Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1910-01-07
CHAPTER XIII.

CHAPTER XIII.
It was about 8 o'clock when they
,ommenced their difficult ascent; the
DIV was splendid, and the thermometer
stood at 81 degrees.
Hatteras and his dog went first,
closely followed by the others.
But as they got higher, the ascent
became more and more difficult, for the
tanks Of the mountain were almost
perpendicuIar, and it required the ut
most care to keep from falling. Clouds
Of ashes whirled round them repeated
" and torrents of lava barred their
passage.
Hatteras, however, climbed up the
geeDest ascents with surprising agil-
fly, disdaining the help Of his staff.
He arrived before long at a circular
rock, sort Of plateau about ten feet
vide A river of boiling lava sur
rounded it, except in one part, where
It torked away to a higher rock, leav-
Ing a narrow passage, through which
Eateras fearIessly passed.
Here he stopped, and his compan-
ions managed to rejoin him. He SEEM
ed to be measuring with his eye the
distance he had yet to get over. Horl-
DHtally, he was not more than 200
Yards from the top Of the crater, but
vertically he had nearly three times
that distance to traverse.
Hatteras." said the doctor, at is
enough; we cannot go further!"
Stop, then" he replied, in a
strangely altered voice; 81 am going
higher"
He had hardly uttered the words be-
fore Hatteras, by superhuman effort,
Pang over the boiling lava, and was
beyond the reach Of his companions.
cry Of horror burst from every
lip, for they thought the poor captain
must have persisted in that fiery gulf;
out there he was safe on the other
Eoe accompanied by his faithful Duke
VINO would not leave him.
he speedily disappeared behind a
curtain q smoke, and they heard his
voice growing fainter in the distance,
shouting:
To the north! to the north; to the
up OF Mount Hatteras! Remember,
Mount Hatteras!"
All pursuit of him was out of the
question
Al intervals, however, a glimpse of
-'~ could be caught through the
"o--S OF smoke and showers of ashes.
H~l'eFas did not even turn once to
"oA back but marched straight on,
,,a'.}lAg his country's flag attached to
bis staff.
a last he reached the summit of the
-~ p, the mouth of the crater
''V lie doctor hoped the infatuated
-0~ would stop, at any rate. and
D.-'o perhaps, recover his senses, and
-. .-s'S7 himself to no more danger than
| descent involved.
U1ce more he shouted:
Hatteras. Hatteras!"
mere was such a pathos of entrea-
Il, MS tone that AItamont felt moved
MS hmost soul.
-. save him yeti" he exclaimed;
~ ~ oeIore Clawbonny could hinder
49,, 49, ne mad cleared with a bound the
.7"' Of fire, and was out of sight
SAS the rocks.
,,,. ..lIAe Hatteras had mounted a
r,., "-~en oYerhung the crater, and
~ ~. waving his flag amidst showers
MI, 'eS which rained down on him.
ss.,. was by his side; but the poor
has,, ,~, was gIowing dizzy in such close
rr@,'',1y to the abyss.
l.,s s''s5as balanced his staff with one
=. ana with the other sought to find
al ~ ~ use mathematical point where
,-. .-s nertdians of the globe meet, the
,,s. U" which it was his sublime pur-
~ 10 plant his foot.
/. !, '' once the rock gave way. and
i'm, a "l2peared. A cry of horror broke
TOP =. .S companions, and rang to the
,,o,rE. me mountain. Clawbonny
ar 5, b. MS friend had persisted, and
roca1. e0 forever in the depths of the
amrL ;, 4 second-only a second,
&ers X seemed an age-elapsed, and
hs Nv vas AItamont and the dog hold
t9e h., "I-Tated Hatteras! Man and
aspt caught him at the very mo-
sbyss "-'sn he disappeared in the
. hue ..sTas was saved! Saved in spite
ay n ,,,-Sel1; and half an hour later he
sps'r,.o"Sclous in the arms of his de-
ms companions.
nr IoaI.ns came to himself, the doc
ggsb so at him in speeches. an
'0S there was no glance OF rec