The Springdale news., 1909-03-23

OppttStNd ltC 6ohAp W nat
 Truth to tell, after the first 1 was more relieved than dismayed at the captains resolution to stay aboard. His drinking habit was growing on him. and afioat or ashore he was now little more than hgurehead. so that my chief asset as far as he was con cerned was rather his reputation than his direct influence. In contact with the men l dreaded lest sooner or later he do something to lessen or destroy the awe in which they held him.
 Of course Dr Schermerhorn had been mistaken in his man. A real captain Of men would have risen to circumstances wherever he founu them But who could have foretold? Captain Selover had been rascal al ways, hut q successful and courageous rascal. He had run desperate chances, dominated desperate crews. Who could know that crumble of island beach and six months ashore would turn him into what he had become2 ? Yet 1 believe such cases are not un- common in other walks of life A luaH dad HIS NoTh colnhtle lO iucuu something, yet both may be absolute ly useless when separated It was the weak link
 l put in some time praying earnestly that the eyes of the crew might be blinded and that the doctor would finish his experiments before the cal dron could boil up again
 r. 10 announce holiday. My idea was that the island would keep the men busy for awhile. Then l would as sign them more work to do. They proposed at once tour into the in- terior
 We started up the west coast. Aft CT three or four miles along mesa formation where often we had to cir ele long detours to avoid the gulies We came upon another short beach and beyond it series of lodges on which basked several hundred seals They did not seem alarmed In fact, one old bull, scared by many battles, made toward us
 We left him, scaled the cliff and turned up broad, pleasant valley to- ward the interior.
 There the later lava flow had been deHeeted All that showed of the original eruption were occasional red oaterepping rocks. Soil and grass had eyerlaid the mineral Scattered trees Were planted throughout the fiat Caeu and semitropical bushes mingled with brush on the rounded side hills A number Of brilliant birds huttered at our approach.
 Suddenly Handy Solomon, who was In advance. stopped and pointed to the crest of the hill. A file of animals moved along the sky line
 Mutton" said he, Cor the devils preaeher!9
 sheep" cried Thrackles. Where did they come fromf"
 Golden Horn," l suggested Re member that wide, empty deck for. ward7 They carried sheep there"
 The men separated, intending fresh meat. The affair was ridiculous. These sheep had become wild as deer Our surrounding party with It's silly barred knives could only look after them open mouthed as they skipped nimbly between it's members
 "Get gun off the old man, Mir Eagen." suggested pulz, and we'll have something besides salt horse and fish,
 nodded
 We continued. The island was like this as far as We went. When we climbed a ridge we found ourselves looking down on q spider web of other valleys and canyons of the same ma lure, all diyerging to broad downs and jump Into the sea, all converging to the egtworks that guarded the vol pano with its canopy of vapor.
 On our way home we cut across the higher country and the heads of the canyons until we found ourselves look ing down on the valley and Dr Scher- merhorn's camp. The steam from the volcanic blowholes swayed below us. Through its rifts we saw the tops of the buildings Presently we made out Percy Darrow, dressed in oYeralls, his sleeves rolled back and carrying re- tort He walked, very preoceupied, 10 one of the miniature craters. where he knelt and went through some opera tion indistlngnishable at the distance. l looked around to See my companions staring 1t him fascinated, their necks craned out. their bodies drawn back into hiding In q moment he had fin ished and carried the retort carefully into the laboratory. The men sighed and stood erect, once more themselves Ass. we turned away Perdosa voiced what must have been in the minds of all.
 "A man could climb down there" said he.
 .Why Should he want tof" de- handed sharply.
 "Quien sabefp shrugged he
 We turned in silence toward the beach. Each brooded his thoughts The sight of that man dressed in over- alls. carrying on some mysterious bust ness, brought home to each of us the fact that our expedition had an ob- jeet as yet unknown to us. The thought had of late dropped into the background. For my part l had been so immersed in the adventure and the labor and the insistent need of the hour that I had forgotten why had come. Dr. Schermerhorn's purpose was as inscrutable to me as at first What had accomplished!
 The men, too, seemed struck with some such idea. There were no yarns about the campfire that night. Percy Darrow did not appear, for which was sincerely sorry. His presence