The Portland daily press., 1890-07-29

to reassert itself.
"Take me back to my party instantly"
Instead of doing so the stranger
snatched my candle from my hand, ex-
tinguished it with breath-he carried
no light himself-and flung me from him
with such violence that l stumbled and
fell
As / rose to my feet heard his voice
in the distance calling out, Strange
things have happened in the Catacombs,
sir. Find your way out of them If You
can. Goodnight"
"Stayw / exclaimed in agony. "Do
not leave me here to perish! Save me,
if you have the heart of a man!'
~ never listen to prayer or appeal"
he replied, with his hideous, sneering
laugh. 81 am pitiless as DEATH"
And the echoes gave back the awful
word-deathl till more dreadful scene
followed.
l was alone in darkness, abandoned to
the most horrible fate the imagination
can picture.
What was to be done? What could
be done in such terrible crisis? My
party would miss me, it is true, and
search would be made for me; but a reg
iment of men might seek for days in
this maze of labyrinthine galleries with
out success. must try and help my
self. | remembered that l had in my
pocket two boxes of waxed matches,
each one of which would burn ten or
twenty seconds. l lighted one, and by
its feeble light ascertained where was.
was in one of the galleries of the quar-
ries, and just beside me yawned black
abyss of unknown depth, into which
single unwary step might have precip-
itated me.
By keeping close to the wall Il could
avoid this and similar pitfalls
So CROPPED my way along. The pas
sage wound and turned The horror of
darkness was so great that sacrificed
another match; but it would not do to
be so lavish. To describe my sensations
would be utterly impossible. My brain
reeled, and was on the very verge of
madness, if not past it, when realized
the fact that 1 was lost in the Cat
acombs.
But few hours since was in the full
enjoyment of health and life, sharing the
gayeties of Paris, anticipating no evil,
and now to die of starvation in this hor-
rible cavern! thought of home and its
dear ones, my comfortable house in Bed
ford square, my peaceful occupation
there, my books, my easel, my photo
graphic apparatus.
Why did the spirit of adventure tempt
me away from all the blessings that
Providence vouchsafed to. me, to wander
in foreign lands? Then my whole life
| passed in review before me, with its
many yicissitudes, its sins of omission
and commission, and the faces of the
| loved and lost came to me with the smiles
and tears of the olden time.
After hours of fruitless wandering l
sat down exhausted and hopeless. was
almost surprised to find myself hungry.
Then remembered the bread had pro-
yided for the little birds in the Tuileries
garden. l took one of the small loaves
and swallowed few mouthfuls. The
reader will be surprised to learn that after
this felt sleepy. l was astonished my
self to find that l was nodding. So I
spread my thick cloak on the floor, and
wrapping myself up in it was soon fast
asleep.
1 cannot tell how long my slumber
lasted. woke, however, to renew my
struggles at escape. / lit match after
matca, and called aloud for help, till my
voice was utterly exhausted. Surely !
must have been missed, and search
| must be going on for me? Alasl alas! no
one responded to my call. No footsteps
but my own echoed through those dis
NAL galleries.
But now a new craving assailed me
thirst, more cruel than hunger. Lack Of
water kills quicker than lack of. food. I
| no longer thought Of escaping from my
living grave. My only cry was for water,
waterl But this want was soon supplied.
Inc sacrlnce OF a rev more matches re-
vealed to me little stream exuding from
the walls. I glued my lips to it, and
though the flavor was nauseous, yet
never in the heat of summer had COB
let of iced champagne been more deli
cious to my palate!
How long time passed in my dis
NAL prison house it is impossible to say.
| Days, nights-who can measure them
under such circumstances? Finally had
exhausted my last crumb, and starva-
ton stared me in my face. How could
now sustain life? Oddly enough I just
then remembered the legend of the Beau
MANOR arms.
Beaumanoir was gallant French
character of the olden time, who, single
handed, commended with a score Of En-
glish knights. Covered with wounds, he
asked his squire for water, but water
was not to be had. Drink thy blood
Beaumanoirw was the reply of the
squire, and 'tBoire ton sang, Beauma-
noir," became afterward the motto of
the family. Before died I could open
vein with my knife, and initiate the
example of the gallant Paladin.
But first I would make desperate at
tempt to find an outlet. Every match
had now been burned, and had to work
in utter darkness. Frenzied and desper-
ate, rushed from gallery to gallery,
leaping the chains where they impeded
my progress. AT last thought encoun-
tered current of fresh air. I seized
what l conjectured to be thigh bone
| projecting from pile of them and gave
it wrench.
In an instant mass of bones and
skulls gave way, and rolled down on me
in a laundering avalanche, while voice
exclaimed, "The intruder who invades
the sanctuary of the dead shall perish
by the dead!'
The horror of the catastrophe over
whelmed me, and lost my conscious
ness. When l recovered was lying in
my bed in the Grand hotel, with the
sun shining on the glass gallery opposite
my window. There was a tap at my
door. 1 sprang up, opened it and admit
ted my travelling companion.
swell, old fellow" said he, chow did
you sleep after our visit to the Cata-
combs yesterday"
Yesterday l echoed.
Eyes. had the nightmare"
"But how did escapey' I asked.
Escape? What do you mean by es-
Gaping? You rode home in the carriage
with me and the ladies'"
"But that undertaken who thrust him.
self into our party?'
"There was no undertaken, my boy.
You must have been dreaming"
"Not at all, unless / was dreaming
wide awake"
| People sometimes do that"
You did not observe anything queer
about me in the Catacombs?"
"Not at all. I thought you were I'M
nd l. I