WITHOUT FURTHER DELAY. CHAPTER XXII.

Waikato Times, Volume IV, Issue 182, 8 July 1873, Page 3

WITHOUT FURTHER DELAY. CHAPTER XXII.

\ Wlnlc jou here do snoring he, Opcn-eml conspiracy His time doth take. T?nE steam-tug -which earned Robertson had a long, uncfl«j passage to Abcrliinmni Tli.^ cable h\ wlm-li Iho disimwlwi .ahip was being painfully lu^ed up mul di.wn the bluing seas, snapped thrice, ami thrice was iepl.i.-e.l. It broke again, aud the sea ran too high to suffer tlio damage to be repaired. The tiu.|«as then obliged to leave the ship to her fate, and run for shelter to the harbour of Aherhirnant. It •was late in the evening when they made the harbour, and Gerard was put ashoie, and took his way to the hotel of the village, which, to bis surprise, he found to be close to Bodgadfan, situated, indeed, in a tw in nook in the hills, divided from the banker's house by a rib of prcpipitous rock. Here, nit hough all the rooms were dismantled, and everything in its winter garb, he succeeded in inducing the people of the house to prepaie a bed for him. Gerard Eobertson slept an uneasy, unrest ful sleep, for the first part of the night — dreams di-turbed him, poi lentous shapes appealed to him — but he slept through it all m same fashion. He awoke at last with a stnrl, and a profound drend upon him. Some mjstenous t-ense of evil and misery seemed to him ; a formless terror he could not shnke off. The clock of the church ,d inn below in the village sounded the hour three. Sad and ghostly hour! when all the evil influences of nature hold most potent sway; when all the- miseries of .existence marshal themselves before the helpless soul ; when, as at the tap of drum, the skeletons of the past start from their hiding-place , and align in gha&tly battalions' Hour of dismal darkness, or of still more dismal light, when the flickering taper pale 9 in the sickly shimmer of dawn ; when the flickering light fades out, and the white, haggard faces of the waU'heis are bent m hopeless soriow on the solemn mask of the dead! Weariful, woful hour, dedicated to sorrow and remorse ! One, two, three' As the melancholy tones of the bell died away, Gerard felt a more hopeless «ense of misery and depression lie would rise, and face these shadows. He crawled out of bed, and went to the window. Bodgadfan, the residence of the banker— apart from the legend w Inch connected it w ith the hol> Saint Cadf.in, whose ™ hermitage it had once been — was n, stone building of the i^cnteenth century, having two semicircular wings liko bastions abutting, crowned by conical slated roofs. The liouse faced almost due southland therefore looked up and across the estuary ; but a new wing had been built, joined to the western wing on higher ground — a wing only a story high, the windows of which opened on to a terrace, which, by a gradual slope, joined the lawn and gardens in front of the liouse This wing, then, looked directly upon the rivermouth. In it were the principal bedroom of the house and -the banker's study. tte\ond this wing, the rock rO6e precipitously, and on a nook m the face of the rock there was built a summer-house of stone. It was of the same ago as the older portion of the mansion, was substantially built, and had beneath it a cellar cut out of the solid rock, reached by a trap-door fiom the upper room. Here, m the palmy days of old, would the master of the house and his guests — having laid in an ample supply of all the best liquor of the establishment — retire for a glorious drinking-bout, to bo prolonged, perhaps, for days, till the liquor was exhausted, or all the revellers were entirely prostrated. It was rarely used now. John the clerk had the key of it, and would sit there and smoke his pipe sometimes in the summer; but the pathway from the house had been closed by Kowlands' orders, by a wicket-gate placed across it, in the days when his children ■wore young, and he feared they would tumble over the rock* into the sea. Much had the pathway crumbled away Miiee then ; the storms and frosts had broken it down ; and there was one little gully to cross where the path failed altogether, and here a loose sliding bed of stones, hanging over an abyss, far below w Inch the sea foamed and frothed among hard splintered rocks, was the only practicable passage. It was rather a cascade of stones than a jjully, so steep was the angle of its descent, so shifting the shale that the lightest footstep dislodged. There was a pathway also from the inn, much broader and safer, which terminated at tho same point. It was a favorite outlook for tourists in the summer tune, that plateau of rock, and tlie landlord of the inn paid some nomino'l .acknowledgment totbe banle* for the right of access to it. The weather had modeiated wonderfully with the going down of the sun ; the wind had veered a point or two to wards the south, softening down to a plea-ant westerly breeze. The howling north-wester had slunk away, the waves had subsided, the orm-clouds had broken up into flying columns, and the dark purple sky and spaikhng stars appeared behind. Gerard having dressed himself as well as he could w'thout the help of his left arm, opened the window gently, and went out. There was no moon visible, but there wa« a sweet and delicate light over the whole land and sea. The gea sparkled below with phosphorescent ripples; the tide was full in, and the ships hung loosely at their moorings; whilst up the estuary a long vista of waters gleamed among the dark moxintains which hemmed in the river's bed. But a little strip only of tho sea was visible to Gerard, the rest vwas hidden by the crag on w Inch stood the summer-house. Was it pohsibic to gam the summit of Me rock, and see the whole world of waters without swaying to and fro under the w onderful mystic light? Surely there was a path cut cut of the rock leading directly from the garden of the hotel, into which his bedroom window opened, to the ouwimit of the crag, on which be could distinguish the peaked roof of the summer-house. He sprang quickly along the mountain-path which led to the airy outlook, and soon found himself on the rocky platform. Below him the restless sea throbbed and sparkled in the hazy light ; around him, the dark outlines of hills mingled with the fringes of the clouds. As he stood on the platform m front of the summer-house, looking round on the expanse of lucent waters, he saw a bright line, a mere thread of light, cast across the rock ; and wondering at this phenomenon, and investigating the cause of it, ho found that the bright lme was the result of a chiiik in the shutters of the sunrmcr-liouse above him, and that there certainly was a light within. The discovery startled him. Was it possible that any of the family or servants of the hotel, or of adjacent Bodgadfan, slept in this little house ? Hardly : that any one should ti averse nightly such a cold and precipitous path, would be most unlikely. A slight tremor of superstitious fear ran through him. On this lonely rock what spirits might not congregate ! He stood irresolute, «Qt knowing what to do. It might be that the banker had the habits of a recluse, and here spent his nights. If so, lie .could hardly venture to disturb him without a cause ; and yet the sight of that thin thread of light streaming forth into the vast profound abjss struck him with intense curiosity, with a feeling that was half fear and half expectaition. Suddenly, from out of the dark void below him, the shrill pipe of a whistle resounded among the rocks In a moment the window above was thrown open, and a bright light streamed forth. 1 Well, Thomas ?' said a low clear voice from the opened window. ' Look sharp there. The tide has just slackened ; -wo can run out with the ebb There's a nice "breeze at sea ; wo shall make the breeze in no time.' 'All right, Thomas. We'll come in a minute.' The speaker didn't think it worth while to close the window, -but went on with his conversation with those inside. 'Now, look here,' he said; 'I've had all the 'sponsibility and ■ trouble, and I must have two-thirds. Four thousand pounds $■ I will have. See, I will divide the money, and you shall * , share : one lot to^ach of you, the, two lots to me. It's my right ; am I not the captain v> ' You be blowed' 1 snid a voice certainly English. 'A pretty captain, indeed ! — can't work except by dead rcokoning, eh ? Where would you have been if it hadn't been for me ? And Johnny hove, who squared all the account-— and made it come out so beautiful, where would you have been if it hadn't been for him, yen. thick-head ? No, share and share alike — What do you say, mate ?' 1 1 agree with the captain,' said another voice. ' It's the custom here : we sail in thirds — two to the captain, one to the ovners. That is our, custom in Wales ; yes, indeed.' '.'Custom, be hanged! Don't come o\er me with your palaver. Pals who's been robbing their owners shares alike. That's nature and religion, too. Come.' ' No, indeed, Mr Brumfit. Our customs say-that if there be a quarrel as to a division amongst three, two shall decide it against the third. You've got a majority against you ; yes, indeed ' ' I'll tell you what it is,' said tho voice gruffly ; ' if it comes to thct, I'll soon sink your majority. I'll pitch you out of the window, you snivelling littlo fool, you'! I know your game — chouse the Englishman, and then share even after•warrU. Oh, blame >ou 9 I know you. I'll chuck you out of the window, you skimp} Welsh monkey, if jou don't deal fair 1 ' ' You sail not chock him out of w'mtow, Sir Cursed Sais ; no, indeed ; no, by Jupiter, or I will chock 3011 out after — yes, by Jupiter ' Oli, for Heat en's sake, don't quarrel, don't quarrel till we get the money all pi Wn»n\ Come, do be reasonable, Mr Brumfit, and let 113 maTo our shares '" ' Share and share alike, or, look here! I'll fling the whole lot into the sea !' A strong thick arm was thrust out of tho window, holding a ennvns money-bag by the neck in the clonched fist. Home irresistible impulse seized Gerard at this moment ; the bag was dangling within an inch of his note ; he raised his sound arm and jerked the bag out of the hand that was stretched out towards him. ' I've dropped it, by — — .' There wa* in that little room for a short sp-jfo a Round nf • tearing and rending, of prowls nridcur=i>«.:w thmi h n fni<il\ of tiger* had been turned loo>-e there, who spoke Weleli and broken English. More than once the brawny shape of the Englishman appeared half thrust out of tho window, but again ho gathered up his strength and nearly succeeded 111 .hoisting out an adversary. Amidst uU this hidtous clatter

and hullnbnlloo, upon the reck, looking out tlio broad tranquil sea, Gerard stood bewildered, m the shadow of the wall, not knowing what ho should do. At last , lrom pure exhaustion, the combatants desisted for a moment ; m that moment, a voico found breath In sn 'Fool-. 1 perhaps it dropped on the rock, after all.' Thoro was a rush across the htlln mom ; the door opened; the brawny Englishman csimo flrst, bearing a huge slap's lantern ; then a little WeUhman in a gold-banded cap ; then another littlo man, whom Gerard lveu^msed in a moment: it was the man who had met him :.t t lie station, and had left him on the Sum Ue in. But evil as his case w.h then, it seemel much worse to him now, standing on a narrow ledf c of rock, overhanging the throbbing sea, with the bag ol money in his hand, surrounded by three desperate detected rogues.

Pbofessou Tyndall on Niag \.n v— A crowded audience n«Bembled last night at tlio Koynl Institution to hoar Professor Tyndall'a lecture on some of hi-, recent oxperieme* i ) the United States, and especially at the Niagara Falls. Sir Henry Holland occupied the chair The lecturer stated that the general description of the deafening roar near the FalU was exaggerated, inasmuch as the noise experienced at the Devil's bridge in Switzerland, where the Reuss made its plunge, was by far greater. This was due t> the surrounding mountains, whereas the great American cataract has no such acoustic advantage. He described his explorations beneath the so-called Horseshoe Full, by far the more formidable of the two generally comprised under the name of the Niagara Falls. Wrapped in bc\ mil woollen garments, he had to cross torrents of water, and to pass over the slippery ground from whence he had a view of the green masses overhead, the contemplation of which gave him one of those agreeable emotions which he had been told liberated nerve currents, and assisted in the stimulating of the system better than the chymical preparation* used for dispelling bodily discomforts. He said that, except the gorge through which the river rushed, the country around was a table-land as far as Queenstown ridge on the ono sido and Lewistown ridge on the other side of the river. Here the table-land suddenly desceuded into the plain towards the Ontario, and he drew attention to this fact because it explained to him the cxistenco and history of the Niagara Falls. Many thousnnd years ago the river probably ran along the table-land, and the Falls then were exactly at the escarpment of the tnble-lnnd. Tne erosive power of the sand and boulders carried by the river, however, excavated and cut the extreme end, and thus caused a retrocession of the locus of the fall. Ihe centre of the river, having the greateit excavating power managed to keep ahead of the sides— that is, in going backwards—and thus the horeshoe form was produced. The extraordinary whirlpools and upshots of masses of water at ono of the bends ho ascribed to the interference of the central and latitudinal currents. In 5,000 years people would be able to iee plainly if .this theory were correct, and he predicted that in time the American fall would be abolished, leaving a whirlpool, and the Horseshoe Fall would have receded still further back, at the same time narrowing the bed of the river behind it. The tumbling over of the barriers had been and would be hastened by the disposition of the strata of the tablo-land, in which limestone rested on soft shale. The lecture was illustrated by photographic and other views, and by experiments showing the erosion caused by a blast of sand impinging on v, glass plate. Some stones resembling Hint implements were shown, the finish of which was due to the same influences, and it was mentioned that the cut on the neck of the Egyption Sphinx was probably owing to the action of sand. Au artificial representation of what had happened in fcho history of the Niagara Falls was also exhibited. Professor Tyndati.concludcd by saying that, during his recent visit, he had received a hearty and almost affectionate reception from the people of the United States, and in lertunng and living •among this other English-speak-ing natitn he had felt m> break of continuity. — Ttmet,

April 5. Too Muck Learning.— Mr Barnum has several elephant j in training for his travelling show. They are taught to dance, to turn the organ, and to perform various other feats. One of these elephants died recently The news was sent to Mr Barnum, written on the back of a card, by the elephant trainer, and read as follows :— " Air Barnum, one of the elephants is dead. He dyed of entorniatiou." " That's all right," said Barnum, on reading the letter. "We must not teach elephants so much. They can't stand a high degree of education. Our giving this animal such a stock of 'on formation ' has cost me 10,000 dolb, y.jreaftcr contine them to the luduucnts."