Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1907-03-29

at MSala. There nau Dech hea'! i"in
during the day, and the whole liteiess
forest was dripping with a continuous
ceaseless CHATTER of heavy drops on
tropic foliage, with an amaigamated
sound like a widespread whisper.
Oscard was sitting in the windowless
room without a light, for light only
attracted a myriad Of heavy winged
moths. He was seated before the long
French window, which, since the SASH
had gone, had been used as door.
Before him in the glimmering light or
the mystic Southern Cross the great
river crept unctuously, silently to the
sea. 1t seemed to be stealing away
surreptitiously while the forest whis-
pered Of it. In its surface the reflec-
ton Of the great stars of the southern
hemisphere ran into little streaks or
silver, shimmering away into darkness,
All sound of human life was STILL
The natives were asleep. In the next
room Joseph in his hammock was just
ON the barrier between the waking ana
the sleeping life, as soldiers learn TO
be. Oscard would not have needed to
raise his voice to call him to his side.
The leader of this hurried retreat had
been sitting there for two hours: The
Shiny moving surface Of the river had
entered into his brain; the restless
silence Of the African forest alone kept
him awake. He hardly realized that
the sound momentarily gaining
strength within his ears was that OF
q paddlc-a single, weakly Irregular
paddle. 1t was not sound to wake
a sleeping man. 1t came so slowly, so
gently through the whisper Of the drip
ping leaves that it would enter into
his slumbers and make itself part OF
them.
Guy Oscard only realized the mean
ing of that sound when a black shadow
crept on to the smooth evenness OF the
rivers breast. Oscard was eminently
O man Of action. In a moment he was
on his feet and in the darkness of the
room there was the CLEAN of q rifle
barrel. He came back to the window
watching.
He saw the canoe approach the bank.
He heard the thud Of the paddle as 1t
was thrown upon the ground. In the
gloom. to which his eyes were accus-
toned. he saw q man step from the
boat to the shore and draw the canoe
up The silent midnight visitor then
turned and walked up toward the
house. There was something familiar
In the gait-the legs were slightly
bowed. The man was walking with
great difficulty, staggering little at
zach step. He seemed to be in great
pain.
Guy Oscard laid aside the rifle. He
stepped forward to the open window.
as that you, Durnovo?' he said.
without raising his voice.
EYES," replied the other. His voice
was muffied as if his tongue were
swollen, and there was startling
break in It,
DISCARD stepped aside and Durnovo
passed into his own house.
Got a lightY" he said in the same
muffled way.
In the next room Joseph could be
heard striking a match, and moment
later he entered the room, throwing
flood of light before him.
Good Godp cried DISCARD. He step
ped back as if he had been struck, with
his hand shielding his eyes.
"Save usv' calculated Joseph in the
same breath.
The thing that stood there, sickening
their gaze, was not human being at
oil Take a mans eyelids away, leav-
ing the round balls staring, blood
streaked; cut away his lips, leaving the
grinning teeth and red gums; shear off
his ears-that which is left is not man
at all. This had been done to Victor
Durnovo. Truly the vengeance OF man
is crueler than the vengeance of God!
Could he have seen himself, Victor
DurnOvO would never have shown that
face, or what remained of it, to
human being He could only have
killed himself. Who can tell what cru
elites had been paid for, piece by piece,
in this loathsome mutilation? The
slaves had wreaked their terrible venge-
ance; but the greatest the deepest,
the most inhuman cruelty was in let
ting him 60.
They've made pretty mess of me-"
said Durnovo, in sickening, lifelcss
voice. and he stood there with terrible
caricature of grin.
Joseph set down the lamp with
groan and went back into the dark
room beyond, where he cast himself
upon the ground and buried his face in
his hands.
80 Lordv' he muttered. 20 God in
heaven, kill it, kill it,"
Guy Oscard never attempted to run
away from it. He stood slowly gulp-
ing down his nauseating horror. His
teeth were clinched; his face, through
the sunburn, ,livid; the blue of his eyes
seemed to have faded into an ashen
gray. The sight he was looking on
would have sent three men out Of five
into gibbering idiocy.
Then atfast he moved forward. With
averted eyes he took Durnovo by the
arm.
"Come," he said, "lie down upon my
bed. / will try to help you. Can you
take some foOd?"
Durnovo threw himself down heavily
on the bed. There was punishment
sufficient to expiate all his sins In the
effort he saw that Guy DISCARD had had
to make before he touched him. He