The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1900-03-07
70 fresa her child, Anacaona had

ing fTem her child, Anacaona had
RSund The need of all her fortltuds
combined with the stoicism OF her
Indian blood. The little creature
clung about her mother as ii aware,
by some strong instinct, that she
might not see her again; but she
pushed her father roughly away. She
had never loved Mendoza. Then,
with sudden, touching resolution, she
4. ,w up her childish figure, turned
her face to the sea and walked quickly
away, followed by the companions Of
her flight.
"The anguish of this parting,
temporary though she believed 1t, was
heightened to the Indian mother by
the thought of her own danger and
Pedro's if her people should discover
her contemplated desertion of them,
and she spent the rest of the night IN
trying to invent an explanation fo1
the absence of Dolores. But, before
morning, something had happened to
make her task easy, for the panic
stricken Indians could think of moth.
ing else. The whole island was
shaken from east to west; not violently,
but with gentle, undulatory motion,
as if it rocked like ship on the
bosom of the sea. This was succeeded
by a stiffness in which the bending
grass and the leaves on the trees
listened, the very air was hushed, and
while q long, deep sigh seemed to rise
from the earth, a cloud of smoke burst
from the .mountain-a cloud that was
like the breath of furious, awaking
giant. All day and all night the
mountain smoked at intervals, and
when it ceased to smoke the earth
trembled. And again the day dawned.
Now all was still again-too still, tor
the birds forgot to sing. But the
smoke had ceased, and the air was
clear, though a giant mist vailed the
brightness of the sun.
"Beloved,' whispered the Golden
Flower to her master, we will 90 to.
night .
1.-THE Indians had not discovered
the absence of Dolores, nor would
they yet for many hours, perhaps
DAYS. Terror, the most selfish OF all
emotions, combined with hunger and
fatigue, absorbed all their thoughts,
md would continue to do so-for
never within the memory of the old
est living, or in tradition handed
down from those who we're dead, had
the sleeping mountain been known te
give any sign Of waking. Therefore,
said Anacaona again, more earnestly:
".Shall we not go tonight, beloved
one?' >,
"'Not without the rubies,' said
Pedro. *
"a Slight shock of earthquake was
not going to frighten him; and as to
dead eadvolcanoes-pooh-pooh! They
never came to Life again.
'sThe Indian woman smiled, re.
assured, for should not her master
know best, he who knew everything;
but she reminded him that better
time could not be found for their
flight.
"Already the people were getting
| ready for a feast of rejoicing and
thanksgiving; and having been awake
and fasting the greater part Of two
days and nights, they would soon be
asleep after copious eating AMI the
drinking of their favorite grape-juice
cordial.
"Pedro admitted this was we'll
thought of, and only stipulated that
their way should lie across the noun
tains toward the volcano, where he
could gather the rubies; and thence
descend to the other side, skirting the
foothills till they should strike the
path that led to the sea. To all of this
the Golden Flower agreed; and they
had yet many hours of daylight when
they left the cave at the foot of the
mountain, Pedro laden with his bags
of gold. burden he would have felt
more heavy but for the love he bore
it. They turned at once toward the
chain of hills that led toward the vol
canic mountain, Pedro little in ad.
vance, revolving plans for getting rid
of his companion rs soon as they
should have descended on the further
side of the mountains. They had
made more than half the ascent when
the Spaniard suddenly found that he
was alone; and as he paused and looked
back, he saw that the Golden Flower
had fallen by the way, and now lay at
little distance stretched at full length
on the stony ground. His first thought
was to push on and desert her, certain
that he could find the rubies without
her assistance. For had she not de-
scribed to him the very spot on which
they lay, so plainly that he had seen
nothing else as clearly ever sincei
But. would it be safe to leave her?
TO. BE CONTINUED.