San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1890-01-22

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II was neither very loud nor very near, yet,
bursting as ID did from 30 profound and so
| prolonged a silence, IL startled the camp like
On alarm Of tTumpets. Ire l had taken
hrssoh Sir William was beside me- the main
| pnrt of the Noyagsrs clustered at his back
intsntly giving ear. keshought as glanced
At them across my shoulder there was a white
| nsss other than moonlight ON their cheeks
| and the rays of the moon reelected with a
| sparkle on the eyes Of some, and the shadows
| lying black under the brows of others, &C
! cording us they raised or bowed the head to
listen, gave TO the group a strange air Of ami
nation and anxiety. Ny lord was 20 the
| front, crouching little forth, his hand raised
| as for silence-a man turned TO stone. And
| still the sounds continued, breathlessly re-
newed, with a precipitate rhythm.
| Suddenly Mountain spoke in a loud, broken
| whisper, as of a man relieved. II have it
now" he said; and, as we all turned to hear
| him, 1.-The Indian must have known the
| cache" he added THAT is he-he is digging
| out the treasure"
| why, to be sure!" exclaimed Sir William.
I'VE were geese not to have supposed so
muchn
THE only thing is" Mountain resumed,
| "the sound is very close to our old camp
| And again l do not see how he is there be-
| fore us, unless the man had wingsw
Greed and fear are wings" remarked Sir
| William But this rogue has given us an
| alert, and have a notion to return the COM
| plinlent. What say you, gentlemen, shall we
have moonlight huntY'
1t was so agreed; dispositions were made
| to surround Secundra at his task; some of
| Sir Williams Indians FASTENED in advance,
and, strong guard being left at our head
| quarters, we set forth along the uneven bot
tom of the forest; frost cracking, ice some
| times loudly splitting under foot, and over
| head the blackneSs Of pine woods and the
| broken brightness of the moon. Our way led
! down into a hollow of the land and as we
| descended the sounds diminished and had al
most died away. Upon the other slope it was
more open, only dotted with few pines and
| several vast and scattered rocks that made
| inky shadows in the moonlight. Here the
| sounds began to reach us more distinctly; we
could now perceive the ring of iron and more
| exactly estimate the furious degree of haste
| with which the digger piled his instrument.
| As we neared the top Of the ascent bird or
| two winged aloft and lowered darkly in the
moonlight, and the next moment we were
| gazing through fringe Of trees upon sin
| gular picture.
A narrow plateau, overlooked by the white
mountains and encompassed nearer hand by
| woods, lay bare to the strong radiance Of the
moon. Rough goods, such as make the wealth
| Of foresters, were sprinkled here and there
| upon the ground in meaningless disarray.
About the midst tent stood, silyered with
frost; the door open, gaping On tho black in
ssrier. At the one end Of this small stage lay
a. .
| Without doubt we had arrived upon the
scene Of Harris encampment; there we're the
| goods scattered i'll the panic Of flight, it was
| in yon tent the master breathsd his last; and
| the frozen rarrion that Law before us was the
body of the drunken shoemaker. 1t was al
| ways moving to come upon the theatre of
| any tragic incident; to come upon it after so
| many days, and to find it lin the seclusion of
a deserq still unchanged, must have i'm
pressed the mind Of the most careless.
And yet it was not that which struck us
| into pillars of stone, but the sight (which yet
we had been half expecting of Secundra an
kie deep in the grave of his late master He
| had cast the main part of his raiment by; yet
his frail arms and shoulders giistened in the
moonlighs with a copiouS sweat his face was
| contracted with anxiety and expectation; his
blows resounded on the grave as thick sobs,
and behind him, strangely deformed and ink
black upon the frosty ground. the creatures
shadow repeated and parodied his swift ges-
eculations. Some night birds arose from the
boughs upon our coming and thea settled
back; but Secundra, absorbed in his toll,
heard OF needed not at all
| heard Mountain whisper to Sir William:
Good God, it's the gravel He's digging him
up" 1t was what we had all guessed and
yet to hear it put in language thrilled me-
Sir William violently started
You damned sacrilegious houndm he
cried. What's thisF'
Secundra leaped in the air, little breath
less cry escaped him, the tool few from his
grasp and he stood one instant staring at the
speaker. The next, swift as an arrow, he
sped for the woods upon the further side; and
the next again, throwing up his hands with
violent gesture Of resolution, he had begun
already to retraee his steps
well, then, you come, you help he was
saying. But by now my lord had stepped be-
side Sir William; the moon shoRs fair upon
Ms facs, and the words wars sail upon Sseus,
drA's hips when he behed and recognized his
nasssrs ensmy. "HlnP he screamed,
aaspinx mis- hands aud shrinking On himsolf.
Come, come, said Sir William, &" thsa~ is
none hare 20 do you harm, If you bs inaocaas
s0d you be gsilsy, You escape Is asiss sxt
off. Speak whas do yos ksrs ssnaOs the
graves Of the dead and tAs rea,aias Of the
uRbSrisdP'
"You NO murdsrsrf" inquired Sscsncha.
''Yos true mani You 500 NE ssfss'
IL will see you safe, IL yos be Hnoesns."
rosurnsd Sir William. 81 have said tho