The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1901-02-01
He pumped out this question with
such a jerk that fairly started.

uCaId SOilic OuC Sdy ZOO lCd6uCS,
said J.. But why?"
THAT was said to fool the Spaniards,
as it's every English mariners bount
en- duty to do whenever he sees u
chance. But we bain't 200 leagues
awa1nor 90"
Again he shut his mouth like trap,
evidently with the intention of impress
ing this piece of information upon me.
nodded and waited for him to go on
"These here islands, Master Topp, is
on the highroad between Europe an
the main. Every ship as sails from
an to one or the other passes through
this channel inside O. 'em. Now, see
here, this is the point I'm shaping
course for. There's a tall hill at this
end O. the big island where the Span
iards' cave is, an when was up
above just now searching for food
seed man within 20 fathom O. the top
O. it"
Likely enough" said 1. you can't
expect the Spaniards to stick like moles
in their cave all the time"
Master Topp, that man had a fagot
on his shoulders"
well, Wiliie?"
sWeI.' echoed Willie contemptuous-
ly. Cant you guess what it means
Why, they've seed a ship in the dis
lance an hoping to see another they're
making ready to signal her whenever
she heaves in sight
"Why." said I. glad that there was
chance of getting rid so easily of our
troublesome neghbors, but for the
present keeping that gladness to my
self, 'if they want to go we can't stop
'em.''
eve must stop EN-, Master Topp.
They know we're here. I've seed 'em
watching US. An if they gets hold O.
ship we shall have the whole brood
down about our ears in the twInkling
O. handspikh Don Miguel bain't
the build to forget men as has got to
wind'ard O. him in 4 saual Don't you
believe ito"
The boatswain was right. We could
not afford to leave the Spaniards in
peace
'I'll come with, you and Loo. at this
hill for myself said /.
'But your wounded leg?"- suggested
Willie doubtfully.
"Pooh. \ mere gnat bite. The stiff
ness is wearing off already
And off We trudged, though truth to
tell found it no easy matter to limp
along, and laid ourselves down in the
scrub grass above in full view Of the
larger island.
The northern coast was high, green,
steep and without foreshore and put
me.in MINIS. of the piece between Scar
borough and Whitby.- The harbor
showed tide left yellow beachef, on Ell
Their hand, with clear open water in the
middle, while right before us, almost
within stones throw it seemed, lay the
great hill.
The like of it l have never seen be-
fore or since.
1t was anforbidding pile of stone
standing out boldly in it's barren black
ness against the rich greenery of the
palms beyond and towering nigh on
1000 feet above the fallen wave worn
rocks that fringed it's base. Nowhere
could the eye discover trace of vege-
tation on it's steep and frowning cliffs,
and from the seaside at any rate it was
citadel that would battle the nimblest
scaler. Its black heights We're too des-
olate for even the ocean fowls perch |;
its hateful crest could well have shat
tered a ghoul or vampire.
The very clouds seemed to shudder
and draw in their gauzy bodies as they
scurried past its hungry TANKS.
But after mere glance at the noun
tain'ss sullen precipices the eye fixed it,
self immovably upon the summit, for
there lay wonder of the world.
That the thing had been built by
hands was plain, for even at our dis
lance we could see the joints and SUI
lures between the stones. But by what
manner of hands? Surely of giants or
of devils, for the size of the blocks was
such that no human hand could have
laid them. Each course was as high
again as tall man, yet there were
eight courses Each stones length was
twice it's height, yet there were 20 of
them in the side that faced us. A fig
ured coping overhung the wall by>an
arm span, and at the corners were
huge carven monoliths representing
rampant serpents, whose .outstretched
necks and gaping jaws pointed to the
four cardinal points.
Gnome's temple, giants pleasure
house or magician's eyrie it had stood
there Testing the winds through the
dim ages of the past, an everlasting
monument to it's forgotten founders.
And now, as Willie Trehalion had
said, the Spaniards We're laying wood
for signal fire upon the uppermost
pinnacle. could see two lusty fellows
doing the work and third. little
bowlegged man with bright steel bas-
sinet on his head, giving directions. l
recognized that our lives hung on the
chance of our being able to drive them
away, but l saw no means of doing it
and said as much to Willie.
Eight the devil wi birthstone, Mas
ter popp, an you'll choke him. The
dons practices witches craft, say you?
Then witches craft shall be the word
See that round stone before zee. sir?
Well, hear it speak, It's cot q message