The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1880-07-17

! which formed the vessels hold Two high
lnasts rose from the deck, with vast silken
| sails paffed outward with the wind. A
| hundred long oars, like multtudinous arms,
1 slowly beat the waves in harmony with the
| song, which he now saw came from band
| Of maidens in the high PROV, with white
loose robes and flowers garlanded about
| their long dark hair, which the breeze lifted
| gently as the ship came forward. The mid
die of the deck was filled with men in gilt
tering mail, and musicians, whose harrs
and trumpets joined with tire song. A feast
was spread upon long tables. covered with
1 jewel-studded plate of gold, beneath cano-
| Ply of silk. AS his gaze wandered from
| group to group, the ship advanced abreast
| of where he sat-so near that he might have
leaped ON board; and the stern, which had
before been hidden by one of the sails, now.
lay before him. A vacant space, in which
| children, with wings and bows as Cupids,
| played before high-raised throne, on which
| lay woman before whose perfect beauty
| his ewes sank dazzled. Her form was half
| hidden beneath thin pearl-colored fabric.
| shining beneath her, which fell about her
| like a halo. A great gold serpent circled one
| finger with fiery eyes that glowed and glis-
| tened as she turned and stretched both arms
| toward him on the shore. Drawn by some
| irresistible power he rose, but the ship
| sailed onward near the ledge He followed
| on the bright sand, gistening with the rip
| pies from the great prov that silently Glove
| the water, until the ledge Of rock and the
newborn island ended, round the point of
| which the galley turned and foated from
| him. The serpent's eyes cleaned fainter on
The wrist OF the queen upon the throne, who
| stretched her arms once more toward the
| wretched being on the shore. With a de-
| spairing cry he flung himself into the sea
| towards the receding galley. Then sea and
| galley dissolved and disappeared as suddenly
as they had come, and he lay face down
| wards in the dusty, barren sands, the burn
| ing sun glowing above him in silent mock
| cry.
*
When he awoke from the swoon in which
| he had fallen the moon was shining above
him. The shadow of the ledge fell black
and impenetrable near by on the sand that
! shone like sea-salt in the pallid light, which
/ bathed the still, white wastes of the land of
| ghosts around him. The wind blew cooler
| from the dim edge of the DESERT giving him
a little strength, &C he rose upon his stiff
ened limbs and gazed around with vague
| wonder. Dim shapes seemed to haunt the
| white solitude that stretched dream-like in
| the uncertain distance. as if they aere wait
| ing for his death; but as he tottered for
| ward, he found them only shadows of some
rock or hillock. He gained the ledge again
! and rested; then with new strength toied
| EDWARDS round the point. He found a level
| stretch OF snowy sand beyond, sand wave,
| on whose crest rose something before which
| be sank upon his knees with hands covering
his eyes,
Am mad yet?' he CRIED remembering
| for the first time the vision of the afternoon.
| AT length he rose and approached the OBJ
| iect, drawn EDWARDS against his WILL 1t
| seemed the skeleton of some vast ship of
| ancient time before the flood. Its spare ribs.
| where the side was broken, rose high and
| black from the mighty keel, like the bones
| of some monster of the Silurian age. Two
| masts rose high above the bulwarks which
hid the deck. As if in dream he tottered
along beneath it until he reached the prov.
| 1t was the huge sea-serpent's head he had
| seen in the mirage, now so grim and terri
| bly, lifelike that he shrank back in terror.
Was he still dreaming? He put his hand
out doubtfully and touched the side. 1t was
covered with hard, smooth scales or some
metallic substance, even yet family cleaning
| in the moonlight with the iridescent emer-
aid hue he had seen before now, dimmed by
| ages. but not yet wholly lost. He made his
way down the other side until he circlsd it
and reached the great beach where the ribs
and scaly sides were crushed in as if by
some great blow. He rested for time, and
then with great difficulty ciambered up and
reached the deck, from which still rose the
mast, whence the yard-arms stretched that
once had borne the silken sails. Across the
deck, in the high stern, still sat shadowy
throne, and ON it something which he could
not see in the dim light of the moon. But
he knew what-in some strange way he felt
that the ship he had seen the day before and
this one were the same, though this had
sailed thousand centuries before. Around
him Law hnd1la6 baape and M of b..;o
with cups and plates of gold cleaning from
their midst, and coin and heavy goblets
strewn upon the dusty deck. But these
were scarcely noticed he stood gazing to-
ward the stern for time; then, drawn by a
burning haste, hurried across the deck over
the strange mass in which his feet sank as
it in dust, and gained the level open space.
where, in his dream or vision, he had seen
the Cupids playing before the queen. the
memory of whose face and form still shot
through his veins like fire.
The throne, or couch, was covered with
mass Of what seemed glittering cloth, from
which gold and jewels still cleaned family
above something he must see. He clam
bered up the steps. across the dais, and
tried to raise the fabric, but it crumbled and
fell to ashes beneath his touch, disclosing
the delicate skeleton of woman stretched
before him, with both arms extended, as if
On one finger cleaned great gold ring
III the form of serpent, with eyes of fire
that burned upon him as he stood before
her.
AS he gazed some subtle power drew him
towards her arms, shining white and CHASTITY
in the pale light which lay SO still upon her.
Tie advanced step, but with cry turned
from the figure and flung his arms before
HIM. One hand met hers, and the ring
dropped into his palm as her arm fell crumb-
ling by her side.
He staggered backwards to the breach.
among the strange heaps which he now saw
had been the bones OF what had once been liy-
ing creatures.
Filled with a wild terror lest these long
dead jewellers should rise and hold him
there among them, he clambered down, he
knew not how, to the sand, and fled over
the desert, leaving behind him, in the shad-
owy distance, the CHASTITY ship stranded on
the wave OF sand.
On the iron-bound coast of New England
storm was raging with unparalleled fury.
November had passed without gale to ruff
lie the fair sea that had stretched so peace
fully from the rocky shore. And now the
winter, with strength long husbanded,
leaped from the ocean upon the land with
the crash and din Of tempest that was
that night bereft of dear ones swallowed I'D
in the seething caldron of the storm.
On rocky cape that runs far out into the
Atlantic, the inhabitants of the fishing ham
lets were gathered on the beach, feeding
great fires whose ruddy glow strove 10 pierce
the murky blackness that smothered sea
and land, and warn the ships of their fate
II they drove too near the shore.
Near one OF these great fires was gathered
little group of men, covering beneath a
rock which partially sheltered them from
the binding wrack that drove in upon the
land from the chaos seward. Now and
then a few would make their way to the
lire with fresh fuel, and then retreat breath
lessly and exhausted. AS the night wore
on the storm increased, until the fury of the
wind and waves seemed about to sweep
night was not remembered by the Oldest
OF the little group who sat watching in the
darkness just outside the ruddy glow the