The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-04-08

eminently deviIish in the smoking,
coughing. splitting, roaring monster be-
fore US. I looked across 10 where Saul
Mark stood shading his eyes with his
hands and watching the raging fire
mountain where he had expected the
quiet lake of pitch. It must nave been
a terrible disappointment to him. Yet
of that he showed nothing.
forward" he cried, pointing upward
10 the cone Of ashes. And first Of all
the expedition he started up the wind
ward side Of the fiery mountain
Bring these lads alOngr' ne cried to
our guards, thinking OF US even in that
moment of diSillusi0nment.
And so bent double by the slope of
the mountain and slipping among the
loose clinkerS of the lava streams we
mounted as best we could after him.
Anna came lightfoot with US. often run
ming a little before and giving US a
hand when otherwise the weight Of u
chains would have brought us TO a
standstin.
1t was very near now. The fiery fur
mace in which Saul Mark designed that
we should walk. But there was in my
heart nom Of the confidence of the
three youths in the book Of Daniel
and that in spite of both EbOrTa and
Captain Stansfeld.
Suddenly, as we mounted the cone,
the black ashes changed to crystals OF
sulphur yellow and brown. glistening
like the stones which come from on
the mountain called Cairngorm. Wide
black riffs and holes. their sides feath-
cred in brightest red and yellow, led
down into the heart of the mount.
These continually beIched up burning
steam and choking doors, which blew
in our faces like the breath of demons.
If his was Obeah, as Eborra said, l
wished that Obeah had been somewhat
sweeter Of throat, for = hot reek
blasting in my face turned me sick
and faint, and I swayed upon VIII as
l stood.
At last we came out upon the unsta-
Bile summit. It had a lip narrow,
crumbling and dangerous. There was,
however, d wind here which blew nos
of the smoke away from US, so that
the place was more tOlerable than upon
the breathless slopes beneath
[ looked over into the crater, setting
my breast to the edge and holding An
mas hand as 1 did so. My guard would
on no account approach nearer, u
stood at the limit of the chain, sinking
mis- halbert deep in the ash for a hoId1ng
post, n indeed I do not blame INN,
lOL A4C A-EAAAl az @O@
shaking enough.
This is what 1 saw.
Immediately beneath me and so alb
ruptly so that one could toss a stone
TO the bottom was a lake Gas IL seemed),
no longer of pitch sluggishly turning
over in its sleep, but OF fire bubbling
megrily, like a great broth pot. From
this Jets Of steam Kissed furiously up
ward. Blocks of glowing rocks spaI
viciously, and when a loose stone
or boulder fell from the precLplces above
into the caldron it was instantly dis
persed, often exploding with a loud re-
port like a bombshell and casting the
fragments high over our heads as We
lay and watched. I have listened TO
p~leasanter music than the sound OF
these black jags of rock as they snored
past us, booming upward like Grone
beetles in the summer cleaning.
Saul Mark stood near US. L could see
him biting his lip and ~clenching his
hands as he looked down. But even
then and in this place he seemed to
know no fear. Don Nicholas and or
two Of the holder spirits among the
SpaniarGs had mounted after us, and
we stood all close together on the high
est part of the crater lip. In every
other direction the deadly vapOrs pre-
vented closer access, and though the
stones fell about US like summer rain
they were mostly small and did US no
great hurt.
What of Morgan's treasure now ?"
said my father, looking at Saul Mark
with a kind Of grim pleasure on his
dark face in a lull Of the noise.
The mans features were instantly
c~ontorted with an access Of deviliSh
fury.
"Morgan's treasure is gone" he cried,
but I tell you there is another over
y~Onder-(he pointed I o n direction OF
the pirate village)-greater doubtless
than Morgan's."
we might have gone thither at once
then" answered Captain Stansfield- cit
was a waste Of time to bring US here
with so great ceremony, all TO see this
devils caldron boil"
I could plainly discern that for some
reason of his own my father was try
ing TO irritate Saul Mark, And if such
were his intent it is certain that he
succeeded. Saul turned upon him with
a fierce action Of the hand
'I will show you, Philip ~Stansfeld,
whether I have brought you here only
to see a pot boil Cast of these chainsI"
he cried to the soldiers. Now couple
the lads together. They are traitors
aAL0 G.A- +A1L To- 80 $500
also with them. He has deceived US.
Fling them all three into the fire"
The soldiers, obeying a sign from the
communicate. who stood lowering
darkly behind Saul. began TO do as they
were hidden. And then, in spite Of COM
fortings and promises, I thought that
our hour was truly come. Anna sprang
towards her father, running so care
iessly along the perilOuS edge and
among the rotten sulphur crusts till
my very bowels were turned TO water
to look at her. She caught Saul Mark
by the hand and besOught him to spare
US. He threw the girl off with such
violence that she IA almost fallen and
would, I think. have done so if the
cOmmandante had not reached a hand
and caught her by the fringes OF her
hunting dress
Let alone,." he cried to Saul, S'you
take too much upon you. Do as you
viii with the young heretics, but do not
touch the maid"
Saul moved his hand with a COM
handing gesture, without answering
the c-ommandante. The soldiers set US
three close together, coupled at waist
and wrist, on q ledge overlooking the
fiery furnace beneath. There was a
moments pause as they brought Ebor-
"a from below.
Now" cried Saul, as with a leer Of
triumph he turned TO Captain STAINS
field. II have kept my word. Ny work
is nearly completed. On the day you
wronged Saul Mark he promised that
he would drag you down TO the pit and
blot out your name and seed from the
earth. Behold the fire heated seven
times for your first born. See how it
leaps up. 1t is a quick and easy death.
Hold back the girl there. Make ready.
Fling them IN"
I could feel the soldiers at my arms
and back breathing deeply and re-
tracing their muscles q little as men