The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1886-01-15

Who could hear him? No one ON
these rocky cliffs whose boulders and
schists had not mold enough to bear
even o bramble The country hidden
by the high banks would be sought 'y
no human being-a desolate country
through which the Foiba runs imprisoned
like an artificial canal between it's rocky
wallis. Not brook flows i'll to feed it.
Not bird skins its surface, not even
fish ventures into its too rapid waters.
Here and there huge rocks rise i'll its
bed, and their parched submits show
that the watercourse with all its violence
is nothing but Il sudden overlooking due
to heavy rain. At ordinary times the
bed of the Foiba is simply IL deep ravine.
The only danger now was lest the tree
should be hurled ON the rocks. 1t
avoided them of itself as it kept in the
middle of the currents which swept
round them. But it was impossible to
check its speed to get to shore In case
suitable landing place was noticed.
An hour passed and no Immediate
danger appeared The final flashes had
lied out i'll the distance, and the storm
only manifested itself by the heavy
laundering which reverberated among
the lofty clouds whose long narrow
bands streaked the horizon. Day was
breaking and the gray was rising over
the sky that had been cleared by the
tumuIt OF the night. 1t was about four
o'clock in the morning.
Stephen lay in Sandorfs arms
A distant report was heard towards
the southwest
"Wlnt is that ?" asked Sandorf, who
was i'll OH the lookout. lis that %
gun announcing that IL harbor is open !?
What port can it be? Trieste? No, for
there is the east, where the sun is rising
Can 1t be Pola at the extreme south Of
Isria ? But then
4 second report was now heard, and
this WAS almost Immediately followed
by Il third.
"Three cannon sho:s?" said Sandorf
"That is the signal for an embargo
placed upon ships tina are anxious TO
sail ? Has that anything to do with our
escape 2"
He might fear so. Assuredly the
! authorities would neglect nothing to
keep the fugitives from getting away
| from the coast
Heaven helpus murmured Sandorf
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 views hundred feet away. To
take the bearings was impossible.
The much widened liver bed, silent
and deserted, allowed the current to flow
more slowly. A few trees brought down
by the stream We're floating near them.
The June morning was quite chill. In
their wet clothes the fugltlves shook till
their teeth Chartered.
Toward five clock the cliffs had given
place to long low banks, and the country
ON each side was fat and naked. The
| Foiba had widened to about half a mile,
| and become stretch of stagnant water
which might be called lagoon, if not q
! lake. In he distance towards the west
there were few vessels. Some at
| anchor, some with their canvas set wait
ing for the breeze, and these seemed to
| show that the lagoon was haven cut
well back into the coast. The sea then
was not far off, and there would be no
difficulty in finding it. But it would
not be prudent to seek shelter with the
fishermen. To trust themselves intheir
power, supposing they had heard of the
escape, would be to chance being handed
over to the Austrian gendarmes, who
W re probably now securing the country
Sandorf knew not what to do. VIII, II
the tree struck stump on the left side
of the lagoon and stopped dead The
I roots goE entangled with clump of
+ brushwood and the tree swung round
paral ell with the bank as if it had been
u boat under the control of a steersman.
Sandorf got ashore and looked around
He wished to make sure that no one saw
him.
AS far as he could see there was no
one, fisherman or otherwise, within
sight on the lagoon.
And yet within hundIed yards of
him there was Il man stretched ut full
length OH the sand who could see both
hum and his companion.
CHAPTER KIT