Rocky Ford enterprise., 1899-07-20
DICK RODNEY;
Or. The Adventures of
An Eton Boy.
RY JAMRo GRANT.

An Eton Boy,
RY JAMR0 GRANT.

CHAPTER XXiX.-(continued.
The wild boars that iuFked In the
woods baffied our efforts for long
time. by the edge of the hatehet We
possessed fashioned for my own use
kind OF spear. about six feet long.
hewn out OF piece OF fine teak wood.
which ! found upon the beach.
This weapon l. made and pointed
with great care. and armed with u
frequently lay In watch for the sea-
lions. but without success.
On the shoe. at this season. when
the sunshine was reflected from the
sioping faces OF the volcanic roeks and
from the surface OF ths sea. the heat
was beyond all deserlption-intense.
breathless and sufYoeatins. 30 that the
lungs would collapse painfully In the
difficulty OF respiration.
To breathe was like attempting Il
at the mouth Of a newly-opened fur
mace. and no usually retired inland
and sought the cool solitude Of the
deep thickets. or wandered through
groves OF solemn. impressive and ma
iestic old trees: for some were there
SO old that they must have cast tho
shadows Of their foliage on Alphonho
do Albuquerque or Tristan da cunhn
and their bearded followers.
How many ocean storms had swept
their leaves into the waste Of waters
since then!
We had now been Ave days on tho
island without a sail being seen.
though moro than half our time was
spent in watching the horizon: and no
Tom Lambournes' old shirt still waved
In vain from the boom-end on tho
mountain-top.
On the NTH day. however. to our
surprise. tho signal was no longer Wis
iblc. 80 we supposed that a gust OF
wind had ovcr,hrown Il In the night.
Lambournc. Carlton and Probar
started for tho mountain-top to re-
store II. while Hislop and I ramblsd
into tho woods. where We had view
OF tho shining sea TO tho westward.
Tho waves came In long rollers. as
there was n fresh breeze blowing from
the west. md the foam rose white and
high on tho tremendous biu!fs OF the
Inaccessible Isles. an We named them.
All tho water between them was n
huVVk VI hpsFhNub anu nuoWy ttpkh.
amid which. hnd We been nearer. We
should doubtless have seen tho black
heads Of tho scnl!ons. as they sportcd
In the spray and sunshine.
On asking Hislop how far he thought
NO were from the continents OF Africa
and South America. he replied. without
hesitation:
''wc are about fifteen hundred miles
from the mouth OF the Rio dc Ia Plata
on the westward. and twelve hundred
odd from tho Cape OF Good Hope on
the east: but there Is land nearer to
us"
Land ncarcr!" I reiterated.
There arc the three Isles OF Tristan
southwest OF us n dcsoiatc rock called
the Isle Of Diego Alvarez: and fortu-
nate It is indeed for us that we were
not cnst away there. as II yields only
mossy grass and now and then few
seals or sea-elcphnnts may be seen up
on the reefs about It. Dut, Dick Rod
ney. does II not make one long to be
afloat again. with a good ship under
foot. both tncks and the breeze. too.
aft?-a cloud OF canvas. carrying the
three masts into one when seen astsfn
tho lower studding-sail booms rig
ged out and dipping in the flying
spray as she rolls from side to side
does It not, I say. bring all this to
mind. when from hero we can watch
the waves that iosc. perhaps. between
the shores Of Mexico. rolling In foam
between these rocky isles? Do you
rtVsf - hn
curling wave?" And without waiting
my reply he began to recite from the
Had with wonderful facility:
"As on the hoarse. resounding shore.
when blows the stormy west.
The billowy tide comes surging wide.
from oceans dark blue breast;
First in mid-sea It's born, then swells
and RACES more and more,
And rolling on with snowy back.
comes laundering near the shore;
Then rears 1t crest, firm and sublime,
and with tumultuous bray
Smites the grim front OF the rugged
rock, and spits the briny spray"
How far Hislop. in his classical en-
thusiasm might have pursued bis free
translation. till we had all the deeds
Of Agamemnon and others on that tre-
mendous day before the walls OF Troy.
cannot say, had not crashing sound
in the adjacent thickct reused and
alarmed us.
We started up and lad Just time to
conceal ourselves behind the trunk Of
a tree when herd of seven wild boars
came plunging out OF the thicket to
drink Mt q runnel which flowed toward
the sea.
They were unlike any OF the swim
ish race we had ever seen before. and
but for our vague sensations of alarm
we could have watched them with
pleasure, as they inserted their long.
fierce snouts In the water that sparkled
under the forest leaves.
They were all broad-shouldered ami
mails. with high crests and thick.