The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1879-12-07

s,,f,poae. rot half way down, where black
craggy cllff juta Into the ravine on the right,
when halted to have pull at my flask
had my eye fixed al the time upon the pro.
,iactlpR elm had mentioned, and noticed
nothing ,,n,Isual about II. then put up my
flask ard took ster or two forward, when In
a moment there burst apparently from the
foot If tho rock about eight feet from the
ground and hundred yards from mo, a
strange lulid glare illckerng and oacllating,
Igradually dying away and then appearing
again. No, no: I've seen many Il glow worn,
aud FREELY nothing of that sort. There II
was burning away. and ! suppose gared at
II, trembling I'D every limb for fully ten min
utea Then took n step forward. when it,-
stantly Il vanished vanished Ike, ~ candle
blown out. | stopped back again hut y was
some time before ] could find the exact spot
and position from which II was vislhl". At
last there IL was, tho weird. reddish light.
tickefing away as before. Then screwed M
courage and made FIR tho rock. but Tho
ground was SO uneven that IL was Impossible
"a steer straight. and though walked along
tina whole base Of Che cliT could see nothing
Then made track for home: and oan tell
| yon bows TINT until you remarked II never
knew II was raining, the whole way long
tut holloi what's The matter with Tom I"
| Whit lHdcad2 Tom was now sitting with
his logs over the aide Of the bunk, and his
whole face betrayed excitement so intense as
- he almost painful
ttTha fond would have two eyes. How
many llghte lid YEN soc. DickP Speak out T.
"Iiu,rah! 7" cried Tom. that's hatter
Whereupon he kicked tho blankets Into the
middle oF tho room, and began pacing ~ and
down with long fevelish strides. Suddenly
In stopped opposite Dick and laid hts hand
upon his shoulder
II say. lick, could we got TO sasaesa valley
before sunrsap'
| Scarcely said Dick.
"Wall. look here, We arc old friends. Dick
Wharton you aud I. Now, don't yen tel any
other man what ynu have told MS, FOR week.
You'll promise that won't your
| could see the look on Dicks face NJ ha
| aca,Iieared that he considered poor Tom tn
he mad. and, indeed, | was myself com
plately ,nystlieh by his conduct I had. how
ever seen So many proofs ~ my endagood
sense and auicknoss OF apprehension that
Thought II quite possible that Wharton's
story had Ind meaning III hls eye which
| was too ohtusn to take In.
| All night Fom Dnnahuc was greatly ey-
cited. and when WhartGD lett he begged him
tn remember his promise, and also alieltad
| from him u description of tho exact spot MT
which he had seen the apparltion. as well as
tho hour Al which II appeared. After his depart
| ure which must have been about ~ tho
| morning turned Into my bunk and watched
| Tom sitting hy the iirc splicing two sticks to-
gefher until | fell asleep. Isnppuao must
have slept about two hours. hut when
awnhe Tom WIS atil sitting working away
| IN aln,ost the anma position. lie had liked
| the ono stick across the TOP ~ tho other 40 ma
ting a smaller stick into the angle between
them, Nv manipulating which. the cross ono
could Inc either cooked UP OF depressed to any
extent He had cut noteles too, In the per-
pendicuar stick. 40 that by the nil " the
small prop the cross ono could be kept Ia any
position fur any definite time.
| Look here. Jack T. no cried. when he saw
! that was awake, come and give me your
opinion. Suppose put this eross-st'ok point
Ing straight Mt n thing. and arrange this
small one 50 ~ ~ keep Y go, and left 1t, l
could find that thing again II wanted 1t
don't YOU thing | could. Jack don't YOU
think SOP he continued nervously, clutehlng
| no by the arm
"Well." | answered. ut would depend on
how far OF tho thing was and how accurately
| IL was pointed. If IL We're any distance ID
| out sirhta On your cross stick, then n string
tied u the end Of IT.. and held III u plumb line
forwards, would lead you pretty near what
you wanted But surely. Tom you don't In
tend to loeall5e the ghost III that way2'
you'll SEQ tonight, old friend you'll SOC
| tonight Ill carry this To tho Saaassa val
lay You got tho loan of Madsous crowhaI
and come with me, hut mind you toll no MAI,
whore you are going. OF what you want II
| For. =
i All day Tom was walking up and a'3wn tho
room Or working hard at tho apparatus. His
eyes we're gIiatening. his cheek hectic. and ho
had oil the symptoms OF q high fever. May
Heaven grant That Dicks diagnosis DO not
rprreetl' thought. as returned with the
crowhar. and yet. ag evening drew noar, !
found myself impa,cnptibly sharing the ex-
element
About 6 O'Clock Tom sprana TO his feet
and seized his sticks, II can stand II no
longer. Jack. he cried. "up with your crow
bar ana hey for SnRaEsa valley "To-ntEhti "a
work, my lad will either make liz ~ mar ~ :
4 T.Kn Your ak shooter. In case we meet tho
kntljra | daran't take mine. Jack he con-
tinuea. putting hia hand on my shoulders,
Il darn.t tNlSc mine. fDr " my III luck stieka
to mo to-ught don Know What might
not 10 with IT, =a~
Well. having filled cur pockets with pro
Visions, off we set, md as we took our
wearisurne way towards the Sasaasn valley
il | Frequently attempted to elicit from my com
pannn snn,e clue nE to hts Intentions But
hs only answer was 1et us hurry nn, Jack.
Who knows how many may have hoard "
Whartuns adventure by this tim"2 Let ns
hurry on or we may not ~ t'r4t IL INC field e.
Well sir, we struggled on through the hills
for a matter nf ten miles. til nj last after de-
acentiing IL orag we saw opening out IN front
Of Us . ravno so somhre and dark that 1T
might have been the gates II Indss itself
ellis many hundred feet high shut Ia On every
sida tha gloomy boulder studded passage
which ed through the haunted deile into
kairlanl The moon rising above tho craEs
threw Into strong relief the rough. Irregular
pinnacles of rock by which they we're topped,
while MI below was dark as Erebus.
"ihe Sasassa valley2" said |.
Yes" said Tom. .Yz
| locked at him. lie was calm now. the
flush and fnyerishness had passed away, hia
actions were deliberate and slow. Yet there
was q certain rigidity III his face and glitter
III his eye which showed that a crisis had
come.
We entered tho pass, stumbling amid the
great sioulders Suddenly | heard II short
/ quick exclamation from Tum.
That's tho crag' he cried, pointing to +
great mass looming before lls la the darkness
Now, Jack, tor any favor use your eyes
We're about Il hundred yards FROM that cliff.
| take It; 40 move slowly towards one side,
and I'll do the same toward the other. When
you sea anything stop and call out. Don't
take moro than twelve inches ~ step, and
Keep your eyes fixed on the cliff about eight
feet from the ground Are you readyg
4 yes" ! WAS even more excited than rom
~ this time. What his intention or object
was | could not conjecture beyond that ht
wanted to examine 10y daylight the part 81
the cliff frnm which the light came Yet the
influence ot the romantic situation and Of my
companions suppressed excitement was SC
great that ] cnHi feel the blood courainR
through my veins and count the pulses
thrabhnr At my TEMPLES.