The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-12-05

]
they stopped once more, thirty or forty
yards from the spot the source of the fire,
owing apparently to the depth of the plan
tation, was invisible but there was the red
/ Kicker of flames clearly reflected on the
straight, towering gums and now flashing,
now sinking, behind the underground.
Not much like will-o' -the-wisp, is it?''
said Heaviside.
NO, it's a camp fire, plainly enough.
/ But II seems to me it might very we'll
/ What's that?"
| There broke through the trees the sound
| oil voices high-pitched in anger; one pas
slonate man replying to another seeming
| ~ for no words We're to be distinguished.
! Ihen, as one rose, hoarse with rage, into
/ a mad below, il was checked as suddenly
4 as if a hand had been laid upon the
| speakers throat. Silence hung low for
/ the moment, and then there rasped out,
/ hait-stitied and enduring no longer than
a breath, the screech of a man in mortal
| agony.
| Walmsley sat motionless for the second,
! for that horrid cry seemed to stop the
| blood in his veins, and he felt his horse
Vince and SILVER between his knees. Life
! came back with the silence, and he flung
! himself from the saddle.
by -! the man that is playing that
! devils joke Shall pay for it' he said,
stumbling across the road towards the
| trees.
Heaviside had dismounted too, his heart
! galloping to mad tune, but he held the
reins of both horses, and he made no
further advance into the night than 10
stride forward and clutch the other man
i by the shoulder
Hold hard old man." he said. IT'S
nothing more than I told you. And heaven
knows what is behind those trees
! Walmsley wDested himself away.
Then it is time I knew as WELL he
| said. 1T means black mischief, and 1 am
| here to see it through"
/ 1T means the old Yandarlo mystery
Man alive! That was no human voice.
All the countryside knows the story"
"Bah!' said Walmsley. His nerves were
| still Earring, and the opposition maddened
him. what do I care how the country
side blethers? I tell you there is some
| devilment afoot, and if you are worth your
salt you will come with me and play the
mans part-there." And he pointed to the
belt OF trees, behind which still the fire
light fiickered.
1t had never occurred to Heaviside to
doubt the presence of the supernatural;
| nor did it now, in face of the denial of it
flung thus rudely in his face. But the re-
| proach that went with it had to be wiped
| out, and he threw the rens over The near
est fence post, and stepped deliberately
! forward.
THAT last word was not in your hap
piest vein, Walmsley," he said quietly.
IF you go, 1 am with you, of course,
Stop-not SO fast. Wen so together"
They fell into pace. and crossed the
road side by side As they neared the
trees the reflected light, which had shone
high up among the branches, was lost to
| them; but there was still a glow, now
| visible, now disappearing when the trees
| blocked it out as they moved. They leapt
| the ditch beside the highway, crossed the
| broad track beyond it, cropped close by
ailxr
| to some far-off station, scaled the wire
fence that bounded it, and were in the be-
ginnings of the plantation, thigh-deep
among rank grass, and sapling gumtrees,
and driftwood lying as the winter winds
had blown it. There Walmsley paused
wen go as softly as may be-" he said.
1--WE must know who is behind the trees
before we take action. Can you still see the
light?'
Eyes. I caught glimmer them"
ct is out of my range for the moment,
but-ah, there it is againi Let US so ahead
then and tell me if you see anybody first.
1 trust your bushman's eyes better than
my own"
There was no word from HeaViside but
Walmsley saw an answering nod before
the next stride left them a pace apart,
with the gloom between. Then they plung-
ed forward abreast into the blackness, to
find it lightened by the veriest shadow Of
to their surroundings.
They trampled on, cautiously, for a min
ute. Then Walmsley's voice muttered in
Heaviside's hearing:
Cd the light! It's gone altogether
now. Do you see anything?'
Nothing. There is only darkness ahead,
whereas we ought to be almost upon the
ashes of the fire. The waterhole clearing
Unjust be right in front of u.s."
Il can see nothing but tree trunks, and
the glimmer of the moon up above. Where
the deuce is that fire?"
Question not to be answered. For as he
spoke, his eyes lifted momentarily to the
blocks of sky that fitted the spaces be-
tween the interlaced leaves, the ground
crumbled under his feet, and he stumbled
forward, falling-falling. The next second
HeaViside's hand upon his coat collar
swung him back to safety from the
=. treacherous bank of the Waterhole.
THAT was a narrow shave" said the
rescuer. ga man needs to watch each step
he takes, in this darkness. And now let us
go. What I told you was true enough you
see, but Lord knows what may be behind
it. There is no fire, nor any smell of a
fire in the air-and this is the Yandarlo
hole"
Walmsley planted his feet upon firm
ground and looked about him, stricken
dumb by the lack of natural explanation.
Black, cleaning water, a pool ten feet
across, stirred at his feet, the rippleS still
moving outward from where the foothold
to which he had trusted had disappeared.
Beyond, the gum-trees hung back reluct-
ant and left an open space where the
bark-shredS We're scattered, and across
which a wisp of moonlight made a waver-
ing line. A dead branch had fallen where
the ground sloped to the water, and lay
half in the mud and half in the touch OF
the water, cleaning like skeleton. Moth
ing stirred but the rusting bark; there was
no life. no movement And above all, there
was no fire.
well, I'm -?' said Walmsley, slow
ly.
The mystery of the incident bewildered
him, but touched him not a whit. Heavi-
side on the other hand, had hard work to
keep a tight rein upon his nerves, which
were less excited by the human possibili-
ties of the cry that had reused Walmsley
to action than by the evil story Of the wa
terhole, and the darkness that crowded
down to it, and seemed so full of strange
vague terrors.
Come away, old man." he said. "You
have seen for yourself how it is. No hui
man being could have trodden out that fire
in the time we have taken to get through