The Washington critic., 1885-06-29

up by some strange monster, revealing
the ground, jagged with rocks aud inter-
spersed with pools of mud.
But the dauntless captain did not give
way He rose from the place whore he
had been thrown, and called to his panic
stricken men:
"Get to your oarsl LOOK THERE"
He pointed to the retiring wave. It had
paused in its course, and was stationary,
while great wall of water was beginning
to curl over at the top, as if the contend
ing forces were struggling for the mastery.
The trembling sailors obeyed him in
stinctively but ii seemed useless to hold
an oar in the face of such peril
The wall of water curled over, and the
wave came racing back; but the cool and
heroic captain had not held his post in
vain. In front of the great wave came a
lower one, and as it neared the Spaniards
II caught up their little craft and swept 1t
inland again.
Struggling like madmen, they managed
to keep the boat from drifting broadside to
and the advance wave swept them on,
swiiter than it had carried them out,
straight towards the city of Lisbon.
a great cloud of dust had risen from the
ruins of the doomed city, and hung over
the harbor, like pail Everything was
dark; but flash OF lightning shot through
the cloud.
BY the light Of that flash they saw
strange scene.
They were close to the great marble
pier, and the bottom of the bay was clearly
visible, all round it, whiie The pier itself
'Cds rising in the air; the rocks rending be-
meath it as it rose, with loud laundering
reports
The stately frigates lay helpless on their
sides by the foot of the pier; and the wave,
on which the Spanish boat hung. seemed
to pause moment before it completed its
work
Then something seemed to give way,
and down went the great marble pier, the
pride of Lisbon into the midst of black,
yawning chasm.
The wall of water, that had been fol-
lowing the boat, suddenly seemed to sink
beneath it, the little craft was hurled high
in the air tossed about on the great bill
lows like feather, and then
How or where the confusion first
ceased they knew not, but the earthquake
was over, and they floated in the midst of
the dark dustcloud, on wilderness of
waters, alone.
Almost ere this end was assured, the
| dauntless captain of the Spanish boat was
up in the bows, peering through the dark
| ness for anything that might be floating.
Then he gave shout:
~ knew it, | knew it! Pail hard!"
Within q minute from his cry he was
| hauling into the boat by the aid of a
boat-hook, great sheet of cork, to which
| something was lashed.
What it was appeared from his surprised
| exclamation:
| "Inothcr of Heaven! Two children!n
A low, strangled cry from one of the in
| fants prove that it was alive-the only
creatures that had been saved from the
wreck.
| The Lisbon earthquake lasted eight min.
| utes by the clock. Sixty thousand people
| oil hn oil tn {,
| heap of smoking ruins; all in that brief
| space of time.
Over the place where the great marble
| pier had stood hundred fathoms of water
rolled their troubled waves, stained with
red mud; the dust-cloud brooding over the
| scene of desolation like some evil angel of
| death that gave up no secrets.
| OF all the people on the pier, of the
| goods piled on the marble pavement, of
| the ships dragged by their anchors down
into the black gulf, nothing ever came up
again.
But the Spanish captain, as he gazed at
the two infants, repeated to himself:
"God has giUe, me The children of the cartt
quake"
These were the same children that were
| seen in the arms of their mothers in the
carriage near the square. Little did the
Spanish sailor who had rescued them
dream of the wonderful careers which
| tnOSe Cnlluren were 10 run nOr OF tnc IN
fuence which his conduct on that day
would have on his own fate. The above
we publish as specimen chapter of this
beautiful story; but the continuation of il
will be found only in the N. Y. Ledger
Ask for the number dated July IL, which
can now be had at any news Office or book
store. If you are not within reach of q
news Office, you can have that number Of
the Ledger mailed to you by sending SIX
cents postage stamps will do) to Robert
Bonner, publisher, 1S2 William street
New York The New York Ledger is the
Great Family Paper, full of good and in
teresting reading.