San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1888-04-04

Of sickening spasm and throe through the
fabric of the vessel and you heard the most
extraordinary grinding noises rising out of
the ice all about, as though the mighty rupt-
ure of the powder cracked through leagues
of the island. l burst not look forth till all
the powder had burst lest l should be struck
by some flying piece of ice; but unless the
schooner was injured below she was as sound
as before, and in exactly the same posture,
as if afloat in harbor, only that of course her
stern lay low with the slope of her bed.
called to Tassard, and he lifted his head.
"Are you hurt" said l.
"No, no." he answered. "'Tis Spaniard's
trick to fling down to broadside. Body Of
St. Joseph, what furious explosion" and so
saying he crawled into the companion and
squatted beside me. "What has it done
for us!n
81 don't know yet" said I, ''but believe
the schooner is uninjured. That was power
full shock" cried, as a half dozen Of bags
blew up together in the crevices deep down
The thunder and tumult of the rending ice,
accompanied by the heavy explosions of the
gunpowder, so dulled the hearing that it was
difficult to speak. That the mines had &C
complished our end was not yet to be known;
but there could not be the least doubt that
tucy ndiu hoO ohlJ oCtaoiohcu uciiltuuouS
ruptures low down in the ice, but that the
volcanic influence was extending far beyond
its first effects by making one split produce
another, one weak part give way and create
other weaknesses, and so on, all round about
us and under our keel, as was clearly to be
gathered by the shivering and spasms of the
schooner, and by the growls, roars, blasts
and huddle Of terrifying sounds which arose
from tho frozen floor.
1t was twenty minutes after the hour at
which the mines had been framed to explode
when the last parcel burst; but we waited
another quarter of an hour to make sure that
it was the last, during all which time the
growing and roaring noises deep down con-
| tinued as if there was battle of thousand
| lions raging in the vaults and hollows under
| meath. The smoke had been settled awsy by
the wind, and the prospect was clear. We
| ran below to see to the fire and receive five
| minutes of heat into our chilled bodies and
| then returned to view the scene.
looked first over ths starboard sidi, and
saw the great split that mad happened in the
| night torn in places into immense yawns and
| CULTS by the fall of vast masses of rock out
| of its sides, but what most delighted me was
| the hollow sound of washing water. lifted
my hand and listened.
'''Tis the swell of the sea flowing into the
opening' | exclaimed.
"That means" said Tassard, ''that this side
of the block is dislocated from the main"
YES" cried 1; land if the powder ahead
of the DO Us has done its work, the heave of
the ocean will do the rest"
We made our way on to the forccastle over
a deep bed of splinters of ice, lying like
| wood shavings upon the deck; and | took
notice as walked that every glorious crystal
| pendant that had before adorned the yards,
rigging and spars had been shaken off. l
| had expected to see wonderful spectacle of
havoc in the ice where the barrels of gun
powder had been poised; but saving many
scores OF cracks where none was before, and
vast ragged gashes in the mouths of the
crevices down which the barrels had been
lowered, the scene was much as heretofore.
The Frenchman stared, and exclaimed,
'What has the powder done3 see only
| few cracks"
"What it may have done l don't know"
I answered; ''but depend on it such heavy
charges of powder must have burst to some
purpose. The dislocation will be below, and
SO much the better, for it's there the ice must
come asunder if this block is to go free"
He gazed about him, and then rapping out
a string of oaths-English, Italian, and
| French, for he swore in all the languages he
spoke, which, he once told me, were five-he
declared that for his part he considered the
powder wasted, that we'd have done as well
to fling hand grenade into tissure; that a
thousand barrels of powder would be but as
a pOpgun for rending the schooner's bed from
the main; and, in short, with several insult
ing looks and face black with rage and dis
appointment, gave me very plainly to know
that l had not only played the fool myself,
but had made fool of him, and that he was
heartily sorry he had ever given himself any
trouble to contrive the cursed mines or to as
sist me in a ridiculous project that might
have resulted in blowing the schooner to
pieces and ourselves with it.
l glanced at him with sheer, but took no
further notice of his insolence. 1t was not
only that he was so contemplate in all re-
| spects-a liar, rogue, a thief, a poltroon,
| hoary in twenty walks of vice-there was
something so unearthly about creature that
had been as good as dead for eight and forty
years that it was impossible anything he
| could say could affect me as the rancorous
tongue of another man would. feared and
| hated him, because knew that in intent he
was already my assassin; but the mere in
science of so incredible creature could not
but find me imperturbable
There is nothing to be seen by staring"
he exclaimed presently, speaking very sui.
lenly. II am hungry and freezing and shall
go below" And with that he turned his back
and made off, growing in his throat as he
went.
i got upon the ice and stepped very care