LITERATURE.

Globe, Volume XXI, Issue 1683, 12 July 1879, Page 3

LITERATURE.

A CAVE ON SALAMI 3. ( Concluded.) * This will not be the first time they have used this oave ss a prison.’ ‘ That brings me as little comfort as the knowledge of my present sufferings would have brought to onr predecessors;’ ‘ How dull you are I Have you* left your brains sticking to the rocks V ‘ Well, I attend.’

‘ Thera has been bloodshed. I have found human bones not far from here, and from their state I could tell that they had been rooted up from the loose soil by some dog. 1 hey conld not have been very old from their condition. Now, these fellows, hardened as they are, have a conscience, and the thought of a dead man haunting his murderers would bo terrible to them.’

* I understand you now. But supposing I impc s mate the ghost, if we frighten no one bnt the old man, we will be shot down as we attempt to sally out.’ ‘ Leave that to me. I will take the whole responsibility upon my shoulders.’ He looked at his watch and remarked that we had no time to lose. Bringing the lamp and tome white dust he had found, he sat at work to decorate me for my role. He labored for some time in eilenco, and retreating from me with the light in his hand, exclaimed :

•By all that’s holy, I am afraid of you myself!’ •It is luoky there Is no mirror here, or I might be too sored to proceed with the work,’ I said, for the wine I had taken had begun to operate strongly, and X f-?el more inclined to laugh aloud tban preserve the gravity becoming the part T had to p’ay. He left me, taking the light with him, and I remained sitting on the ground, feeling quite careless of how things might turn out. Nothing had broken the quiet of the cave for some time, hut an occasional cough or hum from Waring, when footsteps were audible-creeping toward us. More than one person it seemed to me there were, and words were interchanged, the sense of which I could not catch, hut which showed that my conjecture was just. I could hear Waring breathing hard, nay, I fancied I could distinguish the beating of his heart, as ho awaited the visitor.

‘ I have eome in good time and to good purpose, I hope,’said a familiar voice. My friend did not answer. ‘Hero is one of the lads who would like to have a hand In the affair. He is a tood fellow, but not nice in some of his moods—ha, ha I’ and the chief chuckled oontentsd'y. Still no answer.

•By the Holy Virgin! If yon don’t open your mouth,’ followed in rasping tones that that appeared to come from the lad ‘ None of that, at least yet, Marco.’ ‘Why not? If he’s drunk and won’t talk. I’ll wake him up and show him how to find his tongue.’. Waring remained silent, though It was evident that violent intimidation was meant. Puzzled at this, I could hear the o'd man displace one thing after another and then count his beads energetically, while I, too. was unable to account for the behavior of Waring, and awaited with anxiety his first words. But nothing came. I thought he might have lost command of himself, and trembled for the consummation of onr plan ‘ What does he mean, Marco ?’ shouted the old man all at once, in a tone of alarm.

‘He is bewitohed, I think,’ answered his myrmiion. ‘ Give mo your hand. Speak, I pray yon. Tell me what you want. Marco, a crucifix !’

A deep moaning followed, and from the confused exclamations of his attendants, it appeared that they had applied a cross to Waring’s lips to exorcise the demon within Groan after groan came, each louder than the other, and his acting seemed perfect, if I could judge from the staggering steps of the Greeks and the sound of heavy falls against the stone,. At last words came :

‘ Bring more ! bring more !’ ‘ Bring what? Tell me —anything I have,’ answered the brigand. ‘ More, more!’ ‘ More what ?’ ‘ More, more I’ ‘ He means more of our men,’ said the other. ‘ Then go and fetch them. Or, s‘ay, I will not be alone with him ; call Manouli and Thoma, hey !’ Both shouted as loud as they oonld, but with an obvions trembling in their articulation. An answering cry came soon, and it was followed by the gradual arrival of others of the band. ‘ Now speak,’ said the chief, who was deeply affected, and used rather the tone of a father to his son than that of a murderer to his victim. ‘ More—al!!’ groaned Waring. • We are all here,’ was the answer. ‘ No,’ said some; ‘ Stephanaki, the boy, is outside ’ ‘Tell him to come, too.’ A pause ensued, and no explanation seemed needed by the newcomers of the reason of the summons. I was astounded at this acting. The last soon joined the company, and fresh appeals were made to my friend to unbosom himself. He spoke at Ja“t, in a deep, tragic voice. ‘ What have you done here ? ‘ What should we do here but oat, drink aid sleep ?’ ‘Nothing else?’ There was a pause ‘ Tell the truth, for I have seen that that shall bring you to an evil end befora this day goes round,’ The rustling of the fustancllss indicated conste’nat'On. ‘ You have taken the life of an man here, on this very spot, and his spirit demands vengeance’ ‘ Hal’ said the chief, with a forced laugh; * d»ad men do not come back again.’ But the effort ho made was plain, and the taciturnity of the audience argued ill for their firmness. _ , ‘ You cut him down in cold blood. ‘lt is nonsense I’ll cut you down, too, if you do not stop 1 ’ ‘ Out ma down, too I You have not the power to hurt a hair of my head. Booh where the spectre hovers with Ins hand toward yoar throat 1 ’

f We’ll gee * But hia speech wrs out short, for X kad taken these words for my cno and stepped out, stretching out my arms and rolling my eyes like a maniac. A yell of horror saluted me. INiO need tor Waring t> grasp the pistol I had given him, for pell mell, one on the other, shrieking and blaspheming and praying in one breath, our foes fled, and their agonised struggles to pass each other aud reach the open air was the only trace of them within two seconds. , T , t We must hurry after, said Waring. It wo give them time to consider, we are done for, * Taking me by the hand of which I had sore need, he half led, half dragged rna on, carrying the lamp, and holding the pistol in his mouth. , The distance was short, and I only paused to put on a large pair of shoos which lay in a corner, and throw a mantle over my shoulders, before dashing down the light and sallying forth. 1 he unfamiliar blaze of day dazzled me at first, but my heart leafed for joy as Waring exclaimed that all were gone, and that wc could make for the shore without hindrance. Never have I seen more and courage shown than by ray American frienu. He half carried me at intervals, and then would quit mo to run forward and reconnoitre—a matter of no small difficulty on such ground Returning, ho guided me, step by step, revor failing to chooie the best stone to place each foot on, and uttering no word of annoyancs at the peevishness I vented in my bitter weariness. Wc began at last what we regarded as the last stretch, for on the waterside lay all our hope of definite escape, when Waring, returning from one of hia expeditions, told me that a fresh party, well armed, was approaching. My only answer was to cower down behind the first rook that offend sheltered, while ha did the same a little

lower d-vwn. We hal not long to wait before eight rr ten made their appearance, talking loudly and gesticulating Among them I recognised mote than one face, and heard enough to Conjecture that they had been separately in pursuit of me, and imagined that I must have made my escape f om the island. It appeared that they were then returning to warn their leader. They wers evidently wearied and embittered with long effort. One who parsed close to me muttered a corse touching boatmen and coffee-house keepers, which I guessed to have reference to my trepumers of the previous day. They straggled on, taking the dire3'.iou of the oave, while we emerging from our hiding-places ■ with all fpaed, turned sharp’y off toward the i water A few stops brought us to a spot not fifty yards from where I had stranded my boat. 1 looked anxiously, bat the craft was gone. Not a trace could my friend discover of what had occurred, save* the yet unerased tracks of feet in the sand. We sat down to consider what we should do, bitterly regretting teat we had not provisioned ourselves from the cave' I was completely broken, and even Waring showed signs of exhaustion that promised-' ill should we have once more to trust to onr energy for safety. We rested there till the sun went down. Twice or thrice we observed a sail in the mouth of the strait, but even if we conld have drawn attention we dared not.

A chill tramentaine began*to blow, as night closed in, that utterly unnerved me, and I laid down bs-h’nd a projecting rock and fell into a lethargic sleep. My repose was troubled by no distinct dream, yet it seemed long From time to time I-gasp’d and halfopened my eyes to yield again to the fascination of my stony couch. All at once I became conscious that I 1 had changed my position Th» breeze blew freshly over me for a minute. I heard voices, and then a heavy cloak was thrown* over me. I felt about and noticed that’my head encountered the ribs of a boat i but then weariness once overcame me, and I slept. When I awoke I found myself reposing ben-ath a mosquito bar on a bed fair different to the last I remembered. The deadened light crept in through carefully closed bl'nda and by it I could discern the white linen of my resting place, and* through the veil artiolea of furniture that' seemed not unfamiliar. I tried to get up. but my hand fell powerless back. I tried* to* apeak, but only brought a rattling sound from my throat. After several efforts however I succeeded in turning my head; The noise roused an old woman who was sitting beside me. As I motioned with* my. lips she laid her finger on hers, and stepped' softlv into the next room. Amoment elapsed, and then a frank voice exclaim -d—----1 What ! alive again ?-’ It was Waring who looked in the uncertain light, as fresh and hearty as-if nothing had befallen him. Why need I spin out-this story T That evening I was sitting, propped up by pillows in my friend’s parlor, listening to the finale of our adventure, It appeared that while I slumbered the American had watched. He was in great fear lest the night should pass without any vessel approaching, as* he feared for my life ; aud yet he hesitated to leave me on the point of starting for the nearest village, when a light dancing on the waves at no great distancs caught his eye. We dared not call out, but without delay stripped and plunged in, and had the happiness after a sharp struggle with the water, of being helped on boa-d a Russian man-of-war’s boat by his friend and* recent guest, Gerowski, second lieutenant of the frigate then in harbor. The party, he learned, had been despatched in pursuit of a deserter, and thus their opportune arrival was explained l?o time was lost in succouring my unfortunate self, and then the proposal was made that the armed boat’s crew should essay the- place of our confinement. The thought however that if defended sailors were no match on such ground for mountaineers, and the extrema improbability on the other hand of the latter remaining after out escape, decided the question of an immediate return to Athens. ‘ And how long have I been lying here 7 ’ I asked. ‘ A good fortnight,’ was the answer. ‘What! senseless 7’ ‘As good. Talking rubbish, and taking every honest Greek that approached yon for a brigand ’ ‘ And what has been done ?’ ‘ How so 7’ * About the cause of a’l this ?’ My friend grinned sardonically and paused a while. ‘ I suppose yon imagine,’ he said at length, 1 that tbe Homeric old gentleman and his myrmidons are at this moment safely lodged in Athens 1’ ‘ It will do you little credit if they aren’t.’ ‘ Read this!’ He drew a letter out of his pocket and handed it to me. It ran as follows :

‘ Worthy and Excellent Sir, —In pursuance of instructions consequent on the information you afforded, Captain Socrates Michaelis has undertaken a thorough exploration of Sdamis, but I regret being compelled to say that he found no confirment whatever of your extraordinary statement. No strangers whatever have been observed on the island for several weeks, except two Europeans, who, in a state of total intoxication, were temporarily succoured by a village priest. Without wishing to offend, I may hint that mistakes may occur, which, in the present state of feeling among the protecting powers, would be very prejudicial to our national interests. By rash (publicity, however, private interests may also be affected. I would suggest then, for the advantage of all parties, that the matter be allowed to r. po»e on its o*n merits, and have the honor to sign myself. With distinguished consideration, ‘ Eubvphron Kaxaiopoullos, Minister of the Interior.’ ‘ Why, they have turned the tables on ns !' I exclaimed angrily, ‘ Don’t yon remember the old rascal promised to when I was his guest ?’ ‘Well, but what have you done? Surely ’ ‘Oh, I Lave not b:en idle. I dined with him.’ ‘ With whom ?* ‘ With our old friend.’ ‘ Where V ‘ On Salamis, you infidel.’ ‘And—?’ •He inquired very kindly after your health, aid said he forgave your for yoar share in the trick we played—it was done so cleverly. ’