The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1891-02-28
THE SPIDER CRAB.
Continued from Page IL

us in the woods, could hear the distant
voices Of the searchers as they called to
one another through the gloom.
When her master returned, Agatha
commenced to tremble. The doctor en-
tered abruptly, his face pale, his lips
firmly compressed, look of despair in
his eyes. A score OF peasants followed
him, tumbling upon each others heels,
still holding the remains of their torches.
Hardly had my tutor passed into the
hall when his piercing eyes seemed to
be seeking for some one; they fell upon
the negress, and without word having
been interchanged, the poor woman COM
menced to cry out:
t.'No! no! cannot do itI'
But IL wish it., said the doctor,
in strange, hard voice.
Zone would have thought that some
unseen power had seized upon the
woman She trembled from head to
foot, and then, as the doctor pointed to
chair, she seated herself, and in an
| instant became as rigid as a corpse.
THE crowd around witnesses of this
strange sight, ignorant men but full OF
religious superstitions, crossed them
selves; and l myself, ignorant then of so
much as the name of mesmerism, COM
menced to tremble, thinking that aga
tina was surely dead.
"The doctor approached the negress
and, passing his hand with rapid move
ment before her face said:
"' Are you there"
&C. Yes, master.
"' Sir Thomas Hawerburch, can you
see him?'
"The trembling RECOMMENDED. Yes,
ves,' she said, in half suff seated tones
Il see him.
." Where is hep
"'Up there-at the bottom of the
cavern-deadp
"'Deadp said the doctor. 'HowH
The spider-the spider-crab-ohl 7
"Be calm! said the doctor, himself
pale as death, 'and describe it to us
clearly
"'The spider-crab is fastened to his
throat! He is there-down below
under the rock-its claws all round him
| Ahv
"The doctor cast look around him
upon the crowd who stood there in a
circle, each ones eyes starting from his
head; and heard him mutter:
"' Horrible! horriblep
"Then he went on:
"' You still see him?'
"' see him.
" And the SPIDERS it larger
ooh, master, never have seen one
of such size, not even on the banks o.
the Mocaris, or in the Konanama Jungle
1t is as large as my head!
"There was long silence. The peas
ants looked on, trembling from frigh
and with livid faces. The doctor, alone
appeared calm. Having again passed
his hands before the servants face, he
went on:
"Agatha, tell us how death came t.
Sir Thomas
I" He was bathing in the pool. Th'
spider was behind him and saw him. 1
was hungry, having tasted for Ion;
time, and watched him as he stood up t.
his waist in the water. Suddenly i
darted like lightning, and planted it
claws around his neck. He cried GU
only once "Oh Oh! My God !" Then i
stung him and drew him away; he sanl
in the water and was dead. Then tn
spider came again, spun a web aroun'
him, and drew him gently, quite gentl
to the back of the cavern. Now it is al
black again. | can see nothing
The doctor, turning to me, asked:
"' Is it true, Frantz, that Sir Thoma
was bathing?'
i" Yes, Cousin 1 answered, almos
too frightened to speak.
"' At what hour?'
"sFour o'clock
"Four O'Clock! 1t was very warm g
that time, was it not?'
=" Yes, Cousin, very warm
"' see it ALL he cried, striking hi
forehead, the monster could come OF
without fear
, .sHe spoke some words unintelligibl
, to all of us, and then, turning to tn
crowd of peasants:
"' My friends he cried, there is tn
!. cause of the avalanche of skeletons an
dead animals-that which has frigh
ened away all the visitors-which hs
ruined each one of you. 1t is the spide
crab! 1t is there-lying in wait for i
|, prey within the cavern! who can te
how many victims it has shared?
"And in sort of a fury he ru he'd OF
v crying.
Torches! bring torchesp
"The wood-cutters followed after hin
Ten minutes later, two wagons, file
with fagots, were slowly mounting til
hill. The procession of wood-cutte
each with his ak upon his shoulder, fo
lowed through the black night. Tt
doctor and l walked in front, leadir
, our horses by the rein. From time
time we would hear the wheels grinding
and then the wagons, raised for a M
ment by the roughness of the roat
would fall back with heavy jolt I'M
the well-worn ruts.
AT the approach to the cavern, G
T the Chevreuil pasture, the processio
came to halt, the torches were ighte
and we moved on toward the whirlpool
The clear water gliding over its rock
bed reflected back the blue flames of tt
resinous torches whose rays illuminate
} the SUBMITS OF the black fr-trees whic
' bent over from the rock.
"We must unload here said the do
tor, and piled the wood at the mouth
the cavern.
Each man was soon at work, tn
not without feeling Of half lear. tt
fagots were quickly pulled down froi
the wagons, some stakes were driven
l. at the head OF the spring to keep bac
the water from entering the cave.
By midnight the cavern's mouth VIZ
completely closed. The stream, in
peded in its course, spread out to rigl
and lett over the velvety turf, but lie
- the wood on the uppermost part of til
- pile perfectly dry. Then Doctor Webe
Selling torch, himself applied a ligh
The flame running from branch t