The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1894-09-27

NICOLO HEARS OF
he argued, they must have been flung
| there, and would be past recovery by
anyone, even by Pippo himself. Being
plain man. there seemed to him to be
! lack of motive in SO useless waste
! of good money.
! Still, ever as this question OF: What
next?" REQUIRED to him. SO did the idea
| of the ledge. He was unwilling, des-
| perately unwilling. efter all his earnest
| quest, to entertain it, but it would
| not be shut out. AS the days passed,
the conviction grew on him that Pippo
had wantonly thrown away the notes,
and he began, too, to discover some
thing like motive for such an act
Despairing OF Simonetta rich. Pippo
had resolved to make her poor, and
that-and not the love of gain-must
have been his only reason for stealing
the notes: and so he had practically de-
stroyed them. But he had not thrown
them into the sea, or torn them up, or
burned them-or, why had he climbed
the rock? And he had not hidden them
on the south side: of that, Nicolo's thor
ough and exhaustive search made him
perfectly sure. There was, therefore,
only one alternative left; he had flung
them on to the ledge-hung them in
his fiendish malignity. in his fantastic
cunning. where it would be impossible
for any human being, himself included,
to regain them, unless-unless-the
rock were scaled.
But to scsle it? One must be both
genius and a giant, and he must be
agile and patient, as he was daring
and muscular. Imagine an animal
made up of the hippo, the goat the
eagle and the ant, and possessing
withal the intelligence and inventive
ness of man.
The ledge was partly visible from
the summit, but parts of it were hidden
from view by patches of foliage.
Nicolo passed hours in examining the
parts he could See, leaning his body
far over the edge; but though he could
perceive nothing except a few pebbles,
he abated no whit of the resolve he
had formed to attempt the great feat.
he passed several days in broodine
over his elaborate plans, carefully sep,
arating in his thoughts what was pos,
sible from what was not Then late
at night, when he knew all prying
eyes were closed, he returned TO the
mainland, pulled up his boat and start
ed off on foot over the mountain passes
to the nearest large town. He came
back as secretly as lie went, staggering
under heavy load This consisted OF
his tools AMI large stock of provisions
When he reached the Eagles rock
he anchored his boat close under the
steep north wall; mOoring IL in addi-
ton to great spike which he drove
into crevice. There was no beach and
the water was deep. He rugged mp a
tarpaulin into coffn-shaped tent in
his boat; this was to be his sleeping
place. After that night for four long
months he never saw a human face or
sign of human life except fishing boat
or two from the other side of the island,
or a shadowy ship in the distance max
ing for Genoa, far out in the haze Of
the waters.
He began by driving spikes into the
rock. alternating these by holes which
he Clipped out for his feet. To the
spikes he attached ropes He was pro-
vided with means 20 sharpen his tools
when they wore down. but the gran
tic mass he worked on was almost
as hard as the metal he worked with.
The splinters and the sparks few into
his face and blinded and cut him;
sometimes as soon as he had driven
in a spike. after half days Ia
Dor. ne found II loose IN the hole il had
made; then Il was necessary 10 begin
all over again, for il was from these
that his life hung. Ike Dante, his Ia
Dor made him lean many days
There was something sinful IN his
persistency-it was like hurting chal-
leuge at the Inviucible. In the cold
days Of winter the frost fixed and Wv
eted his numbed limbs. like those OF
some naked. crucified Prometheus, 20
the cruel rock. There came morning
when he awoke. shivering from his
nightmare sleep. 70 see his ropes the
gunwale Of his boat and the face q
the rock covered over with tiny icicles-
o GAllnb al Ill 4AOfN - a. fH'-t-h@-- r-----
cerous. but he made more than one at
tempt. only 20 slip back bruised and
;rnpotent u the bottom During The
week the hard frost lasted. Nicolo be-
came that worst 81 all seIf-tormentors
"A wild beast chained But when .
was over he began suIienlv again, not
even pausin- - feel grateful
1t last. one day when only . weeks
labor remained 70 De done, Nicolo- 40
sorbed in his work. suddenly felt .
SILVER run through him Re glanced
no: the s,zr vas ialy N ia olac@ne-s;
uuieruea-h- tie 81 was White ~lil
foam. and the breakers were wishing
and laundering against TIE base - The
roez He looked for lis boat- a1i- .aa
saw it-b,lt miles away. BLACK a7' or
che settling waters To SWIM 2ttrr .
IN snch Sea II sueh a current 'szs a
task too great fo- any man and ar Wa
ALREADY very weak lie was zeal
PronstheuS ROW chained Ir-eEocaolF
o The rock Re had Sc; out 20 conquer
lie worked night and dav, fooc-ess,
,a-cA.S. s.ee.1czS hazzin= Ass bad - !