Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1889-03-21
CHAPTER x11I.-PAINrEp OR P1EBAID,

CHAPTER XIII.-PANTED OR PIEBALDf
Right before Us rose sheer out of the
water q tall white rock, at least fifty feet
high. Another moment and we would
have crashed against it, "Stem on" We
were saved only by Toms sharpness of
vision, by The promptitude with which
obeyed his order, and the sudden lifting of
the fog.
the right OF US, rocks to the left Of us, some
white, Others red, yet all of great height,
with splintered, fantastic pinnacles and
broken battlements like the keeps of so
many ruined castles: some as naked as an
Alpine peak above the snow-Iine, others
mantled with a luxuriant growth of green
cry and pendant wild flowers, while the
waves leap up their sides and troops of sea-
birds wheel round their SUBMITS. A YER
liable labyrinth Of rocks; and as l look up
after the first shock Of surprise, l see in
scribed on one of them, in old-fashioned
and bold yet worn characters, these start
ling words.
Here the Santa Anna'-
There seems to be another word, but be-
ing covered with a spray Of ivy, [ cannot
make it out Whether Bolsover sees the
inscription do not know. He is at the
bows, coming the ship, and l am steering;
the passage between the line Of rocks being
so narrow, and the current or tide so strong
that it requires most strenuous attention
to avoid striking. More than once the
yards scrape the brow of some beetling
cliff, and only by Heavens help and old
Toms skillful pilotage do we escape utter
destruction.
At length the stress is over, and with an
indescribabIe sense of thankfulness and
relief we sail into open water. We can
breathe freely. Danger and the dark sea
are behind, nope and harbor of refuge
before US. We are in a wide, crescent
shaped bay, fringed with shore of white
sand, from which rises, In gentle slopes,
glorious mountain, on whose summit waves
a cloud-banner, which at first sight mis-
take for the smoke of a volcano.
Save for the white limestone crags with
which it is crowned, the mountain is clad
with Yerdure from top to bottom. Field
alternates with forest; 1 can distinguish
roads, too, and here and there is a quaint
house of wood, not unlike the chalets that
lend so great a charm to the valleys Of
Switzerland and the Tyrol.
All this Of course, through binocular.
We are still too far off to see much with
the naked eye.
Heaven only knows where we are" l
said to Tom, who by this time had come
aft. ''But it seems civilized sort of place
No danger Of our being killed and eaten,
think"
mot bit. Cannibals don't build houses
or make roads like them there. / wonder
whether it's an island or a continenti
Anyhow, it is well protected. That line
of reefs stretches from one point of the
bay to the other. 1t is miracle how we
got through. If the fog had not lifted just
when it did-and it did not lift much-we
should have gone to everlasting smash.
We came out of it; that was it. Look
there"
1t was true Beyond the barrier of rocks
the mist still rested on the sea, looking in
the distance like a chain of billowy noun
tains.
'"The tide-or may be it's a CURRENTS
running fast" said the boatswain, a few
minutes later. II wonder whether we are
in soundingss / will heaye the lead, and
II we are, we must make ready to let 60"
He had evidently not seen the inscrip-
ton on the white rock; and it was quite as
we'll. He would have been able to think
of nothing else.
''By all MEANS" I answered. cit would
never do to run aground, and there is not
much chance of getting pilot, fear"
Whereupon Tom took the lead, and went
into the chains. When he came back he
reported that the depth was nine fathoms,
the bottom sandy, and the water rapidly
shoaling He thought that, to be on the
safe side, we should let go at once, though
we were still three or four miles from the
nearest part of the coast.
To this Of course agreed, for in matters
of seam0nship always deferred to Bolso-
ver's opinion; and five minutes afterward
the "Diana" was riding at anchor, her
stern toward the land, her stem toward the
rocks.
How about going ash rei" L asked.
"Can we lower boats"
81 think so; and if it comes to that, we
must. But wait bit; there's no hurry.
May be some on 'em-natives or what not
will be coming off TO us.''
"Au right. Tllrun below, put on clean
shirt, anu make myself presentable."
"As you like, sir. But as for me, shall
take no such trouble. l shall do well
enough as 1 am. L don't suppose the peo-
pie of this country are of much account
niggers or greasers, or summat o. that
sort. They don't wear no clothes-not
they; and they are sure to speak some con-
founded outlandish lingo that nobody un-.
derstands but themselves"
Though we had survived the dangers of
most perilous voyage, escaped death as
by miracle, and brought the Diana" to
safe anchorage, poor old Tom was evil
IDENTIFY in an unhappy frame of mind. It
was easy to guess the reason. We had
seen nothing of the treasure-ship, nor any
sign of her, and for several reasons l did
not think the time had yet come to make
mention Of the writing on the rock.
When l returned to the deck, feeling all
the better for a good wash and fresh rig
out, Tom was peering hard through his
glass.
There's boat putting off," he said; ga
biggish boat with lateen sail, and a crew
of six or eight men-custom-house chaps,
of course; for you may be cock-sure of one
thing; if country hasn't as much trade as
would keep colony of fleas, it is sure to
have custom-houses-for,y you see, if Gus
tom-houses isn't trade, they looks like it,"
took glass and had look on my own
account. The boat was under way, and
evidently making for the "Diana;" but
owing to the lightness of the breeze and
the flowing tide, the lateen sail did not
seem to be of much use, and the crew were
taking to their oars, which they appeared
to handle with great dexterity. But gave
less heed to the boat and her management
than to the people she carried. 1 burned
with curiosity to know where we were and
what kind of people we had fallen among;
and l thought that / might possibly gather
some idea OF their characters, perhaps even