The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1893-12-24
FART n.
The @uartotte.
CHAPTER VII

THE PEARL FIsHEh
About 4 In the morning. as the Captain and
Herrick sat together on the rail. there arose
from the midst OF the night In front Of them
the voice OF breakers Each spranE to his feel
and stared and listened. The sound was con.
unuous, like the passing Of train no rise OF
fall could be DISTINGUISHED; minute by minute
the ocean heavsd with an equal potency
against the Invisible isle; and as time passed
and Hsrrick waited in vain for any vicissitude
In the volume Of that roaring. q sense OF tn q
eternal weighed upon his mind. To the e1-
pert eve the Isle itself was to be inferred from
. certain string Of blots along the starry
heaven. And the schooner was laid TO and
snxiously observed till daylight.
There was little or no morning bank. A
Frightening came In the east; then a wash OF
some insffable. faint nameloss hue between
crimson and silvsri and then Goals OF Gre.
These Glimmersd awhile on the sea line and
seemed to brighten and darken and spread
out, and still the night and the stars relgned
undisturbsd; IL was as though spark should
catch and glow and creep along the foot Of
some heavy and almost inoom bustibls WALL
hanging, and the room itself be scarce
menaced- Yet Q little after. and the whole
east Rlowed with gold and scarlet and the hol-
low Of heaven was nllsd with the daylight.
The isls-the undiscovered the scarce-b
llsved in-nov lay before them. and close
aboard; and Herriek thought that never In his
dreams had he beheld anything more strange
and delicate The beach was excellently white.
the continuous barrier Of trees inimitsbly
green; the land perhaps ten feet high. the
trees thirty more. Every here and there, as
the schooner cossted northw ward. the wood was
intermitted; and he could see clear over the
inconsiderabls strip OF land las man looks
over WALL to the lagoon-and clear over that
again to where the far side OF the atoll pro-
longed its pencllling Of trees against the
morning sky. He tortured himself to Ind
snaloges. The isle was Like tho rim Of . great
vessel sunksn In the waters; II was like the
embank me nt OF an annular railway grown upon
with wood II was like yerdant RIM worm. grae-
ing. not defacing. the blue brow Of the ocean.
Bo slender 1t seemed amidst the outrageous
breakers. so frail and pretty. he would scarce
have wondered to see IL sink and disappear
without a sound. and the waves close smoothly
over its descent
Meanwhile the Captain was In the fore-cross-
trees. glass In hand. his eyes In every quarter,
spying for an entrance. spying for signs Of
tenancy. But the isle continued to unfold It.
self In Joints and to run out In indetsrminats
capes. and stll thore was. neither house nor
man nor the smoke OF fire. Here multitude
OF sea birds scared and twinkleG and flshed In
gethsr the fringe Of cocoa palm and pandanus
extended. and made desirable green bowers
for nobody to visit. and the silence OF death
was only broken by the throbbing Of the sea.
Tho airs were very light. their speed was
small; tho heat intense. Tho decks were
scorching rndsrfoot. the sun famed overhead,
brazen. out Of brazen sky: the pitch dubbed
In tho seams. and the brains in the brainpan.
And all the while the excitement Of the three
adventurers glowsd about their bones like a
fever They whispered. aud nodded, and
pointed. and put mouth to ear with singular
instinct OF secrecy. approaching that island
understand like eavesdroppers and thieves;
aud even Davis from the crosstrAes gave HE
orders mostly by gestures The hands shared
In this N ute strain. like dogs. without comprs
bending IL: and through the roar OF so many
miles Of breakers. 1t was q silent ship that APP
proaohsd an empty island.
At last they drew near to the break IN that
gangway. A spur Of coral sAnd
stood forth on the one hand; on the other o
high and thick tuft OF trees cut of the view; be-
tween was the mouth OF the huge lavsr. Twice
day the ocean crowded In that narrow entrance
and was heaped between these frail walls;
twice day. with the return Of the. ebb. the
mighty surplusAgs OF water must struggle to
escape. The hour In which the FArallons came
there was the hour Of food. The sea tur led
las with tho instinct OF the hominE pigsonl for
the VastAreeeptAcle, swept eddyinG through
the gates. was transmitted a. II did so into q
wonder Of watery and silken hues. and
into the inland sea beyond. The
schooner luffsd up close hauled. and was
caught and carried away by the Influx like a
tor. She skinned. she few; . momsntary
shadow touched her dscks from the shore
side trees; the bottom OF the channel showed
nj nd In
gone; the next she noated on the bosom OF the |
lagoon. and below. In the trans parent oh mber |
Of waters, . myriad Of mAny-eolored nshss |
we're sgcr5,ina 4 myriad pale nOWsrs OF coral
lust Of his eve he forgot the past and the pres.
sntj forgot that he was msnaesd by = prison |
sSs fsas and g on ihS
drove ri nshcI painted Ike the rsin69S and
Einted In the submarine sun. They were
q prssssa him Il Ike staain a 81 s ssn' passage
Meanwhile. TO the eye OF Davis In the cross
met sni sssS a.: 80 tss
"a 4 real ,And stili there was NO mark 81
srlng.. had been kept away 70 the nor ard.
where the water seemed TO be the most deep!
lsl and denied further view. OF the whole OF
he low shores OF the island. only this blight re-
NAMED to be revealed. And suddenly the cur
ain was raised; they began 10 open out
IAyen. snugly elbowed there. and beheld. with
n Astonlshment beyond words. the Toots Of
nen. The appearance thus "insta ntaneously
disclosed" 10 those on the deck OF the FaraI-
ons was not that OF a city. rather OF . substaA-
lAl country farm With its attsndan hamlet; .
ong line Of sheds and storshouses; apart
Don one side. deep-veTandagd dwelling
ouse; on the other. perhaps dozen native
uts a building with q beliTy and some rude
uer at architectural features that might be
houEht 10 marx 1t out Cor a chapel: on the
each In front some heavy boats drawn up.
nj . pile VI timber running forth into the
uIRlng shadows Of the lagoon; Prem nag;
Ias displayed, behind. about, and over the
4me tail grove OF palms which bad masked
he esttl Element in the lightning prUlopgslit its
bod OF tum ultuous green fans. and turned
nd ruined overhead, and sang It's silver
ong all day ia the wind. The place !
al tie indsseTiDahle hut unmistAkAb Ie ap- |
eaTanee ,ot being iI eomInissiog; vt there
Fsathed y ON u sense VI deseTti0n that Was |
most poignant; no human figure Was to be
baeTNsI 10 and fro about the houses. aud |
here VAS ~ sound Of human Industry or en- |
1imsaL Only on the top of the beach aud
arr ~ the nagstAu woman Of axoTbitAnt |
IAiuIe, and as white as snow. Was TO be seen |
gu MI 40 81 |