The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1900-01-31

glowing words the glorious countries
- which he would lead them; and
20 vivid was the picture lie painted to
their fancy and so real to his own be-
liering soul, that, at happy moments.
they saw the future even as he showed
it to them. But too soon their brief
hopefulness gave place to fresh fears,
and the slightest change oil the falr
and favoring breeZes that waited
them onward was sufficient to plunge
them once more into despair. The
voyage had already occupied ten
weeks, and to the impatient and almost
mutinous sailors it seemed intermin-
able. They were not victualed for
such voyage. And what would be-
come of them if food should fail?
Even the beauty of the ocean alarmed
them, for they declared that every
thing in these waters was so strange
and unusual tina. its very tranquility
BODIED evil.
against these childish fancies
Columbus argued with patience, but
his listeners now scarcely heard his
words. Their selfish terrors varied
and multiplied their imaginary dan
gers faster than he could think Of al
guments to reason them away.
'The situation of Columbus was
now indeed approaching desperation;
but with the heroism of great mind,
his spirit constantly rose to meet
each new trial to which it was SUBJ
jected. He was aware of the mutin-
Gus condition of his crew; he even
knew that they had determined to
throw him overheard and turn tho
vessel homeward unless they saw land
within certain number OF days. But
in the face OF all trials, confronted
with danger that not only menaced
his life but threatened to destroy the
great object of his existence, this ex-
traordinary man maintained serene
AMI steady countenance, soothing the
more tractable of his men with gentle
and hopeful words, offering to the an
bilious the stimulus of future wealth
and power and threatening the most
refractory with signal punishment
should their murmurs ever take the
form of open''acts of insubordination.
"Among the worst and most insidi-
ous of these malcontents was aSpaniard
named Pedro Raphael Mendoza, aman
of strange and curiously mixed nature,
possessed of sufficient good qualities
to make him more difficult to deal with
than if he had been wholly evil and
with just enough cleverness to make
him dangerous. Mendoza OCCASION
ally boosted that some of the bluest
blood in Spain flowed in his veins, and
he bore on his left temple, as an heir
loom, the family mark of a certain
branch of the Mendoza family. This
mark was a mole, small, heart-shaped
and as perfect in form as if it had been
traced by the pencil of an artist, and
as black as ink. ="
"Whatis that?" exclaimed Clarence.
:sPardon me, fair cousin! Will you
read those words again?"
Dolores gravely repeated the de.
scription of the bi1thmark, and then
she resumed her reading of the Gle.
gend:"
Mendoza was a handsome man,
tall for a Spaniard, being almost the
height of the admiral, and of figure
whose grace and symmetry had cap
tured many female heart. His com.
ple1ion was pale olive, his eyes large,
lustrous and of midnight darkness, and
his glossy hair as black as the Mendoza
birthmark, which it always carefully
concealed except when accidentally
pushed aside. He had been the most
unwilling man in the crew of the Santa
Maria on that memorable Friday,
August 8, 1892, when she sailed out of
Saltes. Though he had joined the ex-
pedition of his own free will, he chose
now to consider that he had come
aboard on compulsion. The ruling
passion of his nature, ito which in all
times and seasons he continued faith.
full, was avarice. Gold was the god
that this man worshiped, and it was
while his fancy was captured by the
glowing descriptions of riches to be
gathered in this voyage that he had
determined to join this expedition in
search of a new world-a world in the
far west, where he might in reality
pluck apples of pure gold, no longer
tabled.
"Next to gold Mendoza loved the
young wife and the pretty child whom
he had left in Spain. But he had
parted easily from Juanita while his
thoughts were filled with the wealth
he was to seize; and lie had laughing
ly kissed her, desiring her to weep on,
however, till her tears should swell
the ocean, as he meant to bring back
a pearl for every tear. Unable to reach
his soul with her own sorrow, poor,
Juanita raised the little sleeping
Raphael and laid his warm, glowing
face against his fathers. The child
walked at the touch.and, growing and
laughing with delight, clasped his lit
tie arms about Mendoza's neck. gt,
TO BE CONTINUED. L