Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-05-28

steer now: the boat swung and recled
where she listed; violent shock threw me
sideways off my seat l felt her turning
over and, gathering Seraphina in my arms,
leaped out before she capszed. / leaped
clear out into shallow water.
l should never in my life have thought
myself capable of such a feat, and yet
did 1t with assurance with no effort that
l can remember. More than that-I man
aged, after the leap. to- keep my feet in
the clinging, staggering clutch of water
charged with sand. which swirled heavily
about my knees. 1t kept on hurting itself
at my legs from behind, while / waded
across the narrow strip of sand. 1 felt the
harder ground a last. but not before I
had caught a momentary glimpse of a
black and bulky object tumbling over and
over In the advancing and withdrawing
liquid furry of the beach.
Sit still here on the ground" I shouted
to Seraphina, though flights of spray en-
veloped us completely. II am going back
for Castro
l faced about, putting my head down.
dashed on in the dark: a wave went over
my head as 1 stopped, nearly waist-deep,
cropping. His rotary motion, In that smoth-
er, made 1t extremely difficult to obtain
any sort of hold. A little more and he
would have knocked my legs from under
me, but 1t was as IL my grim determina-
ton were by Itself of a saving nature. He
submitted to being hauled up the beach,
passively like a sack. A thunder-clap
seemed to crash new life into him. He
arose, and with entwined arms and lea ming
back against the wind with all our might,
Seraphlna and myself were borne along
in his train. He knew Of a shelter
A small plain Of coarse grass was bound
ed by the steep spur of rise. To the left
little river would burst. all at once, in
all Its windings into blush sulphurous
glow; and between the crashes of thunder
there was heard the long whistling
swish of the rushes and canebrakes spring.
ing on the Doggy ground. We skirted the
rise.
Castro sustained Seraphina on the other
side; but frequently he had to leave us
and move ahead looking for the way. It
was half-obliterated path winding along
the less steep of the two sides OF ravine
and we struggled after our guide with the
unthinking fortitude of despair. The rise
OF the bottom was very deep, and the last
hundred yards really stiff. We did them
| practically on our hands and knees.
AT the top tried to make Of my body q
shelter for Seraphina. The wind howled
| and roared over u.s.
Up! vamos! The worst is yet before
| us, shrieked Castro in my ear
We retraced our steps, but now following
| the edge of that precipice out of which We
I hao emerged had peremptorily insisted on
carrying her. She put her arms round my
| neck and. to my uplifted heart she weigh.
| ed no heavier than feather. Castro. grasp.
| Ing my arm. guided my steps and gave me
| support against the wind
| 1T is here, heard him scream
| i set Seraphina down. A hooked dart oil
FIRE tore In two the thick canopy OF clouds
l started back from the edge
What! Here?" yelled.
| 'Senor-Si There is cavern be.
I had seen ledge clinging to the face
| of the rock
1t was a cornice inclining downward upor
| the wall OF the precipice, as you see some
| times, fight of stairs built against the
outside wall CT house And 1t resemble(
a stair roughly, with long. sloping steps
wet with rain.
''Por Dios senior. do not let us stay Il
think here, or we shall perish in this ten.
pest"
He howled. gesticulated, shrieked with al
| the strength of his lungs. He knew these
| tornadoes. Brute beasts would be found ly
| ing dead In the fields in the morning. Thi,
| was the beginning only.
DO not look behind you. Do not look
Castro screeched.
The first downward steps were terrible
| but as soon as our heads had sunk below
| the level of the plain 1t was better for w.
had turned about to the rock moving side
ways, cautiously. one step at time
The strain on our prudence was tremen
| dous. The knowledge of the precipice be
hind must have affected me- Explain it a.
you will, several times during that descer
| l felt my brain slip away from my contro
and suggest a desire to fling myself ovel
| backward.
Castro stopped. The cornice ended as /
| broken stairway hangs upon nothing. 4
tall. narrow arch stood black in the rock
| with sill three feet high at least. Castrs
| clambered over; his head and torso, whei
he turned about. were lighted up blindingl.
between the inner walls at every fash