The islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1891-1899, 1896-01-09
KARL AND TARPUS.

Karl knelt down and took steady aim.
Then came a flash and report, and al
most simultaneously with the rebound
of his immense rife the huge, crouchlng
lioness, the black lioness, hurled herself
upon him. He was borne down as II by
an avalanche.
He had missed. Why? For this rea-
son: AS he aimed between her eyes out
of them flashed a strange, strange light
that quivered the core of his being;
light that unnerved his hand and with
cred his desire to kill
And it smOte him not with fear-for
Karl had slain many lions, and his
nerves were as steel-but it smote him
with sudden, overwhelming remorse.
Thus he, the mighty hunter, was
shaken and made to send his bullet fly
ing wide.
And he lay in the grip of death.
Though he felt that his end had come,
he had that clearness and poise Of mind
which come in supreme moments.
The noisome breath Of the honess
burned his face as he lay crushed into
the sand by her weight He was wait
ing, with eyes closed, for the beginning
of the end, that hideous beginning, but
a calm was in his soul, a strange calm.
He felt at rest, at peace.
There was a pause. Suddenly the lion
snarled, and Karl opened his eyes.
All, again that weird, reproducing
light! Itstreamed from the glaring, yell
low eyes Into their depths he gazed
and gazed till his mind partly left him.
No more he thought of death.
And now the eyes became piercing
blaze Of light, which grew and grew till
Karl saw before him a broad, shining
space.
In the distance flashed a scene. And
the soul Of the hunter few toward it.
This was the scene:
Humans filled q vast amphitheater.
They shook it shouting Fearsome was
this shouting, even as the howl Of
myriad pack of wolves. On the faces
was the look of glee-that glee indie
scribable-that comes when the passion
for blood splitting fills the soul.
This passion was upon all-all, from
emperor to slave Man was transformed
TO human wolf. The wish to kill or
see killed linked, bound all.
The impulse Of Cain made all akin.
It was a feast day to the gods in
Rome, and mighty, yelling multitude
had gathered together to do them hon.
age by seeing man fight with and kill
no
signal that might bid him drive his
gladius into the heart Of beloved com
rade, Icy seeing a man fight with beast
Their gods We're honored by the flowing
and flying of blood. Huge, huge sport to
watch it And yonder Nero sat, swathed
III purple. His eyes cleaned as he wit
messed the glorious sport.
Prolonged was the shouting, because
Tarpus, a favorite gladiator, had just
killed, in single combat. with the gladi-
US, his third man. He was now about
to fight yOnder Numidian ioness. She
was striving to burst the bars of her
cage, for she had been without food for
three days.
4 fine fellow was Tarpus, with way
ing, yellow hair that hung afar down
his back. Frank was his face, bold was
the glance Of his blue eye, and he was
great Of stature.
And Karl was Tarpus.
Course the Roman cowardsv" the
gladiator muttered as he waited, heed
less and resentful of the ovation he was
receiving, for the black ioness to be let
forth into the arena. ooh, to think that
obeyed their cruel mandate that babe
me slay my comrade, Davoro-Davoro,
who risked his life for mine in the cam
paign! But he smiled in my face, as |
bent over him, and said, Strike deep,
my Tarpus, if thou lowest mel and |
drove the full of my blade through his
heart. Oh, I, of all men-I, who loved
him, thus to have slain himl Oh, the
fight-the fight-it is with me yeti Da-
voro, who was bound to me by ties oft
closer than the ties of blood, stands be-
fore me, his gladius III hand. We cross
blades, but our eyes meet not, and 10
before l know aught, he is lying on the
sand beneath me, while l stand o er him
with uplifted blade. Then look up to
yonder sea of coward faces, and see
thumbs which point downward. Aye,
around and around look, but from all
sides the vile gestures come, crowding,
overwhelming my soul They bid me to
STAY And then Davoro's voice rings in
my ear, as he lies PROSTATE, bidding me
to falter not, but kill him swiftly Oh!''
And the face of Tarpus was softened and
sad as he looked across the blood red
dened sand of the arena to the place
where his comrade lay in death
Grand was the face of Tarpus-like
to the face of Morse god.
And he thought of his home far, far
away-his home from which be was
torn, long years ago, from a loved one
and little ones, and carried to this great
city to be made slave; to be made to
fight out his hearts blood for the amuse-
ment of the brutal Romans Visions of
outstretched hands and loving, sorrow
ful faces came to him from across far,
wild seas. The arena, with its blood
lust. its pitilessness, was forgotten in a
food of old, tender memories.
Suddenly he looked up at the shout
ing Romans Scorn was in his face.
They looked upon him but as human
fighting beast, and he wished iercely
that he could kill them all with one
thrust from his blade. His heart hard.