The Iola register., 1890-06-06

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I SAW A SPAR OF WOOD, TO WHICH swAx.
they shrieked with fear and cast themselves
down upon the deck. And within a very
little while, as rode towards the rocky
coast, a great wave poured into the vessel,
that rode broadside on, and pressed her
down into the deep, whence no more she
rose.
And so she sank, with all her crew. And
in that same storm also sank the galley that
Cleopatra had sent to search for the Syrian
merchant. Thus were all traces of me lost,
and of surety she believed that ] was
dead.
But I rode on toward the shore. The
wind shrieked and the salt waves lashed
my face as, alone with the tempest, I rushed
upon my way, while the sea-blrds screamed
about my head. No fear felt, but rather q
wild uplifting Of the heart; and in the stress
Of my imminent peril the love Of life seemed
once again to waken. And so / plunged and
drifted, now tossed high toward the lower
ing clouds, now cast into the deep valleys Of
the sea, till at length the rocky headland
loomed before me, and saw the breakers
smite upon the stubborn rocks, and through
the screaming Of the wind heard the suIlen
thunder of their fall and the groan of stones
sucked seaward from the beach. On high
throned upon the name of mighty billow-
fifty cubits beneath me the level of the hiss
ing waters; above me the inky sky! 1t was
donei The spar was torn from me, and,
dragged downward by the weight of the bag
Of gold and the clinging of my garments,
struggling furiously, sank.
Now was under-the light for moment
stresmed green through the waters, and
then came darkness, and on the d arkness
pictures of the past. Picture after picture
all the long scene of life was written here.
Then in my ears I heard only the song Of
the nightingale, the murmur Of the summer
sea, and the music of Cleopatra's laugh of
victory followed me softly and yet more
soft as sank away to sleep.
Once more my life came back, and with 1t
. sense of deadly sickness and Of aching
pain. opened ny eyes and saw kindly
faces bending DER me, and knew that / was
in q room of builded house.
"How came hitherr l asked, family.
'Of a truth, Poseidou brought thee,
Stranger" answered rough voice in bar
barous Greek, ''for we found thee cast high
upon the beach like q dead dolphin, and
brought thee to our house, for we are fisher
folk. And here methinks must thou lie
awhile, for thy left leg is broken by the
force of the waves"
lstrove to move my foot, but could not. It
was true, the bone was broken above the
knee.
''Who artthou and how art thou named?"
asked herough-bearded sailor.
81 am an Egyptian traveller whose ship
hath sunk in the fury Of the gale, and Olym-
pus am named" l answered, for Olympus
these people called mountain that we had
sighted, and therefore took the name at
hazard. And as Olympus henceforth was
known.
Here with these rough fisher-folk did ]
abide for the half of q year, paying them a.
little out of the sum of gold that had come
safely ashore upon me. For long was it be-
fore my bones grew together again, and
then was left somewhat of cripple; for l
who had been so tall and straight and strong
now imped-one limb being shorter than
the other. And after recovered from my
hurt, still lived there, and toiled with
them at the trade of fishing; for whittier
should go or what should do that knew
not, and, tor awhile, fain was TO become
a peasant fisherman, and so wear my weary
life away. And these people entreated me
kindly, though, as others, they feared me
much, holding me to be a wizard brought
hither by the sea. For methinks that my
sorrows had stamped SO strange an aspect
on my face that men gazing thereon grew
fearful Of what lay beneath its calm.
There then / abode, till at length one
night as ] lay and strove to sleep, great
came upon me, and mighty |
desire once more to see the broad face Of |
Sihor. But whether this desire was of the |
Gods or born of my own heart, not knowing |
can not tell So strong was it at the last, |
that before it was dawn Irose from my bed |
Of straw, and clothed myself in my fisher |
garb, and, because had no wish to answer |
questions, thus took farewell of my hum |
Bile hosts. First on the well-cleaned table of |
wood placed some pieces of gold, and then |
taking pot of -four l strewed it in the
form of letter-writing-
''This gift from Olympus, The E7yptidn, rho
-ctur1is i,ItO the sea-"
1Heu went, anu Ou tlc IulTu uhy Cdl1S L
70 the great city of Salamis, that is also on |
he sea. Here abode in the fisherman's
quarter till a vessel was about to sail for
and to the captain of this YES
'ei, man of Paphos, hired myself as a
sailor. We sailed with a favoring wind,
Ind on the fifth day came to Alexandria,
hat hateful city, and saw the light glaring
IN its golden domes.
Here might not abide. So once again
hired myself out as a sailor, giving my
abor in return for passage, and we passed
lp the Nile. And from the talk of men 1
earned that Cleopatra had come back to
drawing Antony with her, and
hat together they lived in royal state in
he palace on the Lochias. Indeed, the
,oatmen already had a song thereon, which
hey sang as they labored at the oar. Also
heard how the galley that was sent to
earch for the vessel which carried the
syrian merchant had foundered with all
Ter crew, and the tale that the Queens as
ronomer, Rarmachis, had flown to
Heaven from the roof Of the house at
'arsus. And the sailors wondered because
sat and labored, and would not sing their
ibald songs Of the loves of Cleopatra. For
hey, too, began to fear me, and mutter con-
erning me among themselves. Then
new that was a man accursed and set
part-a man whom none might love.
On the sixth day we drew nigh to
where / left the craft, and right
lad were the sailors to see me go. And,
nth breaking heart, walked through
a al