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“‘.‘.Thc very. same,” said Mark;-. ,“, How are you, sir I,” '
hopes should be dashed before they reached wtheir. desti-
nation, so that the blow he feared, might be broken in
its fall. But saving that he sometimes lookedzup quickly.
at the poor erections onthe hill, he gave him no clue to
what was passing in his mind, untihtheyrwere again
upontheirway. .z- ., . ;,-‘ .’
.r“Mark,”.,hc said ‘then,'"ure there really. none but
ourselves on board this boat who are bound for Edenl”,
“None at all, sir. Most of ’em, as you know, have
stopped short ;‘ and the few that are left are going
. further. on.; What matters that l.. More room there for
us,s1r." . , v ' -
‘ “Oh, to be sure i" said Martin.‘
ing,”-and there he paused. . -
, ‘‘-Yes, sir?“ observed Mark. -' A: . . . :
- “How oddzit: wasethat the people should have ar-
ranged to try their fortune at a wretched hole like that
for instance, when there is such‘a much better, and such
every different kind of place; near at hand, as one may
say.’.s : ', . ..
,--He spoke inia tone,'sorvex-y different from his usual
confidence, and with such- an obvious dread’ of:Mark's
reply, that the good-natured fellow was full of pity. .
..“Why, you know, sir,” said Mark, as gently as he
could by any: means insinuate the r observation, “ we
must guard, against being too sanguine.- 'l‘here’s no oc-
c:1sion,for it, either,'because.we’ro determined to make
the best of , everything, after we know the worst, of it.
Ain’tWe, siri”. ,, . 3, -., . r
‘ ‘Martin looked at him, but answered not a word.
“ Even Eden,‘you know, ain't all built,” said Mark.
. " In the name of Heaven,'man,”. cried Martinangrily,
'.‘don’t talk of Eden in the same breath with that place.,
‘Are you mad? There-7Go‘d forgive me !-d0n’t think
harshly of me for my temper 1-” . H . . .
-' After-:that;11e.turned away, and‘ walked to and fro
upon the deckfull two hours. . N or didihe speak-again,
except to say "Good night,” until next day ; ,nor- even
then upon this subject, but on other topics quite, foreign
tothe purpose.. - ' 3 . ‘ - V v ’
As they proccededfurtlier on.their.track, and came
more and more towards theirijourne-y’s end, the ‘mono-
tonous desolation of the scene increased. to that degree,
that‘ for anv redeeming feature.it. presented to their
eyes, they might have entered, in the body, on the grim
domains of Giant Des air. ‘ A flat morass. bestrcwn with
fallen timber; a mars x on which the good growth of the
earthseemed to have been wrecked and: cast away, that
from its decomposing ashes. vile and ugly things might
T350 ; where the very trees took the aspect ofmhuge
Weeds, begotten of the slime from‘, which they sprung.
by the hot sun that burnt them up; where fatal mala-
ies,.seeking whonr they might infect, came forth at
night, in misty shapes, and creeping out upon the water,
huntedtlicm like spcctres until day; where even the
blessed sun, shining down on festering elements of cor-
ruption and disease, became a horror; this was the realm
of Hope through which they.moved. - H '
At last they stopped. At Eden too. The waters of the
Deluge‘ might have left ltbut a week before : so choked
with slime and matted growth ;was.-the, hideous swamp
which borothat name. i . .‘ , " i‘ "
There being: no depth of water, close in short), 1'-lfeyi
landed fromthe vessel’s boat, with all their gooudsbesrde
I rem; -There were a few'log houses visible among the
darktrees; the best, a cow-shed or xv. rudo'stable, ; but
1'9!‘ the whnrves, the market-place, the public buildings-V
- “Here comes an Edcner,” said Mark,’-, “ He 11 get us
plelp to carry these things up. Keep a good heart, SH‘.-
al1o,therel’.’,.. H: H: r, it u V. “ is . . = -v
p The man advanced towards them through the thicken-
lng gloom, very slowly : leaning on a stick. Ashe drew
nearer, they observed that he was paleapd worn. and
I at his anxious eyes were deeply. sunken in. his head.
His dress of homespun blue hung about him m.rags ;
his feet and head were bare. l ‘He sat down on ‘a stump
half-way, and beckoned them;toA come .to him. Niflien
they complied. hecput his.hand upon his side as if In
pain, and while he fetched his breath stared at them,
Wondering. ‘ '.";. v‘. if .r "1 2% V .’ i"
-. “Strangers 1!’ -he : exclaimed, 9.5.3001! 83. 119 001115
speak,., ,, 2'
V“ But I was think-
1055
‘.5 I’ve.had the fever very bad,”.he answered faintly.,
‘fl: haven’t stoocll uprighttlrese maliliyowecks. .',Those
are your notions see,'i pointinv to t eir property. ,, ,
‘.‘1Yes,:sir,’.’. said Mark, ‘.‘-they? are;' ;You couldn't rec-,
omrnepd us some one, as would‘ lend a. handlto help
carry em up to the--to the town, could you, S11‘ 7” I , .
.. ‘.‘ My eildcst soirrwlpulal do lit if l1r1c.1.1could,”1replied she
man: “ ut to- ay e ‘ nus iis c i ‘upon rim, an is.
lyipg wfpped up in the blankets.‘ My youngest died
as ween’? - ., - ,' V r , .
“I'm sorry for it, governor, with all my. heart,’.’ said’
Mark, shaking him by the hand. ",‘-Don't,mind us-
Come alongwith me, and I’ll give you an arm back. The.
goods is safe enough, sir,”-to Martin,-,‘,“there.<ain’t‘
many people abpnt, to make away with-.’em. f VVhat 11-
comorttatis ’ ' ‘ - ‘
“No,” cried the man.
folkdhere,”.%:nockingi l1is'stick upon the. ground, “or
you er in t e bush, towards the north. .XVe’ve buried
ripest plf ’ezI:i The rest have gonleaway. .Tbem that we
ave ere, on’t come out at nig it.” ‘ , , ’,
lnight air -nin’t quite. wholesome, I suppose?”
sar l arr. i . ; l
“ It’s deadly poison,” was the settler’s answer. 3 -
Markshowed no more uneasiness than if . it hadlbeen‘
commended to him" as nmbrosia ; but he gave the man;-,
his arm, and as theywent along explained to ‘him the,
nature of their purchase, and inquired where‘ it .lay..
Close to his own log-house, he said; so close that he had,
used their dwelling as a store-house for some corn : they
must excuse it that night,;but he-would endeavour to
get it taken out upon the morrow. 7 He then gave tlrern
to understand, as an additional scrap of local chit-‘chat,
that he had buried the,’ last proprietor with ,his own
hands ; a piece of information which Mark also received
without the least abatement of his cquanimity. , . , - .,
In a word, he conducted them to a miserable cabin,,
rudely constructed of the trunks of trees;,the door of.
- which had either fallen down or been carried away, long-
ago ; and which was consequently open to the wild land-
scape aud the dark night. Saving for the little store he
had mentioned, it was perfectly bare of all, furniture ;‘
but they had left a chest upon the landing-place, and he.
gave tliorna rude torch ‘in, lieu of cundlc.- ,This,'lattcr.
acquisition Mark. planted in the hearth, and then do-
claring that the niansiony-"looked quite comfortable)’.
hurried Martin off again to help bring, up. the, chest.
And all the way to tho landing-place and back, Mark’ .
talked incessantly : as if he would infuseinto his part-
ner's breast some faint belief that they had’ arrived
under the most auspicious and cheerful of all imaginable
circumstances. ’ . , '
But many a man who would have stood vvithina home
dismantled, strong inhis passion and design of ven-
geance, has had the firmness of his nature conquered by
the razing of an air-built castle. VVhcn the log-but re-
ceived thcm for the second time, Martin lay down upon
the ground,.aud wept aloud.‘ r . , ‘ r 3 V ..
‘.‘ Lord love you, sir I” cried Mr. Tapley, in reat ter-
ror: “ don't do, . that I Don’t do that, sir l - nything
but that L It never -helped. man, woinan, or child -over
the lowest fence yet, sir, and it never Will. Besides its
bein of no use to you, it's worse than ofno use to me,
fort lGlCD.Si5.'S011Ild of itwill knock me flat down.’ .1,
can't stand up agin it, sir. . Anything but that.’? ,
‘ There is no doubt he spoke the truth, for the extraor-
dinary alarm with-which he looked at Martin as ho’
paused. upon his knees before the chest, in-the act of,
unlocking it, to saytheso, words, suilicientlymconfirmedv
him; . ' ' -. . .
' “I ask your forgiveness a. thousand times, my dear
fellow,” said Martin. “I Couldn't 1111Y0 1191P9d‘it:: if
death had been the penalty.” . v ' . . ,'
. ,‘,‘Ask my forgiveness!” said Mark, ,,Wltl1p,l1lS accus-
tomed cheerfulnessj asthe proceededhto unpack the
chest, .“The head partner a asking forgiveness of Co.,-
eh? There must be something wrong in the firm when
that happens. ‘ ,1 must have the books inspected, and the
accounts gone,over1immediate.i Here .we.arc. ,EvVe‘ry--
thin ,in its proper place. , Here's the salt pork. [Here's
the iscuit, Here's the whiskey.--uncommon good it,
- “ You must V look, fair,
.4;
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