Evening star., 1900-04-07

Ing to take advantage of a favorable mo-
ment in another's feeling.
Philip he said II speak to you. You
are my son Il is true I have been no
worthy father. Yet now, before l go into
the presence Of the judge. l would shake
your hand. Mine is stained deeply enough
God knows, but. though guilty the blood
Of a father for which men hold me in
loathing is not upon it Take my hand
and tell me that you forgive,''
Il forgive you freely for all the i'll you
have done me- / answered. ''the evil you
have brought on my mother ! cannot for
give"
He sighed Il little, and then said: philip,
you ought to have been named James You
are your grandfather's son. not mine But
yet-tell your mother that if she had loved
me at first 1t might have been otherwise
Yet at the last my heart dwelt upon her
Yes. in the blackness of despair and death
l lov-d her. AT least tell her that the
thing which I shall do do for her saller'
| reached out my hand to Capt STAINS
field l always thought of him as that
not as my father. His grasp came to me
through the darkness. He held my hand in
his for long moment and then moved
silently away. l could see him. by the
light of the red reflected glow above the
trees stand by the foremast watching The
men n going over the side into the boats.
We made our way slowly through the
forest, Saul Mark leading with chart and
compass. The lantern carried beside him
was the only one allowed to the COMPANY
The rest of us came stumbling after 40
best we could. Four men made shift to
carry the grand inquisitor in kind of lit
ter. VIII and | were each chained to a
veteran of the island wars
1t was, indeed, well that We had landed
far down the desert side of the isle. for the
large company, most of them quite unac-
customed to the high woods, made a noise
which might have walked the dead
Huge blackberry briers tore our thin
clothes entered what
very cave of darkness. Men stumbled
ahead of us, falling over PROSTATE trunks
with the rattle of accouterments, and re-
covering themselves with strange oaths
Tall trees moaned overhead. Lianas creak
ed like cordage between us and the roof of
leaves. Invisible things threw themselves
from strand to swinging strand. From be-
meath our feet came the rustic and hiss of
disturbed snakes, and as often as a houph
scratched my face l could have cried out.
for felt in every thorn prickle the dread,
full lashing stroke of the fer-de-lance.
And ever in front of US pulsed clearer
and broader, that strange ruddy light.
against which the leaders of our advance
stood out black. Sometimes during a half 7
fallen tree; Eborra was at his elbow, the
lantern in his hand and the iron hook point-
ing out something on the map.
Then in moment we would be called for
ward again. Often could not hear the
whispered order, but each of our guards
simultaneously gave attug at the chain by
which they held US In leash. And once, as
WIN did not move fast enough, the brute
promptly set the point of a knife to his
back and pricked him sharply with it.
could see Will turn white with anger. In
a moment he would have been at the fell
lows throat, but IJcaught him by the arm
Walt" l said; "if we pay at all. let us
pay our debts at one settlement"
The fellow with the knife fiourished 1t
over his head and for pure deviltry would
have pricked viii with it again, but at
that moment the red glow shone out like
sheet-lightning and against it 1 saw mo-
mentarily something! dart, black and
straight as an arrow. The next moment
Wills guard uttered a terrible scream and
dropping his arms he pressed his palms to
his face, with shrek after Shrek of pain
and terror.
Saul Mark looked back quickly.
Gag that mani! he commanded. HE
In moment Eborra was beside US. He
carried the lantern. saw him stoop to
the man on the ground and turn his head
with his iron hook. VIII and were stand
Ing quite close-Will indeed, still chained
to the soldier. BY the light of Eborra' s
lantern we could see two tiny punctures
behind the ear where the great vein of the
neck Is.
The man Is dead,'' said Eborra. stand
ing up. "Fer-de-lance has stricken him"
And SO IL proved, for while fiourishfne
the knife over his head to threaten VIII
he must have touched the branch on which
the snake lay.
Then great fear fell on all the comnanv
1t began to be whispered what the man
was doing when the serpent struck him,
why do you not sing, Eborra 2" I whis-
pered to the haif-caste. He may strike
again.
NO. he said, in similar tona ssthis q.