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It*-. a S'.v 9{'- I&S & y\ ?:•. e"'i^' £-:$•- tiw' Thli Is one of the tttei of „"T|it Atn io thi Bpeaaart," a famous series tfeat hM been translated Into practically all European lan IBW N one of the rocky Isl ands of northern Scotland two fisher men dwelled many years7 ago, In happy and undisturbed com panionship. Both,were unmarried, neither had any relatives, and their laborsx were divided with such unselfishness and willingness that they had no trouble in supporting themselves in the slm pie existence that contented them. They were nearly equal as to age, but in person and In temperament they were not more alike than an eagle is like a sea cow. Kaspar Strumpf was short and thick set, with a broad, fat face like a full moon. Grief and worry seemed utter strangers to his eyes, from which there shone perennial laughing good nature. He was not only fat, but sleepy and sluggish. Therefore he was pleased to undertake the work of the little house, cooking, baking, mending and knitting nets, both for their own use and for sale, and in ad dition, with all his slowness, he man aged to attend to the simple farming of their little field. His partner was his direct opposite. Wilm Falke was tall and lean, with a hold nose like a hawk's beak*, keen eyes and a general appearance that spoke of instant determination. The nature of the man did not belie the appearance. Falke was famous as the mo$t daring cragsman among all those desperate men who hunted birds' eggs and feathers by letting themselves down the dizzy cliffs. He was the most industrious and at the same time the luckiest of the fishermen. During his hours ashore he worked with in tense energy and Quickness In the field. In all the islands he was notorious Iiff being the sharpest trader and the most avaricious, but whatever he sold iwaa good and every transaction was free from the least taint of dishonesty or deceit. Therefore, he had, plenty of customers and he and Kaspar lived well, for Falke divided his hard-earned N money cheerfully and faithfully with his partner, despite his greed for wealth. j[ The two men, living so simply and' spending scarcely anything, were well on the way to a modest independence but this did not satisfy the desire of Wilm Falke. Nothing was sufficient for him except to become rich. He dreamed and thought and schemed for wealth—not merely ordinary riches, /tyut immensei treasure. Since all hop£ of mat Was but a wild dream for a poor flsherma^ he realized that he could attain his de sire only through some extraordinary piece of luck. Stiy the desire \vould not leave his hot brain. Thus filled With a single dominating idea, Wilm Falke became convinced at last that Sooner or later he would find a way to gain fortune' with one great effort. Finally he fell. into, the habit of speaking of it to Kaspar Strumpf as something that was certain to hap pen. Kaspar had devout and complete faith in everything that was done or said by his masterful friend. He told his neighbors thatFalke soon would be vastly wealthy. Before long the story ran through all the islands that Falke either had sold himself to the Evil Oiie for gold or that he had, at least, received an offti from the Prince of Darkness. At first Falke laughed at the story when it came to his ears. Then he pleased himself with the whimsical reflection that a spirit from the under world might show him the hiding place of a treasure. After a while he did/ not laugh in scorn when his fel® low-fishermen mentioned the tale in his hearing. He became silent and his mind concentrated itself on strange thoughts. The energy with which he had sought fish on the open sea began to diminish. The once indefatigable man, who had used every hour for vigorous work, spent hours seeking for some adventure that would bring him sudden wealth. Naturally his mind turned ever and again to the ocean, and he became a prey to con stant reflection about the rich wrecks that strewed that wild and deadly coast. An unhappy chance brought it about one day as he stood on a lonely beach and stared into the moving sea, that a great breaker burst almost at his feet with a mass of whirling Sea mosses and stones that it had torn from some sunken reef. Among the sea-wrack thus thrown before him his quick eye saw something foreign. He- stooped and picked up a lump of gold! Wilm Falke stood as if peteified. Now be knew that his hopes and dreams had not been empty visions. The gold that the sea~had given him must ber a bit from some heavy ingot, rubbed and worn by the restless waves through the generations till it had become'a round lump no larger than a bullet. Somewhere here must lie a richly laden ship, perhaps .a galleon. It was clear as day in his mind that he had been selected by Providence to lift those treasures from the lap of the ocean, where they had lain so long. From that moment'this become his sole desire, his sole task. He kept his find secret from all, even from Kaspar Strumpf/ that nope might dis cover what he knew. His fishing his trading were forgotten. He spent days and nights along the coast, fish ing desperately and at risk of his life But he cast no net for things of fin and scale That which he cast was a dredge, and it was sent into the deep to seek for gold. Itbrought in nothing but sea weed and sea ooze. Instead of wealth, his monomania brought poverty. He 3araedv nothing toy mofe, arid Kas m'9 faithful bilt sluggish efforts did £-m «iv Kto &*t not suffice to support them both/ Grad* ually the greater part of the little capital that they had earned by the constant labor of many years became less and less. In the past Kaspar Strumpf had ac cepted his share unquestionably, though Wilm Falke earned by far the greater part of their mutual Income. Now he accepted the care and priva tions with the same silence and it never occurred to him to complain or to criticise his partner's act§. This gentle, affectionate acquies cence only drove Wilm Falke to re newed and more desperate efforts. He oould not rest for a moment. Awake or asleep he saw before him black caverns under sea, with the green translucence shimmering through the wall of water and the ghastly light falling on barnacled masts, spectral poops and battle lanterns, on dead men's bones and on gold! His slumbers became not sleep, but wild successions of adventures. Through them all ran a haunting word—a word that he knew to be a key, yet a word that eluded his senses even in the moment that he heard it. As soon as he closed his eyes to sleep the word was muttered in his ear. Something whispered it—some thing that he saw and yet did not see. Every time it was whispered he "heard it so clearly that it seemed to peal through his brain and ring there like an echo. But he could not remember it for even the fraction of an instant. He did not know what the word couMi mean or what effect it could have on his quest, but everything mys terious had power over such a spirit as that of Wilm Falke, controlled by one overweeninginfatuation.' The ghostly whispers confirmed hir^ in the belief that a great fortune was wait ing for him aqd that it lay in the hgt tom of the sea. One day a furious gale burst on him suddenly while he was dredging on the beach where he had found the little lump of gold. So mightily did the sea rise and -so vehement was the blast that whiBtled from the pillared rocks that he had to seek refuge. He ran to a caverp near by. This cavern, which the natives knew as the Cavern of Steenfoll, was really a subterranean sea-passage. The huge vault opened into the open ocean at each end and gave the waves a free though confined passage. Evermore they poured through the black hole, roaring, and lathering themselves white against the gleaming rock. The cavern of Steenfoll could be en tered only through a- fissure in the top. Few dared to try-it. In addition to the real dangers ot the infernal place there was the fear of unearthly things, for the cavern had a bad repu tation kini65ig the superstitious fisher men. •, Wilm let himself down by a rope and found a resting place about4?ieet below on a flat bottom of stone that jutted out from under the overhanging, rbck. Below his feet the waves whirled and raced, fantastically white in the darkness. Over head the gale seemed to shake tjie solid land. perhaps Wilm Falke was the only man in the islands whO would have dared to stay in the weird place but it seemed to him the very spQt for his dreams. Forgetful of the constant shock of the surges against the hissing rocks at his feet, forgetful of the rav ing of the tempest, he became entirely oblivious of the great darkness around film and fell to thinking again of wrecked ships. "What ship was it that sent me the gold?" he demanded fiercely, as he had demanded it con stantly ever since the waves had tossed it to him. He had sought information from every old man in the islands. He had/ asked pilots and fishermen. None could remember anything of any ves sel that had sunk near that spot. How long he sat there he did not know. He awoke to his senses with a start to find that the storm had passed. He scrambled to his feet Then suddenly from the blackness and the depths below him there sounded a voice!" It. was only one word that was ut tered. The word "Carmilhan," Affrighted he staggered to the edge of the stone and peered into the abyss. "Great God!" he screamed. "The word! The .word that has pursued me through my dreams! What does it mean?" "Carmilhan!" came a great, dying groan from the water. Scarcely able to climb from fright, Wilm Falke. scrambled up the rope and ran in a wild panic to the htit Fear could control his infatuation and his avarice only a short while. Then his lust redoubled by the mys terious utterance of the mysterious word, he repaired again to the shore. It was midnight when he threw out* his dredge opposite one of the en trances to the great cavern. The sea was high and his boat was, being hurled about dizzily, but he fugged at his dredge as If-he were fishing on a placid lake. The forbidding, mouth of the cavern was illuminated by the moon and Falke was looking at it with an in voluntary shudder, when his dredge held fast to the bottom. He pulled with all his sinewy body, but the im plement would not move. A wind arose and whipped over the sea. A blatfc cloud swept over the moon. The boat dipped«and careened, threatening to capsize. Wilm Falke set his teeth and hauled with desper ate fury. All at once everythihgf £ave way so suddenly that he imagined that -his line had broken.' But just as the last? bit of moonlight was disappearing^be hind the fleeing cloud .a round, bl^ck appeared 'on the tossing surface He thrust' his arm forth to i3eizeit. Through the wailing of the wind and' over the roaring of the waves he Im agined, that he heard the word "GS^ milhan" uttered once more. The ntxt moment the tAisrf, vanished and bitii&r darkness hid th^sea. Thet, ifliid WI -1 seemed, to throw itself on the'ocean: Billows began to sprout in all direc-' tions, as.if Wilm Falke's sacrilegious hand had ^un^ealed1 tite sea He bare ly managed^ to win %ie jrabrte b^forfe the ocean'-^as'^'^lS^ing^aste.^-^.-- He threw himself down among the rocks an4#leptgjdreaming again all the adventuj^of tjPnight and^fcortured by the lps#0f#the.' forti^ev that had seem4| within hand,- Wheh he awo^d it" yj|s: dawn and-t^e light Mil on a^uiefc sea.He: launched his bj^at' to b^gih ra| dredghag at once when he say Something coming toward shore. It was a boat and in it was a, huipn' figure,: but it moved Without- sailer oar. It stopped alongside of his own craft. Wilm Falke saw a little, with ered old man, attired in yellow can vas, while on- his head he had a red night cap, whose peaked top stpod stiffly upright. /The old man sat with closed eyes, as motinoless as a corpse. Wilm Falke spoke to him without avail Then he. shouted, but the man paid -no attention. He leaned over to- fasten his line to the boat and- tow it ashore, ijearcely had he laid his Jiand on the boat before the man opened his .eyes and began to move—but in a' w^y that filled even the reckless Falke with an unnameable dread. 1 "Where ami I?""asked the^ pld man in Dutch, after a deep sigh. Falke, who had' |earned' their lan guage from tt\e, herring catchers of Holland, told him the name of the islan$ and asked him, whence and how he had come. •r "I come" replied the.old maty' fn a hoarse vbice, "td, search for the Car milhanL" .* .., "The ^annilhaii!" screamed ^ilni Falke, .. nhable 'to tsbntrof^hlins6l£: "Speak! In h^aven^s, iiame, whaft .IS the Carmilhan?" "I will not answer .questions that are put'in- that' way," repliedsthe-'oid man, with visible, terror. "Wejl, then," roared Falke/. "what-j is the Carmilhan?" "The- barmiHuuu'" .replied ^tli©iyel low figure, "is nothing, now. Once-itj waB affair ship, laden ^rith^more ^old. than wen was carried by any other, vessel- that' sailed' the seas." "Where did it sink and when?" de-. manded Falke. A "It was hundred years' ago. Where it was, I do not know exactly. I come to seek for it. If you help me fish up the lost gold, we can shi^te lt I know how 'to, discover the spot where the Carmilhan lies." -1 "I will help ycftl. Tell me what I can do," "said Wilm. Falke? Ws 'brain a Whirl with desir'6. 1 "What must' be^off^denfi^ls^wi#1 age," croaked the* little yellow tn&n. "A little before^ miflhiglib ybtaJ must lead a cdw into the 'wildest Arid-most desolate part of the island.1 Thfere-you must kill the animal and let somebody wrap you closely in her ukirfc Your, companions must leave yon ^iw. 'Be-' fore the'hour of 1 o'clock strikes you, where th^^treasures of thai mke star^il at His belief that- the Evil One had tried to win his soul did not deter the fisherman fjron continuing his search for tho gpldi ?On ttife contrary, it con firmed hiin- in tM determination to find the treasure, which he now felt certain lay sopaewhere near the cavern.: -He ..thpi^ht that he could use the old man'S information without fall ing into the jsnare of the devil. From that moment he did not cast a net again for fish. He let the field lie.: untillecL. JDay in- and- da®r out he. cast his dredge $long%the bleak shore until.at.last alkthe money that the two- men :had saved was gone and actual privatiGn-'-came- to them Kaspa^ Strunypf had- to work for both. Althoughjtheir condition was due solely, to ^lms!Falke*s madness for wealthy hi^:: companion made neither 'complaint nor Objection, hut showed the,Bamei|eonfiidence in'Falke'a superior'totelligekce^and sense :as h^ had shown in the days when:^ every thing that 1^1 ke attempted was sue-, cessful.' Falke-was keepy alfve to the condi tion to which h4':Bad brought -the af fectionate :Kaspair. That he ha^rbbbed him, of' his:.&&Viijigs was ,& source of intense ivgrief ^"nd Remorse. This thought- tortu^ him and itv d^fove him tof still mpte' furious efforts to raise the* treii«tfr^ of the Carmilhan., The Satanic, whisper of the name of the, ship Btill tfaujated every minute of' his sleep, Hu&ger*. disappointment, avarfc^ ahd love,%f his friend, all com bined to make T&tn a little ma'd. At. last' he -iteachedf a stdte of mental emotion wh^re' S^ determined 'to do that- which' the itttle fellow man had counseled}*' -He- fsurb that 'he would deliver' himself the devil by dding It but do it he would. He cbnfided in: Caspar,- who begged him.on his knees not to insist^on the' terrible attempt. All the pf&yers"'and the petitions of the innocent fellow only' maddened ^Vilm Falke and in creased his infatuation, At last, the good, weak little iellow agreed to ao company.*him and help him: The h^crtijr.of both men felt'a sharp pang when the rope was tied around the horns/^f the pretty gentle cow which Wasf t^eir last possession/ .They had refere^'/her ifrom a calt.and, h&d declined ^, ^gell her, even in their need,' because* they .cbiild -ndtv bear'4oi let hef go into the hnids of stranjgers But the. w»i posseasio&of bitter feelings withstand hiv "Jaspaf'^ould not ^d^temner wfetwoftiiat far part of Scotland announces its ap proach. Black clouds of the. night rolled* heavily in front of a rough bpe^zie and piled themselves like ice fides the monm of the Clyde? "Vaw and inky -shadows flooded the gorges between the cliffs. The black pools in the peat bogs ^and -the thundering beds.-of the^ trfornitain' torrents se&tned to Kaspar forbidding and fearful like the inOtith of hell, vV Falke walked S'Wlfitly' in' Strumpf^oUowed trembling at his own boldness ^fears filled his dull ^^es whenever he looked at the poor Mmial that followed so obediently and affec tionately^ goin&iihc^^ death which w^ to come I from the hand that alwslys had fed^and fondled her.. .. -. After wearisome climbing and de scending .. again, .they ', came to a swampy valley, tufted, here and :&er&. with sparse growths of heather and moss, sown with immense stones and surrounded by a forbidding chain, of bleak nwwtains that lost themsel^li|i 4n gray mists., Seldbm did the foot' of man tread the desolate spot. An eagle rose screamingly and flew off, complaining of-,the intrusion:. They trod over quaking ground till they approaohed :a great -stone. Th^ poor cow "looked .plt.eously as- if she realized the terrocPA of this siiot and knew, that' her fate fwas.decided. 7 mm THE Dm«.5HATCHEt» AT THE ROCK AND HOISTED A Od? with dread. ^Tff that way old Engro! fell into the hands of' the devil with body "and soul!" tie cried, shrinking from the ljoafe. vheld ,the cr^^tjjre. "Yoii5 ares:the^ wir! 5ne! Gb bac# to your his oars furi ously into...the sea and pulled away with mighty .^trokes. f'J will have ^nothing to shpUted^ ./The little man gna&tied his teeth, cursed Snf^creamed after,him, but Wilm Fall|$^feas soon out of sight and hearing i^eQi^d thel- rock. tongue that Jutted in^ ||e se,a. Ai JAALL CHE5T 7P «T ut-it A„storm A d* T. JtS" Kaspar had to tnirn away to hide his .tears. He gazed toward*-the defilel 'through ^"Which they had entered, 'Where a sharp ear could hear the dis"? tant growling and booming of the s^. .Then he gazed hopelessly and In few at the far peaks, around which c^r black clouds had settled and from Which there came atx times ,\a mighty murmuring as if great voices were la menting and accusing. 1 Wljen he turned around again he saw that Wilm Falke had tied the co# to the stone and stood with uplifted ax, In- the act of felling the |oor The "sight was too mtich 'for "W|m, despite his', resolye always to accede tb every wish of his companion. Jte threw himself to: his knees.before hiii paftner and exclaimed, as -he held, his- hand^: "For the sake of the good God, Wilm Falke .Spare yourself -r- spare the beast! Spare yourself and me! Spare* your soul! Spare your life!" Seeing that Falke did-not stir, his VoiCe assumed, a despairing tone, and "If you must 'tempt God, wait tfll tomorrow, and kill some other animal instead of 6ur de&r cow?''V "Kaspar, are you mad??] Veiled Wil», glaring' like madman, and .without lowering his ax® "Shall I pa re he a a jr "You shall not starve,!' sttio'' Kaspar, his fatee becoriiing resolute"aid strong. "SO long a? I have 'hands you slfall not starve.: will Work for you from morning Bit. night." Onl^ dp -not throw away^your soul's salvation ahd do ni jtdlll tn^ poor "f'kx' lie, a^ aat» head^ ^pen^ Said Falke. i- desire. Can you lift the treasures of the Carmilhan for me? Can your hands ears' more than the n^serable daily. necessitiesT No! .feut your hands can end my pain and search. Strike!' Make nxe the victim!" "Wilm,'r said Kaf^ar, weeping and relapsing into the old, helpless condi tion, "Wilm, kill the cow, kill me! I do not care. It is only for your sal vation and your soul that I am in fear! See! This stone here Is the old altar of the Picts, and the sacrifice that you are going to offer belongs, to the pow ers of darkness!" jL\ "I know nothing of those things," answered Falke, laughing wildly, and as one who is determined to hear nothing that might change his resolu tion. "Kaspar you are mad, and will make me mad. But here-*-" he con tinued, hurling the ax from him and picking up the knife that lay on the stone, "Here! Keep the cow and lose me!" He made a motion as if to stab himself. Kaspar threw himself on his friend with an unaccustomed swiftness of thought and action bOrn of the mo-' ment He tore the kni^e from his grasp, ran to the ax, swung, it high and brought it down with such force on the beloved cow's head that the animal fell dead at its master's feet without a groan. A- fierce flash of lightning, accom panied by a single fearsome crash of thUnder, followed the act. Falke looked at his friend as a man would marvel at a child that had dared t6:do what he had not ventured himself. Strumpf seemed equally unmindful .of the thunder and heedless of his partner's astonishment. Without a ?ybrd he, began to skin the cow. Wilm had to force ^Imself to assist He did It with- a reluctance that" was as great as had been his previous haste and determination. Y/ *i. ®eemed to have centered itself oyer their' very heads. While they WOrked Over the bloody carcass the mountains vplleyed back the yol ieys of thunder, and blinding light nings flashed around the stones. The scr®amed so fiercely through the vslley that the mossy plains and the black gorges seemed io Scream back in reply. Joth .men were dripping with rain when they had finished their task. They spread the* skin on the wet ground and' Jfolke lay down oh it. Kaspar^ rolled him up In it, tied It around him under his direction, and then asked with a trembling voice: 'Falke?1" d° anythi^s )#wlth The' thunder- became deafening. Bowldere began to roll down the hills before the gathering torrents. The rain came down with such might that streams raced down all the slopes and the swampy valley began^. to turn. into a lake. ," Kaspar had laid Wilm with his head raised against-the stone., But despite that, the flood rose around him till it reached to his hips. Wilm .made-desperate efforts to free him self, but the harder he struggled the more firmly did the hide bind him fast. He cried for Kaspar, but Kas par was far away. He dared not call on God-. But he shuddered when he thought of supplicating the -powers to Which he had resigned himself. *0»e water rose and reached his nostrils. "God, I am lost!" he cried, as a stream Washed oter his face Then -he heard a sudden roar as *of a cas cade. The water receded from his mouth The flood had broken through the valley. The rain lessened soon after and a faint light returned to the sky.' fpi||^|§|p His terror" diminished and he be gan to hope again. Although he felt all the weakness and exhaustion of a man who had fought with death, avarice and desire came hack again and he ceased' his" desire that he might be freed from his artnor of. hide. Convinced that he must remain as he was In order to reach his goal, he remained quietly in his positiion and finally cold and exhaustion threw him into a deep sleep. Two h^urs:had Pftss^i c^rhen he was aroused by a cold wind that lashed jhis cheek and he heard a roaring as of on-coming breakers. A flash of lightning, like that which had introduced the storm, lit up the horizon Wilm's gaze, which had been fifced In the direction of the defile,' saw the tumultuous sea.. A strange ship was outlined in the great light. It hung for a moment on a huge billow that seemed to bear It straight toward the cliffs of Steenfoll Cavern. Then It dived, bow .first, down a wat er^ slope. He was staring at the spot with all his, might, for anv incessant. play of liffrtntags lit th^Scene, when a re jttewec( rush of wmn lined him. hur ^le#, him and^.threw him. at' last against a rbek with such. vidlence^that he lost his senses.1 'When be beca&e coiiscious again the sky was calm and bright, the weather^was staled, but the itghtniwg continued: He lay near the foot of a hlB-tod ym'jo bruised that he could soundthat At first the jputid so that he thought- it a ^tolueion. But it approached and became more dis tinct with' each' mfaut^ ^w iast be felt sure that he recognized the mel ody of a psalm that he had heard one day aboard a Dutch flshing smack. Soon he could distinguish yoices And even words The voices were in the valley. He succeeded, after a hard struggle in raising his head, and saw a long line of hnmanf"figures- from whom came the song^i They moved straight toward him. At last he could see them clearly. Ter ror and grief seemed to be imprinted on each face Their, garments^ were dripping with water. Singing solemnly they moved, on till the foremost reached him, when they stopped. Those behind came on till all were close around Wilm Falke, who gazed at them with dread. Their song ceased.' 'He- saw musicians, many, sailors, and tben there stepped' forth, a large, powerfully bidt roan in antique garb, very rich .and em broidered with .gold". A sword hung at his side and he carried a thick staff with a golden head. At his left hand talked a nesro Tad, who gave his master a long pipe at inter* vals. The'old man would taKe a few solemn puffs and then hand it back. stopped before Wilm.. Other men, 'ln: garb that was rich but' much inferior to Si8' ra£Sed »«ii ,h ^lse ,tor you, "Nothing' more," replied he." "Fare well." "B^re^ell," answered Kaspar. "GOd b© you. ahd forgive you, a^ I Ttie-se Were the ^t wofd%,^jthal Falke^heard. Kaspar disappeared the next momeht in ^the blabk storm. Th6 tempest .grew -with each second. Soonj it had reached such a pitch that WHlm knew that never had he heard or seen one like it. The lightning was so in cessant and brilliant that Falke. could st&.lh teiTihl^ 'illumination, not only the surrounding ntt^fitariiiTi hftt the sea beyond the defile^ the surf breaking white against the rocky is ^et^ ,in the ^offingj uand the crests of the climbing billows.- Once 'he -saw a great dismasted ship, strand/and foreign-looking in- structure It '.dis :appeared again the next momeht.- Wilni Falke made one. last fOrious effort to release'himself from the"hide. At. last he succeeded in freeing one arm and thus . could lOosen- the bonds. Without looking around, he raced .. -homeward, where he found "Kaspar Strumpf lying -unconscious on the'^oor. w- He snatched, a torch, steel anfl tinder and a rope and hurried away. Kaspar hurried after him, but was left far behind. When he reached, the Cavern of Steenfoll Wilm was preparing to lower himself through the fissure, Finding that his companion- was determined, he followed him, and both stood on the platform of rock above the boiling surf. Ag^in he dived into the hidden-.sea. Kasper sank to his knees, for he was certain that a terrible peal of laughter had sounded at that instant from the water. Despite his terror Ife clambered downward as far as he could and held the rope in readiness for his companion, jbut Wilm Falke did not emerge from the black, abyss again. He was not seen more by human eye. Kasper Strumpf went home at last,( but he never was the same man agajki. The terrible experiences that his wetffc brailn and sensitive heart had suffered- turned his mind. He allowed all his possessions to fall into ruln and wandered aboufdar and night, staring ahead without settfift anything. His acquaintances pitied hiia. but feared him., too. for that which lie had .seen He became idjpeh n»imJ avoiding mankinds and avoided by it. -.There fell a wild night at last on the Scottish islands. (flyman caught by the storm was driven 'ashore near ms cavern of SteenfolL Whin ,he HMchea ^e vVlllage he was pale- and disheveled and told a weird jtoryv He/had j^en the Carmilhan beat into the stevni ahd drive at Jast against the cliffs of Steenfoll. Then he had seep the paSsen^ersaoMl move «lemifly along thev ehbrei. andt'. in the" gleam of the' lightning he had recognised Wilm Falke. among* them.1 ^Thatnight^ tra»^^im:feut-tt^'CaiioHhan a|spea^^ regularly afti^toat amonis the ^cflffs-'of the cavern of ^eenfon whenever storm* ^troubled dkul hMhe .deep. among the ^cr Mi Ki %-f UK themselves at both sides of nim. Behind them thronged many per sons, among them Women with children, -J? i&vlsh but strange attire. A par^r of Dutch sailors stood beyond, ail these. Aach chewed tobacco and ^carried a brown pipe between his teeth, and: each man ®^Ssed i? gloomy silence _• +im F^ke gazed with growing terro? IIth*,gathering, but he fortified ^he deteiminatioiji. to find wh,ch he had undertaken tb courage was tested for long minutes, for not a word was said. The party smoked silently unUl the smoke *w6rstars ,them Mke a veil, through Which the blinked fitfully. circle crowded more and more aI°utli hlm- $: •p-til The smoking became more and more energetic. Falke's bold ness waned. Persniration forehead. He kill him. Then his heart seemed"W stand thought that fear would icy- is heart seemed to stand still. Close by his head h/s saw the little yellow, man sitting stiff and motionless on a stone. As if in derision of the sol emn_ assemblage, he held a short pine in his bloodless mouth. Wilm Falke could hear lt.no more, deadly terror he" screamed: "in the In name of him" whom you serve, who are And what do you wish from me?" .The large man puffed his pipe three ttoes more solemnly than ever, handed it back to his black servant, and an swered, with a cold, passionless voice: I am Alfred. Franz von ~der Swelder. commander of the ship Carmilhan of Amsterdam,' which was wrecked and lost with man and mouse on this coast while on its way homeward frdhi Batavia. These are rpy officers these are my pas sengers, these are my brave bailors, who au .drowned with me. Why have you called us from our deep vesting places? Why. -nave- you broken our peace?" .Wilm Falke gathered all his determinaf tlon. and forced himself to speak. "I want Ao fcnow where the treetsutee of th« Carmilhan lie buried," said he, hoarsely. .Oh the 'bottonk of the sea," replied the large man. "?Ph«e3:"!.i "In tn^: cavern "of Steeiifoll^ *?Hdw can I lift them?" asked. Wilm, growing, bold, with desire. The captain answered: "A goose dives wto the abySs for a horing. Are thb mvusU%" r 'THow much of them will I getr'-askedi ,15SSke. '7 than y6u*wilt ever uM^' was the reply. The little.yellow man grinned and the assemblage laughed one terrible harsh laugh. "Have yo» finished," asked the captain sternly. "I have. Fare you well," replied Wilm Falke. "Farewell, tDt ^e kmeet again," re sponded the captain.^ He turned away, the musician moved to the van, and the assemblage fettred in the same order in Which theyt had gone. The solemn music sounded again imd Wilm Falke lay listen iug to it till it became fainter, and fainter and at last merged with the roar of the surf. {i He! wept' with joy when he Was resuSci- v" tated and saw his friend :alive before him. But his joy vanished when he heard what Falke proposed to" do. woujd dive into hell Itself," said Falke, "rather than to see these- naked walls and drag through this wretched ex istence. Follow me or not—T~go!" Falke ordered him to hold the»rope. With mighty efforts, which only mad aenea desire and blind mania could' have made possible, he clambered down the almost sheer wails of the cave till he found, foothold directly over the wildest Whirlpool. .. He peered Into the foam and the suckling currents. Suddenly he dropped the torch, dived headlong- and disappeared. Strumpf gave him up for lost, but he rose |rom the depth,'snatched at the rock and hoisted a small cMst to it. He broke it open and disclosed a mass of gold coins. Strumpf begged .him pieously to be con tent with his find, but Falke was wild with desire and excitement. He cried, that this was only the beginning of his treas ures. 'va«-