Harper's New Monthly Magazine, Vol. V, No. XXIX., October, 1852Various
Religion
Harper's New Monthly Magazine, Vol. V, No. XXIX., October, 1852
Various
American literature -- Periodicals; Civilization -- Periodicals; Culture -- Periodicals
It was, however, now dark, and Mr. Lynch felt much solicitude in
respect to the difficulty of finding the place of rendezvous on the
coast where the party in the boats were to meet the caravan. They
rowed along the shore to the southward, looking out on all the cliffs
and headlands for lights or other signals. They had an Arab chieftain
on board as a guide, and on him the party had depended for direction
to the place where the fountain of Feshkah was to be found. The Arab
had, however, become so bewildered by the terror which the storm had
inspired, or, perhaps, by the strange and unusual aspect which the
land presented to him, as seen from the side toward the sea and in
the night, that he seemed to be entirely lost. At length the boatmen
saw the light of a fire on the beach to the southward of them. They
discharged a gun as a signal, and pulled eagerly toward the fire. The
light, however, soon disappeared. The men were then at a loss again,
and while resting upon their oars, awaiting another signal, they
suddenly saw flashes, and heard reports of guns and sounds of voices on
the cliffs, not far from them, and immediately afterward heard other
reports from a considerable distance back, at a place which they had
passed in coming along the shore. These various and uncertain sounds
quite embarrassed the boatmen. They might indicate an attack from some
hostile force upon their friends on the land, or some stratagem, to
draw the boats into an ambuscade. They, however, determined, at length,
that they would, at all events, ascertain the truth; so closing in with
the shore, they pulled along the beach, sounding as they proceeded.
About eight o'clock they arrived at the place of rendezvous, where
they found their friends awaiting them at the fountain. The shouts
and signal-guns which they had heard had proceeded from two portions
of the caravan that had become separated on the march, and were thus
attempting to communicate with each other. The party in the boats were
greatly relieved on reaching the land, for the whole scene through
which they had passed in approaching it, had been one of the wildest
and most exciting character. The sea itself, mysterious and unknown,
the lonely and desolate coast, the dark and gloomy mountains, the human
voices heard in shouts and outcries on the cliffs, with the flashes of
the guns, and the reports reverberating along the shore, joined to the
dread uncertainty which the boatmen felt in respect to what the end of
the adventure was to be, combined to impress the minds of all the party
with the most sublime and solemn emotions.
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