A Strange Manuscript Found in a Copper Cylinder

by James De Mille

  CHAPTER XXIII

  THE ISLAND OF FIRE

  At last there appeared before us what seemed like a long line ofdull-red fires, and as we looked we could see bursts of flame atfitful intervals, which shone out for a few moments and then diedaway. Upon this now our whole attention was fixed; for it seemed asthough we were approaching our destination, and that this place wasthe Island of Fire--a name which, from present appearances, was fullyjustified. As we went on and drew steadily nearer, the mass of glowingfire grew larger and brighter, and what at first had seemed a line wasbroken up into different parts, one of which far surpassed the others.This was higher in the air, and its shape was that of a long, thin,sloping line, with a burning, glowing globule at each end. It seemedlike lava running down from the crater of a volcano, and thisappearance was made certainty on a nearer approach; for we saw at theupper point, which seemed the crater, an outburst of flame, followedby a new flow of the fiery stream. In other places there were similarfires, but they were less bright, either because they were smaller ormore remote.

  At length we heard beneath us the roar of breakers, and saw long whitelines of surf beating upon the shore. Our athaleb now descended andalighted; we clambered to the ground, and I, taking the grapple, fixedit securely between two sharp rocks. We were at last on Magones, theIsland of Fire.

  The brightness of the aurora light had left us, but it needed notthis to show us the dismal nature of the land to which we had come.It was a land of horror, where there was nothing but the abominationof desolation--a land overstrewn with blasted fragments of fracturedlava-blocks, intermixed with sand, from which there arose blackprecipices and giant mountains that poured forth rivers of fire andshowers of ashes and sheets of flame. A tremendous peak arose beforeus, with a crest of fire and sides streaked with red torrents ofmolten lava; between us and it there spread away a vast expanse ofimpassable rocks--a scene of ruin and savage wildness which cannot bedescribed, and all around was the same drear and appalling prospect.Here in the night-season--the season of darkness and of awfulgloom--we stood in this land of woe; and not one single sign appearedof life save the life that we had brought with us. As for food, it wasvain to think of it. To search after it would be useless. It seemed,indeed, impossible to move from the spot where we were. Every momentpresented some new discovery which added to the horror of Magones.

  But Almah was weary, for our flight had been long, and she wished torest. So I found a place for her where there was some sand betweentwo rocks, and here she lay down and went to sleep. I sat at a littledistance off on a shelf of the rock, with my back against it, andhere, after a little time, I also went to sleep.

  At length we awoke. But what a waking! There was no morning dawn, noblessed returning light to greet our eyes. We opened our eyes to thesame scenes upon which we had closed them, and the darkness was stilldeep and dense around us. Over us both there was a sense of utterdepression, and I was so deeply plunged into it that I found itimpossible to rouse myself, even for the sake of saying words of cheerto Almah. I had brought a few fragments of food, and upon these wemade our breakfast; but there was the athaleb to feed, and for him Ifound nothing, nor could I think of anything--unless he could feedupon rocks and sand. Yet food for him was a matter of the highestconsequence, for he was all our support and stay and hope; and if themonster were deprived of food he might turn upon us and satisfy uponus his ravenous appetite. These thoughts were painful indeed, andadded to my despondency.

  Suddenly I heard the sound of running water. I started away toward theplace from which the sound came, and found, only a little distanceoff, a small brook trickling along on its way to the shore. I calledAlmah, and we both drank and were refreshed.

  This showed an easy way to get to the shore, and I determined to gothere to see if there were any fish to be found. Shell-fish might bethere, or the carcasses of dead fish thrown up by the sea, upon whichthe athaleb might feed. I left my pistol with Almah, telling her tofire it if she heard me fire, for I was afraid of losing my way,and therefore took this precaution. I left it lying on the rockfull-cocked, and directed her to point it in the air and pull thetrigger. It was necessary to take these precautions, as of course shewas quite ignorant of its nature. After this I left her and tried tofollow the torrent.

  This, however, I soon found to be impossible, for the brook onreaching a huge rock plunged underneath it and became lost to view. Ithen went toward the shore as well as I could--now climbing over sharprocks, now going round them, until at length after immense labor Isucceeded in reaching the water. Here the scene was almost as wildas the one I had left. There was no beach whatever--nothing but avast extent of wild fragments of fractured lava-blocks, which wereevidently the result of some comparatively recent convulsion ofnature, for their edges were still sharp, and the water had not worneven those which were within its grasp to anything like roundness,or to anything else than the jagged and shattered outlines which hadoriginally belonged to them. All the shore thus consisted of vastrocky blocks, over which the sea beat in foam.

  Eager to find something, I toiled along this rocky shore for a longdistance, but without seeing any change. I was unwilling to go backbaffled, yet I was at length compelled to do so. But the necessity offeeding the athaleb was pressing, and I saw that our only course nowwould be to mount him again, leave this place, and seek some other.But where could we go? That I could not imagine, and could onlyconclude to trust altogether to the instinct of the athaleb, whichmight guide him to places where he might obtain food. Such a coursewould involve great risk for we might be carried into the midst ofvast flocks of these monsters; yet there was nothing else to be done.

  I now retraced my steps, and went for a long time near the sea. Atlength I found a place where the walking was somewhat easier, and wentin this way up into the island and away from the sea. It seemed tolead in the direction where I wished to go. At length it seemed as ifI had walked far enough, yet I could see no signs of Almah. I shouted,but there was no answer. I shouted again and again, but with the likeresult. Then I fired my rifle and listened. In response there came thereport of the pistol far away behind me. It was evident that in comingback along the shore I had passed by the place where Almah was. Therewas nothing now left but to retrace my steps and this I accordinglydid. I went back to the shore, and returned on my steps, shouting allthe time, until at length I was rejoiced to hear the answering shoutof Almah. After this it was easy to reach her.

  We now took up the grapple and once more mounted. The athaleb, eagerto be off, raised himself quickly in the air, and soon our lateresting-place was far behind. His flight was now different from whatit was before. Then he stood off in one straight line for a certainfixed destination, as though under some guidance; for though I did notdirect him, still his long training had taught him to fly to Magones.But now training and guidance were both wanting, and the athaleb wasleft to the impulse of his hunger and the guidance of his instinct; sohe flew no longer in one undeviating straight line, but rose high, andbent his head down low, and flew and soared in vast circles, even as Ihave seen a vulture or a condor sweep about while searching for food.All the while we were drawing farther and farther away from the spotwhich we had left.

  We passed the lofty volcano; we saw more plainly the rivers of moltenlava; we passed vast cliffs and bleak mountains, all of which weremore terrific than all that we had left behind. Now the darknesslessened, for the aurora was brightening in the sky, and gathering upswiftly and gloriously all its innumerable beams, and flashing forthits lustrous glow upon the world. To us this was equal to the returnof day; it was like a blessed dawn. Light had come, and we rejoicedand were exceeding glad.

  Now we saw before us, far beyond the black precipices, a broad baywith sloping shores, and a wide beach which seemed like a beach ofsand. The surf broke here, but beyond the surf was the gentle sandydeclivity, and beyond this there appeared the shores, still rocky andbarren and desolate, but far preferable to what we had left behind.Far away in the interior arose l
ofty mountains and volcanoes, whilebehind us flamed the burning peak which we had passed.

  Here the athaleb wheeled in long, circuitous flights, which grew lowerand lower, until at length he descended upon the sandy beach, whereI saw a vast sea-monster lying dead. It had evidently been thrown uphere by the sea. It was like one of those monsters which I had seenfrom the galley of the Kohen at the time of the sacred hunt. By thisthe athaleb descended, and at once began to devour it, tearing outvast masses of flesh, and exhibiting such voracity and strength ofjaw that I could scarcely bear to look upon the sight. I fastenedthe grapple securely to the head of the dead monster, and leavingthe athaleb to feed upon it, Almah and I went up the beach.

  On our way we found rocks covered with sea-weed, and here we soughtafter shell-fish. Our search was at length rewarded, for suddenly Istumbled upon a place where I found some lobsters. I grasped two ofthese, but the others escaped. Here at last I had found signs of life,but they were of the sea rather than of the shore. Delighted with myprey, I hastened to Almah to show them to her. She recognized them atonce, and I saw that they were familiar to her. I then spoke of eatingthem, but at this proposal she recoiled in horror. She could not giveany reason for her repugnance, but merely said that among her peoplethey were regarded as something equivalent to vermin, and I found thatshe would no more think of eating one than I would think of eating arat. Upon this I had to throw them away, and we once more resumed oursearch.

  At last we came to a place where numbers of dead fish lay on the sand.Nearer the water they were more fresh, and not at all objectionable.I picked up a few which looked like our common smelt, and found thatAlmah had no objection to these. But now the question arose how tocook them; neither of us could eat them raw. A fire was necessary, yeta fire was impossible; for on the whole island there was probably notone single combustible thing. Our discovery, therefore, seemed to havedone us but little good, and we seemed destined to starvation, whenfortunately a happy thought suggested itself. In walking along I sawfar away the glow of some lava which had flowed to the shore at theend of the sandy beach, and was probably cooling down at the water'sedge. Here, then, was a natural fire, which might serve us better thanany contrivance of our own, and toward this we at once proceeded. Itwas about two miles away; but the beach was smooth, and we reachedthe place without any difficulty.

  Here we found the edge of that lava flood which seemed eternallydescending from the crater beyond. The edge which was nearest thewater was black; and the liquid fire, as it rolled down, curled overthis in a fantastic shape, cooling and hardening into the form whichit thus assumed. Here, after some search, I found a crevice where Icould approach the fire, and I laid the fish upon a crimson rock,which was cooling and hardening into the shape of a vast ledge oflava. In this way, by the aid of nature, the fish were broiled, andwe made our repast.

  There was nothing here to invite a longer stay, and we soon returnedto the athaleb. We found the monster, gorged with food, asleep,resting upon his hind legs, with his breast supported against the vastcarcass. Almah called it a jantannin. It was about sixty feet inlength and twenty in thickness, with a vast horny head, ponderousjaws, and back covered with scales. Its eyes were of prodigious size,and it had the appearance of a crocodile, with the vast size of awhale. It was unlike a crocodile, however; for it had fins rather thanpaws, and must have been as clumsy on the land as a seal or a walrus.It lay on its side, and the athaleb had fed itself from the uncoveredflesh of its belly.

  There was nothing here to induce us to stay, and so we wandered alongthe beach in the other direction. On our right was the bay; on ourleft the rocky shore, which, beginning at the beach, ran back intothe country, a waste of impassable rocks, where not a tree or plantor blade of grass relieved the appalling desolation. Once or twicewe made an attempt to penetrate into the country, where openingsappeared. These openings seemed like the beds of dried-up torrents. Wewere able to walk but a few paces for invariably we would come to someimmense blocks of rock, which barred all farther progress. In thisway we explored the beach for miles, until it terminated in a savagepromontory that rose abruptly from the sea against which the hugebillows broke in thunder.

  Then we retraced our steps, and again reached the spot where theathaleb was asleep by the jantannin. Almah was now too weary to walkany farther, nor was it desirable to do so; for, indeed, we hadtraversed all that could be visited. On one side of the beach was thesea, on the other the impassable rocks; at one end the promontory, atthe other the lava fires. There was nothing more for us to do but towait here until the athaleb should awake, and then our actions woulddepend upon what we might now decide.

  This was the question that was now before us, and this we began toconsider. We both felt the most unspeakable aversion for the island,and to remain here any longer was impossible. We would once more haveto mount the athaleb, and proceed to some other shore. But where?Ah! there was the question! Not on the island, for it did not seempossible that in all its extent there could be one single spot capableof affording a resting-place. Layelah's information with regard toMagones had made that much plain. I had not taken in her full meaning,but now mine eyes had seen it. Yet where else could we go? Almah couldnot tell where under the sky lay that land which she loved; I couldnot guess where to go to find the land of the Orin. Even if I didknow, I did not feel able to guide the course of the athaleb; and Ifelt sure that if we were to mount again, the mighty monster wouldwing his flight back to the very place from which we had escaped--theamir. These thoughts weighed down our spirits. We felt that we hadgained nothing by our flight, and that our future was dark indeed. Theonly hope left us was that we might be able to guide the course of theathaleb in some different direction altogether, so that we should notbe carried back to the Kosekin.

  And now, worn out by the long fatigues of this jom, we thought ofsleep. Almah lay down upon the sand, and I seated myself, leaningagainst a rock, a little distance off, having first reloaded my rifleand pistol.