Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, March 22, 1866, Image 1
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levis At. G&isT, Proprietor. | Jn JaDcptiticttl Jfamilj)- Itttospap cr: %|roaiotion of t^t |olitical, Social, ^gricnltural anil Commercial fittartsfs af tjjc jjonlj). {TZBJts~t3.T?4^^."rvI'TAHCE
VOLUME XI. YORKVILLE, SOUTH CAROLINA, THURSDAY MORNING, MARCH 22, 1866 'TNUMBER
UTAH 18 BOSS THTCO TBOUBLE.
job 5.* 7.
" And thus it is that oue by one
Earth's iiqaj-yed treaaures Si? . '
Thus hopes, too fondly doateu on,
Are cherished in the heart, to die t
And thus the loveliest things of earth.
Am termed to-fade so soon | *
Thus sorrow lurks in every path,
For man is bom to mourn :
The holiest tie that binds the heart
In fond adectio't here,
The sunniest spot that earth Imparts
* ' Is wet With yiany a tear 1
No spot so bright?no home so sweet? ,
But soon its light is shorn,
Faint, few and brief the joy* we meet,
For matt is born to mourn '
No. human.heart may ever cling,
To garnered treasures-hero,
Their stay so brief, so fleet their wing?
Death ever lingers near!
The heart must ache, the eye must weep,
For friends before us gone?
In death alone shall sorrow sleep,
For man is bem to mourn !
Thus weep for joys departed?
Thus mount o'er hope's decay?
. ? Time often broken hearted,
Grieve weary hours away!
- Fortiearts that ache o'er btrried hope,
Are mercifully riven,
To call our earthward fancies up
To fadeless joys iu heaven! <! Ik. T.
. JU Drigiad
wrjttcx rov. rnt yorkville ekqeirer.
m mm i
or,
THE W!TCH_WMANNItORE.
a story of the sea.
? . .. BY J. WOODRUFF LEWIS, EStt.,
Author of the "Outcast Child," "Wreckers ot' Abaco,"
"Spirit of the Ford," "Mystfarte* of a Night.-' "Game
for Life," etc.
CHAPTER I.
THE WRECK?THE RESCUE?THE CONCEALED
FOE.
From tbe top of a tall cliff which extended
oat from the main land, on tbe Southern
coast of Florida, a stern-featured, sinister
looking man gazed forth on a fearful scene.
For three whole days there had been a
terrible storm raging all along the shores of
tbe Gulf, aud tbe dying spirit of the tempest
was now kuelliog tbe requiem of a
noble ship, which bad struck on tbe outer
reefs, and with all the gallant hearts which
had beat on board of her, had gone down to
a grave beneath the wild whirl of waters
From a sheltered niche in the "rock, at the
feet of tbe man on the cliff,' still blazed and
flickered a lanteru For a few moments
longer it shown on tbe hissing froth of tbe
heaving sea, and then tbe man stooping
down extinguished the light. But it had
done its work ! By its baleful glare, the
ship bad been lured upon the rocks and had
gone to pieces.
Pale, hagard, yet with a look of triumphant
exultation in his eyes, did that man
look over the cliff's verge, watching the
waves as they oarried the debris of the
wreck to the already fragment strewn beach.
Occasionally a dead body, white and ghastly,
would be brought in on the crest of some
huge billow, only to be sent further out to
sea by the reoedieg wave, closely followed
by some grey old sea gull, and xbp-eyes of
tbe worse vulture on the cliff. ^ror with
evident satisfaction did that dark man note I
the absence of all signs of life in the bap- {
less forms of those thus brought to view.
And now, as if boshed and stilled some*
what by the wild havoc it had enaoted, the
wind tempered its ferocity, and soon the
sea heaved to and fro with a less tempestoos
swell, though it still flung itself iD
huge masses of foam amid the recks, as if
it would- sock them from their primative
foundations into the maiD.
The morning is coming, and from a long
slant rift in the east, there emerges like"
some fair spirit upon the world of water, a
soft ray of light. It tips the still battering
waves with the magic of its beauty, and
though they still rage with furious surgiDgs,
there is yet a sparkling grace in the boiliDg
water that was not there before.
From the face, too, of the tall olrff, this
slant ray of light was reflected back on to the
surf, which looked creamy and snow-like,
as it rolled in huge surges to the rooky
shore.
Then the watcher on the cliff shrunk
back, for what had he to do with the light
of heaven ? His deeds Were dark as earth's
deepest caverns, and he sunk down into the
scant herbage on the brink of the cliff, as if
fearful of being now seen.
He had walohed the wreck?he had seen
all. He had seen the good ship laboriog
. in the offing.
xsy wnat a ieanai mass or intrigue, auu
at what an awful cost of credit, honor and
virtue, he had brought that doomed vessel
to that spot! What a complication of perils
bad be not concountered in carrying
out objects, that he imagined were to seoure
his future happiness, but which will only
wreck it even as that ship is wrecked, leaving
no trace or shape behind to tell of the
fashion of the structure which will never
again be patent to human eyes.
Huge masses of the cliff had fallen in
the storms of centuries, and they lay in
pioturesque confusion on the beaoh?tall
and bulky in some places, and in others
broken up into many fragments, which
made a rough road at low tide on the shore. i
Seen by the man on the cliff top, but
hidden from any anxious eyes that might
look from seaward, was another person
crouching down behind a huge mass of
rock. This other person now and theQ oast
an eye upward, as though he wanted to see
if his friend, master, or confederate?be
he which he might?was above j aod by
the light of the lantern, that until the last
few minutes had glittered from the cliff,
the man below was able to see the sinister
countenance of the man above, while the
man above, by directing the lens of the
lantern, now and then in the direction of
the beach, saw the man below.
But now that the lantern was out, and
now that the sweet and beautiful morn was
coming?dow that there was just that duj
biooB straggle between light and darkness
; proceeding wbioh sends such strange shad*
I ows over the earth, sea and air?they could
j see nothing of each other, though still at
I times each looked for the companionship
| in guilt of the other.
The man below croacbed lower and lowI
er still, behind the mass of rock which hid
| him from seaward, while a large knife gHtj
tered in his hand.
Mingling with the roar and hiss of the
water, there came at this moment a about
which echoed strangely against the face of
the cliff, and traveled up it as though ascending
some regular ascent, until it struck
opou the ear of him, who there watched, the
scene beloW.,
Then the man hidden behind the rock,
as be heard that human ory, tighteued his
I grasp upon bis weapon, and made a sudden
i rush, for something dark, and about the
| size of a human form, touched the beacb.?
He raised a sort of a yell, too, as be plunged
forward, and raisd bis knife to strike the
supposed person, .and then be saw if was
but a loose spar from the wreck, wkb some
seaweed grotesquely entangled about ,it He
then shrook back and got to bis biding
place His evil mission was not yet fulfilled.
But the sky is brighteniog fast, and the
rift, through which the first ray of the
young dawn bad shown itself, had opened
to a huge gap, from out of which long pencils
of soft and yellowish light are coming
and scattering the mist which still huog o
ver the water. This, though, was hot a weak
struggle of the dawu against the wild rigor
of the storm, aod some dim clouds sur"k--Ojift,
mil/4 riiuhoc nf KioiT find rflin
V/Uai^U ni?u ntiu ?wouvw vt ??. - - ? ....
swept over the eastern sky; and though the
darkness was slowly dissipating! since the
day was absolutely coming, yet there was
a chill spirit of desolation over the face of
the deep, and the moauingof the wind, and
the murmuring of the sea, with the dash of
the enrf against the rocks, spoke the dirge
of the good ship Wwe, if Dot of all who
had ono6 been sheltered by her oaken
planks. ... '
It was just as a rather brighter light
shone, for a few moments, on the sen, that
the man on the verge of the cliff suddenly
raised a ory wbrch attracted the attention
of him below
'They come?they come!' he cried, with
extended finger. 'There ! there !'
The man below seemed to understand
that it was to eeawtird he was to look, and
through the misty spray that blow iu wild
gusts about him, he saw to what his confederate
alluded.
About a hundred yards from the shore,
battling with the waves, sometimes so hidden
in the trough of the waves as not to be
visible at all, and then mounted on the crest
of a giant wave, as though a mark for all
observers, were some human forms.
'Now?now !' shouted the man on the
cliff.
Fie who was below made an impatient
jesture, as though deprecating the necessity
of any urging or prompting in regard to
what he was do.
The forms in the water approaohed nearer
and nearer still to the beuoh.Tbere
was a bearded man?a stalwart
sailor?with the deep bronze of wind and
weather on bis face. With bis left Arm be
held as much above tbe waves as might be,
the fragile form of a young girl. Her fair
hair was streaming wildly on the surface of
tbe sea, and miogling with tbe white crests
that rolled and hissed aronnd her. With
tbe rigbt baud.be bad at liberty, and with
both his feet, the sailor fought tbe waves,
aud though slowly, yet each moment, sure
ly neared the shore.
" Another object, too, swum close to them.
It was a dog?the largest of its kiod?oue
of the noble, generous Newfoundland breed,
possessing a sagacity that seems at times
to touch upon man's boasted reason ; and
this creature beat the waves with his huge
paws, while in his teeth be held proudly
a portion of the dress of the young girl,
who was so specially the care of the sailor.
Not a word:?not a sound from man or
beast mingled with the roar of the wind and
biss of the sea. It was a grim and sileot
fight with the elemeuts that the sailor and
the dog were having. The girl was insensible
aud knew not herowu danger, nor the
gallant efforts that were being made to suve
her from it.
Nearer and nearer still to the rooks they
came, and it would Beem as if no living
thing could fight its way through the huge
billows which combed in on the beach, but
jet the- attempt bad to be made, and the
brave man, with measured strokes, still
fought his way ODward The dog was painting,
for the swim had been a long oue,
and the creature looked, when the salt
spray woald permit him, into the eyes of
the sailor, with an intelligence that almost
supplied the place of words. The man was
evidently about to speak to the dog, for his
lips parted, and a smile was on bis faoe ;
but a huge wave took the whole party and
flung them forward on to a shelf of rocks,
submerging them in the process deep in
the water.
It was the .reflux of this wave which was
to be dreaded j knowing whioh the sailor
dropped his feet and felt the rocky straud,
| and clutched the weeds and huge boulders
j nearest him, while the wave rolled back,
| leaving him and his charge amid a mass of
rocks, aDd weeds, and sand.
The gallunt sailor knew his danger still.
The cold fresh air was about him, and that
senseless form to which he still clung with
a tenacity that even the sea in its wildest
j wrath bad not the power to loosen. It was
i most grateful to feel that the lungs could
i uct healthfully free from the salt ooze, but
i not for Sue moment did he give way to a
j feeling of false security, for well he knew
that the huge wave was but gathering
j strength from its brethren of the Bea, to rej
turn again and bear him back like a stormtossed
weed, in the bosom of the deep.?
| And so,.with u tenacious grip, be held oc 1
to the iooks. j
The wave came again, but this time it j
had more to contend against than the gal- j
lant sailor and hi8 insensible burden, for the I
{ dog had reaobed tbem. and be, too, saw
j and knew the danger, and onee more he |
fixed his teeth in the trailing garments of j
! the young girl, from whieh he bad been
torn by the violence of the surf, and j
crouching down, be opposed all his stengtb, '
too, to the violence of the in-ootning wave.
| It came 1 With fearful rush it came?
j and dog, and seaman, and faint youDg girl, J
j were all again submerged for a few seconds. !
j Then it sped away, leaving upon the little j
party mtlliODi! of foamy particles, which j
glistened for a moment in the morning air
and then faded away.
'Now !' exclaimed the sailor, as he sprang ,
to his feet with his harden. He had gath- !
ered breath and strength?had that gallant j
! man?and bis object was to get above the ;
i reach of the next hage billow which was ,
! already iiVe a lion with bristling mane, ad- j
| vancing from 9eaward. .
'Now, Walla !' His tone was one that
! spoke of hope and safety, and the noble
| dog answered it with a loud baying, cry, j
j which eoboed far and near among the rocks
! and about the tall cliff
With the slight form of the young girl
I to his arms, the sailor sprang from rock to
| rook, heedless of the wonnds bis uoproteot-:
! ed feet received from their jagged points, ,
- and the dog boot)ded after him in fierce :
I leaps. "
'Saved 1 saved !' he-cried. Then addressing
the still form that rested on his bosom, i
he added :
'All's well, dear heart ! &1)'b well! It isn't
a mouthful of salt water, dear girl, that
will Irill ?nn ! ftnun rntir nve?_ little nne.
" J"~ "I J? -J?J I
if you cau, and let as all get grace of heart I
by seeing yoa safe iD port/
Bat the girl did not move, and an awfnl
fear crept.into the sailor's heart, that after
all, the waves and the wind, and the excitement
of the wreck had been too much for
her and sic was dead.
It was that feeling that made him pause,
and try, by the dim morning light, to look
at her more closely, while the emotion of
his heart seemed to unseal the fountain of
his tears, and his eyes were dimmed as he
looked in the fair, gentle face. .
Now?now ! Helen, dear heart!' he said. Just
move a little, or open your eyes, or
say one'word ! It may be that yon and I,
and Walla are all that's saved from the
wreok of the Wave, bat?she don't move
jfl bit!--fleaveh have mercy! Has she
' indeed gone to be an angel aloft ??poor
j thing ! Now if that, young officer, that
. was always devouring you with his eyes?if
I he had only been saved ! What would he
j say to see you in this way, my poor little
girl ? What's his name?ah? Farming
?Gerald Fanning?poor fellow! Many a
fathom deep, I fear?Hurrah ! Man the
yards ! Why, the little one lives yet! The
maiD sheet of life flutters to the wiod! The
anchor of the heart holds still ! Hurrah
?Walla?hurrah 1'
The dog raised his deep, hoarse voice,
and just as another and more monstrous
waves rushed aboat the sailor's feet, the
young girl opened her eyeB.
The spell of the name of him she loved
bad" reached the fluttering soul, and perhaps
stayed it on its upward flight to heaven.
The young.heart beat more freely?a
deep sigh came from the laboring chest, and ,
the color began slowly to revisit the pale
cheeks of Helen Sinclair. ' 1
Then it was?the light of the early morning
having somewhat increased?then it
was that the watcher on the top of the cliff
called out, 'Strike !'
The sailor heard him, but the actioD of
the ruffian who was hidden behind the huge
rock below, was too rapid, and had the no
ble sailor who had brdbght Helen so gallantly
to shore Ikjcd alone with her on that
desolate beach, they must 'both have fallen
beneath the knife of the assassin. But a
keener animal instinct heard the signal from '
the cliff?aDd a keener eye saw the rash of
the man from behind the rock ! With one
leap that cleared a space of ten feet, the
dog had him by the throat, and in an in
slant the ooble animal and the would be
assissin were rolling together on the rocky
| beach in a terrible struggle of life or death !
n i __
CHAPTER II.
THE FOILED ASSASSIN?AN EXPLANATION
?THE STRANGER.
It was the first intimation that the sailor
got of his shore danger. It had never entered
into his mind to conceive, that after
escaping the fury of the waves, he should
have the more dangerous fnry of human
passions to coutond against; but when the
dog made his leap, and when he saw that
he had some one in his grip, then he knew
that there must have been a narrow escape
'Hold the pirate !' he shouted. 'Hold
?_ i i r> ?. t
I Dim, tv viiit, vvy ; neetk, nine one ;?
There are land sharks aboard us, I fear ! 1
Now you rascal!'
The ruffian was making vain efforts to
plunge his poniard into the dog, when the 1
sailor reached them and wrenched it from j
his hand. Then the discomfitted villian 1
yelled for mercy.
'Help?help! Shoot them?shoot them !'
The sharp report of a pistol came to the !
ear of the sailor, and there was a rus"h of |
cold air close to his face, which could Jiave j
been oaused only by the passage of .a bullet.
For one instant he looked upward and
caught a glimpse of the man on the cliff.
It was only for an instant, for the man suddenly
disappeared.
The ruffian in the grasp of the dog now
howled for mercy, half choking as he was.
'His teeth are in my throat! Call him
off?he will kill me !'
'^Vud serve you right, you piratical rascal
! Give it to him, Walla,"boy !'
The dog had bis two huge paws on the
breast of the man, and he shook him to and
fro like a reed until he was apparently life-'
leas. Then the sailor oalled off the dog,
and as be saw a roller of more than usual
size and power approaching, he stooped and
lifting the viTlian from the rocks, flung him
into the surging eddy.
The huge wave lapped over the body of
the ruffian, and with a hissing rush carried
it oat to sea.
Then a sadden darkness came over the
dim morning light, and a heavy mist began
to lower thidkly down on Bea, and land, and
rooky shore. The sailor looked aboat him
for a moment, and shook his head.
(Pleasant this, old boy,' he said, addressing
Walla, who therea-pon shook the spray
from bis coat and" seemed fully to comorehend
the fall force of the sentiment.
r ___
'Gome od, then,' said the sailor.
Another moment, and be bad taken the
young girl in his arms, and carrying her as
carefully as though she had been an infant,
he proceeded op the beach
The dog followed, now and then giving a
low angry growl, as though he foresaw or
feared more danger.
Then the young girl, who had been thus
save from the wreck, spoke faintly :
'We are shved ?'
'Yes, my dear child, yes ! All's well!'
'All?'
<Why?a?yes! For you see, my dear
little one, those who are not safe ashore here
are safe ashore there !'
Where?'
'In heaven !'
She burst Into tears, and dinging as close
to bis breast as tbongh it had been a mother's
arms that cncirolcd her, Helen Sinclair
sobbed bitterly.
'Keep a good heart,' said the sailor, 'a
good heart! Not too mncb canvass and
lots of sea room, you know, and all's well.
Perhaps they're not all gone I'
'Perhaps, only ?'
'Well, little one, it won't be the right
thing to try to deceive yon. The ship went
to pieces, and I faucy?that is, I fear that
the boat did not right again.'
. 'The boat ?'
'Yes, little ODet Don't you remember,
wheo the ship struck the rocks, you aud
your father and mother, and Lieutenant
Gerald '
At "the mention of that name her tears
flowed afresh, and such a Storm of grief ap
peared to pass over the young girl's heart,
that the sailor paused in what he was saying,
and turning his back to the wiod only
strffve to keep the driving rain frofti reaching
her.
The sky had got still darken and but
that there was in his mind a positive knowledge
to the contrary, he might well have
thought it was the night that was coming
instead of the day.
Whon the tears of Helen were hushed a
little, she spoke sadly and softly:
'Well, tell me more?tell me all.'
?\res, little one ! The boat had you all
in it, as well as some of the other passengers,
but it had not pushed off from the
wreok when over it went, and J saw you
wcie all in the water. I oould not save
more than one, and I hardly thought to do
that. So here we are !'
'But you were not in the boat ?'
?No, Miss, I was not!'
'Oh, do not call me Miss?calJ me Hel
eu !'
Verv cood I No?I was not io the hoat;
' ~ / CD - /but
when I saw it capsize I jumped from
the fore-chains of the Waveand got hold of
you, ami here we are !'
- 'All lost, then ! Ob, heaven 1 can it be
80 V
'Except Walla and we two, I' take it,
Miss?I mean, Flelen.'
The dog uttered a low whining cry, as if
he fully understood the remark and its application.
The young girl turned her fair face seaward,
and looked through the rainy mists
down on to the foaming sea, and then she
wept again. .
.nnion
"JL/UU t UU IUBI| UJJ libUlv nv/ujaiij uyu H
suid the suitor, passing the back of his
great brown hand aoross his eyes. 'The
world may have great things in store for
you yet, my poor young heart! Cheer up !
it won't be always foul weather. Ah, I
thought us muuh! Here it is !'
'What is it ?'
'A break in the old cliffs I thought
that if we coasted ou a little way, he should
had one?so now we can creep along inland,
I take it, and had somebody that will j
give you a shelter, if it is in ever so little
a caboose of a place.
'Your name is Bowers ?' said "Helon,
with an inquiring intonation.
'Heaven bless your sweet eyes, and do
you actually recall the name of poor Ned
Bowers?'
'Oh, yes, yes! Do yon not remember i
when the boy fell overboard the first day I
out, how you leaped after him and saved j
him from the sharks? Then I asked your j
name, and they told me it was Bowers, and '
I was making a pair of slippers for you in i
our little cabin.'
'"For me, Miss Helen?'
'Yes. And now you have saved me ;
and though life has no?no?hut I will i
not be ungrateful! I do not wish to be !
so J'
A pair of slippers for me ?' said Ned j
Bowers 'Well, that beats all! T only j
wish I knew exactly where tbey lay?I \
think I would go out some fine day and
dive for them.'
The dog barked loudly, and made a furious
rush up the gorge which led from the
beach to the upper portion ot the oountry.
This opening in the rocky ooastthat Ned
Bowers had discovered, was wild, picturesque
and evidently cavernous. Some j
convulsion of nature had, no doubt, made
the fissure originally, and then as a matter
of convenience to the fishermen or wreckors
who dwelt in the vicinity, a rugged
path had been made to the beach. But it
was gloomy and narrow, and at this time a
sort of semi-darkness seemed to hang over
and around the entranoe.
| When the dog darted forward with the
i aogry growl we have recorded, he was al
J moat lost sight of in the mist enshrouded
R?rg?'Avast
there I' cried Ned Bowers, as bt
came to a .pause, and by a movement of lib
left arm quietly placed Heleo in such a po
| sltioo that she was completely covered and
protected by himself. 'What is it, Walla
boy?' .
The dog barked furiously.
I Thou there came, from some distance uj
the narrow gorge, the. reflection of a light j a
loud voice shouted:
'Ahoy! ahoy I Any shipwrecked soulf
| on the beaoh ?' . .
It was not very easy for that voice to react
Bowers and Helen, for the wind and rait
from seaward baffled it, but tbey heard sof
ficieot of it to know that it proffered aid of
some sort, and Ned Bowers raised a cheering
shout,?'Shipmate, ahoy ! Here we
are?ahoy !'
When the light became stronger, steps
were beard and several persons oould be
seen coming down the rough pathway.
The wind still blew with considerable
force, and as Helen's long hair was loose,
it was strange to see in what an odd fashion
k twined itself about the neok and face of
the gallant sailor, who now wetrt boldly farward
in to the mouth of the gorger where
the wind seemed to lose its fory and
strength
'Ahey !' again cried the sailor. - 'Book,
Walla, boy I' These may be hono*d traders,
for all we know.- Down, boy, down 1'
Thus spoken to, the deg ceased to bark
or show any active signs of hostility, but it
was quite evident he was not well pleased,
for all that. . .?
The lights?lanterns they were, or they
could not have lived a moment?came nearer
and nearer still. Then one man, who
was followed by the others, and who seemed
to be of a different rank in life, came
hastily forward and in a voice apparently of
emotion exclaimed:
'For the love of Heaven, speak, be ye
whom you may, aod tell me if I can be so
happy as to lend my aid to sufferers from
fhn roropb f
'That's us, sir !' said Ned,.'that's us !?
We three rn^ke up the whole muster, I take
it.'
'Three !'
'Yes, sir. This yooog lady, mo, and
Walla.'
'Good heavens I {tod have all the rest
perished V '
It looks like it, Btr.'
The. nieo with the lanterns now came up
closely, and Ned and his fair companion in
distress, were enabled to get a survey of the
man who had spoken; but it was not quite
sarisfactory*to either, though for what-'reason,
probably neither ooulu have told.
.He was a man of about fifty years of age,
tall and well formed, but of rather a singular
countenance, possessed of strong individuality.
His eyes were black aod piercing,
tnkibg in everything at a glance,
though seeming to see nothiug, as they
flashed restlessly from ooc objeot to another.
He was richly dressed, and diamonds
flashed and sparkled upon hi6 fingers; while
bis whole bearing proclaimed, to a casual
observer, the'man of wealth.
" Turning hastily to those who were with
him, this man said, with a show of great
concern:
'Hasten to th? beach, and do what you
can for any poor person who may oome
ashore from the wreck ! This has been a
dreadful night! I will ask no more ques
tions, my friends, until you'are in safety
beneath tny roof, along with this noble dog.'
As he spoke, he laid his hand on the head
of Walla, but the dog at once exhibited
two formidable rows of teeth, aod uttered a
low growl of warning, while he looked the
stranger full in the face.
'Your fioe dogvia unfriendly.'
?I never knew him so,' said Helen, faihtty
Ah, irty dear young lady, that is a small
matter compared with- what I gather from
your voice, which assures me you are faint
and exhausted. Take my arm, and we
shall soon be in my mansion, which is but a
short distance from the cliff, and there every
comfort/that oan b? found shall be yours.
My heart is very heavy likewise; fur 1 fancy
yoc.have lost dear friends; and I, top,
have dear friends on the stormy sea to-day.'
The etrauger reached oat bis arm to
HeleD, bat she oluug to Bowers, who said:
'If it's all the same to yoaf sir, ..I will
take caro of the little ooe.1
'Of course?of course ! This way?this
way !'
He tarued and led the way up the gorge;
one only of tbe men who had been with
him remaining with a lantern, while the
others went dowo to the beach.
The dog, Walla, was evidently uneasy.
'I admire your fine dog wonderfully,'said
the etraDger. 'What a sagacious ceature,
too, he i9 ! This way?this way, my dear
frieods, for dear friends aro all persons to
me who require my assistance. My great
delight is to do good to my fellow oreatures.'
OTolU sheared nil his teeth, and prowled.
" * *** ""v "" ?? / o
?Wbat a remarkably fine dog,' continued
the benevolent stranger. ?I seem quite to
love him.'
The distance was not far, but it was a
great relief to Ned, and to Helen, and
seemed an immense one to the dog, when
the whole party emerged on to the top of
the cliff
A keen wind was blowing, but following
the stranger, they turned their faces inland,
and began a rapid desoont from the
verge of the cliff, when they were quiokly
sensible of a ohange of temperature.
Then they began to see some tall trees
?Helen could not tell of what species, at
that distance?but the branches seemed
bowed by the rain and storm.
This walk,' said the stranger, <is the
commencement of my property. I do all
I can to reclaim the land from the sea-air.
> Beyond this is my bouse, in which. you
shall have a home until you can oommuni!
cate with your friends.'
Helen could not but express some thanks
i for all this apparent courtesy ; and as they
i found-themsel ves between two hedges, where
the path descended almost abruptly, she
I whispered to Ned . ?
, , 'Yoa do not judge this man harshly ?'
'A shark, Miss?Helen I' , .
?A shark.V
) . jYeSjJittle one, X oan see it in higa, and
i sooan Walla. But rest you want and reel
yon mast have1! And pirate, orao pirate,
j no harm shall come to yon, you may depend.'
I- It wan at this moment that there oame a
i sound, aa if from a far off, strapgedy ming.
ling with the roar of the sea and the* whistf
ling of the wind?a wild ahriU scream of
agonized fear!
i [to be continued.]
1 Highly Interesting Circular from
Captain M. F. Maury, late of the
Confederate States Nary.
' The following circular of invitation to
emigrants from this distinguished man ap
pears in the New York Herald of the 1st.
Captain MauryV character and reputation
is worldvide, and what he sa^s can be relied
on. Most of the Mexican correspondence
that we see published in the North
ern papers ia bat a tissue-of falsehood, and
utterly unworthy of attention, but Captain
Maufy'S statements are those of a man of
well known verity and probity. He saj4 :
The doors of the empire are wide open,
and bis Majfestytbe Emperor bee; in a most
liberal deoree, invited emigration from all
quarters, and. without distinction as to nationality.
Many people, both in the Old World and
the New, having heard of- this invitation,
wish to change their skies and to avail themselves
of its privileges. Gentlemen representing
several thousand families in Europe,
1 L.._Afloa^m-i A r
kuu uuuurcua iu jlcuucdctoc, iuiDoottii} *& kunsas,
Texas, the Carol in as, Alabama,
Mississippi aud Lousiaoa, in the United
States, are now anxiously seeking information
in regard to the couBtry, its condition
aod resources, with the view of makiog it
their home.
The earth here yiefas to rbe care of has
baodry with a profusion that woflld seem
incredible there and fabulous in Europe.'
In some places it crowns the tabor of the
1 husbandman rc-gertarty wftb two and in others
witb fhree harvests annually; and in
each-ore he gathers one hundred, two bunhundred,
some times three hundred, and
j occasionally four hundred fold, aud even
more, according to his own skill and the
kind of seed used.
Cotton and ooro do-well id almost all
parts of the empire. But the cottoo especially
of Tamaulipas, Mutahualo, Fre6oillo,
Durango, Mazatlan, and the States north,
are said to be of a better staple, save, sea
island, than any produced in the U. States
Indeed, theoot'tou of. Yuoatan is called Bea
island. . ^
Under these fine climates, which give a
purity and transparency to the atmosphere
that make existence -itself ah enjoyment,
and invest the eye with the facilities otal
most a new sense, the vegetable kingdom
displays its wealth apd its .powers most gor
ggously,' and' with the most marvellous vigor
and concentration.
'In chosen spots aod npon a siogle hacienda
may be seen crowded together, piled
upon in steeps one above another, in perfection,
fruits, flowers and products, which
in less favored climes requires as many lati
tudes, climates and soils as can be found in
I the entire breadth of plain that lies between
the sources of the Mississippi and the mouth
of the Amazon.
Here, besides cotton and corn, the olive
branch and vine, we have the finest of j
wheat, with pulse and all theceralsiu great
perfection; also tobacco, coffee, sugar cane,, i
the cocoa plant, rice, indigo, cochineal, pi (
oieoto, iodia rubber aud heouquiu?a peculiar
aud valuable fibre that answers many
of the purposes of both flax and hemp?
aud, last of all, aod what, moreover, no i
j other country iD the world can produce? j
i Flora's feast and Bacchus' boast?the lord i
j ly maguey, of polque plant of Anahuac. j
j I have seen some of the very Dest plant ,
i ers from Missouri, Tennesse and the South,
and I have conversed with learned tuen j
from France and other parts of Europe, all ,
of whom happen to have traveled through
the northern and most healthy parts of
i Mexico. The' Europeans report, on one (
j baod, an agricultural country -superior to 1
j the heat parts of France and Italy, and, al (
i so, of surpassing mineral wealth, while the |
Americans, on the other pronounces it a ,
grazing and cattle country, to which even ,
tho blue grass regions of Kentucky and ,
Tennessee are not to be compared. j
The mountains abound with minerals, i
' the woods with game, and the forests with I
j the finest of timber?with the most exquis- <
I :?? o ort nmnmpntal woods. frnms and I
IIC UJ|V> V? UW>?VM?w. ; 0 ?
spices, drags aad medicinal plants of rare
virtues.
****** I
The Mississippi Valley, even in its palmi- ,
est days coald not boast any plantation that ]
could compare in baronial splendor, lordly <
magnificence and prinoely hospitality with ]
your Mexican hacienda that has escaped the <
ravages of the war. The halls, of some of I
them are large enough to entertaib, and j
have entertained, several hundred guests j
for weeks at a time. <
On some of these you will find well ap- |
pointed schools for the education of the I
children of the dependents at the expense |
of the proprietor; churches built and chap- i
els maintained by the same munificent i
bounty; hospitals erected for the sick, the
old servants pensioned, and all the opera-1
tioos of the estate carried on upon a soale j i
and with expenditures followed by remu- 1
! oerative revenues, such as bat few farmers
in Virginia or France can boast of.
Ooe of the finest haciendas of the wasted
districts is now on sale. It was abandoned
some six or eight jeato ago, in conseqnenoe
of a revolution, the proprietor died, and It
has not sipoe been restored to cultivation*
ft yielded a regular annual profit of not
less than $120,000. The dwelling house
alone cost $200,000 This haoieoda is
Targe enough to accomodate forty or fifty
families with farms of ooe thousand acres
eaoh. It can now be had for lees than five
dollars the aore, aod after the first payment,
"on long time to suit purchasers.
AM Vl ft 1 A a O *A AM* 4 A ttkA
VbUUI UVUCUUIO ill?W OA Q (Jj/CU VV bUO
j choice and selection of the immigrants are
much larger.
Twp, cnntaTplqg each mor^ than three
thousand square miles, have been offeretf by
the proprietere for colonization
I,know of no country in which the lead is
held by so few, and in each large tracts.
Tbis fact has produced marked effects
upon the nation; it appears to hav?* deprived
Mexico entirely of what other o??uo
tries consider tbeir 'bone sod sinew'?tbeir
noble enterprising, energetic, bard working
middle classes.
* < * * *
To those who will thus come now, with
their families, and form settlements sufficient
to. call into play all the industrial appliances,
constating of machinery, shops and
implements conected with agriculture in. its
most improved state, and calculated to serve
as so many centres of agricultural improvement
in the country, special encouragement
is held out.
They are invited to send forward their
agents, who will receive all the information
that the Office of Colonization can give,
and every facility that it can throw in tbeir
Way, as to the most desirable parts of the
"countrv in Which to settle, the choicest !o
oalities aod the cheapest and best lands, &c.
Saving made their own selections, the
government will then, in case they require
it, lend them pecuniary assistance raffioieut
to ehabje them to establish themselves ?
their new homes and get fairly under way
M. F. Maury,
Imperial Commissioner.
Office of Colonization, No. 13 Caile San
JnatrLetran, Mexico, November, 18,1885.
A Bemimsoeno of the Ke&rsage and
Alabama Fight.
A writer in the CornhiU Magazine, who
has had opportunities o( conversation with
some of Sommes' old crew, gives the following
interesting reminiscence of the fight
between the -Alabama aod the Kearoage:
>1 thought yon bad been in the Confederate
Navy V 'I was,' said Aleok ; 4I was
with Semmes everywhere he went. I was
in the Daval brigade and blockade running,
and on the Alabama all the while be commanded
her.' 'Bat not when she sank, 1
snppose V I rejoined. 'Well, I waa, and
was picked up with him by the Deerheuod.'
'It was a pretty sharp fight, wasn't it?'-1
suggesting^ asked. 'It was that,' replied
Aleek ; bat he didn't cars about enlarging.
'I suppose it was the eleven inch shells that
did her business V 'Oh, no,' said he, ooming
to a kind of confessional, 'we never had
any chance j we had no gnooers to compare
with the Kearsage's. Our gunners fired
Kv rnntine and when then hmi the odd
loaded the; fired it off blind. They never
changed the elevation of their guns *11 the
fight, and the Kearsage was working op to
us all the while, takiog advantage of every
tiow she was hid by smoke to work a little
nearer, and then her gunner took aim for
every shot.' 'Then it isn't true that the
Alabama tried to board the Kearsage V?
'No, sir; she did her best to get away from
her from the time the fight commenced ?
We knew well that if we got in range, of
her Dahlgreeu howitzers she would sink ua
in ten minutes.'
'But,' I asked, *don't you believe that
Sommes supposed he would whip the Kearsage
when be weDt to fight her?' 'No;
he.was bullied into it, and took good care
to leave all his valuables ou shore, and bad
a life preserver on through the fight. I saw
him put it ou, aod I thought if it was wise
in bim, it wouldn't be foolish in ma, and I
put one oo too. When S.emmea saw that
the ship was going down, he told ua ail to
swim who could, aod was one of the first
to jump ioto the water, and we all made
for the Deerhound. I waa a long way ahead
af Semmes, and when I came up to the
Deerbouud's boat they asked me if I was
Semmes before they would take me in. I
said I wasn't, and they asked me what 1
was oo the Alabama. Said 1, 'no matter
what I was oo the Alabama, I shall be a
dead man soon if yon don't take me In.'?
They asked me again If I was an officer or
a seaman, and wouldn't take me in until I
told them I was an officer.' 'But,' said I,
did they actually refuse to pick up comj
i .i J *?
moo seamen, ana leave mem wj uruwu i ?
'They did that,' replied he wrathfuily, tod
probably not very oorreccly; 'and as soon
is they bad Semmes on board they made
tracks as fast as they knew how, and left
jvery body else to drown or be pioked hp
t>y the Kearsage.'
Soil that Needs Lime.?To asoertain
the soil likely to be benefitted by lime, pot
i small quantity of soil in a tumbler, and
Dour upon it a little water, and then a good
deal of spirits of salts, or muriatic aoid.?
[f this addition produces a strong effervescence,
there is no need of applying lime
to the land; if no effervescence is produced
in all probability liming or marl will be usefnl.
However, this simple test cannot always
be depended upon, and it is, therefore,
much safer to have the proportion of
lime determined in the soil, whiob, at no
great expense, can be done by an analyti*
:al chemise. Bat in localities where there
;s no chemist the test should be made.
iST The government is still realizing
immense earns from the sale of unnecessary
fvar materials.