Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1877-02-08

Neo, alluding to the form oilha gulf
I'VE are, indeed" repltf Herbert
I put Neb' you are not afred that they
No, sir, not that; and 81 don,
like the looks of the place II M .
wicked aspect
so Neb begins running down NV
roadstead just as | was thisrnTg 70 u.
fer i to the United States n Aried Pen
croft. - s"-
Bat are its waters de5, enough .,
asked the engineer. ,..
"That is easily seen, -aiqgered he
sailor, taking the sounding mefo. .jic5
measured hfty flthoms, ag4 -. Il
down. 1t uurolled to the yy.g,-sses'i'ss''sstt
touching bottom. 0r 49,
There, SAID PeucroH. ~ ri,r,,;, i,
ei.ds 9. ee"l.' 4. como here -
In truth, said Smith, his gulf is
an abyss; but when we rctamber the
plutouic origin of the island. that is not
extraordinary"
"Oue might think" sail Herbert,
'that these walls had been cut with an
instrument. and believe that at their
cry base. even with a liueTIX times as
| long. we could not reach the bottom"
@AlI Ibis Is very well, said the re-
porter. but I would sugse& that PEN
eroa : roadstcad lacks one important ei-
ement
"What is that Y
\ cut, or pathway Of some KIND, by
which one could % inland DO not
See a plscy where there IS even foot
hold
And, indeed, these steep lava walls af-
to.ded no landing place on all their CIR
aumfcreuce. The Good Leek, skirtlng
within touching distance Of the lava found
40 place where the passen ts44 could dis
embark.
Pencrof consoled himself by saying
that they could blow up Toe wall, lfJbey
wanted to, and then, as tsere was Ger
tainIy nothing to be done here, he turned
towards the narrow opening, which was
passed at , o clock
Nah gave ii long SIGH ~ r.lief 1t
was evident that the brave negro bad
not been comfortable in those enormous
jaws
The sloop was now headed for Gran
ite House, eight miles distant. and, with
a fair wind, coasted along within a mile
Of the shore The enormous. lava rocks
were soon succeeded 10y ae oddly-dis-
posed downs, among which the engineer
nad been SO singularly discovered, and
;he place was covered with sea-birds.
Towards 4 o'clock, PoncroH, leaving
the islet to the left, entered the channel
separating it from the island, and an hour
later, cast anchor in the Mercy.
The colonists had been absent three
days Ayrton was waiting for them on
the shore, and Jup came joyously to
welcome them, grinning with satisfac-
ton.
The entire exploration Of the coast had
been made, and nothing suspicious had
/ been seen. So that if any mysterious
being resided on the island it must be
under cover of the impenstrable woods
on Serpentine Peninsula, which the col
onists had not as yet. Investigated.
Spilett talked the matter over with the
engineer, and it was agreed that they
should call their comra4e attention to
these strange events, the list one of which
was the most inexp!icable af iii
Are you sure you say it. spilott ?,
asked Smith, for the twhieth time. -
Was it not partial eruption Of the vol
cano, or some meteor 7"
No, Cyrus, it was certainly a fire lit
by the hand Of man For the matter.
question Pencrof and Herbert. They
saw it also, and they will confirm my
words
SO, some evenings later, on the 26tb
of April, when all the colousts were
gathered together on Prospect Plateau.
Smith began
My friends, I want to call your at
tention to certain things which are han
penlng in our island, and to subiee,
on wnica am anxious to nave your adj
vice. These things are almost super
natural ~
Supernatural !" exclaimed the sailor.
I pulhng ais pIpe Can anything be su-
i pernAural =
40, Penorof, but certainly nysteri
Gus; unless, indeed, YOU can explain
waat Spilett and | have been unable to
account for up to this tine"
let Us hear it, Mr S''''sA '''e'
the 9. sai.9r- 's9l...g .~sn Have you understood
then, how, after being thrown into the
sea, was found quarter Of mile in
Ian without my having been conscious
Of getting there =
Possibly, having tainted, begun
the si.or
"rtat is not admissible" answered
the eaginesr; but. letting taat -.
have yIu ul l3rstood low Top discovered
your retreat i've miles from the place
waer. lay 2
"fle los's instinct, replied Herbert.
\ Singular instinct, remarked the
reporter, "siuee in spite of the storm
thai st.ragn!, Top arrived at the CHM
neys dry ami clean "