Dungeon Rock; or, the pirate's cave, at Lynn — John Shaqi
Dungeon Rock; or, the pirate's cave, at LynnEmerson, N. S. (Nannette Snow)
History
Dungeon Rock; or, the pirate's cave, at Lynn
Emerson, N. S. (Nannette Snow)
Pirates -- Massachusetts -- Lynn -- History
Noon came; the sun was pouring its fiercest rays upon the high hill,
and Arabel wandered to the thick vines with which the open door of the
entrance had been concealed, to catch, if she might, a single breath
of air to cool her throbbing brow. Suddenly, away where the tiny,
trembling needle told her to look for her former abiding place, she
saw a light smoke curling up. Instinctively she trembled with fear,
forgetting that the whole wood might be consumed, and still the
sheltering rock remain uninjured. “I must see what it is,” she said;
and, climbing slowly up the rocks, she reached the top, and proudly,
fearlessly looked down below. Scarcely discernible in the thick shadows
she saw a party of men, armed with flaming torches, creeping cautiously
on toward the Glen. She laughed a wild, ringing laugh, that echoed
far and wide; and for many years the weird-like story of the phantom
lady, decked in silks and jewels, and laughing at those who tried to
discover the pirates’ treasures, was told beside the fire, in the long
winter evenings, until at last it was thrown aside as a superstitious
falsehood, and now is only remembered in a few families as a quaint
legend of former years.
It was only two short days from then that Harris returned, but Bel
was a spirit. The excitement of those fearful hours had been too much
for her. She drew the downy, silken couch to the side of the spring
in the rock, where the clear water fell from the crevices above, with
a musical tinkle, into a large open basin below, and there, in that
silent room,
“She rested her fair pale face alone
By the cool bright spring in the hallowed stone;”
her jewelled hand supporting her head, crowned with its tiara of
velvet and pearls, her long brown hair floating like a veil over her
richly-wrought dress, and her slippered feet resting on a smooth slab
of Italian marble, which had been brought there to confine the waters
in the spring.
And thus they found her, sleeping calmly, peacefully, her eyes closed
tightly, and her teeth set firmly together. There was a strange
calmness in Harris’ manner, as he pressed his hand upon her cold, damp
brow, and swept back her long spiral curls. Then, with a quick, excited
glance at her firmly closed eyes, he gave rapid orders for a burial
case, such as they always carried with them, to be brought up, that
her body might be placed in it and carried to Italy. As he raised the
inanimate form in his arms, and laid her head upon a cushion of velvet
and eider-down, a paper floated out from the heavy folds of her dress,
and rested on the stones at his feet. He took it up; it was a few
verses of poetry, traced in the delicate Italian penmanship of Arabel’s
own hand. Tears sprang to the almost girlish eyes of the boy, Carl, as
he saw them.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account