Rocky Ford enterprise., 1899-07-27

ana storm hnches rise up in the moon
Hight from the face of the blum. where
they revoiyed above the breakers. like
a swarm OF knaIs in a sunbeam.
So II Ned and the carpenter were
mistaken In the sound. the birds were
also ronsed and alarmed.
Mark HiElop ridiculed their story but
he was considerably bewildered. and
70 were We all when two days after
ward seaman named Hugh Chute,
when rambling In the woods. found
one OF our goats. which ge, knew by
the fragment of rspe still lied round
Its neck. lying dead. with bullet In ats
throat. s..
lie brought II to the hut. where the
wound was cut open and the bullet
extracted. II was, small. and had evil
dently been fired from n pistol; this
event caused the mos, exciting specu-
la,lons. amid which tho carcass was
hastily buried. aS none Of Us would eat
OF II.
What or who could this person be7
were the prevailing questions: and
what was HIS reason for eonecaiIns
himself from us. In the thick woods OF
the iSiandg
In the thorough exploration OF the
latter. caused by these episodes. our
people fortunately discovered n nns
grove OF banana trees. and returned
laden with their yellow and luscious
fruit.
Al the same time Ta,tooed Tom
found some letters "In foreign lingo
m he said. Gu, on the face OF steep
rock. oycFhanslng the river. which
formed the cascade at the beach. To
this rock he conducted HIslop and me
the next d-y. and after tearing aside
somo masses Of cfccperE and scraplnS
on n rich coating OF moHa. We found
this old legend on the smooihcd face Of
tho bahalt:
"El Noble cabaiicro. D. Alphonso dc
Albuquerque:
A. d. 1906.
RyEvcn Dios por cl.
"Thc year OF the discovery O! the Is.
iand!" said H!slop.
Have other eyes ever seen this In
rcription s!ncc7" added !.
1T In very doubtful. This AiphonHo
also discovered the Albuquerque Kays.
as he named the three lSlciS which lie
OF the MofquIto shore In the Carlb-
bean sea-
HiSlop copied the inscription In to
his notebook. and just rs VIC turned to
leave the spo, large stone. about
sixty pounds In weight. came crashing
down the ciiff. hurled. apparently. from
Its summit. and. II so. by no incSpcrt
band. for Il struck the rock OF the
legend within foot OF where HIslop
stood. and YVES sh!ycred into a hun
drcd pieces. covering him over with
dust.
Had II struck him instead. he had
been slain and manglcd on tho spot
Had n fragment broken any OF his
limbs. in how miserable n plight would
he have been on that desolatc island,
without proper shelter or surgical aid?
Looking up to tho summit OF the
cliff. which was about hundred and
fifty feet In height, perceived among
tho dense fringe OF wild gourds shrubs.
leaves and rlantain trees. then waving
in the wind. something like n human
face. that, after pccring over Mt us. was
suddenly withdrawn.
THAT stone was never disiolEed,
either by goats or by accident" said
Hislop: there 10 not q vestigc OF clay
upon the fragments-bcgidcs all the
face of the cliff is smooth and solid
rock!"
And II is the only place We did not
overhaul yesterday. Master u!siuB, "
said Tom Lambournc.
"Then there must be tho thief OF
cur biscuits-ot our goats"
"Of our Gtun'sail boCm ard my old
guernsey. Let u8 have all hands
turned up for a hunt again. cNclalnCI
Tom.
| now mentioned what I had seen.
"a man.-do you think it was .
mans hcad?"
Il can not be certain, Hislop." sHid
I: "it seemed a face OF some kind, and
n very hairy one, tco."
"It might be an old pumpkin" suS-
gcstcd Tom, in his matter-uf-tact way.
"Or Eoat-at all events, 1t could
not have been n babOon!" said l.
NO. no; there is no such animal
Master Rodney" replied
Tom.
Man or monkey, goat or devil, we'll
overhaul the place this very after
rCon." exclaimed Hislop. with incrcas-
ing energy. and anger: but first we
shall return with all expedition TO the
hut.
CHAPTER NNXII.
Tho Mystery Solved.
All day the air had been unusually