FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131  
132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   >>   >|  
shing through the branches of the trees, which were thickly interwoven overhead and across the path; but the latter was distinctly marked out, being well trodden as if it had been a regular pathway of communication at some previous time. The bay below, to which this road led, was on the other side of the point of land that stretched past the ship; and as we descended the hill we could see the blue sea peeping through the trees. Half-way down, the pathway abruptly terminated in front of what seemed a mound of earth, although this was now overgrown with trees, covered with orchilla weed, that enveloped their trunks and gave them quite a venerable aspect. "Hillo!" cried Hiram, "hyar's enuff o' thet orchilla weed thet they vall'ys so in 'Frisco to make airy a nan's fortin' ez could carry it thaar, I guess!" "Is that the orchilla?" I asked. "I was wondering what Mr Steenbock meant when he spoke of it." "Aye," replied Hiram, dragging off a great bunch of it from what looked like the decayed trunk of one of the oak trees, hollowed out by age and exposure to the heavy tropical rains of the region, "thet's what they calls the orchilla weed, I guess. Hillo! though, what's this?" "What?" exclaimed Tom Bullover and I, pressing up to where he was stooping, scraping away at the timber; "what is it?" "I'm durned ef it air a tree at all," said Hiram, all excitement, and his voice thick with emotion and eager exultation. "It's a door o' some sort or t'other." "Really," I said, as eager as he, helping him to pull away the fungus growth from the now partly-exposed woodwork which, certainly, looked like a door, as he said, "do you think so?" "Aye, Cholly. I'm jiggered if we ain't found the cave at last!" CHAPTER FIFTEEN. RIVAL APPARITIONS. "By Jingo!" said Tom, with a deep breath, bending down and helping Hiram to clear away the weeds and debris from the rotten old door, now clearly disclosed to view. "Jest fancy our lighting on it like this!" "Perhaps it isn't a cave at all," said I, likewise breathless with excitement, but not wishing to place my hopes too high, lest I should be disappointed; "it's too far from the sea, I think." "Nary a bit," retorted Hiram, doggedly. "I'll bet my bottom dollar it's the place sure enuff. Hyar goes, anyhow, fur a try." So saying, rising from his stooping posture, he administered a thumping kick with his heavy seamen's boot against the rotten woodwork. This
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131  
132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
orchilla
 

woodwork

 

rotten

 
helping
 
stooping
 
excitement
 

looked

 

pathway

 

Cholly

 

jiggered


CHAPTER
 
thickly
 

bending

 

debris

 

breath

 

APPARITIONS

 

interwoven

 

FIFTEEN

 

exultation

 

emotion


marked
 

distinctly

 

Really

 
exposed
 

overhead

 
partly
 
growth
 

fungus

 

disclosed

 

dollar


bottom

 

retorted

 
doggedly
 
seamen
 

thumping

 
rising
 

posture

 

administered

 

lighting

 

Perhaps


likewise

 

breathless

 
disappointed
 

wishing

 
branches
 
durned
 

venerable

 

aspect

 
fortin
 

Frisco