Lexington weekly intelligencer., 1877-04-14

canoes are Waiting at the cape | saw
the light as passed"
With that reply he drew her out Of
the hut and turned his tace toward the
sea Not Il breath of the breeze was
now to be felt. The dead calm had
returned, and the boat was too large to
be easily managed by one man alone at
the oars.
The breeze may come again" he
said to her. WAIT here my angel, for
the chance"
As he spoke, the deep silence of the
forest below them was broken bv q
sound. a harsh wailing voice was
heard, calling. "Amata Ainatas."
''My father she whispered "he has
missed me. If he comes here YOU are
lost
She kissed him with passionate fer
vOr; she held him to her Tor Il moment
with all her strength. Expect me at
daybrcak. she said and disappeared
down the landward slope oil tho cliff.
He listened, anxious for her safety.
The voice of the father and daughter
Just reached him from among the trees.
The priest spoke in no angry tones; SIZE
had apparently found AN acceptable
the failing sound of their voices told
him that they were on their way back to
the temple. The silence fell again.
Not 4 ripple broke on the beach, not q
leaf rustIcd in the forest. Nothing
moved but the reflected flashes of the
volcano on the black sky over the main
island. 1t was an arlcss and an awful
calm.
Ia int, Ia hut. .,,,I Inv
on his bed of leaves not to sleep, but to
rest. All his energies might be requir-
ed to meet the coming events of the
morning. After the voyage to and from
the ship, and the long watching that
had preceded it, strong as he was, he
stood in need "t repose.
! For some little time he kept awake,
/ thinking lnsensib!y the oppression OF
! the tense heat, aided in its influence
/ by his owl. fatigue, treacherous!y closed
his eyes In spite OF himself the weary
man fell into Il deep sleep
! He was awakened by a roar like the
explosion o! 4 PARK ul artillery Eh.
7 volcano on the main island had burst
into state of eruption Smnky ht!nc-
/ light overspread the sky, and flashed
through the open doorway ct the hut.
He sprang from his c"uci and ioumd
himself np To his knees in water
Had the sea ovcrtipwrd the q ii He
waded out oi the hut. and the water
rose to hi middle He lo">rd rornL
him bv the iu,ll flame-igilt %. he
eruption. The ole visible "hi.r Win
in his range al view vas IT., unf t.,.
hut IL every ether d .. he
waters y the horrid SEA. sttlnei .l-
red by HE flaming >hy. spread
iny and ripping strangely in th
calm. IN moment more he | .,..
conaco' that the earth on wh
stood wis sinking under his feet ..e
water rose to his neck the last f,>.. 81.
OF the rroi ol the hut disappeared. lie
looked round again. and the truth hurst
on him. The island was sinking
slowly. slowly sinking into volcanic
depths. below the utmost depths Of the
SEA The highest object was the nut.
and that had dropped. inch by inch,
under water. before his eyes. Thrown
up to the surface hv occult volcanic in
tiuences, the island had sunk back un
der the same influences to the obScurIty
from which it had emerged
\ black. shadUwv object. turned i'll
wide circle, came slowly near him as
the all-dcstroying ocean washed its BIT
ter waters into his mouth. The buoy
ant boat. rising on the sea rs the earth
deserted it. had dragged its anchor,
and was floating round in the vortex
made by the slowly-sinkiu~ island
With Il last desperate hope that Aimata
might have been saved as he had been
saved. he swan to the boat, seized the
heavy oars with the strength OF giant,
, and made for the place $50 far as he
could ruess at il now where the lake
, and the temple had once been
lie looked round and round him-he
strained his ewes III the vain attempt TO
!. penetrate below the surface OF the
>eething, dimpling sea Had the panic
; stricken watchers in the canoes deserted
their post without an effort TO save the
father and daughter? Or had they both
been SutfOcated before they could make
= IN attempt to escape from their cavern ?
: He called to her in his misery. as II she
could hear him out OF the fathomless
depths. "Almata Almata he roar
, oi the distant eruption answered nm.
! The mountain fires lit the solitary sea
tar and near over the sinking island.
The boat turned slowly anu more slow
p. ~ in the lessenlng vortex. Never again
y would those gentle eyes look ut him
with nnntterable love . Never again
would those fresh lips touch his lips
with their iervent kiss Alone, amid
:. the mighty forces of nature in conflict.
+ the miserable mortal lifted his hands IN
>. frantic upphcation-and the burning
= sky glared down on nm IN Its pltllesS
= grandeur, and struck him to his knees
, IN the boat. His reason sank with his
sinking limbs. In the mercl1ui frenzy
that succeeded the shock. he saw her
aiar off, alive again IN her white robe,
an angel poised on the waters. bcckon-
\ ing him to follow her To the brighter