Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-08-11

| IS''o' us 1uf"'tg".
artist could not see the form of his stranq
guide, but. following that queer, wild odo
left behind, he came over onto the black
sweaty pavements and followed like one il
dream after it until the river at the Smith
| field street bridge came in view, and thel
they went down Water street and acros
the long cobbled wharf slope to the river
edge, and here, meath the shadows of th
grim, silent wheels of the great steamers
clay the strangest craft he had ever seen.
A QUEER CRAFT.
It was but the work of an instant for thres
dark forms to jump from the boats prov
and, grasping the artist, they hurried him
on board; then, without sound of paddle
oar or propeller the little craft shot off down
the river at lightning speed, and the few
lights in the hot city behind faded quickly
into the great black pail that seemed to
overhang river and town.
Through all this time not word of COM
mand or comment passd between any OF
those aboard, and not a light of any kind
adorned the prov or sides of this odd vessel,
but just as she passed beneath the last
bridge spanning the river a tiny greenish
yellow light shot out on the water from a
place on her brow, and the word "Beetle''
in small red letters was revealed on her side.
So rapidly did she shoot the water that
the lights along shore at Economy came
into view and disappeared in a single mo-
ment, then the little light box on the upper
end of Crow Island grew out of the dark
nessahead, blinked oddly once or twice and
dropped away in the gloom over the river.
just below the Kneasly cluster the boat s
speed decreased for few moments and she
swung around short, then made straight
ahead toward light in the center of the
river. The man who had piloted him
through the city and on to the Beetle came
forward, and, placing his hand on the ar
lists arm, thus addressed him:
FANALoN ISLAND.
"We are approaching Fanalon Island,
and in few moments your eyes will look
upon that which has been jealously guarded
from tne eyes of the world for many years.
There are but four who know me, and they
are the three here with us and one upon the
island who guards our secret and keeps the
light while we are away"
Years ago, my father, who was captain
of Spanish trader, sailed to the far eastern
seas for cargo of coffee and spices, carrying
me with him; we touched at Madagascar,
Borneo and Sumatra, and then sailed for
home, but never reached there. One night,
during terrible hurricane, we swept in
upon a coral-bound coast, and wrecked on
that reef were washed ashore and were
picked up in the morning by the strangest
race of men 1 have ever beheId. They were
tall and straight as arrows, and, though
black as ebony, their hair which hung down
about their. hips was white as driven snow
and soft as silk 80
But two OF our ships company had sur
vived that awful night, my father and my
self and he, poor soul, died from exhaustion
before the sun arose. When it was quite
light these strange men buried him in the
sands. near the sea he had loved so well and
led me over great white bluffs through
dark Jungle to an eminence above tiny
lake as clear and blue as the heavens above
us. and on the opposite sho;e by the blue
lakes rim stood city whoss houses were
dazzling white.
ITO come more quickly to the point Of
my story I will not dwell upon the scenes
that followed. 1 soon learned their Ian
guage and then discovered that mad been
cast away on an island, over which quees
ruled named Fanalon, and in her honor thu,
island was named by the natives whom she
governed. also learned that none Of my
race had ever been seen upon this island
before, 50 that when was brought before
the Queen she almost tainted from surprise
at my whitA face and hands, hpt in Q short
time insisted upon taking ne a. her hus-