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EW-
YtL
I,
I MASTER OF
Auther of "Dr. Jelcyll and Mr. Hyde."
I fc CnATTER XXIV.
Manaia or tub joenxEY is tub wiv
BHWIS3. I
P"" m . ... 1
, 10 wen Known -
' w u a t pretext lie
took. Sir William
Jehnsen had n
diplomatic crrnnj
, In these parts; nnd
my lord ami I (from
curiosity, as wns
gien out) went In
Ills company,
William was
Sir
well'
attended nuil liber
ally supplied. Hint,
lew brought us
icniseu, fish was
taken for us daily
in the streams, mul
brandy ran like
wn ter. We pro
ceeded by day nnd
encamped liy night in the military style, sen
tinels worn set nnd changed , every man had
his namel duty, ami Sir William was the
spring of nil. Thcre was much in this that
might at times Ime critcrtniue 1 me; but
for our misfortune, the weather wasoxtromo wasextromo wasoxtremo
ly harsh, the days wcre in the b-ginnlng
open, but the nights frosty from the first. A
painful teen wind blew meat of the tinie, se
that we sat in the beat with hlue Augers, nnd
nt night, ns we scorched our faces at the Urn,
the clothes upon our back nppnared te lie of
'&.
lie 1111
JEW paper. A dreadful solitude surrounded our
Slops; lue janu w.is ijuuu uijyupii-j, uieiu
was no smoke of fires, mid save for a slngle
beat of merchants en the second dey, we met
no travelers. The season was Indeed late,
but this desertion of tbewnlcr-vnj-sliiipres.scd
Sir William himself, ami 1 have heard him
mera than once express n sense of intimida
tion. "I hnve ceme tee late, I fear; they must
have (lu up the hatchet," ha raid, nml the
future proved hew Justly he had reasoned.
I could never depict the blackness of my
soul upon this journey, I liave none of these
ralndsth.it are in leve with the unusual; te
soe the winter coming aud te lie In the field
se far from any house, oppressed uie llke a
nightmare; it seemed, Indeed, a kind of aw fill
braving of Ged's power; mid this thought,
which I dare say only writes me down u
coward, wns greatly exaggerated v my nrl-
rate knewledge of the errand we wcre ceme
upon.
I was besides encumbered by iny; duties te
Sir William, whom it full npeu me te enter
tain, for my lord n as qulte sunk iute n state
bordering en jKrvlgllluni, w atcbing the w oeds
with a rapt eye, sleeping scarce nt nil, mid
speaking sometimes net twenty words in a
whole day. That which he said was still co
herent, but ft turned almost invariably upon
t&& the party for nliem no kept his crazy leek-
K$& """ "" """" "' " "'"""" until, uuu
SXr alwnysnsif it were n new communication.
that he had "n brother somewhoro in the
weeds," ami bej; that the remind should lie
directed "te Inquire for him." "Inmanrieiis
for news of my brother," he would sny. Ami
erucfimes when wow ere under way lie w euld
ifuucy he Fpled n cauoe far off upon the
water, or n enmp ou the thore, and ex
hibit painful agitation. It was Impo-sible
but 8ir William should tw struck with these
&& singularities, nnd nt last he led me aside und
fcj? hinted his uneasiness. I touched iny heud
and shook it, quite rejoiced te prepare, n llttle
8$" testimony against pessible dUrlesun-s.
"Hut in tuat cuse," cries tjir William, "is
it wise te let him go at target"
"These that knew him best," said I, "are
persuaded that he should lw humeral."
"Well, well," replied Sir William, "it I
none of my affairs. ISut If 1 had understood,
you would never have been here."
flu ml,',. ttj"i. litlfN tltlu .,.,... m r.n, .,, .... l.n.1
&ta t , ,... W l,u (Ills nt I t.u Wllllttj (,.. I,
RJvS thus uneventfully proceeded for about a
pjy- week, when w-e encamped for n night at a
BSt place where the river ran among consider-
KftsL able mountains clothed hi weed. The fire
ESfe were llchted en u level snace nt the water's
ijjy, edge; and we supped and lay down te sleep
night fell murderously cold; the stringency
r-j-r""r the frost seized nnd bltniO through my
coverings, se that pain kept me wakeful;
tUlU I HU3 UlUul IIUIU LH-'lUIO UIO f.pOL UllJ,
?3$kr "'Kb uy me nie-a or nulling ie aim ue
7 TWje streams euge, te cemuiit iue nciung ei
Kg, ray uinus.
M.jl A lnct dm.! I-Jirrri n t r lintrtl. liiutu lump
weeds and mountains, the sleepers i oiled in
their robes, nnd the boisterous ricr dashing
among spears of ice, I steed looking about
me, swaddled In my stlfT ceatYf n bull's fur,
and the breath smoking from my scorched
nostrils, when, upon a sudden, a singular,
eager cry rang from the ltordersef the weed.
The sentries nuswered it, the sleeiwrs sprung
te their feet; ene pointed, the rest followed
his direction with their eyes, and there, upon
the edge of the forest and betwixt two trees,
jSST, his hands like ene In ecstasy. The next me
ment be ran forward, fell en his knees at the
side of the camp ami burst in tears.
This was Jehn Mountain, the trader, es
caped from the most horrid perils; aud Ins
first word, when he get speech, was te nsk if
we had seen Secuiulra Das.
"Seen whatf cries Sir William.
'Ne,"said I, "we hnve seen nothing of him.
Whyl"
"Nothing r says .Mountain. "Then I was
right after all." With that he struck his
palm upon his brew. "Hut what takes him
backf he cried. "What takes the man back
among dead bodies? There is seme damned
myBtery here."
This was a word which highly roued our
curiosity, but I shall lw mero perspicacious if
1 narrate these Incidents m their true eidtr.
llcrofeliowsanarratnowhlch 1 have com
piled out of thrce sources, net very consistent
in all peiuts;
First, a written statement by Mountain, in
which every thiug criminal is clevei ly smug
gled out of view.
Sj."- Second, two conversations with Secundrn
Dass; and,
Third, mauy conversations with Mountain
himself, in which he was pleased te be entire
ly plain; for the. truth is, he regarded mens
nn accomplice.
CHAPTER XV" di)C('
""" tri.-
.,6
TIIK TtUDEn, MOUNTAIN.
HK crew that
went up the
river under
the joint com
mand of Copt. Har
ris and the master
numbered in all
nine- persons, of
whom (if 1 except
Seciindrn )a&)
there was net ene
that had net merit
ed the gallows.
1'rem Harris down
ward the voyagers
were notorious in
(bat colony for desperate, bloody minded
miscreants; some tre reputed pirates, the
most hawkers of rum; all ranters and drink-
ers; ali fit associates, embarking tesether
sritiieut rotnerso, upon this trcaclicreus and
murderous design. I could net hear there
gjr,i was mucn aiscipnne or any un. rapuiu in me
fcyc
h V puigj but Harris anil lour muers, fieunutiu
K; himself, two Scetchmen Plukerten nml
Wp. Bastie aud e man of th name of Hicks, n
.5 arunken thocmeker. nut their heads together
fi'gtf Had agreed upon the eoure. In-a mauilal
Wl tense, they were well eneugu provided) and
CfK the masUT in particular brought with hitu a
-r tent where oe might enjoy come privacy a jd
- In. ltl.r
jK fe - Even thUsmalllndulgence told against him
, -v w we ramus ei ms compauieu lui iiiuem
sJsi lu a lXJiitien se entirely false (and even
ft Wl of pleasing wcre here threw n away. In
fi.tfe eyes of all, except Secuudra Dass, he fig-
t A isred as a common gull and designated victim,
,.dnt. tJ.' ffjpgfl
m cgm I
Ee- SW"rJtpY nv fl
m& iavfiLfa
gfewg unconsciously w ueaiu; yet lie could
j et but supixwe himself the centrh er and the
V leader of thu expedition. He could scarce
'(WBluitQOBilut Wmistf. aud at the least
i. .. . .
IAUAIT1AL
BY ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON,
The Golebrated Novelist,
mm ei nutnenty or conneceiiRien mi ueceiv
epi would lie laughing in their sleeves. I was
te uwsl te sea and te concelve him in a high,
authoritatheattltudo that when I had con
ceived Ids jiosltlen en this Jeurney I was
pained nnd could hae blushed. Hew seen
he may hnve entertained n first surmise we
cannot knew; but It was long, nnd the party
had advanced into the wilderness beyond the
reach of nny help ere he was fully awakened
te tin truth.
It fell thus. Harris and soma ethers had
drawn nmrt Inte tlm weeds forcetiMiltntlon,
I when tlipy w era startled by n nulling in the
bruh. They weie nil nccustomeil te tlie arts
of Indian warfare, nnd Mountain nan net
euly lived nnd hunted, but fought and earned
some reputation with the savage. He could
Iiiem) In the woeda without nolse, mid fellow
a Irnll llke a hound; nnd upon theuniergeiice
of thlsiilert, he wns deputed by the rest te
plmige into the thicket for inlclllgenre. He
was seen convinced thcre wns n miili in his
clese neighborhood, met lug with precaution
but wlthuut art among the leaves and
branches; and coming shortly te n place of
advantage, he was nble te elwi e St'Ciindrn
iJass trawling briskly off with many back
ward glances. At this lie knew net whether
te laugh or cryt and his accomplices, when
lie had returned and reKirted, were in iiuieli
the same dubiety. Tin re was new no dniigir
of nn Indian onslaught; hut ou the
oilier hand, slnce Secuudra Dass wns
at the pains te spy upon them, It wns
highly pinUibleliu knew KnglMi, nnd If l.e
Lnew i;nglhl. It wns certain tlie whole of
their design was In the mutter's knowledge,
Tlure was ene singularity in the ieltiuii. If
Secundrn Dawi knew and cnnuahi! his knew 1
edge of Huglish, Hauls was n prellclent in
several of the lengueu t India, cmd e his
career in that pait of the world had L.-cn a
i;t rat ileal worse than piulligatv, he had net
thought pieier te icmnrk uwn the eiicuin
stance, llaeh kldii had thus n ipy hele ou
the counsels of the eth'T. Tlie pletleis, se
sfHin ns this ndvimtnge was explained, io ie
turneil te camp. Harris, luni ing the Hln
doestaneo was once moie clesetcil w-lth his
master, cirpt te the slde of the tent, nml the
rest, silting about the ilrewlth their tobacco,
awaited his rejieit with imjullencu. When
he came tit last his face w us cry black; He
bail meiheaid meugli tnrenflim tlm weist
nf his suspicions, tveimiirn Dass was a gueu
ICnglWi schnliir; he hed been some days
creeping and listening, the master was new
fully Informed of the conspiracy, nnd the
llr projiesod en tlie fnerrnw te fall out of
line at a carrying plnci nnd plunge nt a veil'
tin ii in the weeds.
What, then, wns te liedeuef Seme were
forlilllngthetiiusUroii tlm spot; but I Inn Is
nsMircd them that would be n crime without
profit, since the seciet of this treasure must
He along with him that burled it Others
wcre fur desisting nt ouce from the w hole en
terprise mid iimklug for New Yerk; but the
npietlzlug name of trun'iire, and the thought
of the long way they Imd alieaily triiteleil
dissiiadisl tlieninjlirlty I Imagine they were
dull fellows for the most part. Harris, In
deed, had seme acquirements, Meiiutnln wns
no feel, Hnstiu was an tHlucnted man; but
even these had manifestly failed in life, und
the rest weie the dregs of colonial rnscnllly
The conclusion they icached, at least, wes
mere the etTspring of greeil and hepj than
reason. It wits te temporize, te lie wui y ami
watch the master, te be bllent and supply no
fuither ailment te his suspicions, und te de
pend cntiiely (.is well us I make out) en the
thance that their victim was as greedy, Iioihj Iieihj
!ur.il irrational us themselves, Old might,
after all, betray his llfe nml treasuie.
Twlce, In the course of the uest day, So Se
ciindrn nml the master must huve appeared
te themselves te hnve cscniied. and twice they
were ciiciiinvcutisl. The master, sise that
the Mceud lime he glow n little pale, ills
ptajeil no sign of disappointment, niolegiz(.d
for the stupidity with which lm had fallen
aside, thanked his reciptuiei'3 ns for user-
Ice, nml iejelncil the enruvun with nil his
usual galluutry mid cheerfulness of mien and
twining. Hut it is certain he hail smcllcd a
rat; for fiein thenceforth he mid Secundin
Feko only In eacli ether's ear, and HauiJ
lUtciied and shlvcusl by the tent in nlii.
The same night It was announced they were
te leave the lieats and proceed by feet; a clr clr
cumstnnce which greatly lessened thechances
of iscajiu
Ami new theie Uvnu lietwuen the two
sides a silent contest, for llfuuii the ene hand,
for i Iches en tliu ether They were new near
that quaiteref tliedesci t in which the master
himself must liegin te play the pai t of guide,
und using this for n pretext of prosecullon,
Harris nud his men sut with him every night
nheut the Hi e, mid labored te cnti ap him into
seme lulmUsien. if lie let slip his secret, he
knew well it wns the warrant for his death;
ou the ether hand, he duist net lefuse their
ipicstieus, mid must niiear te help them te
i-4est of-Hs capacity, or ha practically
published his nilatrust. And jet Mountain
assures me the man's brew una neu' i ullled.
Indeed Mountain coufes.eil te me they
would seen hae dislielieicil the cnptalu'i
6tery, and siipKsed their ilcsigiiitcd victim
still quite Innocent of their designs, but for
the fact that he continued (haw ever Ingenl
eusly) togte the slip te questions, nud the
jet stronger cenlh mat Ien of his i-ejK-ated ef
forts te escape. The hst of these, which
brought things te a lie.ul.l am new te ishte.
Ami first I should say that by this time thi
temper of Harris' companions wns utlerlj
worn out; civility win seal co prelcudvd;nud
for one ery significant clrciunstmice the
miisb-r mid Secundrn had Imcu (ou some pre
text) deprived of weapons. On their tide,
however, the threatened sIr kipt up the si
laile of friendship hiudsemcly; Svcttudie
was nil bows, the master nil smiles, ami en
the last night of the truce lie had e en gene
se far ns te sing for tlie diversion of ihwcem
jsiuy. it was ebsti ved tli.it he had nl.ie eaten
with unusual heartiness, nml drank ilivp,
lieiilifK'si from design.
At least, nlKitit J In the morning, he came
out of the tent into the upon air, audibly
mourning mid complaining, with all the
manner of a sulierer from surfeit I'er siy; ',
while Secuudra publicly attended:) it '''0
..-.ten.. rl.. t lai.t lut vil lirv l.tljl OU 111!
I vinyi'ilr' . .i,v-t diiue iiioreeasy and
fell asleep en the frosty gi euml liehtml the
tent, the Iiuli.in letmnmg within. Seme
time after the sentry was changed; had the
master pointed out lehlui wheie lie lay iu
w hat U called a relu of butlale; and thence
forth kept nn oye upon him (he declaied)
without i emission With the tli-ft of th
d-iw n n draught of w mil came smldenly uu)
blew epen eup side the coiner of the lob",
und with Il.ii s-iiiu iulT tlm mister's hat
whirleil in fie all uu i fell b-nue j urds away
CIIAIV1T.II XXVI
MASTEH UEOINh AMITIIKII
TKiT
ua cev
m
Aii i st-mi ) ,
V thinking it
, , i,
iciuaihuhle
the bleepei
! should net awaken,
thcrcuKin diew
near, ami the next
moment, with a
grent shout, in
formed the enmr
their prisoner was
cM-upcd He had
left b-hliid hi lu
duin, who (in the
first vivacity of the
turpi isc) came near
te pay the forfeit
of hU life, ami was,
in fact, inhumanly
misuaniiieii, nut
Secundrn, li the midst of threats and cruel
ties, stuck te it with cxtrneidlnary lejalty
that he was quite Ignorant of his master's
plans, which might indeed be (rue, and of
the manner of his escape, which wns demon
strably faUe. Nothing was thcicfore left te
th, conspirators but te rely entirely ou th
skill of Mountain. The night had beeu frosty,
the ground quite liard, and the sun was no
sooner up thau a strong thaw s.t in. It wai
is ataln's beast that fsw wen could Iirti
g&k ei
r7k H
tollent-d that trult, and still tower teven ei
I he native Indians) found It. The master had
thus a long start before his pursuers had the
scent, and he must hare traveled with sur
prising energy for a pedestrian se unused,
since It was near neon before Mountain hail
n view of Mm,
At this conjuncture the trader wns alone,
all his companions following, nt his own re
quest, reveral hundred jnnlsin the rear; lu
knew the master was unarmed; his heart wai
besides heated with the exercUe and lust of
hunting, nnd seeing the quarry se clese, se
defenseless nud seemingly te fatigued, lit
vnhiglorleiisly determined te effect thorny
ture with his single hand. A step or two
further brought him te one margin of n llttlt
clearing; en the ether, with his arms folded
and Ills back te a huge stone, the master sat.
It Is possible Mountain may have made a
rustle, It Is certain, nt least, the master raised
ills head and garni directly at that quarter
of the tliMvt wheie his hunter lay "1
could net be sure he saw me," Mountain said,
"he Just looked my way llke it muii with lilt
tnlnd made up, nml all the courage i nil out of
me like rum nut of a liollle." And presently,
when the muster looked nwny again, and ap
peared te rcsuine thevu meditations in which
lie had sat Immersed before the trailer's com
ing, Mountain slunk Ktealthlly back and re
turned te seek the help of his companion.
And new ln-gnn the chapter of surpihiw,
for tli'i scout had soart-e Informed the ethers
of III l discovery', and they wcre jetpreiwr.
Ing thir weapons for a rush tien the fug."
tlvc, when the man himself ifc'e.-irisl lu their
midst, walking openly and ipii-itly, with his
hands behind hLs back.
"Ali.n i i m iii lH.lhii.lliigtlie.il.
"Heie uu liiiiltule uii-miiitiT lt-luicit
back tei'miip '
Meuu'alii had iietmeutiuued lilsnnn weak
ness or t ie ninstei ' disciincei ting gn?e un)n
the tide'. et, se tli.it (with all the rest) his re
turn npi mil "l sKinluiienus, I'er all that, a
hubbub irnse, oaths Hew, fists were shaken,
and gum point--.!
"1it us get buck te ramp," said the master.
"1 have nn explanation te make, but It must
belaid Ix-foie oil nil. And lu the inion inien
while I would put up these wenpims, ene of
which might veiy easily goeir and blew away
etir hejies of tri-nsure. I would net kill,"
lays he, smiling, "the goeso with the golden
'gg-"
'Hie rhnim of his siieriiirlty encn mero
Irlumpheil; mid the patty, In no particular
order, set off en their return. Hy the way,
he found occasion te get a word or two uiai t
with Mountain.
"Yeu nre n clever fi-llwv and a bold," says
he, "but I am net se sura that jeu me doing
yourself Justice. I would hnve jeu te con
sider whether you would net de lieller, ay,
nnd safer, te strve me instead of serving se
comiiienplico a tascnl us .Mr. Harris. Con
sider of it," l.uceucluilid, dealing the mini n
gentle tap iqieii the shoulder, "itu.l don't be
in haste. Dead or allve, jeu will find inn an
111 man teipiarrel with."
When they wcre ceme back te the camp,
where Hiirrisnnd J'inkci ten steed guard ever
Secundrn, theso two ran Ueii tlie master
llke vlrngoes nnd weronmiizcdeutof meosure
when they were bidden by their comrades te
"stand back and hear what the gentleman
had te say." The master had net flinched bo be bo
feio their onslaught, nor nt this proof of the
ground he had gained did he betray the least
sufficiency.
"De net let us be In haste," s.ijs lie. "Meat
first mid public speaking after "
With that they made a hasty meal, aud ns
sedn as it was dene the master, leaning en
one elbow, liegau his speech. lie sioke long,
addressing himself te each, except Harris,
finding for each (with the sauie exception)
some particular Mattery, He called them
"bold, honest blades," declarnd he had never
seen n moie jovial company, wetk better
done, or pains meru meirlly supported.
"Well, then," snjg he, "seme one nsks me
'Why the devil I ran away? Hut that is
bcm'-u worth answer, for 1 think you all knew
pull, vti-ll Hut you knew only pietty w elk
That I ii p-uit 1 shall m rise at presently,
and lw J en i ad t ueiuiirlc it when it comes.
There is n ti.uter here a double traitor. 1
will glve you his name before 1 nm dene, and
let that sulllce for new. lint hern comes
home ether gentleman and neks me 'Why In
the devil I came bnckf Well, befwe 1 an
swer that question 1 have ene te put toeu
It wns this cur here, this Hnrris, that 6jH-nks
Illndoestnueor' riles lie, lislng en one knee
und pointing fair at the man's face, with n
gesture Indescribably menacing, nml when he
had been answered in tlienfilnnntlve, "Ah I"
sajs he, "then me all my suspicious verified,
mid I did rightly te comeb ick. New, men,
hear the truth forthe first lime." Thereupon
he launched forth in a long story, told with
extraordinary skill hew he had all along sus
iecled Han la, hew he had found tlie con
tinuatien of his feats, ami hew llairls must
have iiiisicprcscuted what passed between
J-'eetindrn nud himself.
At this point he made n bold stiokewith
excellent effect. "I suppose," says he, "ieu
think you nre going slimes with liariis,
I suppose j ou think jeu will bee te that
yemsches; you would naturally net thlnkbe
tint a legue could cozen jeu. Hut have n
carel 'liiese half Idiots have a sort of cun
ning, as the skunk bus IU stench; nud it iu.i
lw news te jeu Hint Hariis lias taken caie of
himself nlieudy. Vets, for him the tieasuru
Is nil money in the bargain. Yeu must find
It or go sturve. Hut he Las lieen jmld before
hand; in) brother jinld hliu te dostiey me,
leek nt him, if jeu doubt leek nt hliu grin
nlng and gulping, a detected thief I" Thence,
Iming mide this happy impuvvsleu, he ex
pl.lliiisl hew he had escaped, and thought
better of it, ami at last cenciuded te coma
back, lay the truth Iwfore the ceiupaiTyTTrmt"
take his chance with them once mero; 'r
suuded, us lie was, they would instantly de
pese Hnnis und elect some ether lender.
"Them is the w hele truth," said he; "and
with one exception I put myself entirely In
your hands. What Is the exceptienl Thore
he sits," ha cried, pointing once mom te liar
lis; "a man that bus tedlul Weajieiis and
conditions uie nil one te uu; put me face te
face wllh him, and if you glve me nothing
but u stick, iu live minutes 1 will show ,M)it a
son of btoken cat Hen fit for l s te i oil m."
itwesduik night when he iiu.u n.i .
they hud hstemsl in almost erfect silence,
but the firelight scaice ermltteil any one te
Judge, f I em the leek of his neighbors, with
what result of persu(sieii or conviction, in
deed, the uritcr hrtd set himself in the Slight
est place, und kept his face there, te lm the
center of men's ej es, doubtless en n profound
calculation. Silence followed for n whlli-i -
mid pieseutly the whole mrty U' 'mu'"!
velvixl in disputation, the !i- ' ,, i;1 " ,
Ins back, with his lmi.fr.. ;L J's I ?.
and one knun 111- i1 nlt under hU I end
. ,. . ... I "ig across the ether, like a
1 iu",,."' "eIkwi,M the I cult. And here.
I wie sav. Ids bravado carried him tee far
y ami prejudiced his cise. At least, after a
cast or two Inckwaul and forward, opinion
settled finally against him. It's Kilble lie
IiejksI te reieat the business of the pirate
ship, and be himself, iei lujis, en liard oueugli
conditions, elected leader; nud thlugswent
se fnr that way that Mountain actually
tluew out the preposition. Hut the rock he
split upon was Hastia. This fellow was net
well liked, being sour mid slew, with an ugly,
glowering disposition, hut he had studied
some time for the church nt Edinburgh col
lege before ill conduct had destroyed his
prospects, aud he new i cmeiubered and ap
plied what lie had learned.
1 lnUvd, lie had net proceeded ery far,
when the master rolled caielessly upon one
side, which was done (m Mountain's opinion)
te conceal the beginnings of despair ujieu hti
countenance. Hastie dismissed the must of
what they ludhcaid ns nothing te the mat
ter: what they wanted was the treasure. All
that was said of Harris might lw ttue, and
they would Ime te see te that m time. Hut
what had that te de with the treasure! They
had heard u at of words, but the truth was
Just this, that Mr. Durle was daimmWy
frightened aud had several times run oil'.
Hem he was whether caught or come back
wesull one te Hustle: the point was te make
an end of the business. As for the talk of
di posing and tlccting captains, he hoped they
were ali free men and could attend their own
allairs. That was dust Hung lu their eyes,
und se was the projiesal te fight Han is.
"He shall light no ene in this camp, 1 can
till him that," said Hastie. "We had trouble
enough te get lit. anus aw ay from him, and
ne should ioek pretty feel tn give litem back
ngum. Hut if It's excitement the gentleman
is after, I can supply him with mero than
pcrha he cares ubeut. Fer I ha e no Intcn
tluii te spend the remainder of my llfe In theje
mountains, already I have liceii tee long,
uud I piopee that lie shall immediately till
us wheie that treasure Is, erelse iimuediately
luthet. And theie,"s.iys he, producing his
weapon, 'time is the pistol that 1 mean te
use."
"Cwuv, 1 cull you u uibu," cries the mas-
tT, siniug ii( ana loosing at tee spcuser
with an aim of admiration.
"I didn't ask you te call me anything," re
turned Ilastlei "which is it te bar'
't"iat's an fdle question," said the master.
"Jferibi must whtn the devil drives. The
truth Is we are within easy walk of the place,
nnd I will show it yen te-morrow."
With that, as If all wcre quite settled, twid
settled exactly te his mind, l.e walked oft te
his lent, whither Eccundra had prcecdl him.
1 cannot think of thri last turns ahd wrig
gles of my old enemy except with ndmlra- j
Hen; scarce even pity Is mingled with the I
sentiment, se strongly the man supertl,i ,
boldly resisted his misfortunes, hi en at tnai
hour, when be perceived himself quite lest,
when he saw he had but effected nfi exchange
of enemies, nnd overthrown Harils te set
Hastle up, no sign of weakness appeared In
his behavior, and he withdrew te his tent,
1 ready determined (I must sit ppese) upon af
fronting the (ncrodible hazard of his last ox ex
liedicnt with the same easy, assured, genteel
expression and demeanor ns he might hae
let a theatre withal te Jein a supper of the
wits. Hut doubtless within, If we could sec
there, his soul trembled.
Cnrly In the night, word went about tha
ramp that he was sick; nnd the first thing the
next morning he called Hastle te bis side, nnd
Inquired most anxiously if ha had any skill In
medicine. As n matter of facfc this was n
s-anlty of that fallen divinity s'.udent's, te
which he hed cunningly nddicssed himself.
Hastle examined him; nnd being flattered,
Ignorant, nnd highly suspicious, knew net In
the least whether tlie man wns sick or
malingering. In this slnto.he went forth again
tuhls comimulens; nud (ns the thing which
would glve himself most consi-quence cither
way) announced that the patient was in a
fairway te die.
"Ker all that," he added, with an oath,
"and if lie hursts by the we) side, he must
bring us this morning te the treasure."
lint there wcre sevcrul In the camp (Mount
sin among the number) whom this brutality
loveltod. They would have seen the master
pisteled, or pisteled him themsehes, without
the smallest sentiment of pity; but they seem
te have lice-n touched by his gnllant fight and
unequivocal defeat the night before; iierliaps,
tee, they were even already U-glnnlug te ejv
pese themselves te their new leader; at least
they new declared that (If the man was sick)
lie should have a day's rest luspltoef Hastie'i
teeth.
Thonext morning he was manifestly worse,
and Hastle himself begnn te display somo semo some
thlng of humane concern, se easily does even
the pretense of doctoring awaken sympathy.
Tlie third, the master called Mountain and
Hastle te the tent, announced himself te 1x3
dying, gnve them full particulars ns te the
position et the cuche, nnd begged them te set
out Incontinently en the quest, se Unit they
might sce If he deceived them, and (If they
were at (list unsuccessful) he should be nble
te correct their cirer.
Hut here arose a difficulty ej which he
doubtless counted. Neuo of these men would
trust another, nene would consent te stay be
hind. On the ether hand, nltheugh the mas
ter seemed extrcniely low, sjioke wnrce above
n whlcr, nnd lay much of the time Insensi
ble, It was still pessible It was n fraudulent
sickness; and If all went troasure-hunting, it
might preve they had gene iqoi,e irild-goesc
chase, and return te llml their prisoner flown.
They concluded, therefore, te hang idling
lOund the camp, alleging sympathy te their
icasen; nud certainly, se mingled me our
dispositions, cevernl wcre sincerely (If net
very deeply) nirectcd by the natural peril of
the tunn whom they callously designed te
murder. In the afternoon, Hastle was called
te the licdslde te prays tlie which (incredible
as it must appear) budld with mictien; about
light at night, the wailing of Secundrn an
nounced Unit all wns ever, aud before ten the
Indian, with n link stuck in the ground, w.u
teillug nt the grave.
Sunrise of next day beheld the master's
burial, nil hands attending with gi eat decency
of demeanor; nud the body wns laid in tha
eartli wrapped In n fur robe, with only the
face uncovered; which last was of a waxy
whiteness, nud had the nostrils plugged ac
cording te seme eilcnlal habit et Secundrn's.
Ne sooner was the grtiie filled than the
lamentations of the Indian ouce mere struck
concern te eeiy lieuit; nnd it appears this
gang of murderers, se fnr from resenting hlj
outcries, nltheugh both distressful nnd (in
such a ceuntrj ) perilous te their own safety,
leughly but kindly endeavored te console
him.
Hut if human nature. Is even in the worst of
men occasionally kind, it is still, mid bcfeie
all things, greedy; nnd they been turned fietn
the mourner te their own concerns. The
caclie of the treasure being haul by, although
yet unidentified, it was concluded net te
break camp; and the day passed, en the part
of theMiyngeis, iu unavailing exploration cf
the weeds, Secundrn the whUe 1) ing en his
muster's gr.ive. That night they placed no
sentinel, but iny all together ubeut the
lire, lu the customary woodman fashion, the
heads outward, like the spokes of n wheel.
Meuilng found them In the same disposi
tion; euly I'inkei ten, who lay en Mountain's
light, lietw ecu him and Hastle, had (hi the
hours of daikuess) U-eii sccietly butchered,
and there lay, still winpcd ns te his body iu
his mantle, but offering above that ungodly
and horrific sicctacle of the scalped head.
The gang were that morning ns pale ns a
cemiuny of phantoms, for the ierliuacity of
Indian wnr (or, te speak mei e cei rectly, In
dian mtiidei), was well known te nil. Hut
they laid the chief blame en their unseu
tinelcd postuie; nnd, fired with the neighbor
hood of the treasure, determined te continue
where they weie. I'iukerten was buiied hard
by the master; the surviveis again passed
the day hi exploration, nml returned iu n
mingled humor of anxiety mid hope, being
piitly cciUlii they were new clese en the
ilisoeu-iy of what they sought, and en the
ether bund (wlththoieturnef darkness) weie
infected with the fear et Indians.
Mountain was the first sentry; he declared
he neither slept nor jet sat down, but kept
his watch with a icrpctual and straining
ligiluuec, and it was even with unconcern
that (when he mw by the stars his tlme was
up) he di ew- near the ilre te waken his succes
sor This man (It was Hicks, the shoemaker)
slept ou the lee side of the circle, bemew hat
. fiirtlierult iu consequence than thosetowlud
i iu consequence innu tuose tow tim
id in ii place darkened by the.'(J10"vy.
.e. Meutitain stoep.J,-wlUl-Vook him
0,i. 'jji'illsinfui wasatoncesmoaie-d
ward, imil
lug smoke.
I it f Ill's . Ill-It 1 1.
V .""-"V...U..J "
by some m' lve ctness. nnd (the wind nt
priiirineuient ceiing) the firelight shone upon
the sleeper and showed him. ilka I'iukerten,
dead nml scalped.
It was clear they had fallen iu the hands of
one of theso matchless Indian brnves, that
will sometimes fellow a party for dajs, and
iu spite of indefatigable travel nml unsleep
ing watch, continue te keep up with their ud-
ance nnd steal u scalp at every resting place.
Uhjii this discovery, the treasure seekers,
already reduced te a joer half dozen, fell into
meie dismay, seized a few necessaries, and,
deserting the remainder of their goods, Uud
outright into the feicst. Their flie they left
still burulug, and their dead comrade uu
buried. All day they ceased net te ilee, cat
ina by the wny, fiem hand te mouth, and
shice they feaied te sleep, continued te nil nil nil
vouce at random even lu the hours of dark
ness. Hut the limit of mail's endurance is
secu reached; uhcu they lested at Ust, it was
te sleep profoundly; and when they woke, it
was te Hud th.it the enemy was still upon
their heels, and death and mutilation had
nnce mere levelled and deformed their com cem
suiy. Hy this they hd become light be.uled. they
had quite mlssi I ilmr palh in the wildrr
m.i, their steus wite nheady running low.
With the fuilhir Imrrers, it is superfluous
that I should swell this nanative, nlrendy
tee prolonged Sulllce it te say that when
nt length a mlit usscd by innocuous, and
they might breathe again in the liojie that
the murderer had ut last desisted from pur-
I suit, Mountain and Secuudra were alone.
The trader is llrmly vrsu-uIeil tlieir unseen
rnemy was some mil i mr f Ids own acquaint
ance, and that he himself was spared by
favor. The merry extended te Secundra he
explains en tlm ground tint the T.-i-t hull in
wns thought tube insane, paitl tmm the
fact that, ibi.ugh all the hoirers or the
(light, uud while ethers were easting away
their M-ry fund and weapons, Secuudi a con
tinued te stagger forward with n mattock en
hlssheuldir, and uitly bemuse, in the last
days, and with a gieal derrve of heat and
fluency, he i put tally spoke with himself In
his ew ii language. Hut he was saue enough
when it cauie te Kugluh.
"Yeu think he will be geno quite aw nyf"
he nsked, uimu their blessed awakening in
safety.
"1 pray Ged se, I liclieve se, I dare te bo be bo
Jieve se," Mountain had replied almost w ith
incoherence as he descnUsl t i a scf ne te ma.
Ami luilM Ijphcjse mucli ilistviupereii
tnst, until he met ns the next mernMff. M
could scarce M" certain whether be hdv
dreamed, or whether It was a fact, that Se
cundra bud thereupon turned directly about
and returned without a word upon their foot
prints, setting his face for then wlntcry and
hungry wlitndes, along a path whom every
stage was mllostened with a mutilated corpse.
CIlAITKn XXVIL
TUB JOCRMEt 1.1 "TIIK WILDERNESS
CXJW-
TWUKD,
OUJiTAIN'S
story, ns It was
laid before Sir
William Jehnsen
anA my lord, was
thorn of course of
allhe earlier par
ticulars, and the
expedition describ
ed e have proceed
ed uneventfully un
til the matter sick sick
cneL But the lat
ter part was very
forcibly related,
the speaker visibly
thrilling te his rec
ollections, and our
then situation, en
the fiinge et the
same desert, nnd the private Interests of each,
gave him nn nudience prepared te share In
his emotions. Fer Mountain's Intelligence
net only changed the world for my Lord
Durrlsdoer, but materially affected the do de
ilgns of Sir William Jehnsen.
These I find I must lay mere at lenylli be
fore the reader. Werd had reached Albany
of dubious Impert', It had been rumored seme
hostility was te lie put in act; nnd the
Indian diplomatist had, thcroupen, sped Inte
the wilderness, even at the approach of win
ter, te nip that mischief In the bud. Here,
en the borders, he learned that he was come
tee lata; and n difficult cholce was thus pro pre pro
entod te n man (ujien the whole) net nny
moie bold than prudent. Uis standing with
the painted braves may be compared te that
of my Lord President Culloden among the
chiefs of our own highlnudcrs ntthe 'forty
five; that is as much ns te say, he svas, te
these men, reason's only speaking trumpet,
und counsels of poace nnd moderation, If they
were te nrevnll at nil, must prevnil singly
through his influence. If, then, he should re-
. .....- --"---------"---:--.
" .V. ", 'ITl,', "t..X w "" "
houses lilnze. the wayfercr becut off, nnd the
men of the weeds collect their usual disgust
ing spoil of humau scalps. On the ether slde,
te go further forth, te risk se small a party
dcejier in tlie desert, te carry words of jieace
among wnrlikobaveges already icjelclng te
lotuiutewnn here was an extremity from
which it wes easy te perceive his mind re
volted. "I have ceme tee late," he said mero than
once, nnd would fall Inte a deep considera
tion, his head bowed in his hands, hLs feet
mttlnc tlie ground.
At length ha raised hla face nnd looked
upon us, thntis te bay, upon my lord, Moun
tain, and myself, sitting clese round a small
fire, which had been made for privacy in ene
ceruer of the enmp.
"My lord, te be quite frank with you, 1
find myself in two Jninds," said he. "I think
It very needful I should go en, but net nt nil
proper I should any longer enjoy the pleas
ure of your company. We nre here still
upon the water side; nnd I think the risk te
southward no great mutter. Will net your
self nnd Mr. Mackellar take a single lieat's
ciew and return te Albany!''
My lord, I should bay, had listened te
Mountain's narrntlve regarding him through
out with n painful Intensity of gaze; uud
slnce the tale concluded, had sat as In a
dream There wils something very daunting
in hU leek; something te my eyes net right
ly humau ; the face, lean, and dark, and aged,
the mouth painful, the teeth disclosed In a
perpetual rictus, the eyeball swimming clear
of the lids upon a field of bloodshot white. I
could net beheld him myself without a Jnr
ring Irritutien, such as (I believe) is tee f ro re
quently the uppermost feeling en the sickness
et thosedcirto us. Others, I could net but
remark, w ere seal co able te support his neigh neigh neigh
boiheod Sir William cviting te be near him,
Mountain dodging his eye, nnd, when he met
it, blanching and halting in Ids story. At
this appeal, howevcr, my lord appealed te
recover his command upon himself.
"Te Albany P said he with n. geed voice.
"Net short et It, ut least," replied Sir Will
lam. "There Is no safety neater at hand."
t "I would be very unwilling te return," says
my lenL "1 nm net afraid of Indians," lie
added, with n Jeik.
"I wish that I could say se much," re
turned Sir William, bmilmg; "although, if
any man durst say it, it should be mjself.
Hut if ou are te keep in view my icspousl icspeusl
bility, nnd that as tl.e veyage has new be be bo
cemo highly daugereus, nml your business
it you ever had any," says he, "brought quite
te n conclusion by the distressing family in in
telligeiice you have received, 1 should lie
hardly justified if I evon suffcred jeu te pro
ceed and run the risk pf seme obloquy if any
thing legiottublebhould fellow."
Mj; lord turned te Mountain. "What did
he pieteml he died of!" he nsked.
"I don't think I understand your honor,"
said the trader, pausing hke a man ery much
affected, in the dicsslugef seme cruel frost
biles.
I'er a moment my lord seemed nt n full
step, nud then, with seme irritation, "I ask
jeu what he died of; surely that's a plain
question," said lie.
"Oh, I deu't knew," said lleuutaln. "Has
tie even never knew. He teemed te sicken
natural and just pass nwny."
"Theio it is, jeu scel" concluded my lord,
tinning te Sir William.
"Your lordship i3 tee deep for me," replied
Sir William.
"Why," snj s my lord, "thU is a matter et
succession; inj' seu's title may be called in
doubt; nnd, the man being supposed te be
dead of nobody can tell what, a great deal of
suspicion would Ik) naturally reused."
"Hut the man's buried." cried Sir William.
"1 will neer Liclieve that," returned njv
lord, paiurully trev-ieVins. "Til nevcr be-
lli.t ..,.! l pi. 'l ... I I.. 1 t.l.
f.vi AfjjT,! he leek dead!" he nsked of Moun
tain. "Ixiek dejitf" repealed the trader. "He
looked white. Why, what would he be at!
I tell j-eu i put the sexls upon him."
My lord caught Sir William by the coat
with n hooked hand. "This man has the
name of my hi ether," snj-s he, "but it's well
understood that he was nevcr canny."
"Canny!" bays Sir William, "What is
that!"
"He's net of this world," whispered my
lord, "neither him nor the black dell thnt
bones him, 1 have struck iny sword through
out his vitals," he cried; "I have felt the hilt
ring ou his breast bone and tlie het bleed
spurt In my very face, tlme and again, time
nnd again I" he repeated, with u gesture indo inde
scrilsible. "Hut he was never dead for that,"
said he, nud I sighed nleud. "Why r' uld 1
think he was dead uewl Ne, net t.U I see
him retting," saj-s he.
Sir William looked across at mc, with a
long face. Mountain forget his wounds, star
ing aud gaping.
"My lent," said I, "I wish j-eu would col
lect j-eur spirits." Hut my threit was se
dry, aud my own wits se scattered, I could
add no mera
"Ne," saj-s my lord, "It's net te be sup sup
pced that he would understand me. Mao Mae Mao
Lellardees, for lie kens all, and has seen him
buried before new. This is a very geed
sonant te me, Sir William, this man Mac
kellar; he bulled hliu with his own hands
be und my father by the light of two siller
candlesticks. The ether man is n familiar
spirit; lie brought him from CoremandeL I
would hae told ye this long syne, Sir Wlll
i im, only it w as in the family " These last
remarks he mode with n kind of melancholy
ceuiasure,aiid his tinioef nberratien seemed
tepassnwaj- "Yeu can ask j-eursclf what
it ull means," he proceeded. "My brother
falls sick, and dies, and U buried, ns se they
say; and ail seems ery pi tin Hut why did
the familiar go backl I think ye must see
for jeursclf it's n point that wants seme
cleat Ing."
"1 will lie at jour sen ice, my lord, In half
u minute," said Sir William, risiug. "Mr.
Mnckeiiai. two words with jeu," and he leel
4ue without the camp, tha frost crunching hi
our stejis, the tieen standing at our elbow
hair with host, ccn as en thut night hi the
Leng Shruhbeiy 'Of course, this is mid
summer madnessf said Sir William, se seen
as we were gotten out of hearing.
"Why, ivitamly." "-aid I. "The man Is
mad. 1 think that manifest." ,
"Shall 1 seize and bind him I" asked Sir
William, i will uiHMi jour authority If
thee me all ia lugs, that should certainly be
done."
-J-w.
1 looted dern upon ttra rreutvl, tc M
ttsVctunp wllh Its bright fires and the folk
watching us, and about me cm the weeds and
mountains; there was just the one) way that
I could net leek, and that was in Sir Wil
liam's face.
"Sir William," said 1 at Ust, "I think my
lord net sane, and have long thought him se.
Dut there are degrees I n madness ; and whether
he should be brought under restraint Sir
William, 1 am no lit Judge," I concluded.
"1 will be the judge," said be, "I ask for
facts. Was there, In all that jargon, any
word of truth or sanity I De you hesitate!"
be asked. "Am I te understand you have
buried this gentleman before!"
"Net buried," said 1; and thcn.staklng up
ceurage at last, "Sir William," sold 1, "un
less I were te tell you a long story, whlcb
much concerns a noble family (and myself
net In tbe least), It would be Impossible te
make this matter clear te you. Say the
word, nnd 1 will de it, right or wrong. And,
at any rate, I will say se much, that my lord
Is net se crazy as he teems. This Is a strange
matter, into tbe tail of which yeifsvre unhap
pily drifted."
"I desire nene of your secrets," replied Sir
William; "hut I will be plain at the risk ei
Incivility, and confess that I take little pleas
ure In my present company."
"1 would be tbe last te blame you," said I,
"for that"
"I have net asked either for your censure
or your praise, sir," returned Sir William.
"I do3lre simply te be quit of you ; nnd te that
effect I put a beat and compliment of men at
your disposal."
"This is fairly oITered," said I, after reflec
tion. "But you must suffer me te say a word
upon the ether side. We have a natural
curiosity te learn the truth of this affair; I
have some of It myself; my lord (It la very
plain) has but tee much. The matter of the
Indian's return is enigmatical."
"I think se myself." Sir William interrupt
ed, "nnd I projwse (since I go lu that direc
tion) te prebe it te the bottom. Whether ei
net the man has geno llke a deg te die upon
his master's grae, Ids life, at least, is in
great danger, and 1 propose, it I can, te save
it. There is nothing against his character.'
"Nothing, Sir William," I replied.
" "And the ether!" he said. "I hnve heard
my lord, of course; but, from the clrcum
stnuccs of his servant's loyalty, 1 must sup
pose he had seme noble qualities."
"Yeu must net ask ma that," I cried.
"Hell may have noble flames. I have known
hlmascoreof years, and always hated, and
alwajs admired, and always slavishly feared
him."
"I appear te intrude again upon your se
crets," said Sir William, "licllove me, Inad
vertently, Kneugh that I will soe the grave,
aud (if possible) rescue the Indian. Upen
these terms, can j ou pcrsuadoyeur master te
leturii te Albany!"
"Sir William," said I, "I will tell j-eu hew
it is. Yeu de net sce my lord te advautnge;
it will seem even strange te you that I Eheultl
leve him; but 1 de, mid lain net alone. If
lie gees hack te Albany, it must be by force,
nnd It will be the death warrant of his rea
son, nnd perhaps but Ufa That U my sincere
belief; but I am in your hand3, nnd ready te
obey, If you w ill asstime se much responsibil
ity as te command."
"I will have no shred et responsibility; it
is my slngle endeavor te avoid the same,"
cried Sir William. "Yeu Insist upon follow
ing this journey up, and be it set I wash
my hands of the whele matter."
With which word lie turued upon ills heel
and gave the order te break camp; and my
lord, who had been hovering near by, came
instantly te iny bide.
"Which is it te be!" said lie.
"Yeu nre te have your way," I answered.
"Yeu shall we the grnva"
CHAPTER XXVIII,
THE CONCLUSION OF THE WHOLE MATTEa
P , HK situation of the
!X j master's grave w as,
fflliotwneii guides,
easily dcscribe.1; il
lay, indeed, bjside
n chief landmaikel
the wilderness, n
certain range el
peaks, conspicueui
bj- their design und
altitude, mid the
seurce of many
brawl tug tribu
taries te that in-
- -v, lanu seu, lski
Cliamplain. It wai
therefere jiossible te strike for it direct, in
stead of following hack the bloodstained trail
of the fugitives, nnd te cer er, iu some sixteen
hours of march, a distance which their pr
tuibeJ wanderings had extended ever mere
than sixty.
Our beats we left under a guard upon the
river; it was, indeed, probnble we should re
turn te mid them frozen fast; nnd the small
equipment with which we set forth upon the
expedition, included net only nn infinity of
furs te protect us from the cold, but an ar
senal of snow shoes te render travel pessible,
when the iuevitabla snow should fall Con Cen
sldeiable alarm was manifested nt our de
parture; the march was conducted with sol
dierly prccautlon.tjhecnmp nt night sedulously
chesennnd patreled; and it was n considera
tion of tills sort that arrested us, the second
day, within net many hundred j-nrds of our
destination the night lielng already immi
nent, the spot in which we steed well quali
fied te be a strong camp for n party of our
numbers; nnd Sir William, therefore, en n
sudden thought, arresting our advance.
Before U3 was the high range of meuutaiiis
toward which we had been all day deviously
draping near. Frem the first light t! tiie
dawn, their silver peaks hail been tlie goal of
our advance across a tumbled, lowland forest,
tlirldwlt.li rough streams, and strewn with
monstrous bewlders; th-j peaks (is 1 saj) sil
ver, for already nt 'no higher nlrltudes the
snow fell nightly; 'out tlie weeds and the low
ground only brev.'thed upon with frost All
day heaven haij been charged w Ith ugly va
pors, in wh.'.'Jii the sun swam and glimmered
Ilka "U shilling piece; all day the wind blew
en our left check, barbarous cold, but very
pure te breathe. With the end of the after
noon, however, the wind fell; the clouds, bo be
ing no longer re-enforced, wcre scattered or
drunk up; the sun set behind usultli some
wintry spleuder, and the whitobrewof the
mountains shared its dying glow.
It was dark ere we hud supper; we eat In
sileuce, nnd the meal was scarce dlspatched
before mj lord slunk fiem t'l" Hrslde te the
margin of the camp, w hill i I made haste
te fellow him, Tlie camp u u. en high
ground, overlooking n frozen I.iUe, erhas a
mlle in its longest measurement; nil about us
the ferest lay in heights and hollows; nbove
rese the white mountains, and higher j-et,
the moon rode iu a fair sky. Theio was no
breath et air; new here n twig creaked, and
the sounds of our own camp wcre hushed and
swallowed up in the surrounding stillness.
New that the sun nud the wind wcre both
geno down, It appeared almost warm, llke n
night of July; a singular illusion of the sense,
wheti earth, nir and water wcre strained te
bursting w ith tlie extremity of frost.
My leul (or what I still continued te call
bj his loved name) steed with his elbow in
ene hand, and his chin sunk in tlie ether, gaz
ing before him en the surface of the weed.
My eyes followed his, nml rested almost pleos plees
nntly uixju the frosted coutexture of the
pines, rising in moonlit hillocks, or sinking in
the shadow of small glens. Hard by, I told
myself, was the grave of our enemy, new-
gene w here the w icked cense from troubling,
the earth heaped forever en his once be active
limbs. I could net hut think of him ns some
how fortunate, te lie thus dene with man's
anxiety aud weariness, the dally cxpcnsa of
spirit, ami that daily river et circumstnnce
te be sw um through, nt nny hazard, under the
penalty of shame or death. I could net but
think hew geed was the end of that long travel;
and with that my mind swung nt a tangent
te mj lord. Ter was net mj- lord dead also!
A maimed soldier, loeklug vainly for dis
charge, lingering derided In the line of hat
tlet A kind innu I rememlicrfsl him; wise,
withudecent pride, n son pei haps tee duti
ful, n liusbaud enlj' toeloi Ing, ene that could
sulTer and lie silent, ene whose band I loved
te press. Of u sudden, pity caught in my
windpipe with a sob, 1 could Inve wept
aloud te re-member and beheld him; mid
standing thus by his elluw, under the bread
moon,, I prajed fervently either that he
should be relis-iscd or I strengthened te ikt
sist iu my affection.
"Oh, Ged," said I, "this was the best man
te me mid te himself, nud new I slit Ink from
him. He did no wrong, or net till he was
breke with sorrows; these nre but his lionor lienor lioner
nblo wounds that we begin te shrink from.
Oh, cover them up; eh, take him nwaj, be be be
fere we hate him'"
I was ttlll Es) eiuugtil la toy eivn bo&etn
ffiwi
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I.J3
a-jx- --,.
siaaeturmweiK
neither mylowtsber very aattt, yrt,
nt at ii did f rose se nref eemd and s
prolonged sHewse, It startied the camp llk
an alarm of traaaMta. Bret I bad tkei
breath Sir WUlUun ws tsstide tne, the MU
part of the voyagers clattered at Ms back,
intently Riving ear. M ethoecht m I cUaced
at them across my aeulder there was a white
ness ether than moonlight en their cheeks,
and the rays of the moon reflected svith
sparkle en tbe eyes of tome, and the shadow
lying black under the brews of ethers, ac
cord Ing as they raised or bowed the bead te
listen, gave te the group a strange ah of ani
mation and anxiety. My lord was te the
front, crouching a little forth, his hand raised
as for sllence a man turned te stone. And
still the sounds continued, breathlessly re
newed, svith n precipitate rhythm.
Suddenly Mountain spoke In a loud, brekc-i-nhlspcr,
as of a man relieved. "I have It ,
new,',' he said; and, as we all turned te hear
him, "the Indian must have known the
cache," be added. "That is he-be I digging
out the treasure."
"Why, te be sure!" exclaimed Sir William
"We were geese net te have luppetM mt
much."
"The only thing l," Mountain resumed,
"the sound is very clese te our old canqe
And again, 1 de net soe bow he U there. be
fore us, unless the man had wings I"
"Orced nnd fair nre wings," remarked Sir
William. "But this legus has given n an
alert, and I have a notion te return the com
pliment What say you, gentlemen, shall w
hate a moonlight hunt!"
It was se agreed; dispositions mere made
te surround Secuudra at his task; some cf
Sir William's Indians hastened In advance,
and, a strong guard being left at our head
quarters, we set forth along the uneven bot
tom of the forest; frost crackling, Ice some
times loudly splitting under feet, and over
head the blackness of ptne weeds and the
broken brightness of the moon. Our way led
denn Inte a hollow of the land, nnd as we
descended the sounds diminished, and had el
most died away. Upen the ether slope It was
mere open, only dotted with a few pines ami
several vust nnd scattered rocks that inad4
inky shadows iu the moenl'ght. Hera the
seuuils began te reach us mero distinctly; wr
could new pel eel ve the ring of Iren and morn
exactly estimate the furious degree of haste
with which the digger plied his instrument.
As we neaied the top of tha ascent a bil-d or
two winged aloft and hovered darkly hi the
moeullglit, aud the next moment we were
gazing tin eugh a fringe of tiees upon a sin
gular picture.
A narrow tilateau. overlooked by the white
mountains, nnd cutem passed nearer hand by
weeds, lay biro te the strong radlance of the
moon. Heugh goods, such as make the wealth
of fei e.ters, weie sprlnkled here and there
upon the ground In meaningless disarray.
About the midst a tent steed, silvered with
frost; the deer open, gaping en the black In
terior At the ene end of this smali stage lay
whati-ceined tlie tattered remnants of a maiL
Without doubt we had ntrlvcd upon the
scene of Han Is' encampment; there wcra the
geed' scattered in the piuic of flight, it was
in yen tent the master breathed his last; and
the frozen carrion that lay before us was th
Ltxiy of the drunken sheea-ker. It was al
ways moving te come upon the theatre of
nny trnglc Incident; te ceme upon it after se
many days, mid te find it (In the seclusion et
u desert) still unchanged, must have im
pressed tlie mind of the most careless.
Aud syct it was net that which struck us
Inte pillars of stone, but the sight (which yet
we had been half exiwctlng) of Secuudra an
kle deep lu the grn e of his late master. He
had cast the main artef hUiaimeut hy;yct
hLs frail arms'aud shoulders glistened iu the
moonlight with a copious sweat; his face wasv.
contracted with anxiety ami expectation; his
blows resounded ou the grave us thick sobs,
and behind hliu, strangely deformed and ink
buck upon the frosty ground, the creature's
shadow tcpeated and parodied his swift ges
ticulations. Some night birds nrose from the
boughs upon our coming nnd then settled
beck; biit Secuudra, nbseibed In his tell,
heard or heeded net nt all.
I heard Mountain wis'sper te Sir Willlamt
"Geed Ue J 's the gravel He's digging him
up I" It nas "lint we had all guessed, aud
j-et te hear it put In language thrilled me.
Bir William violently started.
"Yeu damned sacrilegious hound!" he
cried. "What's this!"
Secundra looped in the air, n little breath--arcy
'S'.tiped him, the tool fle-v from bis
grasp, and he steed ene instant staring at tha
speiker. The next, swift as an arrow, he
sped for the weeds upon the further side; and
the next again, tin en Ing up his hands with n
violent gesture of resolution, he had begun
already te retrace his steps.
"Well, then, you come, you help" he was
say lug. But bj' new my lard had stepped be
side Sir William; the moon shene. fair upon
his face, and the words were still upon Secun
dra's lips when he beheld and recognized his
master's enemy. "Him I" he screamed,
clasping his hands and shrinking en himself.
"Come, ceme," said Sir William, "there is
nene here te de j-eu harm, if you be innocent ,
nnd If j"eu be guilty, j-eur escaie is quite cut
oil. Sjicak, what de j en here among tbe
graves of the dead uud the remains of the
unbuiied!"
"Yeu no murdeieri" inquired Secuudra.
"ou true man? ion see me safe!'
"I will bee j-eu safe. If you be innocent,"
returned Sir William. "I have said the
tiling, ami I soe net wherefore j'eu should
doubt it."
"There ull murderers," cried Secundrn.
"thatiswhyl He kill in"v.'.ei or," pointing
te Meuntain: "theiotwe hire murderers"
pointing V& my lord and myself "nil gallows
murderersl Ah, I see you all swing in a
rope. New 1 go save the tahjb; he will soe
j-eu swing lunrope. The sahib," he contin
ued, pointing te the grave, "he net dcaiL
He burj-, lie net dead."
. My lord uttered n llttle noise, moved nearer
te tlie grae, ami steed and stured in It.
"Buried nnd net dead!" exclaimed Sir Will
iam. "What kind of rant is tills?
"S"e, sahib," said Secuudra. "The sahib
and I done with murderers; try nil wny te
cscnpi, no way geed. Then try this way;
geed way In warm cllmate, geed way in In
dia; here in thisdani cold place, who can tell!
I tell you ptctty geed hurry t you help, you
light n fire, help rub."
"What is the cteature talking of!" cried
Sir William. "My head gees i euml."
"I tell you I bury him alive," sold Secun
drn. "I teach him swallow his toifgue. New
dig him up pretty geed hurrj', and he net
much weise. Yeu light a fire."
Sir William turned te the nearest of his
men. "Light n ilre," said ha "My let seems
te be cast with the insaue."
"Yeu geed man," returned Secundra.
"New I go dig the sahib up."
He returned ns speke te the grave, and re
sinned Ills former toil. My lord steed rooted,
nnd I nt my lord's side; fearing 1 knew net
what.
Tlie frost was net yet very deep, nnd pres
ently the Indian threw aside his tool and be
gan te scoop the dirt by handfuls.
Then he disengaged a corner of a buffalo
robe; and then I saw hair catch among bis
lingers; yet a moment mere, ami the moon
shone en something white. Awhile Secuudra
crouched upon his knees, scraping with deli
cate fingers, breathing with puffed lips; and
when he tneved nside I beheld the face of the
master wholly disengaged. It was deadly
white, tlie oj-es closed, the ears and nostrils
plugged, the cheeks fallen, the nese sharp as
if hi death; but for all he had lain se many
daj-s under the soil, corruption had net ap
proached him and (what strangely affected
all of us) hU lips and chin wcre mantled with
a swarthy beam.
"My Oedl" cried Meuntuiu, "he was as
smooth as a baby when we laid him there!"
"Thej- say hair grows upon the dead," ob
served Sir William, but his volce was thick
and w cak.
Secundrn paid no heed te our remarks, dig
ging swift ns a terrier, in the loose earth;
every moment, the form of the master,
swathed in Ms buffalo robe, grew moie dis
tinct In the bottom of that shallow trough;
the moon shining strong, and the shadows of
the slanders by, as they drew forward aud
back, falling and Hitting ever his emergent
countenance, The sight held us with a horror
uet befere experienced, I dared net leek my
lord in the face, but for us long as It lasted, I
ne er observed him te draw breath; and a
llttle in the background ene of the men (I
knew net whom) burst into a kind of sobbing.
"New," said Secundra, "j-eu help me lift
him out,"
Of the flight of tlme J have no idea; it may
have been tbree hours, and it may have been
five, that the Indian labored te reanimate hi.
master's body. One fhiug only I knew, that
it was still night, and the moon was net jet
set, nltheugh it had sunk low, and new barred
the ulateau w UU Jeng thadews, when Seyuudra
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