The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-03-20
PART II

D0GKe Ol uiONtnk Wut7A Ar "aAtNa
myself, then recovered my equilibrium
ard looked around me. To say that
the scene was novel one is TO say but
little--it was that, indeed, but 1t was
far more. Looking through the glasses
that protected my eyes and only very
slightly dmmed my vision, at the scene
which surrounded me, felt as man
might feel who suddenly found himself
transported to q new planet--beautiful.
indeed, and mysterious, but, above all,
strange and unfamiliar. i stood upon
\ firm bed of coral sand that was
strewed with thousand shells. The
sand was of soft, creamy white color,
and Tire shells were tinted scarlet, pink
and blue of hundred shades, as vari-
Gus as their shapes. On every side I
was surrounded by an ocean shrubbery
of coral plants, that rose from foot
70 four or five feet, springing from the
silvery soil, and stretching their deli
cate branches, that glowed crimson and
scarlet, purple and blue. pink and green,
in the soft. iclear light.
1 Iooked&round me, puzzled and be-
~
was so wonderful IA this! In none that
1 had erer seen were the forms so vari-
Gus or the colors so vivid. Here and
there golden fishes darted like CLEANS
cf sunshine through the colored boughs,
while Others of dazzling blue and EN-
erald green hung motionles. like in
sects poised for flight, or n6bbled gen.
a - zxyt ~ fbsa llsna
shrubs. Looking from above had
thought these shrubs grew close to-
gether into q tangled mass of color,
but on a nearer inspection found
had been wrong. The coralplanus grew
well apart. and paths and alleys'opened
through them in every direction; the
question was not low to obtain path.
but which Of the many paths to take.
. But therewas.no tiene to lose. Strange
and wonderful as the scene was. IL
was only for y moment that it had the
a,ower to divert my thoughts from the
real purpose that had broughtme there
the galleon--where, amid all this
strange wealth of natures handaworls,
should / find the remnant of mans
vanished handfwork, SO long given
up for lost? Which OF all these
paths should take TO reach the
object had seen SO dimly from above?
\ cast my eyes upward, and through
%he soft gray-blue of the WAITER saw
hamcd In q halo OF whittier light the
outline Of the brig, hovering Ike some
huge bird overhead. She headed now
as she had done the evening before,
when first she swung to her anchor,
and with the recollection came the
ikno&wledge Of the course on which we
had been drifting. I looked up again
and marked the direction In which she
headed. Turning my face in the same
direction, went in search Of the gal
leon.
The task was an anxious one. No
maze invented by the ingenuity of man
could compare with this for sheer be-
wilderment, for the moment had lost
sight of the friendly shadow OF the
brig there was nothing left to guide me
except, indeed. the slender tubes at
tached to my helmet to supply me with
air, and the cord that was TO serve me
as danger signal and means OF res
cue. These foated behind me as
moved, but knew that they moved with
the currents and were as likely to mis-
lead as to assist me. There was no
help for il, however, and did my best.
Slowly and step by step, straining my
eyes in every direction to catch the
frst faint shadow that might lead me
20 my goal, 1 moved on through that
bewildering blaze Of color. Again and
again ] paused. my heart beating high
with hope as some faint shadow rose
on my narrow horizon; again and again
my heart sank as recognized that 1t
wus nothing but some shadow on the
eurface Of the bay which had perhaps
diverted me from my course. pic
:tured TO myself the growing impatience
of my friends on the brig. and I was
On momentary expectation of some sig
nal along the rope to warn me that
their patience was exhausted or their
fears for my safety aroused.
At last, just when l was beginning
to despair of success, there certainly
was a shadow on the horizon TO the
right that looked more substantial than
those that had misled me hitherto.
paused. Ifelt that IL wns my last chance.
turned my face towarlsi IL and followed
the shadow. had not been mistaken
this time. IL was something more than
a shadow. Each step made IL grew
more distinct; each instant IL looked
more solid and substantial. Ihad found
something. but now the question was
whether, after all. Tom had not been
right and it would prove TO be 10 more
than rock. OF course il was most like
1y, and tried TO persuade myself, "a
step by step got closer. that expected
and could expect nothing else. The un-
der-sea horizon is but a short one, and
I could not have had very many yards
20 60 before reached the spot.
"a rock! Only a rock, after all" I
said 10 myself, a cold chill of disap-
pointment stealing ever me as I did so.
I stood still and looked at IL hopelessly.
1t rose TO perhaps three times my own
height from the eand-a shapeless