The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1891-02-28
taking me by the hand. said in a kindly

taxing me Dy the hand, SAID IN q kindly
tone:
60 Let your tutor, Franz, keep his
spider. You and prefer the trees and
the grass; let us 90 for drive.
Yes, be off with you,' cried the doc
tor, and mind YOU are back for supper
at six O'Clock. a-------,-a.--.--....
Then, as We left the room, he called
out: th
" No real quarrel, Sir Thomasl
The Englishman turned around and
laughingly waved his hand, and in few
moments We were seated in his carriage.
which stood before my Cousins gate.
Sir Thomas wished to drive himself, 40
he dismissed his servant, and We set out
for Rothaips. AS the carriage slowly
mounted the sandy path, a curious feel
ing OF depression came upon me. Sir
Thomas, too, was grave and, noticing my
want OF spirits, said:
You like those spiders, Frantz, no
more than l do. But, thank Heaven,
there are no really dangerous ones i'm
this country. The spider-crab, which
your cousin has in his box, comes from
French Guiana. II infests the large,
marshy forests with their warm vapors
and scorchingly hot exhalations; in fact,
such temperature is necessary to it.
Its web, or one might rather say its huge
net, envelops a whole thicket. It catches
birds, as our spiders catch flies. But, my
boy, drive away from your mind all
thought of such horrible things and,
as the subject changed, my good spirits
gradually returned, and boy.like, was
soon laughing at my fears. 3tisH
"The carriage, drawn by little horse
from the Ardennes, as spare and sinewy
as goat, climbed up the almost perpen-
dicular path. Millions OF insects buzzed
among the heather. Above us, on our
right, stretched the dark-colored border
of the forest Of Rothalps, through whose
shady depths only an occasional glimmer
of sunlight could be seen. On our left
tumbled the little river Spinbrown,
whose water sparkled with brighter
blue the higher We assembled, and redou-
bed their tinkling music.
Z" The whole scene deeply impressed
and captivated me. Sir Thomas had
abandoned himself to one of his frequent
reveries, while the horse, left to his own
guidance, plodded along with down-bent
head and steady gait. Soon the ascent
became less steep as we came to the
Chevreuil pastures fecked with dark,
quivering shadows. My face had been
turned away toward the vast perspective
on the other hand, but now my eyes we're
insensibily drawn toward the shade, and /
saw that we were within hundred PAGES
of the Spinbrown cavern. The shrub
berry which surrounded il was Of the most
luxuriant green, and the stream before
taking its plunge as waterfall was as
calm and as clear as sheet of crystal,
save for the vapor which rose from its
surface. The horse stopped OF himself TO
gain his breath, and Sir Thomas, rising
from his seat, gazed for a few moments
on the surroundings.
How calm and still everything is
he said.
Then after moments silence:
eff were alone, Frantz, l should be
inclined to battle in the pool
GO But, Sir Thomas 1 said, why
should you not battle? can very we'll
take stroll while you do so. know Of
a strawberry bed not far from here. I
will go and gather some, and come back
for you in an hour
"' Well, Frantz, confess should like
a battle; it will do me good; drive out
some Of the burgundy which your cousin
scolis me about; and the spot itself
tempts me-
" Then. stepping to the ground. he fast
ened the horse to small tree, and waved
a farewell to me. l saw him sit down
upon the turf and commence to draw off
his boots. When / had gone some little
distance he turned round and called to
me:
"' In an hour, then, Frantz.'
These we're his last words.
An hour latter l returned to the pool.
The horse, the carriage and Sir Thomas q
clothes lying on the grass were all that
met my sight. The sun was sinking, and
the shadows growing longer each mo-
ment. The birds had ceased to sing, the
myriads OF insects to buzz among the
foliage. An almost death-like silence
reigned; it heightened me. climbed
upon the rock which faced the cavern,
and looked around. No one to be seen
| shouted out. No answer, save the echo
of my own voice. The night was closing
rapidly in. An indefnable fear oppress-
ed me. Suddenly the story of the young
girl who had mysteriously disappeared
came to my mind and scrambled down
from the rock. When, however, ar
rived in front of the cavern stopped
short, seized with an inexpressible ter
ror; as my eyes fell on its inky black
ness a horrible movement of CHASTITY
limbs at depth, too, which probably nc
human eye had ever penetrated before.
Fear had sharpened my sight my senses
in fact, were all quickened. could hear
the plaintive song of nightingale rising
from a neighboring bush from the dis
| lance came the barking of some village
| cn,nIc hnUounr xrhInf,
| drowned by the furious beating of my
heart Uttering shrek of terror, I fed
taking no heed of the horse or carriage
In less than twenty minutes l bum
through the door OF our house and criet
out:
"' Run run Sir Thomas he is dead
dead in the cavernp As the words lei
my mouth, those who heard them bein
my cousin, the servant Agatha, and on
or two others, / fell in dead faint
Later, l was told, that for some hours
was in wild delirium.
"The whole village set out to work fC
Sir Thomas. At 10 O'Clock they returned
bringing with them the horse and c,
, riage and Sir Thomas's clothes. The
had discovered nothing; it was impol
, sible to advance more than few pace
beyond the mouth Of the cavern withor
t being suffocated. While they Wei
: away, Agatha and sat crouching in
corner by the hearth. l, still half de-
! rious, uttering incoherents words; sh
D with her hands crossed upon her knee
D her eyes extended, only moving to
from time to time to the window al
/; peer forth into the darkness. She cou
t see the light of their torches far up abo
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