El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1899-08-26

not to reveal our hiding place, shall re-
turn within four hours, bearing a fit
ting ransom for both, else, so surely as
the clock strikes, he who is left behind
goes into the ventana of the mountain,
where never did the longest sea line
find a bottom-not that I suppose any
man was ever ass enough to try. San
tos! do you hear?" he added, striking
his musket-butt sharply on the rocks,
when perceiving that Tom was igno-
rant of all he said, and that I was stu
pefied by it.
"Si, senor," said I, and translated it
to Tom Lambourne, who twirled his
tarry hat on his forefnger, stuck his
quid in his cheep, slapped his thigh
vigorously, and gave other nautical
manifestations of extreme surprise and
discomposure.
Ransom, Master Rodney?" he re-
iterated, Gin the name of old Davy,
who would ransom a poor Jack like
me?"
1.-THE whole crew would table their
months wages on the capstan head
aye, in a moment, Tom," I replied,
with confidence.
'I'm sure they would, and the cap
tain and Master Hislop, too, for the
matter O. that, rather than poor ship
mates should come to harm; but
LAS for me- said I, with growing
confidence, ct am, as you said, senores'
only the page de escoba."
BAH" said the Span1ard, gr1nn1ng
and showing a row of sharp, white
teeth, under a dirty and sable mus
tache; though I said so, 1 knew bet
ter A shipboy seldom has a gold
watch like this" he added, displaying
my gold repeater "Now, we shall
keep you; and if this seaman-after
he has first sworn that he will not be-
tray us-does not return to us here
with $500 within two hours after sun
set, par el'-(here he made dreadful
VOW in Spanish), 1--WE will toss you like
a dead dog into the ventana of the
mountain. Look down, and see what
a journey is before you," he added.
with diabolical smile, as he dragged
me to the beetling edge of the chasm
and forced me to look into it.
Our eyes had now become so accus-
toned to the light of the gallery or
grotto that the rays of sunshine fall
ing through the assure above us were
vast profundity on the verge of which
we stood.
From the earth's womb, far far
down below, there came upward a
choking steam, with hollow, buzzing
sound, which deepened at times to
rumble.
This steam or mist rose and fell on
the currents of air; sometimes it sank
so low that nothing but a black and
dreary void met the eye, which ached
In attempting to pierce it. Anon the
steam would rise in spiral curls from
that gloomy bed below, where doubt
less the fires of the now almost ex-
tinct volcano seethe their embers in
the waves of the ocean.
The words have mercy" were on
my lips, but 1 could not utter them;
nor would they have availed me- Ig-
norant of what the ruffian said and
believing he was about to thrust me
in, poor Tom Lambourne, in the full
ness of his heart, uttered a howl of
dtsmay; and at that moment the sea-
tinel, whom the gang had left at the
entrance to their lurking-place, came
hurr1edly on, with alarm expressed in
his glittering eyes, and finger placed,
as warning, on his hairy lip.
Para! Paz! SilenzioI" (hold-peace
-silence), he exclaimed, and added
that four officers from the garrison of
Santa Cruz had dismounted in the ra-
vine, unbitt-d their horses and had
seated themselves under a tree to
smoke.
This Information was received by
the band with oaths and mutterings
of impotence; and by us with mingled
emotions of hope and agony-hope
that they might be the means of our
escape or rescue; and agony to know
that such means were so near, and yet
could avail us nothing; for on the
slightest sound being made by either
OF us, there were the Albacets knives
of our captors on one hand, and the
ventana-that awful ventana-on the
other, to ms re forever the silence and
oblivion of the grave.
Not the least of my sufferings was
from the cord which secured nv wrists.
Already the skin was swollen. cut and
bleeding in consequence of the tight
ness with which these wretches had
bound me.