THE TEMPTATION--THE ANACONDA.
In the meantime Fernand Wagner was engaged in the attempt to cross the
chain of mountains which intersected the island whereon the shipwreck
had thrown him. He had clambered over rugged rocks and leapt across many
yawning chasms in that region of desolation,--a region which formed so
remarkable a contrast with the delicious scenery which he had left
behind him. And now he reached the base of a conical hill, the summit of
which seemed to have been split into two parts: and the sinuous tracks
of the lava-streams, now cold, and hard, and black, adown its sides,
convinced him that this was the volcano, from whose rent crater had
poured the bituminous fluid so fatal to the vegetation of that region.
Following a circuitous and naturally formed pathway round the base, he
reached the opposite side; and now from a height of three hundred feet
above the level of the sea, his eyes commanded a view of a scene as fair
as that behind the range of mountains. He was now for the first time
convinced of what he had all along suspected--namely, that it was indeed
an island on which the storm had cast him. But though from the eminence
where he stood his view embraced the immense range of the ocean, no
speck in the horizon--no sail upon the bosom of the expanse imparted
hope to his soul.
Hunger now oppressed him; for he had eaten nothing since the noon of the
preceding day, when he had plucked a few fruits in the groves on the
other side of the island. He accordingly commenced a descent toward the
new region which lay stretched before him, fair as--even fairer
than--the one which had first greeted his eyes.
But he had not proceeded many yards amidst the defiles of the rugged
rocks which nature had piled around the base of the volcano, when he
found his way suddenly barred by a vast chasm, on the verge of which the
winding path stopped.
The abyss was far too wide to be crossed save by the wing of the bird:
and in its unfathomable depths boiled and roared a torrent, the din of
whose eddies was deafening to the ear.
Wagner retraced his way to the very base of the volcano, and entered
another defile: but this also terminated on the edge of the same
precipice.
Again and again did he essay the various windings of that scene of rock
and crag: but with no better success than at first; and after passing a
considerable time in these fruitless attempts to find a means of descent
into the plains below, he began to fear that he should be compelled to
retrace his way into the region of verdure which he had quitted the day
before, and which lay behind the range of mountains. But the thought of
the hideous snake which he had seen in the tree caused a cold shudder to
pass over him--then, in the next moment, he remembered that if the
region on one side of the mountain were invested with reptiles of that
terrible species, it was not probable that the forests which he beheld
as it were at his feet, were free from the same source of apprehension.
Still he had hoped to find human companionship on this side of the
mountains which he had so far succeeded in reaching--the companionship
of the man who had cast away the doublet, and of the woman whom he had
seen in the mirage.
And was it not strange that he had not as yet overtaken, or at least
obtained a trace of, the man who thus occupied a portion of his
thoughts? If that man were still amongst the mountains, they would
probably meet; if he had succeeded in descending into the plains below,
the same pathway that conducted him thither would also be open to
Wagner. Animated with these reflections, and in spite of the hunger
which now sorely oppressed him, Wagner prosecuted with fresh courage his
search for a means of descent into the lovely regions that lay stretched
before him, when he was suddenly startled by the sound of a human voice
near him.
"My son, what dost thou amidst this scene of desolation?" were the words
which, uttered in a mild benignant tone, met his ears.
He turned and beheld an old man of venerable appearance, and whose
beard, white as snow, stretched down to the rude leathern belt which
confined the palmer's gown that he wore.
"Holy anchorite!" exclaimed Wagner--"for such must I deem thee to
be,--the sound of thy voice is most welcome in this solitude, amidst the
mazes of which I vainly seek to find an avenue of egress."
"Thus it is oft with the troubles and perplexities of the world, my
son," answered the hermit, "that world which I have quitted forever."
"And dost thou dwell in this desolate region?" asked Fernand.
"My cave is hard by," returned the old man. "For forty years have I
lived in the heart of these mountains, descending only into the plains
at long intervals, to gather the fruits that constitute my food:--and
then," he added, in a tone which, despite the sanctity of his
appearance, struck cold and ominous to the very heart of Wagner,--"and
then, too, at the risk of becoming the prey of the terrible anaconda!"
"Thou sayest, holy hermit," exclaimed Fernand, endeavoring to conquer a
feeling of unaccountable aversion which he had suddenly entertained
toward the old man, "thou sayest that thy cave is hard by. In the name
of mercy! I beseech thee to spare me a few fruits, and a cup of water,
for I am sinking with fatigue, hunger, and thirst."
"Follow me, young man," said the hermit; and he led the way to a cave
opening from a narrow fissure in the rock.
The anchorite's abode was, as Wagner had expected to find it, rude and
cheerless. A quantity of dry leaves were heaped in one corner--evidently
forming the old man's couch; and in several small hollows made in the
walls of rock, were heaps of fruit--fresh and inviting, as if they had
only just been gathered. On the ground stood a large earthen pitcher of
water. Upon this last object did the thirsty Wagner lay his left hand;
but ere he raised it, he glanced hastily round the cave in search of a
crucifix, in the presence of which he might sign the form of the cross
with his right hand. But to his astonishment the emblem of Christianity
was not there; and it now struck him for the first time that the
anchorite wore no beads around his waist.
"Young man, I can divine your thoughts," said the hermit, hastily; "but
drink, eat, and ask a blessing presently. Thou art famished, pause not
to question my motives. I will explain them fully to thee when thy body
is refreshed with that pure water and those delicious fruits."
"Water shall not pass my lips, nor fruits assuage the cravings of
hunger, until I know more of thee, old man!" exclaimed Wagner, a
terrible suspicion flashing to his mind; and without another instant's
hesitation or delay, he made the sign of the cross.
A yell of rage and fury burst from the lips of the false anchorite,
while his countenance became fearfully distorted--his eyes glared
fiercely--his whole aspect changed--and in a few moments he stood
confessed in shape, attire and features, the demon who had appeared to
Fernand in the prison of Florence!
"Fiend! what wouldst thou with me?" exclaimed Wagner, startled and yet
unsubdued by this appearance of the evil spirit amidst that region of
desolation.
"Mortal," said the demon, in his deepest and most serious tones, "I am
here to place happiness--happiness ineffable--within thy reach. Nay, be
not impatient: but listen to me for a few moments. 'Twas my power that
conducted thy ship, amidst the fury of the storm which _He_ whose name I
dare not mention raised, to the shores of this island. 'Twas my
influence which yesterday, as thou wast seated on the sunny banks,
filled thine imagination with those delicious thoughts of Nisida. And it
was I also who, by the wonders of the mirage, showed thee the form of
the only female inhabitant of this isle. And that one female,
Wagner--that woman who is now as it were within thy reach--that lovely
being whose presence on this island would teach thee to have no regret
for the world from which you are separated, and whose eyes would cast
forth rays of joy and gladness upon everything around--that charming
lady, who has already decked herself with those flowers which her fair
hands have woven into wildly fantastic arabesques, that being is thy
Nisida, the Island Queen."
"Fiend! you mock--you deceive me," cried Fernand, wildly hovering
between joyous hope and acute fear.
"Did I deceive thee, Wagner, when I showed thee thy Nisida in the power
of the corsairs?" said the demon, with a smile of bitter, sardonic
triumph. "I tell thee, then, that Nisida is on this island--there, in
the very region into which thou wouldst descend, but to which thou wilt
find no avenue save by my aid."
"Nisida is here--on this island," exclaimed Fernand in an ecstasy of
joy.
"Yes--and Stephano, the bandit, likewise," added the demon. "It was his
doublet which you found--it was he who slaked his thirst with the juice
of the fruits which I, then invisible, beheld thee contemplate with
attention."
"Stephano here also!" cried Wagner. "Oh! Nisida--to thy rescue!"
And he bounded forth from the cave, and was rushing madly down one of
the tortuous defiles leading toward the chasm, when the voice of the
demon suddenly caused him to stop short.
"Fool!--insensate mortal!" said the fiend, with a derisive laugh. "How
canst thou escape from these mountains? But tarry a moment--and behold
thy Nisida--behold also her persecutor, who lusts after her."
Thus speaking; he handed Wagner a magic telescope, which immediately
brought the most remote objects to a distance of only a few yards.
Then what a delicious scene met Fernand's eyes! He beheld Nisida bathing
in the sea--sporting like a mermaid with the wavelets--plunging into the
refreshing depths--then wringing out the water from her long raven hair,
now swimming and diving, then wading on her feet,--unconscious that a
human eye beheld her.
At length she came forth from the sea, beauteous as a Venus rising from
the ocean; and her toilet commenced upon the sand. But scarcely had she
decked herself with the flowers which she had gathered early in the
morning for the purpose, when she started and rose up; and then Wagner
beheld a man approaching her from the nearest grove.
"That is Stephano Verrina!" murmured the demon in his ears.
Fernand uttered a cry of dismay, and threw down the telescope.
"You may save her--save her yet," said the demon, speaking in a tone of
unusual haste. "In a few minutes she will be in his power--he is strong
and desperate; be mine, and consent to serve me--and in a moment Nisida
shall be clasped in thy arms--the arms of thee, her deliverer."
"No--no! I will save her without thine aid, dread fiend!" exclaimed
Wagner, a prey to the most terrible excitement.
Then making the sign of the cross, he rushed forward to leap the yawning
chasm; his feet touched the opposite side, but he lost his balance,
reeled, and fell back into the tremendous abyss, while the demon, again
baffled, and shrinking in horror from the emblem of Christianity,
disappeared with cries of rage and vexation.
Down--down fell Wagner,--turning over and over in the hideous vacancy,
and clutching vainly at the stunted shrubs and dead roots which
projected from the rugged sides of the chasm.
In another moment he was swallowed up by the boiling torrent; but his
senses did not leave him, and he felt himself hurried along with the
furious speed of the mad waters. Thus nearly a minute passed; and then
his headlong course was suddenly arrested by the boughs of a tree,
which, having given way at the root, bent over into the torrent. He
clung to the boughs as if they were arms stretched out to rescue him; he
raised himself from amidst the turbid waters--and in a few moments
reached a bank which shelved upward to the edge of a dense forest.
Precisely on the opposite or inner side there was an opening in the
rocks, and Wagner's eye could trace upward a steep but still practicable
path, doubtless formed by some torrent of the spring, which was now
dried up amidst the mountains above,--that path reaching to the very
basis of the volcano.
Thus, had circumstances permitted him to exercise his patience and
institute a longer search among the defiles formed by the crags and
rocks around the conical volcano, he would have discovered a means of
safe egress from that region without daring the desperate leap of the
chasm, desperate even for him, although he bore a charmed life, because
his limbs might have been broken against the rugged sides of the
precipice.
Between the opening to the steep path just spoken of, and the shelving
bank on which Wagner now stood, there was so narrow a space, that the
bent tree stretched completely across the torrent; thus any one,
descending from the mountains by the natural pathway, might cross by
means of the tree to the side which Fernand had gained.
"This, then, must have been the route by which the villain Stephano
emerged from the mountains," he said to himself, "and the fiend deceived
me when he declared that I could not reach the plains below without his
aid."
Such were his reflections as he hurried up the shelving bank: and when
he reached the summit his glance embraced a scene already described to
the reader.
For, flying wildly on toward the forest, was his beauteous Nisida,
scattering flowers in her whirlwind progress, those flowers that had ere
now decked her hair, her neck and her waist.
At some distance behind her was the bandit Stephano; with sword in hand
he still maintained the chase, though breathless and ready to sink from
exhaustion. Not an instant did Wagner tarry upon the top of the bank
which he had reached; but darting toward Nisida, who was now scarce
fifty yards from him, he gave vent to an ejaculation of joy.
She saw him--she beheld him: and her speed was checked in an instant
with the overpowering emotion of wonder and delight.
Then, as he hurried along the verge of the forest to encounter her--to
fold her in his fond embrace--to protect her,--she once more sprung
forward, with outstretched arms, to fly into his arms, which were open
to receive her. But at that instant there was a horrible rustling amidst
the foliage of the huge tree beneath which she was hastening on;--a
monstrous snake darted down with a gushing sound, and in another moment
the beauteous form of Nisida was encircled by its hideous coils.
Then fled that wondrous self-command which for long years she had
exercised with such amazing success:--then vanished from her mind all
the strong motives which had induced her to undertake so terrible a
martyrdom as that of simulating the loss of two faculties most dear and
most valuable to all human beings;--and with a cry of ineffable anguish,
she exclaimed, "_Fernand, save me! save me!_"