| OCR Text |
Show CHAPTEE V. DOLORES. " WAS I in the land of spirits ? Had the awful River of Souls in-deed swallowed me up ? Dense darkness, blackness that could be felt, was around me. Every faculty was suspended, except simple con-sciousness ; of past or future I had no conception I only knew that I was. It must be that I had passed from earth, and this was the region into which philosophy had never penetrated. " There was a slight rustle near me, and, exerting all my force of will, I attempted to move ; there shot through me such a pang of agony that I screamed aloud. " ( Ah, povritta ! ' said a soft, musical voice, and delicate fingers touched my forehead, and then were pressed upon my lips. I dimly comprehended that I was to remain silent and still; but my pain was too great, and I groaned again and again. I now perceived that my left arm and leg were tightly bandaged, and held in rude wooden frames ; my head also was covered with some tenacious strips. I was helpless as a mummy. The gloom seemed to soften; a ray of light ap-peared here and there, and a distant tinkling was heard, like the sound of sheep bells. A cup was pressed to my lips ; I drank of a bitter de-coction, and soon sank into a profound sleep. " When I awoke, comparatively free from pain, there was light enough to show that I was lying on a couch in a small room, in which some one was moving about. The blanket which served for a door was put aside, admitting the bright rays of the morning sun, and the same soft voice spoke in Spanish. " ' Are they out of sight, Gomez ?' " ' Beyond El Sentinel, senorita,' was the reply. " ' And gone ?' "' To join the main body, maestro, mia; they will never look here.' " I understood barely enough of the language to know that this im-plied safety. The curtain was slowly drawn aside, and the speakers departed. For hours I sought in vain to take up the tangled thread of my existence. Geneva was clear in my mind, and I fancied myself in some cave in the hills of Switzerland. I thought, and thought, and ( 72) |
