Argosy, Vol. 1 (1882) — page 327: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

BEYOND THE GREAT SOUTH WALL.” BY FRANK SAVILE. Being some surprising details of the voyage of the steam yacht Raccoon on a trip undertaken by her owner with a full consciousness of its foolhardy nature, but without the faintest conception of the extraordinary happenings that were to become part and parcel of it. SYNOPSIS OF CHAPTERS PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED. CAPTAIN DORINECOURTE and his friend known as Gerry are disconsolate over the mandate of the mother of the girls they love, Gwen and Violet Delahay respectively, which puts them aside as ineligible beside the Earl of Denvarre and his brother, the Hon. Stephen Garlicke, booked among the passengers on the steamship Madagascar for a winter’s cruise around the world, and for which cruise Mrs. Delahay forthwith books herself and her daughters. While Dorinecourte is bemoaning the poverty which condemns him to his fate, he reads of the death of his uncle, Lord Heatherslie, which gives him the title and estates. The uncle was a noted collector of coins and met his death while investigating an inscription on one of them pointing to the colonization of an unknown region bya certain people called Mayans, a purpose which he leaves as a legacy to his heir. Dorinecourte is inclined to poohpooh the idea, but finally is induced to seek out Professor Lessaution, a Frenchman with whom his uncle had been associated in his researches. He finds that the explorations will take him near the Falkland Isles ; and, as the Madagascar is scheduled to call at Port Lewis, the new Lord Heatherslie equips the Raccoon for the voyage and embarks with Gerry, the professor, and a picked crew. They steam south until further advance is blocked by a gigantic wall, and after three weeks spent in vain endeavor to scale it, they start for the Falkland Isles. During a storm, it is their good fortune to rescue Lady Delahay, her daughters, Denvarre, and his brother. On account of accidents to the Raccoon, they must fly before the furious gale which blows them south, to nearly the same locality as before. That night there is a volcanic eruption, and a towering tidal wave sweeps the yacht over the Great South Wall into a lake which ebbs away, leaving it on the rocks. They can find no other means of escape but to hoist the cutter in sections to the top of the wall, rebuild it, and swing it down to the sea. This is done after days of stupendous labor, and when it is properly pro- visioned, Waller and a crew of six set sail to the nearest port for aid. The rest of the party explore an underground temple, where they find evidences of prehabitation, and have another narrow escape from the awful monster that they encountered once before. While they are all engaged in taking provisions from the ship to their improvised shelter on the rocks, Gwen’s dog, Fidget, begins to sniff and bark savagely. Suddenly, to the horror of all, the frightful beast appears; Fidget flees, and slips into a small fissure where Gwen follows to rescue her pet. Dorinecourte tears frantically in pursuit, reaching her just as the monster lumbers towards them, only a furlong away. ee ee CHAPTER XVIII. A HORRIBLE IMPRISONMENT. | LOOKED up the quarter of mile “Tt's no good,” I said. “ We're done. The cave beneath the ship’s the only possible place.” “ Can’t we run for it?” she gasped. of steep rock escarpment that lay between us and safety, and knew that I, at least, dizzy as I was, could never mount it before he would be upon us. And Gwen might fall. Anything might happen. No, the cavern be- neath the ship was the only chance. I staggered forward and caught her el- bow as she ran. * This story began in the Seplember issue of THE ARGOSY. “T can’t, at any rate,” I answered sadly, “and I don’t think you’d better try.” ‘Oh, you're hurt—you’re hurt,” she whispered pantingly as we _ raced towards the ship. ‘“ And it’s my fault. But I couldn’t stand the screams of the poor little wretch—lI couldn’t have seen her torn and mangled. Hadn’t we bet- The four back numbers will be matled to any address on receipt of go cents. "Copyrigh?:, 899, ty Frank Savile. GOH GOOO SS