
was site, many feet above the level Of the
eld-a rugged mound, strewed With the t,ag-
tents OF come temple.
q threw myself bead1ong from the horse
eedod not severe concnssion that rewarded
10 rash act c1amored halfway up the mound ; !
ID then turned to witrass the fate Of the un-
'1tunato beings from whom lad been sep
.ated.
Across the intervening space 3 double H.
anco WIS cast radiance from the heavens,
I'd aickly, dcath-like glare from the rushing
'rrents.
+" Stephen, apparently uninjured BY bis fall,
led frantically forward But the raging pillows
ere upon them. 4 miracle alone could have !
scued the devoted pair.
!" Az looked, my brother became evidently
Fare that further efforts were vain. He paused
ID kne}t with his precious burden upon the
ass. With his hack turned to the destruction, =
shut out tho view from his beloved, l could
Q that stephen kissed her fervently. and then
OF all the members OF our house have been
won't Catholics) ho drew from his breast
lden crucinx, which he Always boro about his .
rson. Il
8. It flashed like q divine glory amid the deso~ n
ion.
'' Psllid as whitest marble, but oh, how beau- b
ul! how beautiful! Christina opened her :
as upon the symbol OF lilo in death. The long q
ir was cast back, the innnimate form revived, +.
d trembling hand pressed the Cross to her !! y
s. This action dernngod her robos, and from =
@ bodice that girlled tho young, tender heart =
nothing like bouquet Of flowers dropped Il
on the ground. !,
:: And now tho shadow Of the gigantic flood q
;kered over them It progressed, deepencd, n
ssed. until whore, but an ins.ant before, these !,
. passionate human creatures had breathed '
cir last vows-yows which, from tho terrific =
,ne around, seemed to have caught an un- =
rthly mity-nothing could te discovered q
,e an eddying, boiling, furious wtirl Of tor
lts, believing as it in heshal triumph Of the :
IN they had wrought" =
Il
. How Hamot Harrington" said my host, | b
escaped from Iceland, cannot tell; but he y
escape, and, aome years after, / met him for
first tinc since VIC had bean friends and fell h