The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1890-01-26

! NlutIy tlltIlOr, ana the Nblle wv" y,
mountains shared its dying glow.
II was dark ere we had supper; we ca, IN
silence, and the meal was scarce dlspa'cnsu
before my lord SUNK from the fireside 70 'no
margin Of the camp, whittier | made nas.e
10 follow him. Tho camp was on hsn
ground. overlooking frozen lake, perhaps
mile In its longest measurement; all ABOUT Us
the forest Law in heights aud hollowsi ABOVE
rose the white mountains, and higher YET
the moon rode In a fair sky There was no
breath Of air. nowhere twig creaked, and
the sounds Of our own camp were husned ana
.vailowod an in the surrounding stiffness.
Nc,y TIA, tho sun and the wind were both
conc do,xn IL appeared almost warm, Ike
| NIGHT Of july: a singular illusion OF the sense
when earth. air and water were strained 70
bursting with tho extremity OF frost.
Nv lord Tor what still continued 20 call
bv bis loved namel stood with his elbow In
one hand. and his chin sunk in the other, gaz-
i'm, before him on the surface Of the wood.
Nv evos followed his, and rested almost pleas
antly upon the frosted conjecture OF tho
nine. rising In moonlit hillocks, or sinking IN
the shadow Of small glens. Hard by, told
myself. was the grave OF our enemy, no"
gone where the wicked cease from troubling,
the earth heaDed forever on his once 50 active
limbs. could not but think OF him as some
how fortunate. 10 DO thus done with mans
anxiety and WEAKNESS, the daily expense OF
spirit. and that daily river Of circumstance
70 be swum through, at any hazard, under the
nonalty of shame or death. | could not but
think how good was the end OF that long travel;
and with that my mind swung at a tangent
10 my lord For was not my lord dead alsoi
A manned soldier, looking vainly for dis
charge, lingering derided in the line Of bat
tlel A kind man / remembered him; wise,
with a decent PRIDE a son perhaps too duti-
full, a husband only too loving, one that could
suffer and be silent one whose hand / loved
to press OF a sudden, pity caught in my
windpipe with a sob; / could have wept
, aloud TO remember and behold him; and
standing thus by his elbow, under the broad
moon, / prayed fervently either that he
should be released or l strengthened 70 per
sist in my affection.
ooh. God,n said /, "this was the best man
20 me and to himself, and now / shrink from
him. lie did no wrong, or not till he was
broke with sorrows; these are but his honor
able wounds that we begin to shrink from.
Oh, cover them up; oh, take him away, be
fore we hate himm
l was still 50 engaged in my own bosom
when a SCUM broke suddenly upon the night.
Il was neither very loud nor very near, yet,
bursting as it did from 50 profound and so
prolonged a silence IL startled the camp like
an alarm Of trumpets. Ere | had taken
breath Sir William was beside me, the main
part Of the voyagers clustered at his back,
ntently giving ear Moahought as glanced
at them across my shoulder there was white
ness other than moonlight on their checks,
and the rays Of tho moon reflected with
sparkle on the eyes of some, and the shadows
living black under the brows Of others, &c
cording as they raised or bowed the head TO
listen, gave TO the group a strange air Of ami
nation and anxiety. Ny lord was to the
front, crouching a little forth, his hand raised
as for slence-a man turned 20 stone. And
still the sounds continued, breathlessly re
uewed, with precipitate rhythm
Suddenly Mountain spoke in q loud, broken
whisper. as Of n man relieved. II have 1t
now" be said; and, as we all turned TO hear
him, "tho Indian must have known the
cache, he added. THAT is he-he Is digging
out the treasure"
"Why, % be surcf' exclaimed Sir William
1--WE were geese not to have supposed 50
much.
"The only thing Isl Mountain resumed,
"the sound is very close 90 our old camp.
And again, do not SEQ how he is there be
fore as, unless the man bad wingsp
"Grecd and fear are wings" remarked Sir
William "But this rogue has given us an
alert, and have a notion TO return the com.
piiment What say you, gentlemen, shall we
have a moonlight huntP
Il was So agreed; dispositions were made
90 surround Sccundra at his task; some OF
Sir Williams Indians fastened in advance,
and, a strong guard being left at our head
quarters, we set forth along tho uneven bot.
tom Of the forest; frost cracking, ice some
times lousy splitting under foot, and over
head the 5iackness 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 IL was
more open, only dotted with a few pines and
several vast and scattered rocks that made
inky shadows in She moonlight. Here the
sounds began 20 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 noarel the top Of the ascent bird or
two winged aloft and lowered darkly in the
moonlight, and the next moment We were
gazing through a fringe Of trees upon sin
gular picture.
a narrow plateau, overlooked by the white
mountains and encompassed nearer hand by
If
noon. Rough goods such as make the wealth |
Of foges.ers, were sprinkled here and there |
upon the ground in meaningless disarray |
About the midst tent stood, silvered with |
frost; the door open, gaping on the black in |
terror At the one end of this small stage lay |
what seemed tho tattered remnants of man
Without doubt wo had arrived upon the |
scene OF Harris encampment; there were the
goods scattered In the panic Of flight; it was
In yon tent the master breathed his last, and /
the frozen carrion that lay before us was the |
body OF the drunken shoemaker 10 was al |
ways moving 10 como upon the theatre OF |
any tragic incident; 70 come upon it after 50 /
many days, and 20 find 10 On tho secluson Of /
DESERT still unchanged, must have i'm /
pressed the mind Of the most careless.
And yet il was not that which struck us
into pillars Of stone, but the sight (which yet
We had been half expecting Of Secundra an
klo deep in the grave Of his late master He
had cast the main part Of his raiment by; yet
bis frail arms and shoulders glistened in the
moonlight 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 yes
ticulations Some night birds arose from the
boughs upon our coming and then settled
back; but Secundra absorbed in his toll,
heard or needed not at ALL
heard Mountain whisper to Sir William.
Good God, its 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 Lound" he
cried. "What's thisf'
Secundra leaped in the air, little breath
less cry escaped him, the tool few from hh
grasp, and he stood one instant staring at the