The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1898-12-13

the trays signature appeared, which
proved to be the shipwrecked officers
statement. l wanted to read every
word; but it was in old Spanish, the
parchment was so brittle that it rat
tied like fire crackers, and there was
really but one sentence that needed.
So, glancing rapidly from line to line,
I finally came upon one which, trans
lated, read: Position of ledge, APP
proximately, 12 degrees 80 minutes, 80
seconds N. lat, 144 degrees, % minutes
90 seconds E. Ion" This hastily pen
ciled upon the wristband of my shirt;
then, considering the advisability of de
stroying the document, had decided
that its absence might be discovered at
any time, and was about to replace it,
when l thought of Sebastiano. I
couldn' afford to leave accurate inform
alton for him to find. In a second or two
an idea occurred to me, and, striking
match, held it over the parchment in
such way that it charred the figures
completely out, yet looked as though a
cinder had fallen accidentally upon the
page. 1t was, of course, likely that
the padre would have his suspicious if
he ever saw it; but if | succeeded in
getting safely out of the church, l
thought, he'd have sweet time verify
ing them.
To replace all of the documents was
work of some moments, so careful
was I not to disturb the coatings of
dust with which they were covered.
Then i locked the box, while the fray
sadly wabbled his head at my temer-
ity. and started to return. The floor
of the vaults was of pounded clay,
and each step took produced vibra-
ton which filled the air with echoes
of other creeping footsteps. My nerves
were worn to a thin edge by this time.
and had it not been for the brandy /
probably should have lost conscious
ness. Yet, standing there in that foul,
subterranean passage, in an island
practically unknown to the world and
thousands of miles from civilization,
couldn't help grinning to myself-a
chattering, nervous grin it was, too
at the incongruity of prosaic COM
mercial man who had worried through
35 years of humdrum existence, be-
ing in such position. What an I'm
mitigated liar my acquaintance in the
club at Hong-Kong would think me
if merely detailed the bare facts!
Ascending to the image chamber,
my hand trembled so that couldn't
hold the light steady; and this err
ratio illumination gave the figures a
CHASTITY appearance of life. I was
hastily crossing toward the narrow
entrance which led to the cloisters,
chancel on the other side of the wall
made me shut off the current in my
lamp and gasp for breath. In an in
slant l was in darkness so thick l
could feel it, though very faint re-
Election from the waning moon made
sort of grayness up where the win
dows were; but, looking toward the
chancel wall, 1 noticed faint lumi-
nousness in one particular spot, and
it was from this quarter that the
voice seemed to come.
1t took but moment to figure out
that this spot must be approximately
in the rear of the crucifix head over
the altar. There was pile of boxes
! just under it, on my side, so cautious
ly climbed to where I could look
through. Then my nervousness left
me. For on his knees before the altar
was lay brother Felipe, pattering out
prayers for the repose of the good
dead fathers below. 1t afterward came
out that he had been asleep in his CELL
and, awaking suddenly, had heard
footsteps and echoes in the catacomk
which fairly curdled his blood; so
by the light of the only candle he
could find, he was doing his best to lay
TIE restless spirits.