Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-08-30

he stopped breathing, so - 10 scvi'oiiiiH0
the little air that remained III ms lungs.
Suddenly through the LIQUID mass ~. a.
though his eyes were closed. he iett tae
impression of a vivid light. A Hshl.
ming flash it was, followed by the noise 81
thunder.
1t was the light, at last.
The Foiba had emerged from the sub
terranean channel and was flowing in the
open. But whittier was Il tiowiugg
On what sea-coast was its mouth?
That was still the insoluble question:
question OF lite or death.
The trunk of the tree had floated to the
surface again. Bathory by strong effort
was dragged up and took his place at the
| end. Then Sahdorf looked before him,
around him, above him,
Up stream a dark mass was beng left
/ behind, This was the huge cliff OF the
/ BucO in which the underground channel
opened which gave passage to the waters
/ OF the Foiba. Day was already showing
/ itself by the scattered streaks OF light
! overhead, vague as the nebua which The
eve eau only Just see on Il winters night.
/ From time to time a few pale lightning
! flashes lighted up the background amid
the dull roll of occasional thunder.
The storm was slowly going or else dying
away.
To the right to the left, Sardorf threw
a glance Of keen anxiety. he saw that
Fhe river flowed between two high cliffs,
and that its speed was terrific
They were In rapid which was taking
them along amid all its races and eddies.
But above their head now was the int
mite, and no longer the narrowing vault
with its lodges threatening each instant
to crush them. But there was no Dan&
on which they could set foot, no slope on
which they could disembark. Two steep
high wallis shut in the narrow Foiba, and
it was really the old channel with its
vertical walls, but without its roof Of
stone.
The last immersion had greatly re-
vived Bathory. His hand had sought
Sandorfs, who clasped it as he whis-
pered,-
"Sayed."
But had he right to use the word?
Saved when he did not even know where
the river ended or what country it ira
versed, or when they would be able To
his energy that he sat upright on the
tree and three times shouted the words
aloud:
saved Saved! ssvedr"
Who could hear him? No one on these
rocky cliffs whose bOuders and scbists
had not mold enough to bear even a
bramble. The country hidden by the
high banks would be sought by n0human
being-a desoate country through which
the F0iba runs imprisoned like an artih-
cial canal between it's rocky walls. Not
brook flows in TO feed it. Not a bird
skins its surface, not even fish ventures
into ito too rapid waters. Here and there
huge rocks rise in its bed and their parch-
ed SUBMITS show that the water-course
with all Is violence is nothing but a sud
den overlooking due TO heavy rain. At
ordinary times the bed of the Foba is
simply a deep rayine.
The Only danger now was lest the tree
should be hurled on to the rocks. II
avoided them OF itself as 1t kept in the
middle OF the currents which swept round
them. But 1t was impossible to check its
| speed to get to shore in case a suitable
landing-place was noticed.
An hour passed and no immediate dan
ger appeared. The final flashes had died
out in the distance, and the storm only
manifested itself by the heavy thunder
ing which reverberated among the lofty
clouds whose long narrow bands streaked
the horizon. Day was breaking and tn
gray was rising over the sky that had
| been cleared 10y the ttimull of the night.
II was about o'clock in the morning.
Stephen lay In sandorfs arms.
A distant report was heard towards the
southwest.
- udb Is tuht dshtU Cd00OfI. VINO
was still on the lookout. els that gun
announcing that herbor Is open? II so
we cannot be far from the sea. What
port can 1t be? Trieste? No, for there is
the east, where the sun is rising! Can it
be Pola at the extreme south Of Istria ?
But then"
A second report was now heard, and
this was almost Immediately followed by
third.
,srrL... 1.-... -A...o,. -
THAT is the signal for an embargo placed
upon ships that are anxious 10 sail? Has
that anything to do with our escapeY'
He might fear so. Assuredly the au-
thorities would neglect nothing to keep
the fugitiyes from getting away from the
coast.
Heaven help usw murmured San
dorf.
And now the lofty cliffs which shut in
the Foiba began to shorten. Nothing
could be seen of the country. Sudden
bends marked the horizon and bounded
the view few hundred feet away. To
take the bearings was impossible.
The much-wdened riyer-bed, silent and
I deserted, allowed the current to flow more
slowly. A few trees brought down by
the stream were floating near them. The
June morning was guile chill. In their
wet clothes, the fugitiyes shook till their
] leel4 cuullGEeu.
Towards O'clock the cliffs had given
/ place to long low banks, and the country
on each side was fiat and naked. I be
| Foiba had widened tn about half a mile,
and become a stretch Of staznant water
which might be called a lagoon, If not q
lake. Ia the distance towards the west,
there were few vessels. Some ut an
Choir, some with their canvas set waiting
/ for the breeze; and these seemed TO show
that the lagoon was haven cut well back
into the coast. The sea then WIS not far
of, and there would be no difficulty IN
| finding it. But it would not be prudent
70 seek shelter with tue fishermen. To
trust themselves in their power, suppos.
ing they had heard OF the escape, would
be 10 chance being handed over TO the
Austrian gendnrmes, who were probably
now securing the country.
Sandorf knew not what 10 do, when the
tree struck against a stump on tho left
side Of the LAGOON and stopped dead. The
roots got entangled with clump OF brus b.
wood aud the tree swung round parallel
with the bank as lift had been a boat u n
der the control of steeTsman.
sand0rf got ashore and looked around &.
He wished 10 make sure that no one saw
him.
As lar as he could see there was no one.
fisherman or otherwise, within sight OF
the lagoon.
And yet within hundred yards OF him
there WAS "A man effqtehod AZ full lanfsf IA