The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1894-03-27

you can defend yourself, but when he NAV
spring upon you like tiger in the jungle
at any moment from any quarter, back,
front, side or oblique angle, why, the fear is
apt to fret the nervous And indeed the
legions of black thoughts came trooping
back upon me with such disquioting effect
that, ur-Christian as il may sound, Iwould
have given much to be able to run Abram
ben Alden through with my sword and
there and then make an end of him. But,
as it was, could only conjecture, and con-
occurring on a matter of life and death is
positively the most unsatisfactory exercise
in which the human mind can engage.
You may be sure kept sharp lookout
that day, remaining constantly under my
awning, save when / ran below TO douse
my head, which had feyerish tendency, or
swallow mouthful of food or drink. But
the day passed, and no boat or other object
hove in sight. saw neither landmark nor
watermark nor even so much as the fash
OF a seabirds wing-nothing but the dreary,
binding glitter of the eternal ocean plain.
The darkness came, came at a stride, as
Mr.. Coleridge says, for in the tropics there
is no twilight. but leap from light to
darkness as If the night were lying in wait
and pounced upon the world as upon long
points of lam mbient fame in feckless, gray
blue sky, and by and by the moon rose
with sense of sovereignty, a majesty and
magnificence never equaled on land.
Higher and higher she mounted, her white,
unveiled radiance nearly obliterating the
stars in her path, and she smote with
almost as cruel a stroke as the sun. There
is promise to the righteous that the sun
shall not smite them by day nor the moon
by night The shifting of the sun dwellers
in temperate CLINE may partly under
stand, but the smiting of the moon never.
You must go to the east and experience
her adding, whitening blight TO com
prehend the fact that hard Arabian moon
will drive a strong man stark mad in a sim
gle night if he lie unprotected from her
light. Even with me under my covering
she seemed to be sucking at my vitals.
Weary with watching, and TO say the
truth more than a trifle worried, fed my
rats and went to bed. lay long awake in
spite of fatigue and the soothing lullaby of
tapping waters. At length began TO doze,
frequently starting up, however, with
vivid impression of hearing Abram ben
Alden calling my name Rising on my ell.
bow ! would harken, painting with excite
ment. But the great silence being unbro-
ken, save by the low, sweetly blended voices
OF wind and water, would lie down again
TO be honest, with something of the nervous
shivering of a frightened child.
Once / was constrained TO get up and
look out, first OH one side, then on the
other But The deep serenity of nature
was undisturbed The moon shone re
splcIdently, aud the sea, gently crissed by
the breeze, sparkled like fretted silver or
glowed with phosphorescent fire. The night
wind, soft and warm aud odorous, caressed
my face and head with a wooing murmur
that would have been delicious had been
In frame Of mind to enjoy IL, and far
aloft the stars palpitated in their azure
setting with a sort OF tender compassion.
All, mystery of mysteries, how came all
those spleudors to be- above me, and how
came l Of all the millions on earth To look
mp at them from such an uster desolation'
Did ! need the lesson of human feebleness
more than any one else' Was my pride so
stubborn. my disobedience so great, that /
had TO be sent out here n second aud lone
lier Ishmael to be humbled and corrected'
II the sins were many, truly the punishment
was sore. Faint and quivering, / leaned
against the side for support, and as i
rubbed a clammy face there was wrung
from my heart that piteous CRY that went