GLEXN NEGLEY 
 
FRIENDS OF 
 
 DUKE UNIVERSITY 
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 GIFT OF 
 
 Glenn JR. Noglej 
 
Digitized by the Internet Archive 
 in 2010 with funding from 
 Duke University Libraries 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/crucibleislandroOOpall 
 
CRUCIBLE ISLAND 
 
 A ROMANCE, AN ADVENTURE 
 AND AN EXPERIMENT 
 
 By 
 CONDE B. FALLEN 
 
 New York 
 
 THE MANHATTANVILLE PRESS 
 
 23 East Forty-first Street 
 
Copyright, 1919, by 
 Cond6 B. Fallen 
 

 CONTENTS 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Chapter I , . i 
 
 Chapter II 7 
 
 Chapter III i6 
 
 Chapter IV 23 
 
 Chapter V 32 
 
 Chapter VI 43 
 
 Chapter VII 56 
 
 Chapter VIII 66 
 
 Chapter IX 73 
 
 Chapter X 80 
 
 Chapter XI 89 
 
 Chapter XII 100 
 
 Chapter XIII 121 
 
 Chapter XIV 134 
 
 Chapter XV 149 
 
 Chapter XVI 158 
 
 Chapter XVII 168 
 
 Chapter XVIII 178 
 
 Chapter XIX 189 
 
 Chapter XX 200 
 
CRUCIBLE ISLAND 
 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 "Bring in the prisoner." 
 
 The speaker, a man of about thirty, dressed in a 
 simple suit of black, was seated at a table littered 
 with papers, evidently of an official character. Near 
 him sat an elderly man in the uniform of an officer 
 of high rank, his breast glittering with decorations. 
 The latter's attitude was that of a counsellor to a 
 very eminent superior. 
 
 "Your Highness, may I advise caution in this in- 
 terview? This man is dangerous." 
 
 "Restrain your solicitude, Count. Why should 
 I fear an unarmed man, a prisoner and manacled?" 
 
 "As Your Highness wishes, of course. But men 
 of this stamp are desperate. They use their very 
 chains at times as weapons; and how do you know 
 but one of his guards may not be of the same secret 
 fellowship, ready to supply . . ." 
 , "My dear Count, you would harness Providence 
 to your solicitude," interrupted His Highness, with 
 a slight gesture of impatience; "an overstrained 
 
 I 
 
2 CRUCIBLE ISLAND 
 
 prudence is a worse constraint than chains, and a^ 
 crueller tyrant than — well, than Carl Runder thinks 
 I am," he concluded with a flitting smile. 
 
 "Will your Highness not keep the guard in the 
 room?" 
 
 "Only yourself. Count. Surely Carl Runder is 
 not such a terrible fellow that General Count Von 
 Hammerstein and His Royal Highness of Unter- 
 wald need tremble before him." There was a sus- 
 picion of sarcasm in the Prince's voice and a twinkle 
 of the eye unnoticed by the elder man, who merely 
 bowed his head in unwilling acquiescence, sighing 
 like one whose wisdom is squandered in vain. Rising,* 
 the Count withdrew to the door with a profound 
 obeisance, gave an order to a guard stationed with- 
 out, and, returning, took his stand beside the Prince. 
 
 "The prisoner will be here immediately. Your 
 Highness; he was held waiting in the ante-room," 
 he said in a resigned voice. 
 
 After a moment's interval, during which the Prince 
 drummed absently on the table, th» folding doors 
 at the farther end of the chamber were thrown open 
 and there entered an officer with a drawn sword, 
 and two soldiers with bayonneted rifles, between them 
 a prisoner, handcuffed. The lieutenant saluted. 
 
 "Retire," commanded the Count. "Wait with- 
 out." 
 
 The prisoner stood facing the Prince. He had 
 drawn himself up to his full height, as if in defiance. 
 He was of medium stature and of rather slender 
 
CRUCIBLE ISLAND '3 
 
 figure. His beard was closely cut, his hair was 
 wavy, of a dark chestnut in color, and somewhat 
 long; his eyes were grey and open under fluent 
 brows; His lips, compressed by some strong emotion, 
 and his chin, square and full, thrust forward at the 
 moment. Count Von Hammerstein drew himself up 
 stiffly. 
 
 "So," exclaimed the Prince, "it is to this yon have 
 come, Carl Runder!" 
 
 "To this, Adolph Von Fausten," answered the 
 prisoner in a tense and harsh voice; "but I glory 
 in it. I am ashamed of nothing. I confess it openly. 
 I plotted against you and your government. I would 
 break down your despotism and make this a free 
 land, where there should be no privilege, no rank, 
 no invidious distinction of birth or fortune, but all 
 men stand on the same level in the nakedness of man- 
 hood and the truth of nature; all things for all, un- 
 trammeled distribution of the goods of life, and 
 none to suffer and none to be exploited." The pris- 
 oner's voice rose in strident declamation. 
 
 "You were always a dreamer, Carl; I remember 
 you at the University. Your dreams have brought 
 you to this. I am truly sorry for you." 
 
 "I despise your pity," the prisoner burst out. 
 "Who are you to pity me? You, the creature of 
 fortune, thrust by the chance of birth into your place 
 of tyranny, too blind to realize your own misTor- 
 tune, too puffed in your own conceit to know the 
 greatness of humanity; too cabined in the slavish 
 
4 CRUCIBLE ISLAND 
 
 traditions of a vile and narrow barbarism to under- 
 stand the duty of renunciation, too . . ." 
 
 "Your Highness !" vehemently remonstrated Von 
 Hammerstein, "this is intolerable — to be lectured by 
 this blind fool ! It is not to be endured. Permit me 
 to have him removed." 
 
 "No, Count; he means what he says — " Hammer- 
 stein stared at the Prince; "Carl is in dead earnest; 
 I have heard a thousand times all that he can say; it 
 is the stock of socialistic rhetoric, the constant dream 
 of young visionaries like Carl. Unfortunately for 
 the enthusiasts, when they would put such dreams in- 
 to action, as Carl has endeavored to put his, there 
 is a practical side which we must consider; the dream- 
 ers who insist on seeking the realization of their 
 dreams must be put out of the way for the good of 
 society." A mocking smile played over Carl's fea- 
 tures at the last words of the Prince, uttered with 
 deliberate emphasis. 
 
 "For the good of society!" he echoed ironically. 
 "You mean, Adolph Von Fausten, for your own 
 good and those of your class; those who, under the 
 mockery of rule, exploit humanity at large. Yes, 
 for your good, who fatten and batten on what you 
 call the proletariat. Our stock rhetoric! Have 
 you no stock rhetoric, no banal platitudes, under 
 which you cloak your selfishness and greed? The 
 thinkers, for instance, must govern the toilers; the 
 strong must needs protect the weak, the learned must 
 guide the ignorant, under which wretched disguises 
 
CRUCIBLE ISLAND 5 
 
 you plunder the fruits of their toil, and call it gov- 
 Lnment!, Bah! You preach and steal. / preach 
 and seek to right your wrongs, and you sn>.te me 
 down with the bludgeon of force! It .s only by 
 force that you hold your place of despotism, bee, 
 you have manacled humanity!" and the prisoner 
 held forth his handcuffed wrists. _ 
 
 ■The Prince smiled: Von Hammerstem snorted 
 and started to speak, but the Prince waved him into 
 
 silence. . , „ . 
 
 "True Carl, force does constitute a large part 
 of social stability. But men are not angels, and the 
 millennium has not come. But let be argument. 
 You are in my power; you have plotted traitorously 
 against me. You are a menace to me and mme . 
 Shall I not use my power in my own defence? Grant 
 it be selfish, but selfishness you say is the present 
 constitution of the world. You have vainly striven 
 to burst the meshes that society has woven about 
 you; you are an avowed and deadly enemy to its 
 present constitution. Must it not rid itself of a 
 
 mortal foe? ^ i i • 
 
 "I am not afraid of martyrdom for the glorious 
 cause!" exclaimed Carl, lifting up his manacled 
 
 ^" Were the conditions reversed, and I in your place 
 the declared and mortal enemy of the established 
 socialist state, what would you do with me ." 
 
 Carl looked steadily at the Prince for a moment 
 and said, "execute you, or incarcerate you for lite. 
 
6 CRUCIBLE ISLAND 
 
 "So be it," said the Prince, "you shall be trans- 
 ported to Schlectland for life. You have pronounced 
 your own sentence." 
 
 The prisoner stood rigid for a moment, the blood 
 gathering tumultuously to hhs heart, his face pale, 
 his lips colorless; then, drawing himself up, he stood 
 and waited, uttering no word; for Schlectland, in 
 Unterwald, was a Name of evil odor, an Island in 
 the sea from which no man was ever known to re- 
 turn and with which no one in all Unterwald, save 
 government officials, ever had any communication. 
 It was a penal colony, whither were transported all 
 convicted of capital crimes who did not meet their 
 fate on the gallows. 
 
 As the prisoner was escorted out of the chamber 
 by the armed guards, an enigmatical smile played 
 over the face of His Highness of Unterwald. 
 
CHAPTER II 
 
 It was a long and bitter voyage for Carl Runder. 
 How long, he did not know, for in his narrow cabin 
 with its dim lantern light through an iron grating 
 above the door, he knew not the difference between 
 day and night. He saw no one but his jailer who 
 brought him his food, and this man spoke no word. 
 
 So this was the end of all his dreams ! Still young 
 and ardent, his brain fresh and vigorous, his heart 
 strong and his spirits bright, a solitary prisoner in 
 an iron sepulchre or a slave in a chain gang, lashed 
 and driven to labor? The realization was unen- 
 durable anguish. It seemed to sear his brain. No, 
 no, it could not be! It was a dream, a hideous 
 dream; he must soon awaken; how long would it 
 last? In his agony he would at times start to his 
 feet and, lifting up his manacled hands, curse the 
 tyranny which thus exercised its monstrous power. 
 
 What was his crime save that he wished to allevi- 
 ate the burdens of a groaning race, to make men hap- 
 pier, to give freedom to all, to bring mankind back 
 to the truth of nature, which the hideous artifice of 
 human society ha'd overlaid and hidden by foolish 
 
 7 
 
8 CRUCIBLE ISLAND 
 
 traditions and iron customs, the vicious barrier be- 
 hind which the tyrannous few cunningly entrenched 
 themselves. 
 
 Force by force — that had been his plan; to seize 
 power and smash down those barriers. It was by 
 force the tyrants held their advantage; it must be 
 by force that they were to be dislodged. Had he 
 succeeded, had he but triumphed, ah ! what a hero 
 he would have been, acclaimed by all as the bene- 
 factor and liberator of his kind, but, failing — see to 
 what he had come! The dreadful abyss between 
 success and failure ! And yet what a little thing had 
 turned his scheme into disaster! A cipher letter 
 accidentally placed in the hands of the wrong per- 
 son, and the mailed gauntlet of the tyrant had 
 reached out and clutched him with an iron grip. 
 Never to relax, never, never! It would send him to 
 madness ! But even madness would be welcome, an 
 escape from the consciousness of this hell! 
 
 At times, exhausted by the intensity of his futile 
 passion, he would fall back into a brooding apathy 
 in which he was conscious of the constant pulsation 
 of the steamer's machinery vibrating through the 
 great bulk of the iron monster carrying him to his 
 doom, like an accompaniment of metallic instru- 
 ments, reiterating and reiterating the same dull note, 
 in a deep, mechanical rhythm to the fantastic tu- 
 mult of his imagination, as picture after picture 
 stretched before his mind's eye of what might have 
 been and what he now was. • 
 
CRUCIBLE ISLAND 9 
 
 So the days came and went without distinction to 
 him, consumed by his own bitterness, no longer 
 noting or caring to note the flight of time, until at 
 last the cessation of the ship's vibration and the 
 sudden crash of a gim, re-echoed by the distant boom 
 of another in response, conveyed to him the tidings 
 that they had arrived at the point of destination, the 
 fatal island of Schlectland. 
 
 He was morbidly eager when a guard with fixed 
 bayonet appeared at his cabin door, and he was or- 
 dered to ascend to the deck. Blinded at first by the 
 sudden glimpse of day after his long darkness, he 
 could see nothing of the prospect around him, but 
 as his faculty of vision slowly returned, he gradually 
 took in a precipitous shore line, above which rose 
 high mountains, sweeping sinuously around and al- 
 most locking in a narrow harbor of deep blue waters 
 in which the vessel lay anchored. 
 
 Along the shore, apparently at the very edge, 
 stretched several long, low, stone buildings, with 
 narrow, iron-barred windows; to the right, a group 
 of houses, from one of which, higher than the rest, 
 floated the white eagle of Unterwald on its dark 
 background. At either side of the harbor entrance, 
 earthen fortifications projected, their black guns 
 pointing vv^ith sinister muzzles toward the open sea ; 
 cresting a hill just back of the long stone buildings, 
 a battery of apparently lighter armament. The 
 sky was intensely blue, the air clear, while the sun- 
 light streamed down in an effulgence that brought 
 
10 CRUCIBLE ISLAND 
 
 out the sombreness and ruggedness of the scene with 
 in{ense vividness. 
 
 All this came gradually into Carl's awakening 
 vision as he was being rowed ashore with his armed 
 escort. The boat landed at a steep wooden dock, 
 projecting out from what seemed to be a warehouse. 
 Carl was marched to this building, from which he 
 had seen the emblem ot Unterwald floating. He 
 was then ushered into the presence of an officer 
 whose uniform indicated a colonel's rank. The ser- 
 geant commanding his escort handed the officer a 
 sealed letter. He read it with an indifferent air, 
 and then, turning to Carl, laconically remarked, 
 '*Carl Runder, Socialist. To the Spielgarten." 
 
 The sergeant saluted, wheeled about, ordered his 
 men to form double file, one on either side of Carl, 
 and march Issuing from the building, the soldiers, 
 with Carl in their midst, took a road to the right for 
 some hundred yards along the shore, and then struck 
 off with many windings up the mountainside. 
 
 It was toilsome marching up, the ascent growing 
 at every turn. Carl staggered heavily along, weak 
 as he was from the narrow confinement of his voy- 
 age, and hampered by his handcuffed wrists. After 
 two hours' steady climb, he was ready to drop with 
 faintness and fatigue. The sergeant, realizing his 
 prisoner's condition^ called a halt, and, taking a 
 flask, placed it to Carl's dry and cracked lips; this 
 he supplemented with a half loaf of bread, and, or- 
 dering the prisoner to sit on a projecting ledge, bade 
 
CRUCIBLE ISLAND ii 
 
 him rest and eat. This Carl did eagerly, and felt 
 life flow back into his veins with the refreshment of 
 the liquor and the food. 
 
 After some ten minutes' rest, during which no 
 word was spoken, for strict silence had evidently 
 been commanded, the marching was resumed. After 
 another two hours' heavy tramping upward, inter- 
 rupted by one short respite, they reached the sum- 
 mit of the road which then proceeded at almost a 
 level for another hour's march, and then descended 
 at a steep incline for some thirty minutes' rapid 
 pace, when it entered a narrow defile whose steep 
 sides lifted some two hundred feet. 
 
 Here a low, one-storied building of stone, which 
 Carl took to be a guardhouse, stood against the 
 right-hand cliff. In front of it paced a sentinel; 
 when they were within some fifty yards a halt was 
 called and the sergeant, taking from his knapsack a 
 strip of cotton cloth, proceeded to bind Carl's eyes. 
 
 The apprehension which had been gathering in 
 the prisoner's mind all during the march upward, 
 that he was being led to a place of execution, was 
 now confirmed. They were bandaging his eyes 
 preparatory to shooting him. 
 
 A coldness seized upon him, the perspiration stood 
 out in beads upon his forehead. It was a physical 
 trepidation. He had no distinct fear of death; It 
 was simply an overmastering dread of something 
 appalling that was about to happen. He could for- 
 mulate nothing in his mind; his brain seemed be- 
 
12 CRUCIBLE ISLAND 
 
 numbed and unable to grasp the situation; it was a 
 mental feeling analagous to the sensation of one's 
 hand asleep, when its prehensile power is gone. 
 
 A sharp command to march partly roused him 
 from his mental stupefaction. He obeyed mechanic- 
 ally as if in a nightmare. It seemed to him that be 
 passed through the shadow of a deep archway and 
 then again into the open; a hundred paces farther, 
 and he was stopped by an abrupt order to halt. 
 Some one stepped in front of him and, swiftly un- 
 locking his handcuffs, drew them off. The next in- 
 stant a hand reached to his head and snatched off 
 the bandage over his eyes, and a voice behind him 
 peremptorily commanded: "Do not look back or you 
 will be shot down like a dog. Go forward; follow 
 the road." 
 
 For a moment he stood dazed; an almost irresist- 
 ible desire to look back seized him, but the voice 
 menacingly repeated its command to go forward. 
 
 Was this simply a refinement of cruelty, to re- 
 move his handcuffs and unbandage his eyes and then 
 shoot him down from behind as he advanced along 
 the road? Rousing himself from his bev/ilderment, 
 he stepped forward, noting at the same time that he 
 had now passed out of the defile and that the moun- 
 tains on either side of the road were sloping and 
 covered with a growth of stately fir trees, reaching 
 high into the heavens. An impulse at first seized 
 him to rush into the shelter of the forest away from 
 the danger at his back, but the salutary thought that 
 
CRUCIBLE ISLAND 13 
 
 perhaps the rifles of his guard were levelled at him, 
 ready to fire on the instant, held him in check. 
 
 Nobody, evidently, was following, for he heard 
 no footsteps on the road behind him. He had gone 
 some hundred yards in this state of curious agita- 
 tion, betv/een intense fear and bewilderment, when 
 he saw, lying in the very middle of the road, almost 
 at his feet, a human skeleton. He recoiled with a 
 sudden horror. Was this the remains of some un- 
 fortunate shot down as he himself was about to be? 
 A distant shout came from behind: "Forward." 
 
 With a shudder he stepped over the bleached 
 bones, expecting to hear the crash of rifles, speeding 
 his own similar doom. But no sound broke the 
 mountain quiet. And now he noticed, a short dis- 
 tance in front, a bend in the road. It flashed across 
 him: Would not this conceal him from the awful 
 threat behind? Dare he run for it? He quickened 
 his pace, but still In fear, restrained his impulse to 
 run. It seemed an eternity before he reached that 
 bend, and as he turned he broke instantly and fran- 
 tically into the top of his speed, fleeing blindly for- 
 ward, away from that horrible menace. 
 
 He ran impetuously, as a child would, from some 
 unknown terror, how far he knew not, until finally, 
 out of sheer exhaustion, he flung himself trembling, 
 and with a darkness in his eyes, upon a mossy spot 
 by the roadside. 
 
 He lay there, panting and shaken, conscious only 
 that he had escaped from some terrible danger, like 
 
14 CRUCIBLE ISLAND 
 
 a man first wakening and dimly realizing that the 
 terror of his dreams was, after all, but a phantom of 
 his sleep. Gradually his breath came back to him 
 and his brain began to clear again. What had hap- 
 pened? Where was he? 
 
 He looked up ; above, to the right, rose the moun- 
 tain with its great silent firs stretching up its slopes, 
 beyond his ken. On the other side of the road, to 
 the left, the scene was open. In his headlong flight 
 he had not noticed that the road, just this side of 
 the bend, where he had started to run, skirted a 
 steep precipice, at the bottom of which, he could 
 hear the roar of raucous waters through a narrow 
 bed. Raising his eyes and gazing out, he saw, 
 stretching beneath him, a valley, apparently some 
 twenty miles in length and broadening, at its 
 widest part, to perhaps ten miles. Great mountains 
 hemmed it in on all sides. 
 
 He was startled at the prospect. The air was 
 very clear. Below, lengthening through the valley, 
 he could see a considerable stream winding in and 
 out through meadow and forest land. The fields 
 were cultivated, and he could distinguish the varied 
 hues of the growing crops. Farmhouses and their 
 outbuildings were clearly discernible. 
 
 Some distance down the stream, whose waters 
 were flowing at the bottom of the gorge beside him, 
 was a village or town, four or five miles away. Its 
 buildings appeared to be low, and he was unable to 
 distinguish the streets. Over all, the sunshine 
 
CRUCIBLE ISLAND 15 
 
 poured down with a rare radiance. It was a scene 
 of peace and beauty. The silence of the mountain 
 height, broken only by the sound of the water, and 
 the balmy odor of the firs, fell soothingly upon his 
 senses. The rich sunshine bathed him and warmed 
 him, filling him with a delicious languor, relaxing him 
 strangely and delightfully after the severe tension 
 of body and mind through which he had just passed. 
 A dreaminess came over him, a weird seizure of un- 
 reality took possession of him. Where was he? 
 What did it all mean? 
 
CHAPTER III 
 
 It was some time in the latter half of the after- 
 noon, for the sun was in the heavens toward the 
 mountains at the far end of the valley, when Carl 
 awakened. His mind was full of conjectures. They 
 had not shot him down, no doubt, in order to reserve 
 him for a worse fate. There was evidently some 
 sinister scheme in thus releasing him. He was be- 
 ing sent into some new and terrible danger. 
 
 And yet the scene before him was one of peace 
 and quiet. Nature was serene and smiling on moun- 
 tain height and in the outstretched valley below. 
 Men evidently dwelt there, following peaceful avo- 
 cations; the earth was cultivated and bearing, and 
 the town by the river's edge was a sign of industry 
 and intercourse. 
 
 Yet he was fearful? his mind was confused. The 
 revulsion of feeling which followed upon his sudden 
 and unexpected release from what had seemed a cer- 
 tain and ignominious death to what now appeared 
 unbounded freedom amidst so strange a scene, 
 clouded his mental faculties, and he walked on as in 
 a dream, which might at any moment change into a 
 hideous phantasmagoria. 
 
 i6 
 
CRUCIBLE ISLAND 17 
 
 He tried to concentrate and reason the matter 
 out, as he proceeded on his way, now eagerly and 
 swiftly forward in a fever of anxiety, then restrain- 
 ing his steps to a lagging pace as suggestive doubt 
 and uncertainty of suspicion entrammeled his flag- 
 ging spirits. 
 
 He had now descended almost to the base of the 
 mountain, when he was startled by a sudden crash- 
 ing sound some little distance ahead. He stopped 
 and listened. Nothing broke the stillness; all was 
 silent again. 
 
 Pushing forward slowly and cautiously, again the 
 crash, nearer. He now recognized it as falling tim- 
 ber; someone nearby was evidently felling trees. 
 At the end of another two hundred yards he could 
 hear the thud of axes, followed by an interval filled 
 with the sound of voices, and then the sound of axes 
 again. The woodsmen were off the road among the 
 trees. 
 
 He went in their direction, seeking concealment 
 behind intervening bushes and trees and shortly came 
 upon half a dozen men at work, wielding their axes. 
 One stood apart, evidently directing the others, 
 though he, too, held an axe in his hand. 
 
 Carl stood hesitating. Should he reveal himself 
 and accost them? Who were they? Would they 
 prove friend or foe? He knew that he must make 
 himself known to the people of the valley. Why not 
 to these, the first upon whom he had chanced? 
 
 The mystery of the situation had become a bur- 
 
i8 CRUCIBLE ISLAND 
 
 den to him; he would find out what it all meant. 
 Stepping from behind his concealment he advanced 
 into open view of the woodcutters. 
 
 The man directing the others perceived him first. 
 He was a tall, raw-boned, stalwart fellow. His face 
 was heavily tanned. He did not seem surprised at 
 the sight of Carl. 
 
 "Begorra !" he exclaimed with an unmistakable 
 brogue, "here's another lad for the Spielgarten! 
 The Spalpeens have given him a run for it. Faith, 
 he looks like a ghost! Don't be afraid," he shouted 
 to Carl, who had stopped, hesitating, "Come on, me 
 lad, we're brothers to ye. It's a cozy bit of a 
 place ve've come to; afther ye're own likin', I'm 
 thinkin'." 
 
 "Who are you? Where am I?" queried Carl. 
 
 "Sure, the question's natural, me lad," answered 
 the other, "and you're not the first that's asked it. 
 It's a hard time ye've had, no doubt; I was there 
 meself, onct. It's a little way they hav^e of scarin' 
 the soul out of your body; but there's small harm 
 done, afther all." 
 
 "But where am I?" querulously reiterated Carl. 
 "What does it all mean?" 
 
 "Whist now, be aisy, and I'll tell you; but soon 
 you'll be findin' out for yoursel' before long and 
 ve'll be as plased as if ye'd found a whole litther of 
 pigs for the mere findin'. Sure ye're In the Spiel- 
 garten and to sthay, at that, too." 
 
 "Well, what is the Spielgarten?" impatiently 
 
CRUCIBLE ISLAND 19 
 
 asked Carl, nettled a little at the indirection of the 
 brawny woodsman. 
 
 The other laughed. "I'm thinkin' it a bit of a 
 thrick of the man that's sent ye here. Now be aisy 
 me lad, and I'll tell ye. The Spielgarten is this 
 bloomin' valley, and a purty bit of nature it is, as 
 ye're findin' out for yersel', and it's a place the man 
 that sent you here has prisinted to the loikes of ye 
 that disagrees with him in the matter o' govermint, 
 an' he says to thim, not straight and forward-like, 
 but quite contrarywise, ye wurrk out ye're own no- 
 tion of governmint here and let me run mine ac- 
 cordin' to me own ideas. So, me lad, we're runnin'. 
 ourselves our way without bein' bothered by him, 
 at all, at all. I'm thinkin' he's a wise one that makes 
 an experiment on another man's hide." 
 
 There was a bit of latent sarcasm in the woods- 
 man's voice and a twitch of his eye, 
 
 "Do you mean Socialism?" came from the won- 
 dering Carl. 
 
 "Bedad, that I do; the very same, me boy," re- 
 plied the other, 
 
 "What?" Carl exclaimed, drawing his breath 
 sharply as he gleaned the significance of the other's 
 words, "Do you mean to say that the Prince of 
 Unterwald has given over this valley to the Socialists 
 to work out their own theory of government?" 
 
 "Ye jump quick, me lad," answered the other with 
 an amused smile, "It's the very same, I'm thinkin'. 
 Sure, an' ye'U get used to It. 'Tis a Socialist colony 
 
20 CRUCIBLE ISLAND 
 
 left to its own devices and other things in the bar- 
 gain, I'm thinkin'," he added, taking off his cap and 
 stroking the back of his head in a way suggesting 
 reflection. 
 
 Carl stood for a moment in utter surprise. He 
 was stunned by the news. The woodsman with his 
 companions, who had ceased their work, grouped 
 themselves around Carl and looked at one another, 
 smiling knowingly. Carl stood dazed. It was like 
 being tossed out of the gulfs of hell to the heights of 
 Paradise. Hopeless, he had looked death in the 
 face but a short hour ago, a doomed political crim- 
 inal, felon and outcast from society, and now he 
 stood among friends, brothers indeed and in truth, 
 in a land where his long dream of Socialism, he was 
 told, was being realized; a Socialist state founded 
 and working out its great ideals ! 
 
 He looked half-doubtingly and inquiringly at the 
 faces around him. They understood the interroga- 
 tion of his eager eyes. They nodded and smiled. 
 Yes, they all assured him, it was true; the Spielgarten 
 was a Socialist colony where Socialism was practised 
 down to its completest detail; no privilege, no caste, 
 no rank, no social distinction, all equal, the good of 
 all the supreme interest. 
 
 It was too much for Carl's overwrought nerves; 
 he fairly broke down. The brawny Irishman who 
 had been the r.pokesman of the party took the weak- 
 ened "laddie," as he called him, in his sturdy arms 
 and supported him, all the while pouring out a flood 
 
CRUCIBLE ISLAND 21 
 
 of soothing terms in a rich soft brogue, and telling 
 Carl how he himself had been through the same or- 
 deal; had, like him, been marched blindfolded 
 through the mountain defiles and then set free on 
 the road leading into the valley. 
 
 When Carl's emotion had spent itself, the Irish- 
 man, McCarthy, for so he was called by the others, 
 pulled out a flask, out of which he made Carl drink 
 of a refreshing beverage. The drink, with some 
 bread, put a little strength into his exhausted body 
 again, for he had taken nothing the whole day save 
 what his guard on the road up the mountain had 
 given him. 
 
 The sun was now back of the mountains, whose 
 shadows stretched over the valley, making a long 
 twilight. McCarthy and his fellow woodsmen, 
 shouldering their axes, left the scene of their labors, 
 and with the refreshed Carl entered the road and 
 followed it into the valley. 
 
 As they walked, little was said; Carl felt his fa- 
 tigue and though a thousand questions swarmed into 
 his brain, he did not ask them, but gave himself up 
 to the strange exaltation which had taken hold of 
 him, like a man whose fondest hopes had at last been 
 realized. He was in a Socialist State! The great 
 dream of his life, against which the barriers of long 
 ages of tyranny and iron custom, and brutal force 
 had stood impregnable suddenly rising up before 
 him like a beautiful vision, and yet not a vision, but 
 a practical reality. 
 
22 CRUCIBLE ISLAND 
 
 Here the artificial society which had encumbered 
 the progress of mankind for long centuries was un- 
 known; everything came from nature, pure and un- 
 adulterated from the beginning. Here, society had 
 started without prejudice, unhampered by vicious 
 customs, having as its root, simple and free human- 
 ity. How glorious it all was! What a joyous con- 
 summation of all his deepest aspirations! Here was 
 the reign of perfect justice, the ideal of truth and 
 love for mankind. 
 
 Carl's fond thoughts were interrupted by their 
 approach to a farmhouse by the roadside, where 
 McCarthy announced to him they would rest for 
 the night. As they drew near, the twilight, which 
 had long been softly glowing in the sky, died out sud- 
 denly, and the heavens were instantly aglow with 
 thousands of lustrous stars. Never were they so 
 bright to Carl, never so beautiful. They seemed 
 to speak of peace and love and justice and rest to him 
 from these serene heights, the bright symbols of the 
 new life he had so surprisingly found. 
 
CHAPTER IV 
 
 Carl had now been a month in the Spielgarten, a 
 citizen of the Socialist State, which was putting into 
 practice the economic and social principles known 
 only in theory elsewhere in the world. He had 
 learned that there existed a secret compact, which 
 had originated in Unterwald, between the govern- 
 ments of Europe, to transport all Socialists to this 
 island, where they might freely work out the socialist 
 scheme. 
 
 , The purpose of the world's rulers was not benevo- 
 lent, but corrective; it was supposed that the Social- 
 ist State would break down under its own weight 
 after an unhampered and practical trial. It was, 
 besides, an easy way of getting rid of elements 
 troublesome and dangerous to the traditional system 
 of society founded upon inequality and privilege. 
 
 Communication with the outside world was abso- 
 lutely cut off. The island was hemmed in by lofty 
 and precipitous mountains, natural and impregnable 
 barriers save at the eastern end. At the sole en- 
 trance was a garrison of soldiers to guard against 
 any exit on the part of the inhabitants of the valley, 
 
 23 
 
24 CRUCIBLE ISLAND 
 
 and death was the instantaneous penalty of any at- 
 tempt to make an egress. In several instances those 
 who had tried it were brutally shot down. 
 
 The skeleton which Carl had come across on the 
 road the day he came to the island was that of a 
 man who, growing discontented, had boldly sought 
 to reach the outer world through the pass, after 
 vainly essaying to escape elsewhere over the moun- 
 tains. Equally rigid were the safeguards against 
 communication. A soldier who was discovered to 
 have had communication with an inhabitant of the 
 valley, even so much as a word, was forthwith shot. 
 So jealously was this exclusion from the outside 
 world guarded that the Socialists of the Spielgarten 
 might have been the inhabitants of another planet. 
 Their only knowledge of humanity at large came 
 through the recruits who, like Carl, were thrust from 
 time to time into the valley, never to return. 
 
 The colony had been in existence for fifty years 
 at the time of Carl's advent. The founders were a 
 band of five hundred Socialists who had been gath- 
 ered and transported en masse into the valley by 
 a preconcerted arrangement of the different govern- 
 ments of Europe. Among these were a number of 
 women, for the most part, wives of the founders. 
 Others were women who had been convicted for capi- 
 tal offenses, and were sent in during the first ten 
 years to supply the dearth of the female sex, 
 which had been foreseen by the originators of the 
 scheme. 
 
CRUCIBLE ISLAND 25 
 
 Of the founders of the colony few were now alive, 
 but what with recruits from without and the natural 
 propagation of the race, which was carefully super- 
 vised by the State, the inhabitants of the valley had 
 grown to some ten thousand souls, the majority of 
 whom were native to the Spielgarten and had been 
 brought up under the socialist regime. 
 
 The climate of the island was semi-tropical, the 
 soil fertile, and nature beneficent. The mountains 
 were profusely timbered and rich in ore. Nothing 
 was materially wanting to supply human needs. 
 
 At first many difficulties beset the colonists in de- 
 vising a system of government, which should meet 
 the requirements of the Socialist State. There were 
 bitter differences of opinion as to ways and means, 
 some conservative, some progressive, and it was not 
 until some twenty years after the foundation of the 
 colony that a consistent and logical plan was grad- 
 ually evolved in keeping with the Socialist ideal 
 This regime had been rigidly enforced ever since, 
 and Socialism in its fullest logic and completest ex- 
 pression now flourished in the Spielgarten, the only 
 spot on earth where it had struck root and been fol- 
 lowed according to its own ideals. 
 
 The people of the Spielgarten were made up of 
 various nationalities. The largest element was Ger- 
 man, and the language spoken was of that nation. 
 There were Russians, Poles, Italians, a few English- 
 men, and one solitary Irishmanjjthe man who had 
 met Carl on the Vv^ay down the mountain. 
 
26 CRUCIBLE ISLAND 
 
 ( Among the native-born the distinction of national 
 type was almost lost. It was only among the re- 
 cruits, who had been transported thither, that the 
 difference of racial type remained distinctive. The 
 natives, with rare exceptions, presented a notable 
 homogeneity both in feature and in manner, which 
 Carl did not fail to remark, after he had been in the 
 Island a few weeks. 
 
 The climate was evidently healthful, and there 
 seemed to be little sickness on the island; the air was 
 salubrious and the water pure, the changes of tem- 
 perature within a narrow range throughout the en- 
 tire year. The physique of both the men and women 
 was robust. Indeed, to Carl's eyes, Schlectland 
 seemed a veritable paradise, climate and soil all that 
 could be desired, nature beautiful and varied, and, 
 above all, that perfect human equality, based upon 
 the common good, which Socialism, freed from the 
 constraints of tradition and custom, was here prac- 
 tically demonstrating to be the millennium of hu- 
 manity. Oh, that the world might know of the social 
 paradise into which he had been so strangely and 
 happily thrust ! 
 
 For the first few weeks he seemed to be living in 
 a dream. Although he had been a close student of 
 Socialism, it was only by degrees that he learned to 
 comprehend the practical workings of what had been 
 to him heretofore a theory. The social machinery 
 around him worked so noiselessly and smoothly that 
 it \vas scarce perceptible. The administration of 
 
CRUCIBLE ISLAND 27 
 
 government seemed remarkably simple, and, as far 
 as he could observe, almost autonomous. 
 
 Its basis was the popular franchise. All over the 
 age of twenty-one voted, and the suffrage was not 
 restricted to the male sex, but also accorded to 
 women. There was a General Assembly whose 
 members were elected every four years from ten dif- 
 ferent districts Into which the Splelgarten was polit- 
 ically divided. The functions of this body were 
 chiefly legislative, and Its enactments became law 
 subject only to the decision of what was called the 
 Council of Welfare, which passed judicially upon 
 the constitutionality of the laws enacted by the Gen- 
 eral Assembly, when these were called in ques- 
 tion. 
 
 The Constitution was drawn upon strict Socialist 
 principles and based upon the absolute supremacy of 
 the State, the recognized fountain head of all legis- 
 lation, the source of domestic and civic duties. The 
 Constitution was declared inviolable and subject only 
 to the interpretation of the Common Council of Wel- 
 fare. Its preamble affirmed that the safety of the 
 people was the supreme law, that the absolute equal- 
 ity of all men was the fundamental principle of 
 nature, and that It was the first duty of the State to 
 guard and maintain this perpetual equality In all 
 domestic, social, civic and political relations. 
 
 The Common Council of Welfare elected from 
 Its own body an executive staff known as the Par- 
 ticular Council of Welfare, whose duty was the 
 
28 CRUCIBLE ISLAND 
 
 administration of the laws, and whose responsibility 
 for the faithful performance of their offices bark- 
 ened back to the General Assembly, which possessed 
 the constitutional power of impeachment and pun- 
 ishment of any executive officer for malfeasance in 
 the performance of his duties. The Particular 
 Council appointed judges, one for each two districts, 
 who presided over all trials within their respective 
 territories, and from whose decisions appeal could 
 always be made to the Particular Council. 
 
 Such in general outline was the structure of the 
 government of this unique system which Carl found 
 working so smoothly and simply in the Spielgarten. 
 To him it was a rev^elation beyond his wildest hope, 
 an ideal condition of humanity, of which he had 
 hitherto only dreamed as the possibility of a millen- 
 nial future. 
 
 On all sides peace and content reigned. Day in 
 and day out men went about their various avocations 
 quietly and happily None questioned, all obeyed. 
 There was no poverty, no Avant, no inequality, no 
 distinction of persons, • and no rank. The State 
 supervised and directed everything. 
 
 Under the working of this omnipresent regime 
 there existed no possibility of one man excelling or 
 obtaining more than his neighbor. Food, clothing, 
 and shelter were carefully distributed to all alike, 
 and all occasion of envy was inevitably eliminated. 
 While each contributed according to his ability, 
 under State direction, to the common stock, to each 
 
CRUCIBLE ISLAND 29 
 
 was distributed with an even-handed impartiality an 
 equal share. 
 
 The hours of labor were fixed by law, and so ar- 
 ranged as to fall with little duress upon any. One 
 day of the week was free, and on that day labor was 
 strictly prohibited. Every three months a period 
 of three days was set aside, during which the people 
 might occupy themselves as they pleased; but if dur- 
 ing this time they devoted themselves to labor, of a 
 productive nature, the result had to be deposited In 
 the common store.j 
 
 These "play-days," as they were called, were 
 usually spent in recreation; some busied themselves 
 with domestic concerns, such as arranging and fitting 
 their dwellings according to their tastes, though a 
 limit was placed upon all domestic ornamentation, 
 which might savor of an ostentatious distinction. A 
 few filled in this leisure time with productive work. 
 Many took tlie occasion to visit friends living at a 
 distance. Recreation and leisure was the spirit of 
 the hour during the "play-days." 
 
 Carl's wonder grew as he watched and noted the 
 operations of what seemed to him so simple and so 
 perfect a system. Here was the one spot on earth 
 where the burden of life did not bear upon groaning 
 shoulders, where a social hierarchy did not lay its 
 heavy weight In successively increased oppressions 
 upon the galled backs of the sweating masses. None 
 here were trampled In the mire under the feet of a 
 callous and haughty aristocracy. There was no op- 
 
'30 CRUCIBLE ISLAND 
 
 portunlty in this garden of peace and blessedness for 
 a bourgeoisie to exploit the helpless and the hopeless 
 crowd. The curse of greed, the root of the world's 
 evil, where society was based upon the Idea of indi- 
 vidual gain, was here utterly eliminated. For none 
 could possess more than nature dictated for his 
 proper needs. 
 
 A ruling class, entrenched in fossil traditions and 
 antiquated privileges, was impossible in the Spiel- 
 garten, for here tradition was unknown and privi- 
 lege the forgotten folly of another world. Here at 
 last was the high realization of nature's true man- 
 hood; human value estimated upon the basis of a 
 common humanity; no fictitious stamp of rank or 
 wealth to make distinction in tiie pure gold of equal 
 human worth. Coming to Carl so suddenly, so un- 
 expectedly, it was like sleeping, and then waking in 
 Paradise. 
 
 For the first month he walked in an ecstasy of 
 idealism. The beauty of nature around him was 
 tenfold more beautiful. The green valley, ribboned 
 and silvered with its many streams carrying their 
 pure waters to enrich the fertile soil, whence nature 
 poured forth her bounties to the touch of honest toil, 
 stretched its lowlands and its wooded hills, studded 
 here and there with farmhouses and variegated with 
 the enriching hues of cultivated fields, which human 
 industry for the first time in man's history under 
 the impulse of a common love, had made to blossom 
 and bear for the common v/elfare. 
 
CRUCIBLE ISLAND 31 
 
 Encircling the valley, the haunt of peace and ease 
 and happiness, the mountain heights, their lower 
 slopes clothed in the deep green of exuberant for- 
 ests, lifted lofty summits into the Intense azure of a 
 heaven which burned in liquid sapphire beyond. 
 Here and there some great peak soared with snowy 
 shoulders in the vast distance above the lower 
 ranges. Highest of all, midway on the eastern side, 
 like a great needle pricking into the empyrean, rose 
 Mount Bebel, a giant sentinel watching over the 
 valley. The deep repose and the solemn calm of the 
 mountains ft 11 upon Carl's spirit like a great balm. 
 It seemed to him that at last he had come into a 
 supreme felicity. 
 
 The sublimity of the scene seized upon his soul; 
 the peace and tranquility of the valley entered into 
 his heart. Mere living was a bliss. Here was na- 
 ture and man In closest union; peace and good-will, 
 content and happiness everywhere. He had, indeed, 
 been transported into the golden age. 
 
CHAPTER V 
 
 h 
 
 { There were no idlers in the Spielgarten. Each 
 
 one had his allotted share in the labor of the com- 
 munity. The division of labor was predetermined 
 by the judges of the various districts. If one were 
 discontented with the avocation to which he was as- 
 signed, he had the right of an appeal to the Par- 
 ticular Council at the end of six months, and then 
 again at the end of a year, but their decision was 
 final. 
 
 At first the colony had experienced great difficulty 
 in adjusting the division of labor, as there was a 
 strong tendency to overcrowd the lighter tasks as 
 well as seek those places which seemed to carry some 
 mark of distinction. But as the native-born element, 
 which had been reared and schooled in the idea of 
 the Socialist State, began to preponderate in the 
 community, the leaven of self-seeking, which had 
 been brought by the original colonists as a sinister 
 inheritance of their former life under the regime of 
 a state based upon inequality, gradually disappeared, 
 and an appeal from the first assignment of the dis- 
 trict judge was now a rare occurrence. 
 
 32 
 
CRUCIBLE ISLAND 33 
 
 The children were taught from infancy that they 
 were at maturity to be placed at certain assigned 
 tasks, and during youth were trained with a view to 
 the avocation thus g>redetermine(l for them. 
 
 It was inculcated also as a cardinal principle of 
 their ethical code that there was no distinction of 
 merit or reward in the different avocations and con- 
 ditions of life. The man who dug or ploughed occu- 
 pied as meritorious and honorable a place in the 
 community as the judge of a district, and no distinc- 
 tion in the distribution of the goods of life was made 
 between them. ]_ The dominance of this conception of 
 human existence and its practical fulfilment in the 
 equal awards distributed by the State soon settled 
 the problem of the division of labor. There was no 
 emulation when there could be no distinction, and 
 avocations were accepted with ready acquiescence. 
 
 When Carl arrived in the colony he was treated 
 as were all recruits from the outside world. As 
 manual labor was always most in demand, he was 
 allotted to that division, as was the custom with re- 
 cruits. This was by no means to his liking, as he 
 was a lawyer by profession and had never In his life 
 turned his hand to manual toil. His enthusiasm, 
 however, overcame his repugnance, and he set to 
 work with zeal and energy. 
 
 At Denis McCarthy's suggestion he was attached 
 to the Irishman's band of woodcutters with which he 
 had fallen in on the day of his arrival. He was at 
 first clumsy at the work but zealous and industrious, 
 
34 CRUCIBLE ISLAND 
 
 and scarcely brooked the good-natured restraint witK 
 which Denis sought to hold him back. "Be aisy, me 
 lad," urged the Irishman, "Sure an ye'll have all the 
 threes in the Spielgarten down in another month if 
 ye keep on at this rate." And Carl learned in time 
 to wield his axe with less intense energy and more 
 effectively under McCarthy's instructions. 
 
 In the beginning the fatigue of the unusual labor 
 distressed him excessively and the soreness of his 
 muscles in spite of his heaviness drove sleep away 
 at night and made him feel as if he were stretched 
 upon a rack. By degrees this physical distress 
 passed away; his hands grew callous and his muscles 
 firm and hard. But his highly keyed energy began 
 to slacken as his fervor cooled and he steadied down 
 to a situation which began to grow irksome as time 
 went by. 
 
 Yet there was some compensation in the work 
 inasmuch as it kept him constantly out of doors and 
 built him up physically in such a fashion as surprised 
 himself; besides, McCarthy was a genial and good- 
 natured, companion to whom he had taken a great 
 Taney. ' The others in the band he soon discovered 
 '• to be ordinary workmen who chopped away apathet- 
 ically and exerted themselves at their task as 
 little as possible, and had as little to say. ■ Denis 
 was supervisor of the band, though, like all su- 
 pervisors in the Spielgarten, he took a share in 
 the work. 
 
 Carl soon noticed that Denis, like the others, went 
 
 li 
 
CRUCIBLE ISLAND 35 
 
 about his woodchopping in anything but an energetic 
 way. A minimum of performance seemed to be the 
 goal; and it was not long before he learned that a 
 minimum of labor in a given time prevailed through- 
 out the Spielgarten, He was inclined at first to re- 
 sent this as a shirking from public duty, and expostu- 
 lated with Denis over it. But the latter replied that 
 enough was sufficient and to fell more trees than 
 could be used would be mere waste. "Ye'll learn 
 betther betimes," Denis remarked, "for, as me ould 
 mither used to say, 'too many pigs ate too many 
 praties an' too many praties put up the rint' !" 
 
 They were on their way home after the day's 
 labor, cutting timber a mile east of Marxville, 
 whither they were returning. Denis and Carl were 
 walking together in the rear, their companions some 
 distance ahead. 
 
 '' "But this is simply putting things at the lowest 
 level," urged Carl, in reply to Denis' remark. 
 "Surely to get the best out of life is the noblest am- 
 bition, and the State with the highest ideal will not 
 stop short of oroviding the best for the common 
 welfare." 
 
 Denis took off his cap, as he was wont when an 
 argument came his way, and stroked the back of his 
 head. "I'm thinkin'," he said sententiously, "«-hat 
 thrue contintment is the best. For why should a 
 man go on botherin' himsel' with more than he 
 nades? 'Tis just that, bedad, that plays the divil 
 wid the other fellows beyont the mountains there, 
 
36 CRUCIBLE ISLAND 
 
 and sure 'tis this same contintment wid nothin' to 
 bother about that makes It aisy here." 
 
 "Yes, but it isn't ease that we are looking for; 
 that ought not to satisfy human brains and power 
 and energy," impatiently urged Carl. "It's the high- 
 est, the best, all that human brains and power and 
 energy can devise and give us, that we should strive 
 for. Humanity must go on progressing from the 
 lower to the higher. It is the duty of the State, in 
 lieu of the selfish motive which urges individuals 
 living in inequality, to provide all this for the com- 
 mon good." 
 
 "And what may all that be?" queried Denis with 
 a dry intonation in his voice. 
 
 "Everything that nature and art gives to man. 
 All that man by toil may win from the bosom of the 
 earth, or the air, or the heavens; all that sculpture, 
 painting, architecture and poetry can create for the 
 delectation of the mind and the soul. With all the 
 instruments of production in the hands of the State 
 commanding all human intelligence and energy, what 
 is there the State cannot achieve? Who is there that 
 the State cannot lead and instruct and educate to 
 the understanding and appreciation of the highest, 
 the noblest? All that the autocracy of the earth has 
 ever wrung from the misery of the many by tyran- 
 nous extortion can be placed within the reach and 
 the enjoyment of all without stint, if the State but 
 seizes upon the powers and utilizes the instruments 
 which have heretofore been the possession of the 
 
CRUCIBLE ISLAND 37 
 
 few. No — it is not simple content, but a noble en- \ i 
 thusiasm for the best and the highest to be placed I 
 in the hands of all that must be the goal and ambi- 
 tion of the State. That is the Socialist ideal." 
 
 " 'Tis aisy thinkin', me lad, but 'tis in the Spiel- 
 garten ye'll find the doin'. 'Tis mesel' would like 
 to be an aristocrat along wid the rest well enough, 
 but 'tis a long time in the gettin'." And Denis 
 stroked the back of his head again with a meditative 
 air. 
 
 "Not so far as you think," answered Carl, "and 
 here in time, and that not far distant, with prop/er 
 and energetic direction, all this will be accomplished. 
 Here we start free and untrammeled; here the bar- 
 riers of custom and tradition do not impede prog- 
 ress. With the shackles stricken from the limbs of 
 nature we can march forward with giant strides." 
 
 Denis looked rather negative at Carl's prophetic 
 picture and remained rather cold to the latter's en- 
 thusiasm. He made no reply, and when Carl, who, 
 as was his wont when speaking on the subject of the 
 Socialistic ideal, was about to launch into further 
 golden prognostications, the Irishman interrupted 
 him, as they approached a farmhouse by the road- 
 side, with the suggestion that they might stop for 
 "a dhrink of wather here, to take away the dhry- 
 ness that was bedivilin' him this half hour." 
 
 The farmhouse was like all other dwellings in the 
 Spielgarten, of one story, for the law forebade a 
 residence of any greater height. Buildings for pub- 
 
38 CRUCIBLE ISLAND 
 
 lie use alone were suffered to go beyond this meas- 
 ure. When needed, enlargements to the rear only 
 were permitted in dweUings, whose frontage on a 
 street or road invariably took up an equal space and 
 presented a uniform appearance. 
 
 Carl had observed this house on the way out to 
 his work in the morning, for a great vine with a 
 multitude of rich red roses clambered luxuriantly 
 over the low porch, in front of which was a bed of 
 variegated and brilliant flowers of a kind he had 
 never seen before. The perfume of the flowers 
 floated out to them on the roadside, and Carl, who 
 was keenly sensitive to all impressions of nature's 
 beauty, inhaled it with deep drawn breath. 
 
 They had turned in from the road and as they 
 neared the entrance a young woman emerged from 
 the door, but upon perceiving them stopped and 
 stood waiting. The rose-vine wreathing around 
 and above her on the trellis work framed her as in 
 a picture. Carl stood and gazed with astonished 
 eyes. Her hair was of a rich, deep chestnut, drawn 
 lightly back from her forehead and coiled into heavy, 
 glossy folds; her eyes of a deep blue and of a frank 
 openness under strikingly arched and delicate eye- 
 brows. Her features were mobile, and not markedly 
 regular, though you could not point out precisely 
 why. Her figure was a perfect poise of grace as she 
 stood in an expectant attitude, lithe and supple, and, 
 though slender, rounded into the fullness of woman- 
 hood. The slightest tinge of color softened her 
 
CRUCIBLE ISLAND 39 
 
 cheeks in a complexion smooth as ivory and as deli- 
 cate as a May blossom. 
 
 The women Carl had seen in the Spielgarten could 
 lay little claim to beauty and this apparition of love- 
 liness startled him. He stood for the moment spell- 
 bound, gazing with avid eyes, when Denis' "An' is 
 it you, Fraulein Mina?" brought him to himself. 
 "Sure, it's that glad I am to see you, for the sight 
 of ye would make an ould man young and a cripple 
 skip. An' it's purtier ye grow every blessed minute. 
 The flowers themselves are rags to ye, me darlin'," 
 said the gallant Denis as they advanced to the door. 
 
 At the sound of Denis' voice the young woman, 
 with a smile of recognition that lighted up her face 
 into an even rarer beauty, it seemed to Carl, came 
 from her frame of roses and with outstretched hands 
 welcomed Denis with naive frankness. 
 
 "Indeed, I'm glad to see you, Denis," she said, 
 "and father will be glad, too, I know. Where have 
 you been so long, since we last saw you?" 
 
 "Beyont the town there for these two months gone 
 amongst the timbers at the head of the valley. Sure 
 It's a long time, but the longer the tim.e the sweeter 
 the welcome." And turning to Carl, who had stood 
 back the meanwhile, "Here is a recroot I found up 
 there, — Herr Runder, Fraulein Mina." 
 
 The young woman held out her hand to Carl, say- 
 ing with simple sincerity, "Welcome to the Spiel- 
 garten, Herr Runder." 
 
 "It was while choppin' the timber up there that I 
 
40 CRUCIBLE ISLAND 
 
 came across the ]ad," continued Denis. "He'd just 
 been inthrojuced to this part of the wurruld by the 
 sojers beyont, and a sorry figure he was with their 
 il'igint ways of inthroduction," added Denis, with a 
 grim smile. 
 
 The look of sympathy which Carl received from 
 Fraulein Mina more than compensated for Denis' 
 sally. 
 
 "Where's the father?"' inquired Denis, "and it's a 
 bit dhry we are, Fraulein, what wid workin' and 
 talkln', for Carl here can orrate like Dan O'Connell 
 himseF, and I've a bit of tongue of me own," 
 
 Mina smiled, and to Denis' inquiry about her 
 father answered that he had just gone to the barn 
 and would return presently., and asked them into 
 the house where Denis' thirst might find suitable 
 relief,- After they had entered and Mina had left 
 the room to fetch the liquid refreshment, Carl, who 
 h.d ■^-•d little chance to say anything between Denis' 
 volubility, turned to the latter to express his aston- 
 isinncnt ac the beauty of the young girl, pouring out 
 a flood of admiration, which Denis took v.iih the 
 patronizing air of one who had known it this long 
 time. \ 
 
 "Sure," he said. "I've known her from a bit of a 
 colleen and seen her bud from a wee thing so high. 
 Twould be hard to bate her I'm thinkin', in the 
 whole wurruld beyont the mountains there," and 
 Denis' long arm flourished in a wide circle to indi- 
 cate the entire round of the globe. "There's only 
 
CRUCIBLE ISLAND 41 
 
 one slip of a girl I ever knew/' and here Denis 
 heaved a great sigh and his voice grew softer, "that 
 could top up to her at all, at all, and that was little 
 Nora Murphy in the ould counthry." 
 
 But Denis' further dilation on the one rival to 
 Mina's charms in the whole world was interrupted 
 by the latter's return with a tankard of rich beer, 
 and by the entrance at the same time of Mina's 
 father. 
 
 iCarl had never seen a sturdier and nobler speci- 
 men of manhood than John Clausen, who stood a 
 full six feet, broad of shoulder and still strong of 
 frame, despite his sixty-five years, and with little in- 
 dication of age in his appearance save for a profuse 
 sprinkling of gray In his beard. His eyes, like 
 Mina's, were a deep blue and clear, and his manner 
 was frank and hearty. He 'welcomed Carl warmly 
 and sympathetically and began at once to ply him 
 with questions as to the present conditions In the 
 world beyond the mountains, showing Interest in 
 everything and commenting shrewdly upon Carl's 
 answers,^ 
 
 Carl graphically pictured the situation In Europe 
 as it appeared to his Socialist eyes, narrated the 
 story of his attempt to overthrow the government of 
 Unterwald, the unfortunate accident which had be- 
 trayed him Into the hands of the enemy, his trans- 
 portation and his entrance into the Spieigarten. 
 Mina sat by, an eager and sympathetic listener. A 
 high color mounted to her cheek, and a deep light 
 
42 CRUCIBLE ISLAND 
 
 burned in her eyes as Carl poured out his tale. 
 Herr Clausen listened with a great interest, here 
 and there interrogating or commenting. But Denis, 
 who had heard it all before, gave but idle attention 
 with now and then a word or two of banter, which 
 called forth sympathetic protests from Mina. 
 
 By the time that Cad had finished his narrative 
 and satisfied Herr Clausen's queries, night had fallen 
 and Denis rose, declaring that they must take their 
 way back to Marxville, which lay a good mile to 
 the north of Clausen's house. As they w^ere depart- 
 ing, Herr Clausen laid his hand kindly on Carl's 
 shoulder, and bade him come again and frequently, 
 and to her father's invitation, Mina added hers.] 
 When the young girl's hand touched Carl's, as the 
 party bade their good-nights, on the rose-embowered 
 porch, Carl felt a strange thrill. The heavy scent 
 of the roses hung in the night air, and the stars 
 above shone down with a thousand soft lights, that 
 laid a mellow spell upon the scene, as he passed down 
 the garden out into the road, and Denis and he took 
 their way back to Marxville. 
 
CHAPTER VI 
 
 (^ John Clausen had been an inhabitant of the 
 Spielgarten for nearly thirty-five years, having ar- 
 rived fifteen years after the foundation of the 
 colony. He was an Englishman who, as a young 
 man, had gone to the German University of Heidel- 
 berg to take a special course in international law. 
 While there he had become interested in Socialism 
 through some fellow students, and it was not long 
 before he found himself a member of a vast 
 secret Socialist society, whose branches were spread 
 throughout the entire continent and actively engaged 
 in conspiracies against all existing governments. 
 
 The Socialist lodges were in alliance with all the 
 elements of discontent throughout Europe in the 
 revolutionary period of the second quarter of the 
 nineteenth century, which culminated in the disorders 
 and outbreaks of the year 1848. Clausen was ap- 
 prehended, v/ith others, and transported to Schlect- 
 land and thrust into the Spielgarten. The colony 
 was at this time gradually settling down to those 
 conditions which were now dominant, viz., a level of 
 equality amongst its people and the complete su- 
 premacy of the State. 
 
 43 
 
44 CRUCIBLE ISLAND 
 
 Two years after his arrival Clausen married the 
 daughter of one of the original colonists. His wife 
 died, leaving him a daughter, Wilhelmina, a child 
 four years of age, on whom the widower poured 
 cut the deep affection of a strong nature. Wil- 
 helmina, shortened familiarly to Mina, was to John 
 Clausen the apple of his eye. As she grew older 
 he withdrew from the active political life, into which 
 he had eagerly participated during the first years 
 of his residence in the colony, and devoted himself 
 to her care and training what time he could spare 
 from his farming, the occupation which from the 
 first he had followed in the Spielgarten. 
 
 Mina had been educated in the schools of the 
 Spielgarten, but her father, a man of university 
 training, had supplemented her studies by private 
 instruction and direction, storing her mind with all 
 he could remember of the literature and art and his- 
 tory of Europe. Knowledge of this nature was care- 
 fully excluded from the schools of the Spielgarten as 
 unsuited to the purposes of a Socialist community 
 ' whose end was to form a people on a purely com- 
 munistic ideal, for the literature and art of Europe 
 had sprung from individualistic sources and breathed 
 the spirit of individualism, 
 
 i From the start Mina's father had impressed upon 
 the child the necessity of reticence and secrecy in this 
 matter, for he feared the interference of the State 
 and the transferrence of the custody of Mina to other 
 hands if It became known that he had Instructed her 
 
CRUCIBLE ISLAND 45 
 
 in forbidden things. Himself a man of imagination 
 and culture, he could not bear that his child should 
 grow up without the knowledge of what in so many 
 respects was to him a source of delight and conso- 
 lation. 
 
 In John Clausen, Carl Runder found a man of 
 broad and cultivated sympathies, and a close friend- 
 ship soon ripened between them, the elder man, in 
 the experience of his years and the settled gravity of 
 his character, proving a salutary check, as events 
 developed themselves, upon the younger man's often 
 rash impetuosity. 
 
 As time went on Carl found himself a frequent 
 visitor at the farmhouse, Mina always welcomed 
 him graciously and Clausen with much heartiness. 
 Here was the one place In the Spielgarten where he 
 met with kindred spirits; for outside of Clausen 
 and Mina and Denis, Carl had found the people of 
 the Spielgarten in some way alien to him. He could 
 not at first quite explain it to himself, but after his 
 enthusiasm had ebbed away, he began to realize that, 
 though here was the practical exemplification of what 
 he had so long dreamed, a people whose life in all 
 its phases, even the most intimate, was passed in 
 strict conformity with the principles of Socialism, and 
 where the hated tyranny of inequality was absolutely 
 abolished, still there was something lacking in it all, 
 which took him a long time to formulate in his own 
 mind. It made him restive and impatient, and it 
 was only at John Clausen's house that the irritation 
 
46 CRUCIBLE ISLAND 
 
 and the feeling of isolation which had lately taken 
 possession of him were alleviated and allayed. 
 I With Clausen he spoke his mind freely; with oth- 
 ers, he found that there was no possibility of dis- 
 cussion, for Socialism in the Spielgarten had settled 
 into an accepted fact on an immovable basis. Ways 
 and means had sublimated long ago into stereotyped 
 conditions. It was against these that Carl began to 
 feel he was out of sympathy. He had ideas of his 
 own; but the moment he Broached them he was met 
 with a shrug and a stare, or the remark that the 
 Spielgarten had passed out of the stage of experi- 
 ment. 
 
 With Clausen, however, he could and did talk, 
 for he discovered in Mina's father a certain sym- 
 pathy with his own views, though the latter was 
 circufnspect and prudent in their expression, and 
 urged Carl to be cautious in giving utterance to his 
 ideas, as the State authorities were jealous of any- 
 thing like political discussion or agitation. 
 
 "Some years ago " said Clausen in one of his talks 
 with Carl, "a recruit attempted what he called a re- 
 form, and his ideas were in many respects yours, 
 Herr Runder. He gathered a small following 
 amongst other recruits who were then more numer- 
 ous than they are now. The result was that he was 
 finally apprehended for treason, tried before the 
 Council of Particular Welfare, and condemned to 
 death. You see, the Socialist as well as the Indi- 
 vidualistic State takes radical means to defend it- 
 
CRUCIBLE ISLAND 47 
 
 self against innovators," and Herr Clausen smiled 
 gravely at Carl's expression of surprise. 
 
 "But is there no freedom of ideas and speech 
 within proper limits in the Socialist State?" ex- 
 postulated Carl, "Surely this is a tyranny as bad 
 as that against which Socialism is a protest." 
 
 "You must admit," replied Clausen, "that the 
 State must defend itself against innovations that it 
 considers dangerous to its safety. When Socialism 
 has become an established system it must protect 
 itself against revolutionary tendencies or overt acts 
 that would seek to undermine it." 
 
 "I do admit it, of course," declared Carl, "but 
 ideas quite in keeping with Socialism are surely not 
 revolutionary, and when those ideas which I hold and 
 ways such as I would propose are simply better 
 means to the Socialist ideal, it is only a despotism 
 that would prohibit their expression or their agita- 
 tion among the people. I am heart and soul a Social- 
 ist, and I want to see Socialism realized in all its 
 completeness and beauty. Here, you must confess, 
 Socialism has fallen into a rut of commonplace and 
 apathy. I know, Herr Clausen, I can speak freely 
 to you." 
 
 "I am afraid that you are right," answered Herr 
 Clausen, "but first let me say a word to your first 
 statement: Who is to determine in a Socialist com- 
 munity what ideas are in keeping and what means 
 are fit? Surely not the individual, but the State it- 
 self. You may call it despotism, but it Is the logical 
 
48 CRUCIBLE ISLAND 
 
 outcome of your own principle. A government es- 
 tablished on the communistic idea must perforce de- 
 fend its own integrity against individualism of any 
 kind, and be the supreme judge and arbiter of what 
 is or is not Socialism, and this, of course, implies the 
 right of decision as to ways and means." 
 
 ("But surely," protested Carl, "the conditions 
 which exist here are not the true result of Socialism. 
 This apathy, this indifference to everything except 
 the mere routine of living, this dead level of ex- 
 istence, is simply an arrested phase of Socialism. 
 Its ideal lies beyond. In the Spielgarten the stimu- 
 lus to progress seems to be wanting. It is this 
 that . . ." 
 
 "Yes," interrupted Clausen, "the stimulus to prog- 
 ress does seem to be lacking. There's the rub." 
 
 "It Is this," continued Carl, not heeding Clausen's 
 remark, "that I deplore, it Is this that I would like 
 to supply; to rouse the people to a desire for higher 
 things. \Here Is where the leaders fall." 
 
 "Leaders!" said Clausen, with a half-smile, "you 
 forget there are no leaders in a Socialist State. 
 Leadership would mean inequality, my dear friend, 
 and that would plunge us at once into Individualism." 
 
 "No; not so," answered Carl. "I cannot admit 
 that; Socialism is not the denial or negation of differ- 
 ences amongst men, but the assertion and the prac- 
 tice of equality in the awards of labor, the impartial 
 distribution of the common product of labor to each 
 one ahke. It is the principle and method of a com- 
 
CRUCIBLE ISLAND 49 
 
 mon justice in the State whereby the weak are pro- 
 tected from the exploitation of the strong, the many 
 from the tyranny of the few, who would inevitably 
 rob them of the fruits of their toil in an individualis- 
 tic system. 
 
 "You strike here the very root of the matter," 
 said Clausen. "That is the very pith of the difEcult}'^ 
 which unfolded itself to me after I had been here a 
 short time only." 
 
 "Well, what is that?" asked Carl, as Clausen 
 paused. 
 
 "It came home to me In my own case first," con- 
 tinued Clausen. "I was naturally enthusiastic when 
 I first arrived, as you were, and filled with a great 
 zeal to build up that ideal which you now would. 
 But an argument best comes home to a man in prac- 
 tical affairs. I expended my efforts zealously at first, 
 but, I confess, it was not long before I found my zeal 
 slowly oozing away and my diligence slackening. I 
 found that the result did not correspond to them. 
 I did not reap what I sowed." 
 
 "Pardon me," interrupted Carl, "but was not that 
 on your part the selfishness of individualism assert- 
 ing itself? The very essence of Socialism Is to sac- 
 rifice oneself for the common good; to labor not 
 for oneself, but the community; to put out one's best 
 effort that all may profit by It equally, and not one- 
 self alone." 
 
 "I confess," answered Clausen a little dryly, "that 
 I found human nature lamentably weak. It Is a 
 
so CRUCIBLE ISLAND 
 
 discovery I never made until I came to the Spiel- 
 garten." 
 
 "Pardon me again, this was your failure, the over- 
 assertion of individualism," declared Carl with 
 emphasis; "you surely cannot lay this to the charge 
 of Socialism, whose ideal is the direct opposite of 
 what you have just admitted to be the defect in the 
 individual." 
 
 "True," answered Clausen, "but it was just in the 
 principle of rpy failure that the present common- 
 place level prevailing in the Spielgarten is due." 
 
 "How is that; I do not see it." 
 
 "You said a moment ago," Clausen went on, "that 
 Socialism meant the equal distribution of all awards 
 of labor to each alike without distinction; that, how- 
 ever varied either in quantity or quality the source 
 of production in the individual, the award was to be 
 exactly alike to each." 
 
 "Yes, that is what I said, that's the Socialist 
 basis." 
 
 "The only incentive then to the Individual in 
 the communistic State is the common good, is it 
 not?" 
 
 "Most certainly; what else should it be?" 
 
 "It may also be said," continued Clausen, "that 
 he only result of individualistic labor will be what 
 ;s comprised in the common good. With that fixed 
 in his mind as the end of his work, the individual will 
 naturally aim at that alone, and what may be be- 
 yond that, he will not strive for." 
 
CRUCIBLE ISLAND 51: 
 
 "But what is there beyond that?" demanded Carl, 
 "is not everything comprised in that?" 
 
 "Well," answered Clausen, smiling, "look around 
 you here and tell me what you find in the Spiel- 
 garten." 
 
 "But this is not a fair example," insisted Carl. 
 "Here we have the common good reduced to its 
 lowest level." 
 
 "And why?" asked Clausen. 
 
 "Because no ideal of better is proposed to the peo- 
 ple; because there is no stimulus here to strive for 
 something higher. The people are left to an 
 apathetic indifference by those who should strive to 
 lift them to a higher place." 
 
 "I suppose you mean by those whose conceptions 
 and ideas are higher and farther reaching than the 
 conception of the people in general." 
 
 "Yes, men like yourself and myself, if I may say 
 so," answered Carl. 
 
 "True," said Clausen, "but we have drawn our 
 ideals from the outside, from an ideal which we 
 found and brought with us, from a system, which 
 grew up under the impulses of individualism. We 
 have drawn our conception from another state of 
 society, and we would create out of the material of 
 Socialism an ideal condition which, as far as we 
 have known, has been built out of quite other stuff. 
 You lay down as the stimulating force of the social- 
 ist community a principle of differentiation of which 
 Socialism itself knows nothing. You and I would 
 
52 CRUCIBLE ISLAND 
 
 seek to lift the people from the dead level at which 
 they exist by virtue of the individualistic forces we 
 find In ourselves. Now these are not a part of their 
 makeup. We must take Socialism at its own level 
 and the people as they are.^^ 
 
 "But are you not assuming all this?" answered 
 Carl. "Why do you speak of Socialism at its own 
 level?" 
 
 "Because I have lived in a community in which I 
 see the effect of the Socialist principle on two gen- 
 erations born and bred under its domination. The 
 influence of the outside element, as represented by 
 you and me, who are recruits and not native-born, 
 has died out. In the beginning that influence was 
 felt, but it has been constantly eliminated, as a dan- 
 gerous factor, and such it would be here. We have 
 educated our children in Socialism, pure and simple, 
 with the result that they possess no other idea of 
 the State. They have grown up with the notion that 
 there is no real distinction between man and man, 
 that all differences between Individuals are purely 
 artificial, that a community of equal awards Is the 
 sole end of government. The result has been that 
 individualism has practically atrophied. A com- 
 mon level for all, and that means in practice the 
 plane of the average if not the lowest, obtains. Ef- 
 fort is, therefore, limited to the common plane. To 
 strive for more would be futile. Indeed, the main 
 spring of individualistic effort, viz., the distinctive 
 reward of the Individual is altogether wanting here. 
 
CRUCIBLE ISLAND 53 
 
 The moment you attempt to differentiate the com- 
 munity by your ideals brought from the outside 
 world, you begin to introduce the one intolerable 
 element in the Socialist State, the principle of in- 
 dividualism." 
 
 "Permit me to finish," for Carl had started to in- 
 terrupt Clausen. "What I am describing is the 
 practical result of the working of the Socialist sys- 
 tem upon those who are brought up under its regime. 
 The people of the Spielgarten, outside of the re- 
 cruits, know nothing beyond their present state of 
 existence, and care nothing. A moment ago you 
 said that Socialism does not deny or negate the dif- 
 ference betv/een individuals. That is Socialism In 
 your theory, which is a remnant of the individualism 
 which you have known in the outside world, and re- 
 mains like a fly in the ointment. But Socialism does ^ 
 in its practical results reduce individualism to so j 
 small a minimum that It Is in fact eliminated. I ' 
 have carefully observed and watched the working 
 of the principle here, and my conclusion is that 
 human nature responds only to the end which It 
 knows, that human effort extends only as far as the 
 possibility within its reach. Deny to the individual 
 the result of that particular effort which the Indi- 
 vidual alone can enjoy, and he ceases to aim at it. 
 Limit the Individual to that common result, which all 
 alike can possess, and he rests satisfied with It. Your 
 assertion that there can be Inequality in the effort 
 and source of production and yet perfect equality 
 
54 CRUCIBLE ISLAND 
 
 in the distribution of award carries with it a radical 
 flaw. It is the possibility of the achievement, the 
 end In view, which governs human activities and 
 when that end is a common result without distinction, 
 the effort minimizes itself to equivalent means. The 
 idea of equality in distribution begets the idea of 
 equality in the means; and effort inevitably adjusts 
 Itself to its possible results. Socialism with the aim 
 of perfect equality, and in the Spielgarten you see it 
 in practice, soon eliminates all differentiation in in- 
 dividuals and so equalizes the sources of producing.'* 
 
 "But I would make that common aim higher," 
 urged Carl, I would raise the common level by pre- 
 senting and inculcating a higher common ideal." 
 
 "Yes, you would," retorted Clausen, i"you who 
 comprehend a loftier range of ideas, a wider scheme 
 of life; but all this is your individualistic conception 
 drawn from elsewhere, and when you would Inject 
 it into the common life and so move it to a higher 
 level, you are doing It by force of an individualism 
 which Socialism cannot recognize. Yours In reality 
 is the cardinal doctrine of individualism, viz., that 
 progress has Its well springs in the distinction found 
 In individuals, and that the higher and stronger in- 
 dividual force works downward from above upon 
 the masses below, and I confess that when we read 
 history, we find that all movements of human prog- 
 ress have their origin in the superior, the personal 
 achievement of power, wealth, fame or what not. 
 But it Is just this individualistic result that Socialism 
 
CRUCIBLE ISLAND r^s 
 
 eliminates from its progress by denying unequal dis- 
 tribution in its awards ; it refuses all scope to simply 
 individualistic ambition and so cuts off the very 
 source which supplies the power of advance. Here 
 in the Spielgarten no distinction of persons is tol- 
 erated; the awards of labor are absolutely equalized. 
 The apathy and indifference you witness here is the 
 natural result. You cannot rouse the people to an 
 ideal of v/hich they know nothing nor would you be 
 suffered to preach your doctrine. Believe me, I 
 learned the lesson bitterly before I had been long 
 In the Spielgarten, and soon realized my own impo- 
 tence." 
 
CHAPTER VII 
 
 ' Carl was impressed, but not convinced, and had 
 started to reply when he was interrupted by the ar- 
 rival of a stranger whose shadow fell athwart the 
 open door as Herr Clausen uttered his last words. 
 Mina, who had been sitting by, knitting, as an in- 
 terested listener, started up and stood for a moment 
 irresolute. The man who had intruded so abruptly 
 stood in the doorway. 
 
 "Ah," he said in an unctuous tone, holding his 
 hands in front of him with the fingers touching, "I 
 see I have interrupted you. Pardon me, Herr 
 Clausen, but I knocked and, not being heard in the 
 interest of your conversation, took the liberty of en- 
 tering unbidden. Ah, Fraulein," he added, turning 
 to Mina and advancing into the room with an in- 
 creasing unction in his voice. "How do I find you? 
 But it is needless to ask; such health speaks in the 
 roses of your cheeks and in the brightn§«s of your 
 eyes," and he took Mina's proffered hand in both his 
 own with a lingering clasp. 
 
 Carl felt an instinctive aversion from the man at 
 once. The voice seemed masked and the manner 
 
 56 
 
CRUCIBLE ISLAND 57 
 
 subtly insinuating. A head too large for an under- 
 sized body gave him an incongruous and an almost 
 ridiculous appearance at first; but this was immedi- 
 ately counteracted upon seeing the face with its 
 heavy jaws protruding somewhat, a long acquiline 
 nose and eyebrows overhanging small, ferret-like 
 eyes, whose color was invisible, so deep set were they 
 in the shadow of the bushy eyebrows. It was a face 
 of power, but with something sinister in it, and as 
 Carl gazed he felt a positive loathing come over him. 
 Meantime Herr Clausen had risen and welcomed the 
 intruder, whom he saluted as Herr Schmidt, with 
 gravity and something of distance in his manner. 
 
 "Ah, and whom have we here?" said Herr 
 Schmidt, turning to Carl after Herr Clausen's wel- 
 come, a sort of purr in his voice, looking at the 
 young man keenly. 
 
 "This is Herr Runder, Herr Schmidt," answered 
 Clausen, introducing the two men. "Herr Runder 
 is a recent recruit to the Spielgarten." 
 
 "Ah, indeed," ejaculated Herr Schmidt as his 
 brows closed over his eyes so as to make them al- 
 most invisible. "And how do you like the Spiel- 
 garten, Herr Runder? Does it come up to your 
 hopes?" 
 
 Carl flushed, hesitating, for a moment, and was 
 about to answer, when Mina broke in suddenly: 
 "Herr Runder has scarcely had time; everything is 
 very strange to him yet. It takes one some time to 
 get used to so great a change." Herr Schmidt 
 
58 CRUCIBLE ISLAND 
 
 pursed his great lips, looking intently at Carl, when 
 Herr Clausen, catching up Mina's clue, went on: 
 
 "It is, indeed, a great change for a man from 
 beyond the mountains when he first arrives in the 
 Spielgarten. I remember how strange it seemed to 
 me — and you yourself passed through the same ex- 
 perience, no doubt, Herr Schmidt. But won't you 
 sit down? And Mina, bring some beer. Herr 
 Schmidt must be thirsty, the day is warm. Did you 
 come far?" 
 
 "From Marxville, where I have been attending 
 a meeting of the Particular Council," answered Herr 
 Schmidt, as he took the proffered seat. 
 
 As Mina left the room to get the beer, she threw 
 a significant glance at Carl and laid her finger on her 
 lips. Carl felt grateful, but scarcely needed the 
 warning, for he had already gathered that Herr 
 Schmidt was a man before whom it might be dan- 
 gerous to express his views, and his sinister manner 
 repelled him greatly. Mina presently returned with 
 the refreshments and then left the room, with an 
 excuse that some household duties called her away. 
 (A moment after Carl rose and bade the two men 
 adieu, saying that he must betake himself home- 
 ward. 
 
 As he left he noticed that Herr Schmidt again 
 scrutinized him keenly with something of a sneer 
 lurking about his heavy lips. When he got into the 
 open air he instinctively shook himself, as if he had 
 suffered some subtle contamination in the man's pres- 
 
CRUCIBLE ISLAND 59 
 
 ence. MIna was standing at the further end of the 
 garden and beckoned him as he came out. There 
 was a faint distress in her face as he approached. 
 
 "Come," she said, in a low voice. "Come, I wish 
 to speak with you a moment, Herr Runder; let us 
 go to the back of the garden where we may not be 
 observed." 
 
 Carl wondered, but followed. When they had 
 reached the end of the garden which bordered on a 
 little stream, Mina seated herself on a bench built 
 around a tree on the bank and motioned to Carl to 
 sit beside her. 
 
 "Herr Runder," she said, "I am going to make 
 bold to ask a promise of you. Will you promise 
 me?" and she looked with grave eyes into his. 
 
 "Why, Frauleinl" exclaimed Carl, "I would be 
 only too pleased to grant you any favor in my power. 
 But what may I be able to do for you?" 
 
 "Well, it is for yourself mostly," answered Mina, 
 "that I ask it. You are," she hesitated a moment, a 
 faint blush stealing into her face, "you are very im- 
 petuous, father says, and It Is dangerous to speak 
 too freely In the Splelgarten. And I want to ask you 
 not to talk before others as you speak to father and 
 me. It would bring you into trouble." 
 
 "Dear Fraulein," said Carl, "you are very kind. 
 I see it Is for myself you speak. Indeed I am grate- 
 ful, and I will be careful. I promise you." 
 
 \"And then," added Mina, "be careful to say noth- 
 ing before Herr Schmidt," and she pointed towards 
 
6o CRUCIBLE ISLAND 
 
 the house with a deprecatory gesture. "He Is a 
 dangerous man and a very strict Socialist; it was he 
 who denounced the man of whom father told you, 
 and had him executed." 
 
 "I felt repelled by him as soon as I saw him," said 
 Carl, frowning at the thought of Herr Schmidt. 
 "Yes, I promise that I will not express my views 
 before him." 
 
 "And you will be very, very careful?" Mina's 
 voice conveyed a world of solicitude, and Carl felt 
 his heart beat faster. 
 
 "Mina, Mina," he cried with a sudden impulse, 
 and seizing her hand kissed it fervently, "and do 
 you care, do you care?" 
 
 Mina drew back, startled and blushing, and rose 
 to her feet at his impetuosity. "I have offended you. 
 Forgive me. I presumed " 
 
 Mina stood in agitation with her hands covering 
 her face, her bosom heaving. 
 
 "Oh, forgive me, Fraulein, I forgot myself," 
 urged Carl. She stood for a moment in an effort 
 to control herself. Carl gazed at her with a des- 
 perate yearning in his heart and yet fearful that he 
 had spoken hastily. 
 
 "Yes, I do care," she said tremulously, "but it 
 seems so strange, and — and " her voice broke. 
 
 Carl was at her side in an instant and, snatching 
 her hands away from her averted face, held them in 
 his own and drew her, half reluctant, to himself. 
 "Mina, Mina !" he exclaimed fervently, "I love you! 
 
CRUCIBLE ISLAND 6i 
 
 I love you ! I have loved you from the very first, 
 from the day I first saw you on the porch there. I 
 have been afraid to tell you. I did not know you 
 cared for me. You seemed so reserved and distant. 
 I love you, I love you, Mina," he went on passion- 
 ately, "say that you love me." 
 
 He had clasped her in his arms, and felt her 
 tremble in his embrace. She did not yield to him 
 altogether; there was a maidenly shyness in her re- 
 luctant response. 
 
 \"I do care for you, Carl," she murmured. "I do 
 love you, Carl," and her voice was very low as for 
 the first time she called him by his Christian name; 
 *'but it all seems too strange. I cannot understand." 
 And here she suddenly broke away from him. "I 
 ought not, I ought not, for it can never be. No, it 
 can never be!" she exclaimed with a poignant em- 
 phasis, f 
 
 "What can never be?" asked Carl, startled at her 
 sudden action in the very moment when she seemed 
 all his own. 
 
 "They would never allow it in the Spielgarten," 
 she went on; "they have prohibited it." 
 
 "Prohibited what?" asked Carl, perplexed. 
 
 "Any free choice between a man and a maid. In 
 the Spielgarten the Particular Council chooses for 
 us. We cannot choose for ourselves." 
 
 Carl stood astounded. Mina's words came upon 
 him like a thunder bolt out of heaven. 
 
 "It is preposterous!" he exclaimed indignantly; 
 
62 CRUCIBLE ISLAND 
 
 "such a regulation transgresses the first law of na- 
 ture. Surely they cannot go so far; It Is an unbear- 
 able despotism!" 
 
 "But it is true, Carl; it is the law of the Spiel- 
 garten." 
 
 \"But I love you, Mina, and you me, and no man 
 has the right to come between us. What has the 
 Particular Council to do with our loves?" 
 
 "I do love you, Carl," and Mina blushed at her 
 own words, as she caught Carl's eager and fond 
 glance in response to them, "but the Particular 
 Council regulates and controls all marriages. It 
 chooses those who are to marry," and the girl's 
 eyes grew troubled as she spoke, while Carl broke 
 out into a storm of indignant invective. "Oh, prom- 
 ise me," she said, placing her hands upon his shoul- 
 ders and looking with Infinite tenderness Into the 
 young man's eyes, "promise me that you will say 
 or do nothing rash." 
 
 "For you, Mina, dear, I would do anything. I 
 will be careful, but one thing I will never submit to, 
 and that is this infamous rule. To have you taken 
 from me and given to another would be worse than 
 death," and Carl's voice rose in his excitement. 
 
 "Hush, not so loud, Carl," exclaimed Mina. "I 
 hear voices. It is father and Herr Schmidt." 
 
 As thgy stood listening they heard the two elder 
 men talking as they came out of the house. Herr 
 Schmidt was evidently leaving. They could not 
 catch the words, but there seemed a suppressed note 
 
CRUCIBLE ISLAND 63 
 
 of anger in the voices. Mlna's hand rested on Carl's 
 arm as she stood in an expectant attitude. She 
 looked up at Carl, who placed his hand upon hers 
 with a protecting tenderness. 
 
 The voices had ceased; Herr Schmidt had evi- 
 dently gone. Presently they heard the footsteps 
 of Herr Clausen approaching. ^ Mina did not with- 
 draw her hand from Carl's, but stood waiting in 
 naive confidence. Flerr Clausen turned the corner 
 of some shrubbery that had concealed him from 
 view. His brow was contracted and his face 
 flushed. He was laboring under some deep agita- 
 tion. He stopped abruptly when he came in sight 
 of Mina and Carl. Mina did not stir. Clausen 
 gazed at them for a moment, and then advanced. 
 In their attitude he read the situation. , 
 
 "Mina, my child," he cried with emotion and 
 held out his arms to her; "Mina, yes, I understand,'' 
 as the young girl buried her face upon his shoulder, 
 \"I understand; I, too, am fond of Carl," and he 
 extended his free hand to the young man, "but what 
 can we do, what can we do?" Carl looked in won- 
 der at Clausen, whom he had never seen perturbed 
 before, for the latter was now deeply moved, and 
 his voice actually broke as he spoke. 
 
 "Father, what is It?" nervously inquired Mina, 
 looking Into his face anxiously. "What is it, what 
 disturbs you so much?" 
 
 '^"It has come at last," said Clausen with a groan. 
 "I have been fearing it for the past two years. 
 
64 CRUCIBLE ISLAND 
 
 Mina, Mina, they are going to take you from me," 
 here the man's voice shook with agitation. "The 
 Particular Council has just been making the quar- 
 terly selections and you among others, my child, 
 have been chosen." Mina paled and trembled, and 
 Carl started violently. Here was the very danger 
 upon them against which he had just been so bitterly 
 defiant. 
 
 "They have chosen you, Mina; God! but the 
 words choke me ! They have chosen you, my Mina, 
 for Herr Schmidt! It was this he came to tell me. 
 It was hard to restrain myself; I could scarce keep 
 from strangling the devilish brute, and he saw it; 
 but I held back, and he smiled and rubbed his hands, 
 until I felt as If I could kill him then and there. I 
 curbed myself and spoke to him politely enough. 
 Mina, Mina, what shall we do? I cannot bear It! 
 Carl, my boy, you love her, what shall we do?" 
 And he turned to Carl, who scarcely recognized 
 Herr Clausen, usually so calm and strong, stagger- 
 ing under a blow that seemed to shatter the resolu- 
 tion and resource of his nature. 
 
 Carl himself was completely taken aback at the 
 suddenness of the blow, but Herr Clausen's appeal 
 roused him, and his strong Impetuous spirit shook 
 itself free from the shock of the announcement. 
 
 "We will not submit to it," he cried; "it Is devil's 
 work, Herr Clausen. Surely there Is some way to 
 circumvent It. Can we not appeal to the courts? 
 Is there no justice in the Splelgarten?'y 
 
CRUCIBLE ISLAND 65 
 
 Herr Clausen shook his head despairingly. 
 "There Is no appeal from the Particular Council. 
 Its decrees are final. It has absolute control of 
 such matters. It mates and unmates at its will." 
 
 "Let us rouse the people and break this iniquitous 
 law. We will appeal to the people." 
 
 Herr Clausen looked up at Carl with haggard 
 eye. "No, Carl, it would be useless. The people 
 in the Spielgarten have long ago become passive in- 
 struments in the hands of the State. They would 
 not understand you; besides, we would be seized 
 and imprisoned on the instant " 
 
 "Then we must flee from the Spielgarten," cried 
 Carl. 
 
 "See the mountains around you," answered Clau- 
 sen, stretching out and sweeping his arm around; 
 "and then the sea beyond; and armed soldiers at 
 every egress to shoot us down. No one has ever 
 succeeded in escaping." 
 
CHAPTER VIII 
 
 Before Carl left, Herr Clausen had recovered 
 something of his wonted equanimity. The blow 
 had fallen upon him heavily, none the less because 
 it had been expected. It had been hanging over his 
 head like the sword of Damocles ever since Mina 
 had come to womanhood. He dreaded it all the 
 more because so certain. To have Mina taken from 
 him was to blot the light out of his life, and to have 
 her given to another without choice and inevitably 
 by the fiat of the Particular Council was beyond en- 
 durance. 
 
 In his own mind he had long ago recoiled 
 against this state supervision and determination of 
 marriage. As It was arranged in the Splelgarten, 
 he realized the transaction In Its naked ugliness. He 
 saw In It the mere mating of human creatures like 
 cattle. The logic of It on the principle of Socialism 
 did not In the least mitigate his repugnance. 
 i^JThat It was to the interest of the Socialist state 
 to regulate and govern the propagation of the race 
 by selecting and mating with an eye to the well-being 
 of the future citizen those who were to be parents, 
 
 66 
 
CRUCIBLE ISLAND 67 
 
 he knew only too well was an inevitable conclusion 
 from the premises which declared the individual to 
 be entirely subordinate to the State's welfare, but 
 it was precisely the practical results of Socialism thus 
 logically carried over into life that had first brought 
 him to the realization of the insufficiency of its 
 scheme of government. He had been a witness to 
 these results and had in consequence come to rebel 
 against the principles whence they followed, though 
 he was careful to conceal his true sentiments. 
 
 And now the brutal fact which he had so long 
 dreaded stared him in the face; Mina, who alone 
 had made life bearable during the long years which 
 he had come to regard as a veritable, though irre- 
 vocable exile, in the Spielgarten, was to be torn from 
 him, and given over — how the thought galled him — 
 to the lust of the one man above all others whom 
 he thoroughly and utterly detested. Schmidt was 
 coarse and brutal, and his hypocritical exterior but 
 heightened the disgust which he stirred In Clausen's 
 breast. 
 
 After the first poignancy of his grief, the strength 
 of his nature reasserted itself and his judgment be- 
 gan to clarify. He became absorbed in the one idea, 
 how -possibly to avert the disaster which so threat- 
 ened, without remedy. He refused to yield to the in- 
 evitable and was constantly casting about in his 
 mind for some means of staving off, at least for the 
 time being, the gross dishonor, as he conceived It, 
 which menaced Mina, in the hope that in the mean- 
 
68 CRUCIBLE ISLAND 
 
 time something might eventuate to save her. 
 
 Carl, to whom had come in the same moment the 
 bright possession of Mina's love, and the dire threat 
 of forever losing her, was as resolutely and more 
 passionately, as became a lover, set against yielding 
 to circumstances, which seemed beyond mortal power 
 to compass. It was only the elder man's maturer 
 counsel that held him back from some desperate 
 measure. 
 
 "Let us think It out first, Carl," said Clausen; "we 
 are utterly helpless if we betray ourselves at the 
 start. Herr Schmidt knows his advantage, and if 
 we show any spirit of opposition, he would make 
 the utmost of it to ruin us." 
 
 When Carl returned to Marxville that evening 
 and narrated to Denis McCarthy the events that 
 had occurred at Clausen's, the Irishman's eyes 
 flashed with a dangerous light. "The hell-hound!" 
 he exclaimed when Schmidt's name was mentioned, 
 "I know the beast. An' it's he would be takin' little 
 Mina. By God, but I'll break his ugly head first, 
 sure as I'm Denis McCarthy!" 
 
 After Denis had given vent to his wrath, he did 
 what was not usual in Denis, he lapsed into silence 
 for a while with his brows deeply knit, his lips pursed 
 and thinking, as Carl continued giving him the de- 
 tails, with many expressions of his own bitter dissent 
 against the way things had shaped themselves in the 
 Spielgarten. 
 
 When Carl had finished Denis rose and, walking 
 
CRUCIBLE ISLAND 69 
 
 over to the door of the room in which they were, 
 carefully shut It and then coming to Carl, laying his 
 hand upon his shoulder, said with sharp emphasis: 
 
 "Me boy, ye're no longer a Socialist." 
 
 CarUgtarted and looked at him. 
 
 "Ye're converted, me lad," went on Denis, "from 
 the damned nonsense." Carl stared in greater sur- 
 prise than ever. "YIs, me boy, ye're a converted 
 Socialist. It's bowl'd over ye are and clane knocked 
 out. Arrah, but it takes a blow under the belt to 
 jolt a man's brains Into a bit of common sinse." 
 
 Carl was more than surprised by Denis' words. 
 
 "Why, Denis, are you like Herr Clausen? Have 
 you, too, learned to repudiate Socialism?" 
 
 "Not a bit of It, me boy. I niver was a Socialist. 
 Sure It was only an accident that shifted me into 
 this hole. It was all along from me love of ould 
 Olreland." 
 
 "And how was that?" asked Carl. 
 
 "Ye see, I was in London, and got Into a bit of 
 a plot wid the boys to free the ould counthry, whin 
 I met up wid a Frinchman, who was one of us. 
 DIvil a bit of a Socialist did I susplct in him. One 
 day he ast me to bring some papers to some of our 
 friends In Paris. Bad cess to him, if iver I lay me 
 hands on him!''' and Denis shook his brawny fist 
 in a way that boded 111 for the Frenchman. "Well, 
 I took the papers to Paris and whin I got there, the 
 police took me. The papers was a whole plot in 
 cipher showing how to assassinate the Prisident, and 
 
70 CRUCIBLE ISLAND 
 
 me as innlcent as a lamb ! An' it wasn't two weeks 
 an' I was in the Splelgarten." 
 
 "So you never were a Socialist and never believed 
 in its doctrines?" 
 
 "No more than I believed in the English Govern- 
 mint," answered Denis with emphasis. "An' I 
 haven't thought any the more of it since I've been 
 here ; but I haven't been confidin' me notions to the 
 public, me boy." 
 
 "Denis," said Carl, turning eagerly upon the 
 Irishman, "what would you give to get out of this 
 cursed hole?" 
 
 "Give!" echoed Denis, "iverything excipt me im- 
 mortal soul! but it's dramin' ye are. I've dramed 
 it mesilf sometimes, but it's only been in me sleep." 
 
 "No, Denis, I mean it in sober earnest. We must 
 escape from this. We must get away from the Spiel- 
 garten, Mina, and her father, you and I." 
 
 Denis stared at Carl for a moment: "Sure, it's 
 your head that's turned. Why, me boy, it's only by 
 flyin' that ye'd iver get out o' this." 
 
 "No, I mean it with all my soul. I know the dif- 
 ficulties seem insurmountable. But we have strong 
 bodies and sound heads. We are in face of a des- 
 perate situation. We must try. We cannot sit down 
 and let this horrible fate overtake Mina," and Carl 
 brought his clenched hand down on the table. 
 
 Denis stroked the back of his head with a per- 
 plexed air. 
 
 "We must explore the way, Denis, you and I. We 
 
CRUCIBLE ISLAND 71 
 
 have ample opportunities In our woodcutting expe- 
 ditions. We can be away for several days at a time 
 without anyone suspecting us. We have a month's 
 time allowed between the matrimonial decisions of 
 the Particular Council and the Espousals for the 
 year." 
 
 "Thrue enough," said Denis. "I'm wid ye, me 
 boy, though it's thinkin' I am that it's a bigger job 
 than we know." 
 
 "But we mustn't think about It, we must do," an- 
 swered Carl. "You're not a man to shirk dif- 
 ficulties, I know. We can try, at any rate. Let us 
 find out what is in the way before we decide. Do 
 you know anything about the lower end of the val- 
 ley? The river flows out at that end, perhaps we 
 may find some way out there." 
 
 "The river flows into a great gorge there and be- 
 yont there's a big cataract, they say. Ye can hear 
 the water roarin' a mile away." 
 
 "Well, can't you arrange to go to that end of the 
 valley to explore for timber? I heard you say the 
 other day that the largest trees in the island were 
 at the lower end of the valley. Can't you arrange 
 with your department of labor to cut timber there?" 
 
 "Sure an' I can," answered Denis, for Carl's 
 urgency with the practical suggestion the latter was 
 making had awakened his interest, even If the propo- 
 sition did not appear feasible to his judgment. 
 
 "Get permission at once and lose no time. We 
 will set out to-morrow. We will go by Herr Clau- 
 
72 CRUCIBLE ISLAND 
 
 sen's on our way down and acquaint him with our 
 plan." 
 
 "Well, no harm can come of thryin'. If there's 
 any way of batin' the divil, and sure it's batin' him 
 to get out o' this, I'm wid ye, me lad. 
 
 "And to save little Mina," continued Denis, "be- 
 gorra, I'd climb the mountain, fight the sojers there 
 and swim the whole ocean beyont." 
 
 And as he spoke, Denis grasped Carl's hand with 
 a warm and sympathetic clasp. 
 
CHAPTER IX 
 
 Little sleep came to Carl that night. His brain 
 was in a whirl. He imagined a thousand wild de- 
 vices to escape from the Spielgarten, all equally vain 
 and inconclusive. He was in a feverish anxiety to 
 be up and doing. 
 
 With the first ray of light, he arose and went to 
 McCarthy's room and eagerly aroused the Irish- 
 man, who, not being a distressed lover, had not 
 tossed restlessly the night through, but slept soundly, 
 as was his wont. Denis stared blankly at first at 
 being so peremptorily awakened, but soon gathering 
 his sleepy wits, responded with alacrity. 
 
 After breakfast the Irishman went to the office 
 of the superintendent of the lumber department to 
 arrange for permission to prospect the southern end 
 of the valley on the plea of getting larger trees 
 there than his wood-cutting corps had been securing 
 of late at the upper end. There was little difficulty 
 in getting the necessary permission, as there could 
 be no possible suspicion in such an expedition, which 
 Denis had often before undertaken. 
 
 It was well towards seven o'clock when he and 
 
 73 
 
74 CRUCIBLE ISLAND 
 
 Carl set forth. The sun had not yet risen above 
 the mountains along the eastern edge of the Spiel- 
 garten, and their shadows fell across the valley. To 
 Carl the whole scene wore a sinister aspect. Nature 
 seemed to threaten and the Spielgarten had come 
 to be a horrible prison house. How different it all 
 seemed now in contrast with those happy days when 
 he first came into the valley to that large liberty, as 
 he thought, which was only to be found in a com- 
 munity where Socialism flourished and where man- 
 kind was enfranchised from the shackles of the hated 
 conventions of the outer world. 
 
 Marxville was scarce astir, and they met but fcAv 
 people as they traversed its streets on their way to 
 Clausen's house. When they arrived there, they 
 found that Mina ai>d her father had passed an 
 anxious night. Clausen seemed to have aged sud- 
 denly, and Mina looked pale and worn. Carl and 
 Denis only stopped long enough to communicate 
 their plan of exploring the southern end of the val- 
 ley, Avhich did not seem to hearten Clausen very 
 much, who entertained little hope, he told them, of 
 ever getting out of the Spielgarten. But Carl was 
 eager and so he and Denis pushed on, following the 
 road along the river. 
 
 It was noon when they arrived at the narrow 
 gorge into which the stream embouched in a swift 
 and foaming rapid. They could hear the roar of a 
 distant cataract booming through the precipitous 
 cliffs that rose above the rushing waters. On either 
 
CRUCIBLE ISLAND 75 
 
 side the steep hills rose abrupt and dense with heavy 
 timber. It was not a prospect to hearten them. It 
 was all new ground to Denis who surveyed the scene 
 in silence. Even his wonted light-heartedness grew 
 heavy-winged. Any egress by way of the stream was 
 clearly impossible. To scale those towering and un- 
 known heights v/as a task to appall the sturdiest 
 and beyond these the ocean itself! 
 
 "Me lad," said Denis, "I'm thinkin' it's a balloon 
 we nade." 
 
 "If we only had a balloon!" ejaculated Carl, as 
 he gazed upward at the sharply defined mountain 
 range towering above. 
 
 "But we haven't," retorted Denis, "so let's be 
 pushin' on a bit, though it's a tough job, I'm 
 thinkin'." 
 
 "Let's first take a look at the river," suggested 
 Carl, "as it goes into the gorge. There may be a 
 chance " 
 
 "Divil a chanct," interrupted Denis, "but looking 
 will work no harm, sure." 
 
 They turned to the river bank. The waters 
 rushed headlong by them, here and there breaking 
 into foam over hidden rocks. Carl was eager to 
 push on, Denis reluctant, asserting that they could 
 not proceed for any distance, and it was impractic- 
 able to waste time in seeking further in a direction 
 which obviously could not be pursued. Carl, how- 
 ever, insisted, and started forward along a narrow 
 ledge jutting out from the constantly increasing pre- 
 
76 CRUCIBLE ISLAND 
 
 cipltousness of the bank. Denis followed with many 
 exhortations to be cautious. 
 
 In this way they advanced some hundred yards, 
 flattening themselves closely to the steep sides while 
 the ledge narrowed to a footing scarcely twelve 
 inches wide. Just beyond them the ledge turned, 
 hiding further view. 
 
 Carl, eager to see beyond the bend ahead, flat- 
 tened his body still more against the cliff, and edged 
 onward, unheeding Denis' querulous admonition to 
 be careful. Suddenly he felt the ledge crumbling 
 beneath his precarious footing, and with Denis' 
 startled outcry ringing in his ears, realized that he 
 was falling. With a desperate effort he grasped at 
 a shrub, which stayed him for an instant only, and 
 then he found himself plunged into the boiling 
 waters and swept onward with the impetuous cur- 
 rent. 
 
 Denis stood shrinking back against the cliff and 
 gazing in impotent agony as he saw Carl swirled 
 onward and out of sight. Great beads of perspira- 
 tion stood out on his forehead. In sudden terror 
 he shouted, "Carl! Carl!" as if in some way he 
 might assist his friend, thus abruptly swallowed up 
 before his very eyes in the sinister flood below. He 
 could not advance a step farther, as the treacherous 
 ledge on which Carl had just been standing had 
 broken away. , But Denis was not the man to wait 
 irresolutely when occasion demanded action. 
 
 Carefully and swiftly as was consistent with his 
 
CRUCIBLE ISLAND 77 
 
 cramped position, he pushed back along the ledge to 
 where the nature of the bank admitted an ascent 
 and climbed to the top, hurrying desperately through 
 the dense undergrowth until he came to a point 
 where, after much labor and delay, he could survey 
 the river beyond the point where Carl had fallen, 
 in the slender hope of perhaps seeing Carl clinging 
 to some rock above the surface or to some chance 
 projection from the shore. 
 
 But the banks on both sides rose sheer and, al- 
 though there were here and there rocks above the 
 stream, Carl was nowhere visible. Denis called 
 again and again, but his voice went unanswered, 
 save for the deep roar of the distant cataract, as if 
 in mockery of his now despairing solicitude. 
 
 "O Carl, Carl, why didn't you hade me," wailed 
 Denis, as he gazed helplessly down on the boiling 
 current. "O Mother of God, and the blessed saints 
 help him ! Sure it was I that warned him. Wurra, 
 wurra, what in the wurruld will I do?" and Denis 
 fairly broke down, sobbing like a child. 
 
 Plainly there was little hope for Carl in that rag- 
 ing torrent below, and Denis shuddered as he 
 thought of the cataract whose roar resounded so 
 ominously near. Rousing himself, he climbed still 
 higher up the edge of the gorge, but the higher he 
 ascended, the farther below lay the river and the 
 less prospect there was of a possibility of seeing any- 
 thing in the growing depth beneath. 
 
 After a vain hour spent in the attempt, and in his 
 
78 CRUCIBLE ISLAND 
 
 heart he felt it a hopeless effort, Denis turned sadly 
 back and sought his way downward, revolving de- 
 jectedly in his mind how he was to break the news 
 of the horrible disaster to Mina and her father. 
 
 He had become deeply attached to Carl, but he 
 felt that his own grief, strong as It was, would be 
 as nothing in comparison with that of the young girl 
 who had given her maiden love to Carl, and he 
 shrank from the hard task of telling her of Carl's 
 death. After a three-hours' steady trudge up the 
 valley, he reached Clausen's house. As he drew 
 near an appalling dread settled down upon him. 
 How was he to break tlie news? He would tell 
 Clausen and let him tell Mina. He stood irresolute 
 for a moment at the gate, with a desperate inclina- 
 tion to turn back and go on to the town, but, gather- 
 ing himself together, he finally went up the little 
 path lined with flowers, which seemed to mock his 
 grief, and knocked at the door. To his intense re- 
 lief, it was opened by Clausen himself. 
 
 "Denis!" exclaimed Clausen in surprise. "Are 
 
 you back so soon? I thought " He stopped 
 
 abruptly, reading trouble in the Irishman's face. 
 "What is it, man?" Clausen went on. "What is 
 it?" and he grasped Denis' arm abruptly. 
 
 "Where's Mina? I can't — it's you'll have to tell 
 her. Carl's " and he stopped, looking into Clau- 
 sen's eyes significantly. 
 
 "What has happened?" 
 
 "Come out into the road with me," and Deni§^ 
 
CRUCIBLE ISLAND 79 
 
 fearful that Mina might be nearby, drew Clausen 
 to the gate and hurriedly narrated the events of the 
 day. Clausen was greatly shaken at the news and 
 Denis, whose spirit seemed to be completely broken 
 by the disaster, bade Clausen a hurried and discon- 
 solate good-bye, and hastened to Marxville to re- 
 port the death of Carl for the public record. 
 
 Here was a sad ending to a deep attachment, 
 which the advent of Carl some few months ago had 
 brought to these three souls in the Spielgarten. Clau- 
 sen, who had been shaken to the depths of his being 
 by the threatened espousal of Mina to Herr Schmidt, 
 as decreed by the Particular Council, felt the blow 
 all the more keenly. 
 
 How was he to break the sad news to Mina? As 
 he left Denis and took his way back to the house, 
 his thoughts v/ere bitter. Though he had long ago 
 realized the perverse fate that had set him down in 
 this narrow prison house, it was only now that he 
 fully felt the crushing force of the Iron hand which 
 held him impotent in its relentless grasp. 
 
CHAPTER X 
 
 Carl's loss completely prostrated Mlna. As long 
 as Carl was alive and by her side, she felt that there 
 would be some way of escape from the horrible 
 possibility of the espousals with Herr Schmidt. 
 Carl's sanguine temperament, which could nev^er be 
 brought to admit as possible what he refused to 
 accept, had been a prop to her hopes and inclina- 
 tions. But now, bereft of his sympathy and pres- 
 ence, she pined and drooped under the grief of his 
 loss with the dreadful prospect of the hated mar- 
 riage with Herr Schmidt. 
 
 Denis, who came over frequently to confer with 
 her father, had little consolation to offer. A deep 
 gloom had settled upon the spirits of both men. 
 They realized only too well the desperate nature of 
 the situation. 
 
 \ In the early years of the settlement there had been 
 ^ sharp conflict over the question of marriage and 
 the family. The first colonists had been divided in 
 sentiment; some had advocated free choice in mar- 
 riage and a continuance of the family life, as they 
 had known it in the world beyond the Spielgarten. 
 
 80 
 
CRUCIBLE ISLAND 8i 
 
 But the more ardent and, indeed, the more consist- 
 ent Socialists had vigorously opposed it as an insti- 
 tution of the capitalist's world, the very rock and 
 basis of individualism. 
 
 They urged first of all that free choice was essen- 
 tially individualistic, an indiscriminate and sfelfish 
 seeking without regard to the common weal. To 
 allow it would be to foster an institution entirely 
 inconsistent with the idea of the collective good at 
 which Socialism aimed. The whim or caprice of 
 individual citizens must give way to the general wel- 
 fare. The individual, led by his likes and dislikes, 
 was not capable of determining the supreme good 
 of the State. 
 
 Therefore, the marital relation must necessarily 
 fall under the full control of the State, whose wis- 
 dom would select and direct the citizen in that most 
 important office upon which the future of the com- 
 mon weal depended. That relation once entered 
 into under the direction of the State, it followed that 
 its regulation and control should be just as vigilantly 
 exercised by the State itself. 
 
 The family, if allowed to continue as a unit, as 
 in that older civilization which SociaKsm in the 
 Spielgarten had discarded and supplemented, would 
 naturally engender individualistic forces antagonis- 
 tic to the Socialist policy. Family life naturally be- 
 got strong and selfish affections. The love of the 
 parent for the child, and the child for the parent 
 was purely individualistic and led of necessity to a 
 
82 CRUCIBLE ISLAND 
 
 desire for property, the very basis of the individual- 
 istic State. To conserve the family would be more 
 than dangerous to the Socialist ideal; it would, in 
 fact, be a contradiction in terms and absolutely in- 
 compatible with the fundamental tenet of Socialism. 
 
 In the Spielgarten the logic of the situation rap- 
 idly developed and a practical conclusion was 
 quickly come to, namely, the entire control and regu- 
 lation of the marital relation by the State. One 
 temporary concession was tolerated, namely, the 
 continuance of the family for those who had entered 
 upon it prior to the adoption of the new law some 
 twenty years after the foundation of the colony. 
 
 By the time of Carl's advent the new regulation 
 had been in force for many years. Children, as soon 
 as born, were taken from their mothers and cared 
 for under State supervision. Two large houses, one 
 in Marxville, the other at the lower end of the val- 
 ley, had been erected for this purpose. 
 
 The children, as soon as born, were confided to a 
 corps of women called State Mothers, chosen usually 
 from those who had themselves proved childless, 
 or were too old to bear children. When a woman 
 had been mated two years without issue, she was 
 never re-mated, but placed among the State 
 Mothers. 
 
 Clausen had been among those who had at first 
 opposed this policy, but, recognizing the futility of 
 further opposition, he yielded to a logic which was 
 inevitable when once the premise of Socialism was 
 
CRUCIBLE ISLAND 83 
 
 admitted. He himself had embraced Socialism on 
 economic and political grounds, thinking to find in 
 it a way out of what seemed to him intolerable con- 
 ditions in the lot of the masses. 
 
 When he was brought face to face with the prac- 
 tical results of the Socialist creed, — and, indeed, 
 he could see no escape from the conclusion — he re- 
 coiled before the ghastly consequences. He was 
 thankful for the compromise effected for the time 
 being in favor of those original colonists who had 
 established families before the adoption of the new 
 law, for it was only by virtue of this arrangement 
 that he was allowed to retain Mina and rear her in 
 his own keeping. 
 
 Now the blow which he had so long dreaded had 
 at last fallen. Mina was to be taken from him and 
 mated to Herr Schmidt by order of the Particular 
 Council, from whose decree there was no appeal. . 
 
 It was Friday and the tenth day after the loss of 
 Carl in the river. Denis had come over from 
 Marxville with the news that preparations were be- 
 ing made in the town for the ceremony of mating 
 on the Monday following. That morning he had 
 met Herr Schmidt, who had informed him that the 
 Particular Council had decided to advance the date 
 of the ceremony two weeks ahead of the time orig- 
 inally arranged. Herr Schmidt had not told Denis 
 the reason for the change, but Denis had shrewdly 
 guessed that the advancement of the time had been 
 concerted In some way by Herr Schmidt himself, 
 
84 CRUCIBLE ISLAND 
 
 whose voice was potent in the dehberations of the 
 Council. 
 
 Denis, whose dislike of Schmidt had now grown 
 to a vigorous loathing, had not been slow to pour 
 the vials of his wrath upon Schmidt's head, accusing 
 him of subterfuge in bringing about the selection 
 of Mina for himself. Schmidt's face darkened as 
 the angry Irishman turned upon him and damned 
 him vigorously. 
 
 "You shall smart for this, Herr McCarthy," he 
 snarled savagely, and without further reply turned 
 curtly away. 
 
 "By God," ejaculated Denis, as he narrated the 
 incident to Clausen, "in another moment I'd have 
 wrung the dirty spalpeen's neck. May the divil take 
 him for the blackguard he is." 
 
 Clausen's brow darkened when he heard the news. 
 He clenched his hands in a bitter rage, but felt him- 
 self impotent, Denis placed his hands on Clausen's 
 shoulders, looking him square in the eyes, his own 
 burning with a fierce light, and said with deadly sig- 
 nificance: "Herr Clausen, rest aisy for yourself. 
 Mina shall never go to that baste. I'll kill him 
 first." 
 
 "What good would that do, Denis?" groaned the 
 anguished father. "The same fate would befall 
 Mina in the end, with someone else selected by the 
 Particular Council, and you would go to the house 
 of Euthanasia." 
 
 "Divil a bit would I," retorted Denis, "while 
 
CRUCIBLE ISLAND 85 
 
 there's a bit of fight left in me little finger. Kill 
 they might, and kill me they must, if it's dying at 
 all, but no Euthanasy for Denis McCarthy, as long 
 as he's alive with a head on his shoulders and two 
 good arms." 
 
 "No, no, Denis; violence is of no avail. We are 
 in the cruel jaws of a malign fate. Those moun- 
 tains are the walls of our prison and there is no 
 escape." 
 
 "Just let me get in a row with Schmidt. It won't 
 be murther, just a clane dacent fight, wid a dead man 
 at the end of it, and that won't be Denis McCarthy." 
 
 Clausen could not help smiHng in spite of his own 
 dejection at the Irishman's ethical disposition of 
 Herr Schmidt. 
 
 "No, Denis," he reiterated, "violence will do no 
 good. I would not for an instant suffer you to 
 jeopardize yourself in such a w^ay. Killing, except 
 by sheer accident, has no extenuation in the code of 
 the Spielgarten. Our course does not lie that way; 
 though what way, I don't know, I don't know," he 
 ended, with a despairing break in his voice. "There 
 is but one thing I can think of now and that is to 
 temporize, if possible, by trying to get the Particu- 
 lar Council to rescind its action in advancing the 
 ceremony and have it put back to the time originally 
 set." 
 
 "T'will all be the same in the end," urged Denis, 
 "with Schmidt, the blackguard, crushing little Mina 
 like the big ugly spider he Is. Bad cess to him, but 
 
86 CRUCIBLE ISLAND 
 
 I'd like to get me hand around his windpipe just 
 onct!" And Denis reached out his big arm and 
 gripped the imaginary throat of Herr Schmidt. 
 
 "I'll make a petition to the Particular Council," 
 said Clausen, "to defer the mating. Perhaps some- 
 thing may turn up in the meantime, God help 
 us!" 
 
 "There is but one thing, Clausen," answered 
 Denis, "to relieve the prisent situation, and that is 
 Herr Schmidt nately removed. An' I'm the boy to 
 do it, not by murtherin' him, the Saints forbid! but 
 by disposin' of him in a straight fight. As for me- 
 silf, I'm done with the whole damned institution ! 
 I've been tin years in this hathen hole and that not 
 of me own seeking, and I've a long score to settle. 
 And as there's no gettin' out, I'd as lave make one 
 good straight drive of it an' go down shoutin' wid 
 some damage to the inimy. It's the divil's own bail- 
 iwick, your dam.ned Socialism, where a man's soul 
 isn't his own and everybody no betther than a black 
 nigger wurkin' for the State. To hell wid it all, says 
 I ! An' it's quittin' I am at last. One good hour of 
 rale freedom, when a man's himself for onct, is 
 worth a thousand years of this hathenism that even 
 the Turk would be ashamed of. No, Clausen, you 
 needn't say a word. You know it yoursel'. I've 
 been thinkin' hard over it this long time, and I've 
 seen this divil's grind here for tin years, and I'm 
 goin' to end it for mesel'. The next time I meet him 
 rn slap his dirty face. He's a fighter, and then I'll 
 
CRUCIBLE ISLAND 87 
 
 get me chanct. When the others come afther me 
 
 vTr i' T' "^ "■'" '° '^' ''="* ''^f°^« Denis 
 McCarthy I'm a rebel, and I intend to be a free 
 man tor this onct anyway !" 
 
 Denis spoke with an impassioned vehemence, and 
 at a length wh.ch Clausen had never before heard 
 h.m mdulge. It was the ebullition of ten years of 
 gathermg wrath, which had been simmering in the 
 Inshman s heart ever since he had been thrust into 
 the spielgarten. 
 
 By race and creed, Socialism was repugnant to 
 h.m, and ,t was the very irony of fate th« made 
 h.m ,ts enforced victim. He had endured its iron 
 system w,th secret loathing, but with an Irishman's 
 ready adaptability and good nature had made the 
 best of a bad bargain, and carefully concealed his 
 true sentiments. 
 
 Mina's impending fate was the first instance which 
 had completely struck home to his strong and gen- 
 erous nature. He had known her as a child and 
 he had conceived a strong affection for her To 
 see her brought to the level of a Circassian slave, 
 and mated to a man like Schmidt was too much for 
 nis chivalric temperament. 
 
 The system under which he had been forced to 
 live for the past ten years he might have tolerated 
 mdefimtely provided there was no hope of escape 
 from It. But when it reached the point where it 
 was about to enmesh in its loathsome toils a woman 
 whom he both respected and loved from childhood 
 
88 CRUCIBLE ISLAND 
 
 as a father, his whole nature rose in reckless re- 
 beUion. 
 
 fit was in vain that Clausen expostulated with 
 him. The Irishman's mind was fixed. In vain did 
 Clausen urge upon him the inevitable result of his 
 rashness, certain death in the end. Denis' reply 
 was, that at least he would die with his boots on, 
 and that there was a heap of consolation in that, for 
 *'Euthanasy was not at all to his likin'." 
 
CHAPTER XI 
 
 When Carl was precipitated into the turbulent 
 stream below by the breaking of the ledge under his 
 feet, he felt himself seized by the whirling waters 
 and rapidly borne onward. Confused and gasping, 
 for the first moment he was conscious only of a 
 roaring In his ears and a patch of blue sky above. 
 With the instinct of self-preservation at the moment 
 of peril, he reached out desperately for the side of 
 the cliff, which rose precipitously out of the water, 
 in the hope of catching some shrub or branch or jut- 
 ting rock. But the cliff was bare of all vegetation 
 and his hands slid over a wet and slippery surface. 
 
 Gathering his scattered senses, he endeavored to 
 take some cognizance of his situation as he was rap- 
 idly whirled away. He soon realized that he was 
 powerless to beat up against the current, which was 
 both deep and strong. 
 
 He found that he was being borne out from the 
 shore towards the middle of the stream, and, real- 
 izing that his only chance to stay his onward course 
 was some possible projection from the cliff which he 
 
 89 
 
90 CRUCIBLE ISLAND 
 
 might grasp, he struck out with all his strength to- 
 wards the shore and managed to keep within a few 
 feet of the lace of the overhanging walls. Twice 
 he felt his body strike some hidden projection be- 
 neath the surface, but before he could even make an 
 effort to cling to it with his legs, he found himself 
 swept past. 
 
 The roar of the cataract beyond was growing 
 ominously louder, and he was keenly aware that his 
 progress was becoming swifter and swifter with an 
 evidently accelerated current. Higher and higher 
 rose the stony walls on either side; and he was grow- 
 ing spent with his efforts. Suddenly he noticed a 
 projecting ledge some forty feet before him. With 
 a desperate effort he struck out, hand over hand, 
 lifting his body as high above the current as he 
 could, and just grasped it, but it was slippery and 
 covered with a wet moss to which he clung with 
 desperate fingers. The respite was only momentary. 
 In spite of his tenacious grip he was hurled away 
 again, and, yielding to exhaustion, resigned himself 
 to the resistless grasp of the waters. 
 
 Turning on his back, he abated his efforts to 
 merely keeping afloat, gasping for breath. In this 
 position he must have been borne on some two hun- 
 dred feet, when he noticed that he was floating rap- 
 idly out from the shore. He was almost too spent 
 to care and could only wonder at it. He saw the sky 
 above very blue and very far away. The sound of 
 the cataract boomed heavily in his ears; it was all 
 
CRUCIBLE ISLAND 91 
 
 over and he only wished that it might end quickly. 
 
 Then he became half-conscious that his direction 
 had changed; he was now being swept in towards 
 the shore. Yes, he evidently was, for suddenly the 
 great cliff loomed over him and he found himself 
 floating in the direction opposite to the current. 
 Turning on his stomach again, he saw that he had 
 been swung inward on a rapid eddy, formed by a 
 great curve in the precipitous banks. At the inner- 
 most edge his eyes confusedly caught a low ledge, 
 back of which was an opening into the face of the 
 cliff. 
 
 Exhausted as he was, he gathered a desperate 
 courage and, striking out with hysteric energy, kept 
 himself as close as possible to the cliff. He was 
 now within a few feet only of the ledge whose top 
 was no more than a foot above the surface of the 
 stream. As he came to it, with a last effort he threw 
 both arms over it and clung to it v/ith all the tenac- 
 ity of despair, but his body felt like lead. 
 
 How was he to raise himself up on it? For there 
 was neither crack nor roughness, which his fingers 
 might clutch. Struggling with the last ounce of en- 
 ergy he possessed, and only as a man can whose 
 safety depends upon a single chance, he grasped the 
 rock with his elbows and forearms, and, leaning to 
 the right side, slowly and painfully lifted his left 
 leg out of the water and succeeded at last in getting 
 it on top of the ledge. V/ith his leg as a lever he 
 managed to drag his body up, gasping and faint- 
 
92 CRUCIBLE ISLAND 
 
 ing, and then rolled over and lost consciousness. 
 
 When Carl recovered from his swoon, in which 
 he must have lain for an hour at least, he felt chilled 
 and weak. His clothes were still wet and he had 
 had no food since morning. It was then, from the 
 position of the sun, as nearly as he could guess, about 
 three o'clock in the afternoon. At first he gazed 
 about him with lassitude from his weakness. After 
 a time he roused to a realization of his perilous situ- 
 ation. Before him swirled the great eddy, with its 
 sinister green waters, and out beyond it the main 
 body of the stream swept on like a mill-race, and 
 nearer than ever the roar of the cataract thundered 
 in his ears. 
 
 Sheer above rose the cliff, a thousand feet or more, 
 clearly impossible to scale. Within two feet of 
 where he lay — for he had not yet attempted to rise 
 — trickled a little stream over the ledge into the 
 river. It flowed from an opening some four feet 
 In diameter in the face of the cliff. He noted also 
 a current of air coming from the opening. 
 
 He was still somewhat bewildered. His ex- 
 haustion, the sense of imminent peril, from which 
 he seemed to have been miraculously snatched, still 
 weighed upon him. Suddenly it occurred to him 
 that in his pocket was some food for luncheon, which 
 he had placed there when he had set out in the 
 morning. With avidity he plunged his hand in and 
 drew out two sandwiches, sodden with water. These 
 he devoured eagerly, in spite of their soggy condi- 
 
CRUCIBLE ISLAND 93 
 
 tion. It gave him strength, and with strength his 
 
 courage was rekindled. 
 
 Perilous as was his position, there was yet hope, 
 
 he thought, seeing how marvelously he had been 
 saved from the cataract. Fortified with this thought 
 he arose to his feet and surveyed his surroundings 
 with a clearer brain. In front of him the river 
 meant certain death; back of him rose the cliff, a 
 sheer wall, which would require wings to surmount 
 But the opening in the cliff ! He approached it. A 
 draft of damp air was plainly Issuing from it. Did 
 not this argue that there must be some opening be- 
 yond? Either river or cliff was impossible. There 
 was but one way, the hazard of the opening In the 
 cliff. 
 
 Carl approached the opening with the sensation 
 of a man who was about to plunge into the unknown, 
 as indeed he was, for there could be but one of 
 two issues to his enterprise; either he must help- 
 lessly perish of starvation on this barren ledge, or 
 find a way out of his present certain death by 'the 
 way of the passage before him. Stooping to his 
 hands and knees, he entered and slowly groped his 
 way forward, his hope justified by the fact that he 
 felt the draught of air blowing steadily against him, 
 as he made his way painfully. In a short time the 
 ghmmer of light coming from the entrance disap- 
 peared, and he was in total darkness. 
 
 Feeling up along the damp wall, he now discov- 
 ered that the roof of the passage was high enough 
 
94 CRUCIBLE ISLAND 
 
 to enable him to stand upright. The current of air 
 still blew against him. Relieved from the stooping 
 posture, he pushed on with extreme caution, slowly 
 feeling his way along the wall. He could hear the 
 stream running quietly along the floor of the cave 
 a few feet away. 
 
 Once, with a sudden shock, he slid Into a pool of 
 water some three feet deep. Recovered from this, 
 he painfully pursued his necessarily slow way, grop- 
 ing, as he was in a darkness worse than that of 
 blindness, for his open eyes were painfully strained 
 in a vain effort to see. 
 
 After what appeared to him a half hour of this 
 tedious passage, he was brought to a sudden halt by 
 a wall immediately in front of him, and seemingly 
 barring all further progress. Was it, after all, only 
 a blind passage into which he had come? The 
 thought staggered him. If so, there was the sole 
 alternative of returning to the ledge by the river 
 and slowly starving to death there. 
 
 He stood for a moment, his knees faint under him, 
 as hope seemed to die out of his heart. He no- 
 ticed that the current of air, which up to then had 
 blown steadily in his face, w^as now upon his left 
 side. He must have come to a sharp angled turn in 
 the passage. Facing around to his left, which put 
 the wall he had so abruptly met on his right hand, 
 he resumed his onward way, his heart beating vio- 
 lentlv, with the dreadful fear that perhaps he would 
 in another minute meet with a second barrier; but 
 
CRUCIBLE ISLAND 95 
 
 nothing intervened for several hundred yards, when 
 he noticed that the floor of the passage inclined up- 
 ward with a sharp rise, so much so as to make the 
 ascent laborious. But what kindled his hope fur- 
 ther, was that the draught was here plainly stronger 
 than he had yet felt it. 
 
 Sometimes he stumbled and fell over loose rocks, 
 bruising himself and cutting both hands and knees. 
 After his last fall, he lay prone for a time, utterly 
 spent. Rising to a sitting posture, he held his throb- 
 bing head in his hands, trying to think clearly, for 
 the tension of groping blindly on in utter darkness, 
 and the oppressive silence, were beginning to confuse 
 him. For a moment, he seemed to lose conscious- 
 ness. Rousing himself with an effort, he staggered 
 to his feet and pressed on against the draught, which 
 was his only clue in what had now become to him 
 almost a living tomb. 
 
 He had only one thought left, that of a dogged 
 persistance. He must go on whatever happened. 
 The sense of extreme caution with which he had 
 heretofore slowly groped along gave way to an im- 
 petuous recklessness. Go on he must, go on he 
 would; fight his way out of this darkness and rid 
 himself of the horrible weight that seemed to be 
 holding him down as if the mountain above were 
 closing in upon him. With hands outstretched 
 against the wall on the right side, he trudged on at 
 a faster pace than he had yet taken. Fortunately, 
 there were fewer stones In his path, and he escaped 
 
96 CRUCIBLE ISLAND 
 
 without a fall for the next quarter of an hour. Then 
 the floor took an abrupt decline, almost throwing 
 him from his feet, and then as sudden an ascent for 
 a few paces. 
 
 Here the wall, by which he was guiding himself, 
 drew sharply away to the right and a sense of being 
 in a wider expanse took instantaneous possession of 
 him. It seemed to him as if he had come out of a 
 narrow passage Into a wide cavern. Reaching down, 
 he took up as small a stone as he could find and 
 threw Tt from him with sufficient force to go ordi- 
 narily some twenty feet. He waited a tense mo- 
 ment, and then heard it plunge heavily into water, 
 and immediately a volley of replicated echoes on 
 every side startled him. Evidently he was in a cav- 
 ern of some dimensions. He threw a second and a 
 larger stone with the same result. The echoes of 
 its plunge reverberated with a thunderous exagger- 
 ation. After the clamorous noise had died away, 
 Carl stood irresolute. 
 
 The plunging sound of the stone seemed ominous, 
 as if in deep water and this Immediately in front of 
 him. Instinctively he drew closer to the wall and 
 continuously felt his way along its line with out- 
 stretched arms and back flattened against it and his 
 feet projected sideways to feel his footing. Slowly 
 he thus crept on, sliding one foot after another. 
 
 He seemed to be on an inclined edge whose slope 
 made his foothold perilously insecure. He no longer 
 felt the air-current which had given him a clue here- 
 
CRUCIBLE ISLAND 97 
 
 tofore as to direction. In this more spacious cham- 
 ber such as he now surmised he had entered, the 
 current seemed lost, whereas the narrow tunnel 
 which he had recently traversed made a funnel for 
 the downward suction of the air current to its exit 
 by the river's ledge. 
 
 An inlet there must be somewhere, or there could 
 be no flow outward. Was he taking the proper di- 
 rection? Was the way to the right or to the left? 
 He had chosen the right side without reflection. It 
 was a blind chance. Perhaps he had wandered into 
 a subterranean labyrinth with many ramifications, 
 but with only one possible exit. All this passed 
 through his purturbed mind, as he crept sideways 
 along the wall in the direction he had thus chosen, 
 at a mere hazard. 
 
 Inch by inch he made his way for what seemed to 
 him an interminable distance, surmising as he went 
 that he was making a circuit from the fact that the 
 wall at his back against which he lay as flat as he 
 could, seemed curved. Finally, after almost a half 
 hour's painful progress, he reached with his out- 
 stretched right arm an opening out of which, to his 
 inexpressible joy, he felt again a current of air flow- 
 ing inward. Buoyed up by the renewed hope, he 
 plunged into it. Clearly the air was stronger and 
 fresher than in the tunnel on the other side. He 
 must be nearing the opening. 
 
 Once more he felt as if he were in narrower quar- 
 ters. The sense of spaciousness about him had gone. 
 
98 CRUCIBLE ISLAND 
 
 The ascent now grew steeper and he had to resort 
 to a posture on hands and knees as he toiled upward. 
 After an hour's laborious climbing, he rested, 
 through sheer exhaustion. Faintly from above and 
 beyond came a distant murmur. Pulling himself to- 
 gether, he resumed his toil for another half hour, 
 upward, at times, and at times at a level, and as he 
 went, the murmurous sound increased and gradually 
 grew into a distant roar. 
 
 Was it the sound of the cataract? He must 
 surely be approaching the surface. Pushing onward 
 with desperate resolve, he at last saw a faint glim- 
 mer of light at a sudden turn of the tunnel. He 
 staggered forward, and, though weak and faint, re- 
 doubled his almost spent powers in the rush of joy 
 that flooded his soul at the prospect of a near release 
 from what had seemed a living entombment. For- 
 tunately, the floor of the tunnel at this point leveled 
 and then gently sloped downward. The gleam of 
 light had now visualized into a clearly defined open- 
 ing. He could even dimly see his way. 
 
 As he had no longer to climb, he hastened his 
 gait, feeble as it was, into an attempt at running, 
 spurred by a vague sense of dread, as of something 
 behind him in pursuit, and after a few minutes he 
 reeled out of the mouth of the cave into the open 
 air. He flung his arms upward in /an ecstasy of joy, 
 as if saluting the sky in worship for his escape. The 
 landscape danced about his dazed vision. He 
 shouted aloud incoherently and laughed in a semi- 
 
CRUCIBLE ISLAND 99 
 
 delirium. He was saved, he was saved! Oh, it was 
 good to draw great draughts of fresh air deep into 
 his lungs and feel the lightness of the atmosphere 
 about him, relieving him of the dreadful weight of 
 the darkness of the black cavern from which he had 
 just emerged. 
 
 He had come from the very jaws of death in its 
 most hideous form, and, sinking down upon the 
 earth with outstretched arms, he sobbed and sobbed 
 until at last he passed into the deep and heavy sleep 
 of utter exhaustion, and the shadows of night crept 
 into the little valley upon which the cavern opened, 
 and into which he had come. 
 
CHAPTER XII 
 
 It was not until the sun stood high in the heavens 
 the next morning that Carl woke from his profound 
 slumber. He was bruised and sore and stiff, but 
 withal, refreshed. It was some moments before he 
 got his bearings. Then he recalled the events of 
 the day before, his fall into the river, the eddy and 
 the ledge under the cliff, and his horrible journey in 
 the darkness through the cavern. 
 
 As he glanced at the ominous opening only a few 
 feet from where he had fallen, he shivered as he 
 recalled his struggle through the bowels of the 
 mountain the day before. In his utter exhaustion 
 upon emerging from the cave, he had taken no note 
 of the surroundings. He now saw that he was in a 
 small valley between two mountain ridges. Below 
 him, some two hundred yards away, he saw a little 
 stream wending Its way at the bottom of the valley. 
 
 The valley was well wooded, with all the variety 
 of trees that grew In the Island. He could hear the 
 roar of the great cataract towards the lower end, 
 which he supposed to be that from which he had so 
 marvelously escaped the day before. Happily just 
 
 loo 
 
CRUCIBLE ISLAND loi 
 
 below him he saw some banana trees laden with 
 fruit, for the island contained many kinds of tropi- 
 cal fruit growing in wild profusion. Hastening to 
 them he gathered some half dozen and devoured 
 them eagerly, for he was desperately hungry. Re- 
 freshed by these, he descended the mountain side 
 to the stream below and quenched his thirst in its 
 clear, cold waters. The physical man being thus 
 replenished, he began mentally to cast up his situ- 
 ation. 
 
 Back of him rose a lofty range, cutting him off 
 from the Spielgarten. In front of him, on the other 
 side of the stream, rose another lofty range, per- 
 haps bordering on the sea. The stream by which 
 he stood, flowed, no doubt, into the river beyond at 
 no great distance, for the noise of the cataract now 
 fairly thundered in his ears. 
 
 His first thought was to get back into the Spiel- 
 garten. He had no means of estimating how far 
 from it he was, but, what with his journey down the 
 stream and the time covered, as he might guess it, in 
 his way through the cavern, he concluded that he 
 could not be less than three miles from the Spiel- 
 garten in a direct line, but between him and it rose 
 a mountain range, jagged and precipitous, and ap- 
 parently inaccessible. 
 
 Looking up the valley, he remarked that it curved 
 to his left, perhaps a mile beyond, in the direction of 
 the Spielgarten. To go down the valley was clearly 
 to go further from the Spielgarten. The only alter- 
 
102 CRUCIBLE ISLAND 
 
 native was to go up the valley with the possible 
 chance of discovering some way leading back. Start- 
 ing, he picked his way along the bank of the stream, 
 making slow progress, as it was strewn with bould- 
 ers and stones, compelling him to make many de- 
 tours. 
 
 He had thus gone for about a mile when, to his 
 astonishment, in a small open space on the other 
 side of the stream, he came upon a rude hut, its walls 
 of loose stones, roughly put together, and its roof of 
 saplings with plastered mud. What could it pos- 
 sibly mean? He had never heard of anyone from 
 the Spielgarten ever penetrating beyond the inner 
 pale of the mountain and why should anyone from 
 the outer v/orld seek to come into this little and 
 lonely valley between these rough and towering 
 ranges? 
 
 Recovering from his first moment of surprise, 
 Carl, filled with an eager curiosity, crossed the 
 stream, jumping from rock to rock, with which it 
 was filled, and cautiously approached the hut. It 
 had apparently been standing for some time, for its 
 walls were weather-stained. There were no signs 
 of life about it. Carl called out, but no answer 
 came. There was no door. The entrance was a 
 simple opening. 
 
 Carl peered in and, his eyes gradually accustom- 
 ing themselves to the half light within, for there 
 were no windows, he saw the outlines of a bed of 
 withered boughs on one side, and a rough bench on 
 
CRUCIBLE ISLAND 103 
 
 the other. The interior was otherwise bare. It evi- 
 dently had not been occupied for a long time. En- 
 tering, Carl started back as, upon closer observa- 
 tion, he discovered the outlines of a body on the 
 bed of boughs. Approaching it, Carl saw that it 
 was a human body reduced to a mumified state, the 
 flesh having wasted away, leaving the yellow skin 
 stretched loosely over the bones of the skeleton, with 
 pieces of rotted garments clinging here and there. 
 It was a man's body, for vestiges of a beard still 
 clung about the mouth and chin, but the features 
 were unrecognizable. In the clear mountain air the 
 flesh had rather dried away than corrupted. 
 
 Lying beside the body on the floor was a rusted 
 rifle. Carl picked it up and examined it, opening 
 the breach. It had been discharged, for the butt 
 of the cartridge in the rifle chamber bore the mark of 
 the hammer. Stooping down, Carl examined the 
 body, drawing away the remnant of garments that 
 still clung to It and looking carefully for any mark 
 of a wound, for it had occurred to him that perhaps 
 the unfortunate had come to his death by the dis- 
 charge of the rifle either intentionally or accident- 
 ally. It was too dark, however. In the hut, to see 
 well. 
 
 As Carl turned round from his Investigation of 
 the body, he perceived on the rough table a belt of 
 cartridges nearly full, and alongside It a notebook 
 with a pencil beside It, as if just laid down by the 
 writer. Taking up the book, Carl went out of the 
 
104 CRUCIBLE ISLAND 
 
 hut, and began turning over its pages, now yellow 
 and dry. 
 
 At a glance, he saw that it was a diary in a 
 closely written and educated hand. The first three 
 pages, which had curled upward, were undecipher- 
 able, save for a word here and there, on account of 
 the indistinct tracings of the pencil and the yellow 
 color of the paper, but the fourth page was fairly 
 clear, and as Carl turned the succeeding pages over, 
 he saw, as they had not been exposed to the air, as 
 the first pages had been, that the characters were 
 plainly legible. 
 
 Notwithstanding his own precarious situation, he 
 was devoured with a not unnatural curiosity to 
 fathom the mystery of the dead man if the diary 
 could throw any light upon it. The top of the fourth 
 page began with the conclusion of a sentence, "grad- 
 uated with distinction." But he could not decipher 
 the beginning of the sentence at the bottom of the 
 third page. He could only barely make out the 
 words "college" and "year" and conjectured from 
 the context that followed that the writer was stating 
 that in a certain year In a certain college he had 
 graduated with distinction. From this on the writ- 
 ing was perfectly legible and ran as follows : 
 
 "After graduation, as my father was desirous 
 that I should follow In his footsteps In the profes- 
 sion of medicine, In which he himself had achieved 
 some distinction, It was determined that I should go 
 to Vienna the following fail to pursue my medical 
 
CRUCIBLE ISLAND 105 
 
 studies In Its famous schools, although I had no in- 
 clination In that direction. In accordance with this 
 arrangement, I found myself In Vienna the ensuing 
 October as a medical student. There was little 
 eventful In my first year. Not being interested, I 
 was not a keen student, and fell Into a rather loose 
 way of living, for which there was abundant oppor- 
 timity In the capital city of the Austrian empire. 
 Among my fellow students was a Russian who, 
 like myself, was little inclined to devote him- 
 self seriously to the study of medicine. He was 
 a handsome lad with a brilliant mind, and a boon- 
 companion. 
 
 *'We became fast friends, but under his levity 
 ther? was a serious strain, which, strange as it was to 
 me at 'first, found Its channel In an ardent advocacy 
 of Socialism. This he only revealed to me by de- 
 grees and by the middle of my second year, to make 
 a long story short, he had completely converted me 
 to his ideas. 
 
 "I found that he was a member of a secret 
 Socialist organization with international 'ramifica- 
 tions. Under the Influence of his persuasive elo- 
 quence, I joined the society, and with the ardor of 
 youth flung myself whole-souled into the movement. 
 Naturally of a daring disposition, I was always 
 ready to undertake any perilous enterprise for the 
 sake of the cause. A plot was devised to assassinate 
 the Emperor. To Nicholas, my friend, fell the lot 
 of making the attempt, and to me the task of secretly 
 
io6 CRUCIBLE ISLAND 
 
 preparing the deadly bomb with which the assassina- 
 tion was to be perpetrated. 
 
 "In spite of my enthusiasm for the cause of Social- 
 ism, I balked at the idea of assassination. I con- 
 fided my scruples to Nicholas. I was an American, 
 I said, to whom assassination was abhorent as a po- 
 litical method. He answered me by a torrent of 
 contempt, reproaching me with cowardice and luke- 
 warmness for the cause. The danger was his, not 
 mine. He was to do the deed. I was only to pre- 
 pare the bomb in safety. 
 
 "Now, I was an ardent believer in Socialism and 
 thoroughly convinced of the justice of its cause. 
 Stung by his reproaches, though still shrinking from 
 the repugnant task, and, at the same time fully aware 
 that I was already hopelessly complicated, and would 
 have to render a stem account to my brother con- 
 spirators if I failed to obey the injunction laid upon 
 me, I resolutely, though loathingly set to work to 
 make the necessary preparations, Nicholas assist- 
 ing me. A month's time was given to complete them. 
 
 "It was still lacking one week from the time set 
 when, one day, Nicholas burst into my room, pant- 
 ing and agitated, fairly shouting at me: 'Flee, Lor- 
 imer, we are betrayed! There was a spy among 
 us. Do not wait an instant, but go at once!' He 
 rushed out as impetuously as he had entered, and I 
 heard him go headlong down the stairs into the 
 street below. I have never seen him since. 
 
 "Trembling violently, my first impulse was to hide 
 
CRUCIBLE ISLAND 107 
 
 every evidence of our design that might be found in 
 my rooms. My head was reeling and my legs shook 
 uncontrollably under me, so nerve-racking was the 
 shock caused by Nicholas' announcement. Snatch- 
 ing some incriminating papers from my desk, I hast- 
 ily flung them into the stove. Seizing my hat, I 
 started down the stairs, — my room was on the third 
 floor — and just as I reached the second landing I 
 heard the tramp of several men coming up from be- 
 low. The hallway was dark in the rear and thither 
 I hastened, crouching behind the jamb of the door. 
 They passed without perceiving me. I had no doubt 
 they were police, though they wore no uniform. 
 After they had proceeded, I hastily descended the 
 stairs, but as I stepped over the threshold, a heavy 
 hand was laid upon my shoulder and I found my- 
 self arrested. 
 
 "My first impulse was to resist, but my captor was 
 not alone. Two other men accompanied him, who 
 also seized me. 'Resistance, you see, is useless,' he 
 said, 'come quietly, or we'll use force. Here is a 
 conveyance ready,' and he pointed to a carriage 
 standing at the curb. 
 
 "I will not dwell upon the events immediately sub- 
 sequent to my seizure. I was dragged to prison, 
 and, after a week's solitary confinement, I was 
 brought before a tribunal where I was put through 
 a searching examination and learned that all our 
 plans had been known to the police from the begin- 
 ning. We had been betrayed by one whom we sup- 
 
io8 CRUCIBLE ISLAND 
 
 posed to be a loyal member of our brotherhood, but 
 who was, in reality, a secret agent for the police. 
 My case was hopeless and I confessed. My sentence 
 was penal servitude for life in Schlectland, of which, 
 until then, I had never heard." 
 
 Here followed a narration of Lorimer's voyage 
 in transportation to Schlectland and his commitment 
 to the Spielgarten. The march up the mountain with 
 the dreadful expectation of execution, and his intro- 
 duction to the Spielgarten itself; his first joy upon 
 finding himself in a Socialist Community; then the 
 gradual realization that everything was not up to 
 his expectations, until at last he became disillusion- 
 ized. All this was a counterpart of Carl's own ex- 
 perience. Carl read it with conflicting emotions; it 
 confirmed his own experience. Continuing, he found 
 Lorimer's story upon a phase of life in the Spiel- 
 garten, which Carl had not as yet verified, except in 
 prospect, but against which his soul rose in protest. 
 He read on in the faded diary: 
 
 "I came, after a year's sojourn in the Spielgarten, 
 to a clear apprehension of the practical working of 
 Socialism in the economic world. All capital was in 
 the hands of the State, that is, all the tools of pro- 
 duction were owned and operated by the State, as 
 also the distribution of the product. The Socialist 
 maxim, 'to every one according to his need,' is here 
 for the first time in human history carried out in 
 complete practice. There is no private property and 
 the entire product is distributed equally. There is 
 
CRUCIBLE ISLAND 109 
 
 no class distinction; there is no poverty; there is no 
 competition; no struggle after wealth. The eco- 
 nomic problem of the individualistic world has been 
 leveled down to terms of the common good. 
 
 ^^'The Socialist ideal is completely realized, but 
 the penalty is paid in full. The individual as such 
 has ceased to exist. He has become merely a cog in 
 the State machine. The State admits no individual- 
 istic distinction and no individual profit. Individual 
 initiation has disappeared. The individual is but 
 grain ground into common grist. The consequence 
 is the atrophy of individualism. Superior energy 
 or capacity in the individual has no goal for its ef- 
 fort, and consequently, no stimulus to its exci- 
 tation. 
 
 "This is strikingly and, to my mind, horribly evi- 
 dent in the natives of the Spielgarten who have 
 been born and bred under this system. They have 
 been educated from infancy in the Socialist doctrine 
 that the State is the supreme good, that the common 
 weal is the sole sanction of conduct; that the indi- 
 vidual should have no thought, desire, or object 
 other than the public welfare, of which the State is 
 the creator and the inviolable guardian. As soon as 
 the child is capable of learning, he is taught the 
 Socialist catechism, whose first questions run as fol- 
 lows: 
 
 '* *Q. By whom were you begotten?' 
 
 " 'A. By the Sovereign State.' 
 
 " 'Q. Why were you begotten?' 
 
no CRUCIBLE ISLAND 
 
 " 'A. That I might know, love and serve the Sov- 
 ereign State always.' 
 
 " 'Q. What is the Sovereign State?' 
 
 " 'A. The Sovereign State is Humanity in com- 
 posite and perfect being,' 
 
 " 'Q. Why is the State supreme?' 
 
 " 'A. The State is supreme because it is my 
 Creator and Conserver, in which I am and move 
 and have my being and without which I am 
 nothing.' 
 
 " 'Q. What is the individual?' 
 
 " 'A. The individual is only a part of the whole, 
 and made for the whole, and finds his complete and 
 perfect expression in the Sovereign State. Individ- 
 uals are made for co-operation only, like feet, like 
 hands, like eyelids, like the rows of the upper and 
 lower teeth.' 
 
 "This is the premise which Socialism has laid 
 down as the basis of its system, and in the Spielgar- 
 ten this premise is put into practical operation. 
 There is no escape from its conclusion. Govern- 
 ment here has been built upon it and the result is 
 that the individual has been completely and inten- 
 tionally eliminated from its consideration. Individ- 
 uals in the Spielgarten are but the cogs in the co- 
 operative machinery of the State, the rows of the 
 upper and lower teeth. 
 
 "It was to the realization of this inescapable ma- 
 chinery of absolutism that I gradually awakened in 
 the Spielgarten. I began to appreciate the grim 
 
CRUCIBLE ISLAND iii 
 
 irony of the sentence which had condemned me to 
 penal servitude for hfe. 
 
 "When I first came into the Spielgarten I was 
 caught up into the seventh heaven of bhss at finding 
 myself under a Socialist regime in actual working 
 order. Here was nature bountiful and beneficent. 
 Man freed from the exploitation of his fellow be- 
 ings; poverty unknown; struggle eliminated in the 
 industrial order; the rivalries of greed and ambition 
 as completely eradicated in the body politic as in the 
 Garden of Eden. Here was peace and plenty, con- 
 tent and ease, the paradise of my dreams, but now 
 at last I have come to realize that all this is at the 
 precious price of freedom and at the costly expense 
 of a disguised slavery. 
 
 "We in the Spielgarten have achieved material 
 contentment and even comfort, freedom from the 
 responsibilities, cares, and struggles of the individ- 
 ualistic world, by paying the supreme price of what, 
 after all, alone constitutes manhood, the price of 
 liberty. We have made the State our god and It 
 has logically exacted from us the bitter sacrifice of 
 our individuality. It has immolated us on Its altar, 
 the helpless victim of an Iron creed. 
 
 "It was not at once that I arrived at this evalua- 
 tion of practical Socialism. It took me a year of 
 actual experience under Its regimen before I became 
 convinced, and that with reluctance. Indeed, I was 
 forced to it, for I hated to acknowledge that what 
 had once seemed to me the Ideal of mankind should, 
 
112 CRUCIBLE ISLAND 
 
 after all, be but a fool's paradise; that the fruit of 
 the promised land was, after all, but dead sea fruit, 
 dust and ashes in the eating. 
 
 "But the full horror of the situation was not 
 brought home to me until after my first year in the 
 Spielgarten. By that time I had come to understand 
 the industrial and political servitude of Socialism 
 in practice, which could be likened to no other hu- 
 man institution than slavery as it existed in the 
 United States before the war; but it required a more 
 intimate personal experience with its attendant suf- 
 fering to awaken in me a feeling of utter and des- 
 perate rebellion against the intolerable bondage 
 which this new phase of my existence was to make 
 manifest. I cannot think of it now without such 
 anguish of heart and soul that even with the hope 
 of possible escape before me, life becomes doubly 
 bitter. 
 
 "It was at the end of my first year that I received 
 an order from the Particular Council to mate (the 
 word marriage is forbidden^in the Spielgarten) with 
 a young woman by the name of Louise. There are 
 no family names in the Spielgarten save those of the 
 recruits or of the few surviving original colonists, 
 for the family under a Socialist regime is non-ex- 
 istent. 
 
 "Here I must premise for a moment. In a com- 
 munity whose fundamental political principles com- 
 pletely sweep away all recognition of capitalism, and 
 consequently either of ownership In the instruments 
 
CRUCIBLE ISLAND 113 
 
 of production or of the right of disposition of the 
 product at the will of the individual producer — for 
 this would constitute property in the individualistic 
 sense — it would be fatal to tolerate an institution 
 which could foster the instinct of mine as counter- 
 distinct from thine. Under Socialism there is but 
 one absolute right, that of the State, of the Collec- 
 tive Right. As against this supreme and sovereign 
 good embodied in the State, there can be no right — 
 or claim on the part of the individual, or any group 
 of individuals. The moral basis of Socialism cen- 
 ters in this conception of the State as the absolute 
 and supreme good of all. 
 
 "The founders of the Socialist State in the Spiel- 
 garten laid down this principle as their fundamental 
 law. It is the centre of their Solar System, about 
 which everything else must revolve. They had come 
 from a civilization founded on individualism, which 
 they called barbarism, and they had learned that the 
 two great obstacles in the way of the realization of 
 Socialism were the institution of Religion and the 
 institution of the Family. 
 
 "Socialism could never come to a practical oper- 
 ation among men until Religion and the Family were 
 eradicated. Religion taught that the supreme rela- 
 tion of the Individual was to a personal God; this 
 was supreme individualism, making the Individual of 
 an eternal Importance and worth. Religion, fur- 
 thermore, postulated a life beyond the grave where 
 the evils of this life were to be adjusted in the bal- 
 
114 CRUCIBLE ISLAND 
 
 ance of an eternal justice. Under this delusion — I 
 am speaking the language of Socialism — men are 
 easily reconciled to the evils of this world in the 
 hope of beatitude in another. Under such a concep- 
 tion of the universe men readily accept and endure 
 the evils of life as a part of the divine scheme — 
 nay, are taught to accept them in the assurance of a 
 future remedy in a life to come and are, therefore, 
 proof against that radical discontent which Social- 
 ism must arouse in them before it can bring home to 
 them the realization of its own panacea; for all the 
 foul injustices which find their sole source in the 
 inequality of conditions are rooted in and fostered 
 by individualistic institutions. 
 
 ^'Redemption in a life hereafter can, therefore, 
 have no part in Socialism. Social redemption, that 
 is, the total submergence of the individual in the 
 welfare of the whole, is the only religion compatible 
 with practical Socialism. The State, therefore, be- 
 comes the object of worship, as is evident by my 
 citations from the catechism of the Spielgarten. In 
 the individualistic system the Family is the unit or 
 nucleus of civilization. From it springs the instinct 
 of private property. It can, therefore, have no place 
 In the Spielgarten. 
 
 "In devising this plan of government the founders 
 cut out the Family — root and branch. Family affec- 
 tion would naturally carry with it the desire of pro- 
 viding primarily for one's own, a capital crime in the 
 eyes of Socialism. The love of husband and wife, 
 of parent for child and child for parent, the most 
 
CRUCIBLE ISLAND 115 
 
 Indomitable in nature, would first seek the welfare 
 of those to whom it was bound by a special tie and 
 so create a radical antagonism to the collective good 
 as conceived by the Socialist State. 
 
 "The propagation of the race must, therefore, be 
 provided by other means than the selfish institution 
 of marriage. Free love was out of the question as 
 it would lead to social disorder without control or 
 direction and, moreover, have an individualistic 
 basis In the matter of choice. There was but one 
 plan which could be carried on with due order and 
 under proper control, and that was of mating Its citi- 
 zens for a stated period under the direction and 
 supervision of the State authorities. 
 
 "In the Spielgarten the Particular Council Is en- 
 trusted with this duty. Under its direction men and 
 women are mated for a stipulated period of two 
 years and their offspring, as soon as born, taken over 
 by the State and reared in the House of Infancy, 
 under the common charge. The mother, when the 
 time comes for the birth of the child, is taken to the 
 House of Maternity for her confinement and never 
 sees her babe. Neither father nor mother know 
 their own children In the Spielgarten. 
 
 "Children are given no family name and never 
 know their own parents. In this way the family 
 relation Is absolutely eradicated. The temporary 
 character of the mating period also conduces to check 
 the growth of any permanent affection between the 
 mothers and the fathers. 
 
 "It was under this arrangement that I was mated 
 
ii6 CRUCIBLE ISLAND 
 
 with Louise, who was born in the Spielgarten and 
 had never known her own parents. I was at iirst 
 indifferent to the arrangement, accepting the situa- 
 tion as a matter of course, under the enforced cir- 
 cumstances in which I found myself. I had for 
 some time before this event come to realize that I 
 was in a condition of servitude from which there 
 was no way of escape. I simply obeyed — there was 
 no help for it — the mandate of the Particular 
 Council. 
 
 "It was not long, however, before I came to the 
 realization of a new horror in my life. Not only 
 was I in servitude, but I found that I had entered 
 upon a new relation which, in the end, was to plunge 
 me into an abyss of cruelty and suffering. I found, 
 after a time, that I had grown to love Louise with 
 an affection which possessed my whole being, and 
 she in turn reciprocated my love. I loved her not as 
 a lover might his mistress, but with that profound 
 devotion which a man bears for his wife, that we 
 were two In one flesh. At the same time, I wakened 
 to the horrible realization that the bond could only 
 be temporary, and that we must, in a short time, be 
 separated. 
 
 "The thought was torture, and I cursed the fate 
 that had brought this new and terrible affliction upon 
 me. Educated in the Spielgarten, Louise had no 
 conception of any other ideal in life than what she 
 had been taught under its system, complete subservi- 
 ence to the State, for the fulfilment of its design, and 
 this had been the dominant note of her education. 
 
CRUCIBLE ISLAND 117 
 
 "The outside world she only knew as Its history 
 was rehearsed through Socialist eyes in which indi- 
 vidualism stood for barbarism. Its story was the 
 wretched record of the cunning and greed of the 
 few, who had devised institutions simply to exploit 
 and keep the many in iniquitous subjection to their 
 masters. Under the influence of this idea her mind 
 and character had been moulded, and I found her as 
 I had all the other natives, acquiescent in this child- 
 like and ignorant conception. 
 
 "She accepted things as they were without ques- 
 tion and the events of life as they occurred as a 
 matter of course in an established and perfected 
 order like the sequence of day and night. Whatever 
 the allotted task, it was accepted without demur; 
 whatever the mandate of the State, it was accepted 
 and obeyed implicitly. In short the native, under the 1 
 Socialist system in the Spielgarten, is fashioned 
 into an automaton; servitude is his unquestioning 
 habit, the result of a system of education devised to 
 eliminate all individualistic tendencies. 
 
 "This I never would have admitted before my 
 coming inTo the Spielgarten, but I have now seen it 
 demonstrated and practised under my very eyes, 
 and, going over the ground reflectively in my mind, 
 I now perceive that it is simply the logical outcome 
 of the system. As a Socialist, I would have indig- 
 nantly repudfated this as a forecast of the workings 
 of Socialism. But what I have actually experi- 
 enced in the Spielgarten, and what I have come to 
 
ii8 CRUCIBLE ISLAND 
 
 know in the concrete, is its inevitable operation. 
 
 "When I now reflect I recall how evasive Socialist 
 literature and Socialist arguments were in regard 
 to its practical workings. Indeed, the stress of all 
 Socialist pleading is laid upoh the existing evils 
 of capitalism and individualism with the assertive 
 prophecy of their remedy by the adoption of Social- 
 ism; but when it comes to an explicit exposition of 
 its actual operation in detail. Socialism evaporates 
 into a vague outline of a paradisial condition in the 
 dim future. 
 
 "It makes a tremendous promise, but elusively re- 
 fuses to limn the picture in its fulfilment. The truth 
 is, Socialist writers dare not trace the plan of their 
 scheme to its logical conclusion for two decided rea- 
 sons. In the first place, the natural individualism of 
 mankind would revolt at the picture of the result; in 
 the second, the conclusion would be in such startling 
 contradiction to the Socialist ideal that the Socialist 
 would find himself hoist by his own petard and this 
 for the reason that the average Socialist, i.e., the 
 Socialist who is not a leader, entertains an ideal in 
 direct contravention of the logical outcome of his 
 creed. The ordinary Socialist — I am here speak- 
 ing of the rank and file — in which I once included 
 myself — allies himself with the Socialist movement 
 not because he is really a collectivist, but because he 
 is an extreme individualist. 
 
 "What he covets is absolute freedom, and he 
 imagines that the way to it is by substituting for the 
 
CRUCIBLE ISLAND 119 
 
 institution of capitalism, which he regards as the 
 tyranny of a class, the ownership of all capital by 
 the State, which he has come to regard as an institu- 
 tion of which he will be one of the proprietors. He 
 fancies that in this way he would immediately achieve 
 ownership and, therefore, free himself from the ne- 
 cessity of serving another and so become a freeman, 
 which in his mind is emancipation from the tyranny 
 of capitalism. Whereas, the bitter fact is that in 
 making this exchange he not only surrenders his in- 
 dividualism, but absolutely eliminates his only pos- 
 sibility of ever becoming an owner at all, for the 
 common proprietorship of all capital by the State 
 means the particular servitude of every citizen. He, 
 as an instrument of production, is owned just as 
 much by the State as any other tool. Liberty in the 
 economic sense means the individual right to become 
 a possessor of property, and if this opportunity be 
 absolutely withheld from individual achievement, as 
 it necessarily is under Socialism, the citizen faces the 
 inevitable consequence of always remaining a simple 
 worker in the service of the State, the sole pro- 
 prietor, 
 
 "It is this delusion, like the mirage in the desert, 
 that lures the rank and file of Socialists to an ac- 
 ceptance of its doctrine. They embrace Socialism 
 under the false supposition that it leads to an easy 
 freedom from service to another. They rail at 
 capitalism as a system of economic slavery, little 
 realizing that the practical outcome of the Social- 
 
I20 CRUCIBLE ISLAiND 
 
 ist scheme, not only imposes upon them a system 
 of helotry worse than capitalism ever devised, a con- 
 dition of servitude which has its only parallel in the 
 slave system of the ancient world. More than this 
 and worse than this, they utterly fail to realize that 
 with this economic servitude there comes an utter 
 degradation of the sexual relation between man and 
 woman in the entire extinction of the family. 
 
 "It is with this latter phase of Socialism that I am 
 now most concerned, for It has branded itself like 
 a burning iron into my heart and soul. 
 
CHAPTER XIII 
 
 "When Louise first came to me, she had all the 
 limitations of a native of the Spielgarten, but I soon 
 discovered that she was a woman of good mental 
 qualities, with quick apprehension, ready imagina- 
 tion and a profound sympathy, added to which was 
 a depth of sweetness of character that awakened my 
 surprise and bound me in ardent devotion. She had 
 never been really developed. She was like a bird 
 which had been always confined in a cage and had 
 never been able to try its wings. By degrees I awak- 
 ened her broader intelligence and quickened her 
 sympathies and her character. She expanded and 
 grew surprisingly under the influence vrhich I was 
 able to bring to bear, from mtj^ experience in the 
 outer world. 
 
 "I told her of that outer world and that larger 
 life of humanity beyond the narrow limits of the 
 Spielgarten, its hopes, its struggles, its ambition, all 
 that mankind had suffered and achieved in the course 
 of the ages in its endeavor to establish liberty in 
 order and in justice. 
 
 "We became, indeed, two in one flesh and in one 
 
 121 
 
122 CRUCIBLE ISLAND 
 
 mind, so indissolubly bound that to be parted seemed 
 to be worse than death. The time arrived when she 
 was to give birth to her child. She was taken to the 
 House of Maternity and when she returned to me 
 there was a deeper and tenderer yearning in her 
 eyes than I had ever seen before. 
 
 "She had become a mother, but she had never 
 seen her babe. She threw herself into my arms and 
 sobbed as if her heart were breaking. 'O Robert, 
 my baby, my baby,' she sobbed convulsively. 'They 
 took it from me; I cried out for it and begged them 
 to let me hold it, even for a little moment, but they 
 would not, they would not.' 
 
 "And as I held her in my arms the agony of her 
 grief shook her frame and pierced my own heart 
 like a red hot steel. I tried to soothe and console 
 her — how impotent my words ! — ^but in my soul was 
 a dumb rage. I cursed the Moloch of Socialism. 
 Had I only the power to smash this idol of hell and 
 topple it over once for all, this foul monster which 
 feeds on the hearts and souls of the men and women 
 of the Spielgarten! What a colossal Irony of fate! 
 Humanity in the Spielgarten has built up a system 
 of government In its own name which has devoured 
 Its very heart and soul, leaving but a painted sem- 
 blance, an empty husk of Itself. 
 
 "In time a second child was born to her, but 
 Louise never returned to me from the House of 
 Maternity; she died In child-birth, though the In- 
 fant survived, and, as was the custom, was taken to 
 
CRUCIBLE ISLAND 123 
 
 the House of Infancy to be reared. In the Splel- 
 garten are my two children, whom I have never 
 even seen and will never know. 
 
 "For a time after Louise's death, I was like a man 
 stricken. A heavy apathy seized upon me. I went 
 about my appointed tasks as if in a dream. I walked 
 about among shadows and cared nothing. 
 
 "In due course, nature reasserted herself and life 
 again flowed normally through my veins, but a hard- 
 ened grief and a grim hopelessness had fixed them- 
 selves in my very marrow. 
 
 "It was not long, just three months aft^r Loaisc's 
 death, before a second order came from the Particu- 
 lar Council to mate again. When I received it, I 
 felt my blood surge furiously. I threw the order on 
 the ground and stamped it into the earth, and swore 
 in my heart that come what would, I would defy it. 
 It was sheer madness, I knew, but such a loathing 
 had risen in me at the bare thought, such a revul- 
 sion at the outrage upon my love for Louise, at be- 
 ing thus brought to the level of the mere brute, that 
 I rebelled in every fibre of my being. To refuse 
 was treason In the code of the Spielgarten and meant 
 death, but I determined that if I was to die — and for 
 what had I to live? — I would not die tamely, I would 
 die fighting. Then a wild idea flashed upon me — 
 escape! B\it how hopeless that seemed! 
 
 "Between me and the outer world lay those grim 
 mountain ranges and beyond these the vast ocean. 
 To attempt to get out by the way of the pass that I 
 
124 CRUCIBLE ISLAND 
 
 had entered meant certain death. Still, if it came to 
 the last resort, why not? Better death that way 
 than by execution in the Spielgarten. How I had 
 begun to hate the very name of Socialism! Come 
 what might, I resolved that I would not die by the 
 fiat of the Socialist State. 
 
 "A month, as was the custom, was to intervene 
 between the order of the Particular Council and the 
 ceremony of mating. This gave me breathing time 
 to consider. The more I pondered, the more to my 
 liking seemed the plan of braving an escape by way 
 of the mountains. There was the element of adven- 
 ture in it, and though it seemed eventually futile, 
 might not there be a bare chance, after all? At 
 any rate, I was desperately resolved to defy the 
 order. 
 
 "When a young man I had made several trips 
 into the mountain region of the western United 
 States and had there gained some little experience 
 In mountain climbing and learned something of 
 mountain topography. I immediately began study- 
 ing the lay of the mountains surrounding the Spiel- 
 garten. To the south flowed the river, making its 
 exit through a lofty gorge, whence it was precipi- 
 tated in a steep cataract toward the sea. To at- 
 tempt an exit here was certain destruction. 
 
 "The only possible course as nearly as I could sur- 
 mise lay over the range to the east below Mt. Bebel, 
 where I observed a lower range running up to and 
 meeting the foothills flung out from the base of this 
 
CRUCIBLE ISLAND 125 
 
 towering peak. If indications counted for anything 
 in such a formation, judging from my experience in 
 the Rocky Mountains of America, there would be a 
 possible pass lying to the south of Mt. Bebel, open- 
 ing upon a probable valley between the range bor- 
 dering upon the Spielgarten and the range beyond, 
 whose highest peaks, though hidden from view from 
 the eastern side, were observable from the western 
 side of the valley of the Spielgarten. 
 
 "My idea was that by striking into the foothills 
 at the southern base of Mt. Bebel, where there was 
 an evident depression indicating a pass, I might 
 strike the head of the valley just beyond the immedi- 
 ate range, which bordered the Spielgarten on the 
 east, and follow it down towards the river below the 
 point of the cataract. 
 
 "All this was, of course, conjecture, but the more 
 I scrutinized the topography of these ranges, the 
 more convinced I grew that I was right in my sur- 
 mise. At any rate, if I contemplated escape at all, 
 I must make a hazard somewhere, and this seemed 
 the most, if not the only, likely spot. 
 
 'I proceeded to make my preparations./ I secreted 
 a stout rope some thirty feet in length',"'" Blankets I 
 had at hand. It was with some difficulty I secured 
 leather straps, which I fashioned into a tump-line, 
 such as the woodsmen and Indians use In America. 
 A hatchet was easily obtained and a stout jackknife 
 I already possessed. As there were no firearms in 
 the Spielgarten, I could, of course, obtain none. 
 
126 CRUCIBLE ISLAND 
 
 "I managed to gather bread and bacon sufficient 
 for several days, though on the score of food I had 
 no apprehension, as fruit grew abundantly every- 
 where in the island, 
 
 "It was just two weeks after I had received the 
 order of the Particular Council to mate again that 
 one day after nightfall T set out on my adventure 
 of escape. My provisions I had rolled in my blan- 
 kets, which were carried strapped on my back in the 
 way of a pack and held by the tump which passed 
 over the shoulders and then encircled the forehead, 
 leaving my hands and arms entirely freei. The 
 hatchet was secured on the outside of the pack by 
 the straps encircling it. 
 
 "There was no moon at the time, but as in all 
 tropical climates, the light of the stars gave sufficient 
 illumination to pick my way. I avoided roads and 
 struck directly across the fields. After two hours 
 of steady walking, I reached the first slopes, and 
 after resting a little and refreshing myself with a 
 mouthful of food, I began the ascent. 
 
 "It was arduous though not difficult cWrtibing, and 
 by midnight I must have been at least six miles from 
 my starting point. Here I halted and, rolling up 
 in my blankets, flung myself on tlTe ground and slept. 
 When I awoke the sun must have been up an hour 
 or more. I had no thought of pursuit. The people 
 in the Spielgarten would never dream of my at- 
 tempting to escape and even if they did, they would 
 scarcely coMcern themselves over my flight, as the 
 
CRUCIBLE ISLAND 127 
 
 utter folly of such an attempt was too well under- 
 stood. I would either return baffled by fhe desper- 
 ate character of the enterprise, or perish in the 
 mountains. Moreover, no one knew the direction 
 I had taken. 
 
 "Nevertheless, I was eager to push on, and after 
 breakfasting hurriedly on the bread and bacon I 
 continued the ascent, a good half of the mountam 
 still remaining to be achieved. 
 
 "It was midday before I reached the summit of 
 the ridge up which I had been laboring. I imagine 
 I must have then attained a height of some four 
 thousand feet above the Spielgarten. From the top, 
 which was sparsely wooded with a kind of spruce 
 I had never seen before, I obtained a good idea of 
 my position. To the west lay the Spielgarten with 
 the river winding through forest and field. Marx- 
 ville was almost opposite, a little to the south. Mt. 
 Bebcl soared above me to the north, clothed in snow, 
 reaching an altitude, I roughly guessed, of fifteea 
 thousand feet. 
 
 "On the east another valley lay some fifteen 
 hundred feet below and rising from it on the 
 other side a ridge higher by some two thousand feet 
 or more than the one on which I stood. Back of 
 that again some two or thre» miles a lofty and 
 rugged range ran parallel, on the north sweeping 
 up to Mt. Bebel, and to the south presenting a suc- 
 cession of jagged peaks, curving with the shore of 
 the island. 
 
128 CRUCIBLE ISLAND 
 
 "The valley immediately below me terminated In 
 a precipitous caiion. I concluded, therefore, that 
 my course was still directly to the east over the sec- 
 ond ridge confronting me and thence into the second 
 valley beyond, which I hoped led downward towards 
 the mouth of the riv*er at the lower end of the island. 
 I forthwith began to descend and In an hour found 
 myself at the bottom, where I gathered some fruit 
 to replenish my stock of provisions. 
 
 "The ascent of the second ridge I found ex- 
 tremely laborious, encountering in many places loose 
 gravel and sand, and when night overtook me I had 
 climbed scarcely three-fourths of the way up. 
 Thoroughly worn out, I ensconced myself on an edge 
 of the rock, which afforded the only level ground I 
 could find, and slept heavily despite the hardness of 
 my bed. 
 
 *'By daylight I was up, and sturdily pushed on- 
 ward, reaching the top about eleven o'clock. As I 
 had surmised, I found a second valley on the other 
 side, but to my surprise it was shallow, not more than 
 a few hundred feet below me, and spreading out to 
 the range beyond in a plain strewn with immense 
 boulders. 
 
 "Through it ran a shallow stream ten or twelve 
 feet wide, from which I drank long and copiously, as 
 I had had no water since the preceding day. The 
 stream flowed south, and I followed its course with 
 the conviction that It must somewhere below flow 
 into the river. Except for the boulders, which neces- 
 
CRUCIBLE ISLAND 129 
 
 sitated constant detours, the way was easy, but after 
 some three miles I was brought to an abrupt stop. 
 The stream shot over an immense precipice a thou- 
 sand feet in depth. It fell sheer, and as far as one 
 could see there was no way down. On either side, 
 and here the valley converged to a space of some- 
 thing like five hundred feet in width, there was noth- 
 ing but steep walls of rock which only a winged crea- 
 ture might essay. 
 
 "Up to this (I pursued my way with but one defi- 
 nite thought, to get out of the Spielgarten. I pushed 
 forward, spurred by this goad, in a fever of desire, 
 and as long as no serious obstacle barred my prog- 
 ress, I reckoned neither the fatigue nor the distress. 
 But now that what seemed an effective barrier to 
 my going checked me, a reaction set in and my spir- 
 its fell. 
 
 "I was two days' journey now from the Spiel- 
 garten, some six thousand feet above its level, I 
 judged. The region was arid, the vegetation sparse, 
 in this rock-strewn valley. My provisions were low, 
 for In the expectation of finding ample fruit, I had 
 consumed my stock with little regard to the future. 
 All that was left was a little bacon and bread, barely 
 enough for a single meal, and I perceived that no 
 fruit trees grew at that altitude. I must either go 
 forward or retreat. Rather than the latter, I felt 
 I preferred to perish amid the desolation around 
 me. 
 
 "Save for the flow of the stream, the silence was 
 
I30 CRUCIBLE ISLAND 
 
 profound. I was tired out, and yet in a fever to go 
 on. In front of me yawned the great chasm, appar- 
 ently impassable. Lying flat upon ray stomach, I 
 gazed down over the edge into the abyss, searching 
 in vain for some evidence of a way down; nothing 
 but sheer rock met my straining sight. So far below 
 was the bottom that the stream broke midway into 
 a rain, and there was no souhd of its waters as they 
 fell upon the rocks beneath. 
 
 "A lassitude crept over my body and dejection 
 seized upon my mind, partly due, no doubt, to fa- 
 tigue, which had begim to make itself keenly felt 
 after my two days of strenuous effort. Recovering 
 myself, I drew back from the dizzy edge, and for a 
 moment gave myself up to the bitter thought of the 
 helplessness of my position. 
 
 "What was I to do? To go back was to admit 
 defeat and return to the intolerable slavery of the 
 Spielgarten. To go forward seemed impossible. 
 I had not eaten since morning, and as it was then 
 well into the afternoon I felt the need of food. I 
 divided my rations and ate only half, though all 
 would not have been nearly enough to satisfy my 
 craving. Little as it was, with the food came re- 
 newed strength and a sense of encouragement. 
 
 "I determined to search further, and cautiously 
 skirted the right-hand side of the precipice, peering 
 over and down the abyss every two or three hundred 
 feet, only to gaze hopelessly into its sheer void. 
 After a mile's barren pursuit in this fashion, the 
 
CRUCIBLE ISLAND 131 
 
 precipice turned suddenly at right angles and I 
 found myself on the edge of a smaller canon running 
 back into the range I was traversing. Its opposite 
 walls were not more than a hundred feet away, but 
 both these and the side upon which I stood fell pre- 
 cipitously away without the possibility of a descent. 
 
 "Yet I was greatly encouraged. This was evi- 
 dently an abutting caiion on the larger one, and, 
 judging from its appearance, could not run very far 
 back into the range, and at its head there was more 
 than likely a possible way of descent, for I remem- 
 bered, out of my Rocky Mountain experiences, that 
 a caiion tributary to a larger one, -as this evidently 
 was, was not usually of any considerable length, and 
 gradually sloped down from the mountain at its 
 head, owing to the accumulation of debris from the 
 frequent washing of water from the heights above. 
 
 "Greatly heartened by these considerations, I 
 followed the lip of the smaller canon upward with 
 renewed hope and resolution. It was longer than 
 I supposed, running back a full two miles, and it 
 was about sunset when I reached its head. My joy 
 "was inexpressible to find that, as I had surmised, its 
 sides shelved down at its head, though not unbroken. 
 I walked around the entire segment, carefully sur- 
 veying its sides for the best spot^to essay a descenfe 
 The average angle of the slope was at least seventy- 
 degrees. For the most part it was composed of 
 loose gravel with here and there boulders thrusting 
 out, and occasionally sheer rock. I finally selected a 
 
132 CRUCIBLE ISLAND 
 
 place that seemed to afford the least difficulty and 
 after cutting a strong stock from a tree I began 
 slowly and cautiously to descend. 
 
 "My stock stood me in good stead, for the loose 
 gravel gave alarmingly under my feet, and it was 
 only by firmly planting the stock in the gravel below 
 it that I saved myself from sliding bodily down with 
 the constantly loosened soil at every step. Once I 
 did slide some twenty feet in spite of the stock and 
 was only saved by a boulder in my path, which was, 
 fortunately, buried deep enough to resist the impact 
 of my body A cold sweat broke out over me, for, 
 except for the happy intervention of the boulder, I 
 would have shot down over a sheer drop of some 
 twenty-five feet just below. 
 
 "This made me doubly cautious, and I proceeded 
 step by step, planting my stock deep in the earth at 
 each advance. Half-way down I came upon a jut- 
 ting ledge, having a clear fall of about forty 
 feet, which I could find no way to circumvent. 
 Here I had to make use of my rope, which I fastened 
 securely to a jagged edge of rock, but as it was not 
 more than thirty feet long, when I reached the end 
 I was forced to drop some ten feet, but as it was 
 loose gravel below, I did so with no injurious re- 
 sults save the burning of my feet somewhat. The 
 rope, however, was left out of reach, fastened to 
 the rock above, and so I was forced, to my regret, 
 to leave it behind. 
 
 "The remainder of the descent, though fraught 
 
CRUCIBLE ISLAND 133 
 
 with some labor here and there, I at last successfully 
 achieved. When I reached the bottom the sun was 
 behind the mountains and in the depth of the caiion 
 deep shadows made it almost night. Spreading my 
 blankets, over-wearied, though rejoicing in my heart 
 in my success in iat last reaching the bottom of the 
 valley, which I believed to lead out upon the river 
 at the southern end of the island, I slept soundly 
 until morning. 
 
CHAPTER XIV 
 
 "I HAD accomplished the most difficult part of my 
 journey, as the event proved. The canon into which 
 I had descended embouched, as I have already de- 
 scribed, into the larger caiion, which was in reality 
 the head of the valley leading to the river, about six 
 miles below the point of my descent. After tra- 
 versing the smaller caiion to its mouth and entering 
 the larger one, I pursued my way along the stream, 
 whose waters re-assembled after their fall of a thou- 
 sand feet, and thence flo^^ed uninterruptedly into the 
 river beyond. 
 
 "I estimate the distance from the junction of the 
 two cafions to the riv^er as six miles. This was tra- 
 versed with comparative ease, presenting no difficulty 
 save its roughness from frequent stones and boul- 
 ders. The lower end of the valley I found plenti- 
 fully supplied with the fruit trees indigenous to the 
 island, so that I entertained no apprehension of lack 
 of food. 
 
 "Footsore, though relieved of my anxiety that I 
 might fail in reaching the valley, I pursued my way 
 at a less eager pace, and rested at noon for a full 
 
 134 
 
CRUCIBLE ISLAND 135 
 
 hour before setting out to explore the mouth of the 
 stream as it enters into the river, the roar of whose 
 great cataract I had heard for some time In the dis- 
 tance. 
 
 "When I did reach the mouth it was with a beat- 
 ing heart, for I had arrived at what seemed to me the 
 verge of freedom. The stream just before debouch- 
 ing into the river shot raucously down a narrow 
 gorge at an angle of thirty degrees, formed a deep 
 pool at the bottom, and then for some fifty paces, 
 between thickly wooded banks, flowed quietly into 
 the river. 
 
 "A hundred yards above the mouth of the little 
 stream thundered the great cataract in a steady 
 volume, in an unbroken fall of over fifty feet 
 in height, with a width from shore to shore of three 
 times the distance of its height. The descent of the 
 gorge was easy as the stream was shallow, and filled 
 with rocks and boulders, which afforded ready foot- 
 ing. The side of the pool, however, was steep, and 
 I had some difficulty in holding my footing as I 
 climbed along, but after that I easily found my way 
 to the river's edge. 
 
 "The river here flowed deeply and quietly be- 
 tween sloping and thickly wooded banks that gradu- 
 ally rose to mountain heights on either side. 
 Keeping to the left-hand bank, which was fairly open 
 along the shore, (I soon turned a slight bend, where 
 I came in full view, half a mile below, of a small, 
 concave bay into which the river's flood swept^ ^JBe- 
 
136 CRUCIBLE ISLAND 
 
 yond lay the sea, the sight of which made me catch 
 my breath sharply. 
 
 "I was startled, as my eye caught, in the scene 
 before me, a small square stone structure, on the op- 
 posite banl:, just where river and bay met. I stood 
 for a moment spellbound, so unexpectedly was this 
 sudden vision of a human habitation in this place. 
 Then a glint of light from a polished object flashed 
 in my eyes. There was a soldier pacing up and 
 down in front of the building, from whose shoul- 
 dered rifle the sun's rays had gleamed into my eyes. 
 I realized now. The mouth of the river was 
 guarded. The house was a barracks. The guar- 
 dians of the Spielgarten had placed a garrison at 
 this point against the possible chance of anyone seek- 
 ing an exit here, remote as I well knew that 
 possibility was. I drew back hastily into the screen- 
 ing foliage. Had I been seen? 
 
 "The soldier continued his pacing unperturbed. 
 He had not discovered me. I felt my heart beating 
 violently. I had stumbled into a sudden danger. 
 I stood watching intently, with a sort of fascina- 
 tion, the stone house. What was to be done? Far- 
 ther advance was clearly cut off. Throwing myself 
 upon the ground, from under some overhanging 
 shrubbery, I continued my scrutiny of the scene be- 
 fore me and cast about in my mind what course to 
 take. 
 
 "My first thought was one of utter despair, but, 
 after reflecting for a while, I began to realize that 
 
CRUCIBLE ISLAND 137 
 
 after all I must In the end arrive at just the situation 
 that now confronted me. Indeed, as I turned the 
 matter over m my mind, was this not a possible step 
 m furtherance of my design? Had I found the 
 shore deserted, my progress was effectually barred 
 by the open sea beyond. I had ruminated all alorfg 
 some vague idea of building a raft and trusting my- 
 self to the precarious mercy of the sea, but now It 
 presented itself to my mind that here there was 
 perhaps, an opportunity of possibly, under cover of 
 night, seizing a boat, should one be at hand, and 
 putting out to sea. 
 
 "From my present position that side of the little 
 bay behind the stone house was entirely cut off from 
 view. I must reconnoiter further. At present, as 
 It was near sunset, there was no alternative but to 
 retreat into the valley for the night and resume fur- 
 ther investigations the next day. 
 
 "Deeply pondering over the situation, I turned 
 back and traced my way up the gorge, and after re- 
 plenishing the physical man with the various fruits 
 1 found abundantly at hand, I gave myself up to 
 rest for the night. 
 
 "I was up early the next morning and Immedi- 
 ate y started out on my reconnoiter. Carefully con- 
 cealing myself in the shrubbery, I followed the bank 
 ot the river where it flowed into the bay. Here I 
 had an unobstructed view of the bay and barracks 
 just opposite, not more than two hundred yards 
 away. 
 
138 CRUCIBLE ISLAND 
 
 "A sentry, as on the evening before, paced off the 
 space in front of the house. I scanned the shore 
 in vain for any sign of a boat. The placid waters 
 were empty, as was the sweep of the beach, of a 
 boat of any kind. On my side there was plainly no 
 road running along the coast, nor from where I was 
 could I see any evidence of one on the other side. 
 I drew the conclusion that the garrison's means of 
 communication with the settlement at the north end 
 of the island, where I had landed before being thrust 
 into the Spielgarten, must be by sea. No doubt at 
 fixed intervals a boat must visit them to convey pro- 
 visions. 
 
 "I determined to wait and watch. On the morn- 
 ing of the third day of my vigil I was rewarded by 
 discovering in the bay a good-sized tug boat lying 
 at anchor a hundred yards out just off from the stone 
 house. On the beach lay a row-boat with double 
 oar-locks, and alongside three soldiers unloading it 
 of what were evidently supplies. In a few moments 
 three more soldiers issued from the house, and, go- 
 ing to the boat, began to assist the others. Presently 
 two more men, sailors from their garb, came out of 
 the houSe and joined the others. When the boat was 
 empty the sailors entered it and rowed out to the 
 tug. One of the sailors entered the pilot house and 
 presently I heard the clang of her bell signalling 
 the engineer, while the second sailor hoisted the 
 anchor by means of the windlass. The tug then 
 steamed out of the harbor, and, turning northward, 
 
CRUCIBLE ISLAND 139 
 
 was soon lost to my view around the headland on 
 my side of the river. 
 
 "I watched the scene with keen anxiety, my heart 
 thumping hard, for here was a possible opportunity. 
 I immediately began to speculate. The tug had come 
 into the bay some time during the night. Did the 
 sailors then come ashore and spend the night in the 
 guardhouse, leaving their boat on the beach, or did 
 they wait until morning? If the former,, my chance 
 of seizing the boat -while they slept and of rowing 
 out to the tug and boarding it while the engineer 
 slept, if, indeed, he remained aboard, would be an 
 easy matter to accomplish. If the engineer spent 
 the night ashore (for I surmised that the two sailors 
 and the engineer constituted the entire crew), I con- 
 sidered that there would be no trouBle at all; it 
 would be merely a question of getting out to the 
 tug. 
 
 "But there was the sentry. Did he pace his post 
 all night? If so, it would require extreme caution 
 to reach the tug without his seeing me, for, though 
 the boat lay on the beach a little back of the house 
 and hidden from his view, the tug v/as in full sight 
 as he passed in the direction facing the bay, since 
 the house stood lengthwise, on the right-hand bank 
 of the river, which flowed directly east. As the 
 sentry paced his beat in front of the house, the tug 
 lay in full view, provided, of course, It was always 
 anchored In the same place, or even within a radius 
 of a hundred feet of the same place. At any rate, 
 this was clearly my plan.. 
 
I40 CRUCIBLE ISLAND 
 
 "But to put it into execution I must be on the 
 other side of the river. I could not cross it in the 
 day-time, as this would bring me in full view of the 
 sentry unless perhaps at midday, for then I observed 
 the entire guard, which I now knew were only six 
 soldiers, busily engaged in a swim in the bay. 
 
 "Evidently discipline, and this I noted with pleas- 
 ure, was slack at this remote post. The small gar- 
 rison, no doubt, relied upon the seemingly impass- 
 able barriers of the mountains and the river to keep 
 any intruder from the Spielgarten from disturbing 
 the easy life they were apparently enjoying. Indeed, 
 I frequently saw the sentinel sitting at times in re- 
 laxation on a long bench running along the front of 
 the house and sometimes even going inside for a few 
 moments. At midday he always deserted his post 
 to take his swim with his comrades. 
 
 "The next night after the departure of the tug, 
 I swam across the river, an easy enough task, for I 
 am a strong swimmer, and slept until morning on 
 the other bank. I then cautiously advanced to its 
 extreme end, which there terminated in an abrupt 
 cliff, almost hanging over the roof of the house. 
 From that vantage point I could look down upon 
 it, not more than fifty feet below. Here I could 
 make my observations with ease and even hear the 
 soldiers talking when they were not in the building 
 Itself. At midday the entire six, as usual, took their 
 swim. They splashed and shouted noisily In the 
 water, like boys, for a full half hour. 
 
 "The next day while they were bathing, Instead 
 
CRUCIBLE ISLAND 141 
 
 of going to the top of the cliff, I crept down to its 
 base as near to the house as possible, determining 
 upon an inspection of the interior. When I heard 
 the men in the water at their usual gambols, I 
 swiftly and cautiously crept across the intervening 
 space and entered the interior. There was a single 
 room with ten cots along the rear wall, a cooking 
 stove at one side and along the opposite wall a rack 
 containing a dozen rifles and a number of cartridge- 
 belts and small arms. Evidently here was provision 
 for more than six men. I imagined that the super- 
 fluous cots were for the crew of the tug on the nights 
 of their sojourn. 
 
 "My immediate impulse was to seize a rifle, a 
 cartridge-belt and a revolver, but if any of the arms 
 were missed, would not suspicion be immediately 
 aroused? Dared I run the risk? I hesitated, gaz- 
 ing at the tempting rack. I took down one of the 
 rifles and examined it. It was a Mauser. I ex- 
 amined the revolvers. They were six-shooters of 
 the Colt pattern. To feel a gun in my hand stirred 
 my blood. To be thus armed gave me a certain 
 sense of security and if the occasion arose, I could 
 sell my life dearly. Without arms, I was helpless 
 as a beast of the wilds, if it ever came to a conflict. 
 
 "I seized a cartridge-belt, which was filled, and 
 adjusted it around my waist, picked out a revolver, 
 put it in my pocket and hastily departed. I ascended 
 to the top of the bluff and awaited developments. 
 The men returned as usual from their bathing and 
 
142 CRUCIBLE ISLAND 
 
 entered the house. The sentry resumed his post. I 
 lay on the top of the chff anxiously waiting all the 
 afternoon for any sign on the part of the garrison 
 of the discovery of the missing weapons. At night- 
 fall, I withdrew, and swimming back across the river, 
 passed the night as usual at the head of the gorge. 
 
 "The next morning found me at my post on the 
 left bank watching, but the day passed with no sign 
 that the soldiers had found anything amiss. And 
 so the second and third day and finally a week 
 passed, until at last my anxiety was relieved entirely. 
 The weapons I had purloined had not been missed. 
 The sentry was perhaps the only man who had oc- 
 casion to handle a weapon, and he, no doubt, from 
 long custom, simply took down a rifle from the rack 
 without even so much as glancing at the remainder 
 of the contents. 
 
 "I passed another week in this wise, watching dur- 
 ing the day and going back at night to the head of the 
 gorge where, in a convenient place, I had made a bed 
 of boughs, under a spreading bread-fruit tree. One 
 morning just three weeks after the visit of the tug, 
 I saw It enter the harbor again, and steam up to the 
 anchorage. Aboard, beside the crew, were six more 
 soldiers, who were greeted vociferously by their fel- 
 lows ashore, who seemed to be in high spirits. I 
 soon perceived why! They were being relieved by 
 the six who had just arrived. Two hours after- 
 wards, the six whom I had found at the barracks had 
 steamed out of the harboK, waving jubilant farewells 
 
CKUCIBLE ISLAND 143 
 
 to the new arrivals who had taken their places. 
 Meantime the tug had left further provisions. 
 
 "Every three weeks then was the period of the 
 tug's visitation. But this last time they had come in 
 daylight. Was the time of the arrival irregular, 
 sometimes at night, sometimes in the day? If in the 
 day, then I had little or no chance of ever seizing 
 the tug. I determined to wait for another interval 
 of three weeks and watch during the night, with- 
 drawing during the day to my resting place at the 
 head of the gorge. But I watched in vain. At the 
 end of the second week, and then the third week, the 
 tug had not made her re-appearance. Clearly the 
 second visitation had been only for the purpose of 
 relieving the garrison and I was again at sea as to 
 the time of her possible return. 
 
 "The monotony of the situation began to grow 
 intolerable. I even thought of revealing myself to 
 the soldiers, in moments of desperation, and throw- 
 ing myself upon their mercy in the hope that if I 
 could induce them to listen to my story they might 
 take pity upon me. But when I recalled the iron 
 regulations which had always prevailed in the island, 
 of shooting down at sight any deserter from the 
 Spielgarten — and this had occurred twice since my 
 advent there— I shrank back from the desperate 
 chance. 
 
 "One day I ventured again across the river, and 
 while the soldiers were in bathing stole stealthily 
 for the second time into the house. I looked around 
 
144 CRUCIBLE ISLAND 
 
 more leisurely and even sat down for a moment m 
 a chair beside the table. There was a vague no- 
 tion in my mind that to sit again in a chair was in 
 some sort of way to get back to civilization. As I 
 sat down my arm brushed against what was evidently 
 a b^lank book lying there, I picked it up and read 
 on the cover in a crude and sprawling hand: 'Diary 
 of Hermann Grund.' Upon opening it I discovered 
 several entries in the same illiterate handwriting, but 
 they had not gone beyond the third page. 
 
 "A happy thought flashed upon me. I would keep 
 a diary myself, detailing my experience in the Spiel- 
 garten and my escape. Here was the means at hand. 
 It would give me something to do during these 
 dreary days of waiting and watching, and serve to 
 relieve the monotony and sometimes agonizing sense 
 of isolation and loneliness. 
 
 "Jumping to my feet, the now precious blank-book 
 clutched in my hand, I searched around for a pencil. 
 There was none on the table. Catching sight of a 
 drawer, I pulled it open and was rewarded with the 
 discovery of some half-dozen. I took three and, 
 making a hasty exit, safely achieved the shelter of 
 the cliff and the woods, long before the soldiers re- 
 turned. As soon as the sun had set and darkness 
 favored me, I swam back to the other shore, holding 
 the blank-book in my teeth, my head well up, to keep 
 it from getting wet. 
 
 "The next morning I began this account. God 
 knows no mortal eye may ever read It, but the mere 
 
CRUCIBLE ISLAND 145 
 
 writing of it has proved a safety valve for me. I 
 
 had begun to despair almost, and at times felt that 
 
 death would be only too welcome. Not that I ever 
 
 dreamed of suicide, for that I am convinced would 
 
 be cowardly, even in so desperate a plight as mine, 
 
 and in my heart I believe in God and would not go 
 
 before His tribunal with the guilt of my own blood. 
 
 "It is now six weeks since my flight from the 
 
 Spielgarten and I seem as far away as ever from an 
 
 escape from the island. One morning as I came 
 
 down to the river's bank on my way to my place of 
 
 lookout, I saw two soldiers on the opposite side. 
 
 They had not seen me, as I had not yet emerged 
 
 from the leafy cover along the shore. They were 
 
 fishing and intent upon their sport. I immediately 
 
 retraced my steps and climbed back to the head of 
 
 the gorge, which I had made my habitat. What if 
 
 they should ever come across to my side? Here was 
 
 a contingency that I had not before contemplated. 
 
 It is true they had no boat, but could they not swim 
 
 across as I had done? And might not some one or 
 
 two of them in a spirit of adventure or exploration 
 
 some day take the notion? I could afford to take 
 
 no chances. It would be more prudent for me to 
 
 make my abode farther up the valley. 
 
 "I immediately proceeded to destroy all evidences 
 of my presence at the head of the gorge. I then 
 selected a spot some two miles above and built a 
 hut of larger dimensions than the slighter structure 
 which I had temporarily erected at the head of the 
 
146 CRUCIBLE ISLAND 
 
 gorge. For the wall I gathered stones and small 
 boulders, which were plentiful along the banks of 
 the creek, and plastered the crevices with mud from 
 the bottom. The roof I made from saplings, over- 
 laying them w4th a plentiful supply of palm boughs. 
 I felt a glow of satisfaction upon its completion and 
 the first night I slept under its roof there was almost 
 a sense of contentment in the thought. 
 
 ''Nothing has happened in the past two weeks 
 since I moved from the head of the gorge to my 
 present location, I have watched in vain for the re- 
 appearance of the tug. Again that horrible sense 
 of loneliness and oppression is coming over me. I 
 must do something, one way or the other. I have 
 just returned from my daily vigil on the headland 
 opposite the barracks and am writing these lines 
 just before darkness closes in. I do not believe I 
 can bear this strain much longer. Something must 
 eventuate or I shall go mad. It is not merely the 
 dreadful loneliness, but the Tantalus-like vicinity of 
 human beings whom I constantly see, but to whom I 
 cannot speak or so much as reveal myself that is 
 tormenting me. At times an almost irresistible im- 
 pulse comes over me to shout at the soldiers on the 
 bank opposite, and I have several times come down 
 from the river with a feverish determination of giv- 
 ing myself up, but at sight of the pacing sentinel my 
 resolve has always melted away. 
 
 "I long to brave the issue out of sheer despera- 
 tion, yet as desperately fear to face the peril. The 
 
CRUCIBLE ISLAND ^147 
 
 writing of this diary alone has saved me either from 
 losing my mind, or making the rash attempt — ah, 
 there is the tug coming at last into the harbor. It is 
 just rounding the headland. God help me — I must 
 make the attempt to escape to-night. I cannot bear 
 this cruel struggle between hope and fear any 
 longer . . ." 
 
 Here the diary abruptly ended. No word or 
 inkling of how Lorimer had met his fate, for surely 
 this body was Lorimer's, could be gathered from 
 the faded pages. Carl's heart was full of a great 
 pity for the young American whose story he had 
 just read. His own plight, however, was desperate 
 enough. He must be up and doing. 
 
 Lorimer's story indicated a vv^ay back to the 
 Spielgarten, for return by the way Carl himself had 
 come, through the mountain and the river, was an 
 impossibility. He must ascend the valley and then 
 climb the range of mountains and follow Lori- 
 mer's route under Mt. Bebel. But before start- 
 ing back, he determined to explore the gorge 
 and the river below on whose further bank the 
 guardhouse was located, as described in Lorimer's 
 diary. 
 
 Carl descended the stream to its mouth as indi- 
 cated by Lorimer, and found the situation exactly as 
 the latter had depicted it. The river into which the 
 stream emptied, with the great falls just above, the 
 soldiers' barracks on the further bank, where the 
 larger stream emptied into the sea. After a care- 
 
148 CRUCIBLE ISLAND 
 
 ful reconnoiter Carl returned to Lorimer's hut and 
 began preparations to make his way back to the 
 Spielgarten over the route described in the pages of 
 the diary. 
 
CHAPTER XV 
 
 But three days remained before the date set for 
 the mating of Mina. Clausen had petitioned the 
 Particular Council to rescind its order for the ad- 
 vancement of the date of mating, but his prayer had 
 been denied. At first he thought of going to Herr 
 Schmidt to enlist the latter's aid, but felt that it 
 would be futile, as he knew only too well that it was 
 through Schmidt's machinations that the earlier date 
 had been substituted. Besides, he could not bring 
 Himself to sue for assistance from a man whom he 
 knew not only obdurate by nature, but who had been 
 always hostile to him. 
 
 Clausen had drilled himself for some years for 
 what he knew would sometime become inevitable, 
 the handing over of his own beloved child to a fate 
 which he abhorred. In the earlier conflict in the 
 Spielgarten, when the issue whether the family life 
 was to be retained or the other method of state 
 domination over marriage to prevail, he had taken 
 sides against the now prevailing system. 
 
 He himself was the sole survivor of the compro- 
 mise which had been temporarily tolerated by the 
 
 149 
 
ISO CRUCIBLE ISLAND 
 
 victorious party, namely, that families then existing 
 should maintain their integrity until they should have 
 disappeared naturally, in the course of time. He 
 had witnessed the transition and the finally complete 
 establishment of absolute control by the State save 
 in his own exceptional case. And now the time had 
 come when he, too, the one remaining unit, was to 
 be swept remorselessly into the maelstrom of abso- 
 lute collectivism. He had tried to steel himself to 
 face stoically the dreadful issue, but now that it had 
 arrived, he found his philosophy melt away like snow 
 in a furnace. 
 
 Denis was of no value in this predicament, though 
 the Irishman's sympathy was of some poor conso- 
 lation. In his hot rage Denis was for a grim fight 
 and a grim end In a glorious battle against the 
 forces of Satan. But this would not save Mina. 
 His daughter's escape from the hateful peril of mat- 
 ing was the one thought in Clausen's mind and it 
 always ended in an impasse. He felt like a prisoner 
 in an inon cell whose horrible walls were slowly but 
 surely closing in upon him. 
 
 Mina herself was growing thinner and whiter as 
 the day of doom drew near. Worse than death it 
 seemed to the young girl who, under her father's 
 protecting and solicitous care, had lived a life apart 
 from the community routine of the Spielgarten. Be- 
 sides, her lately awakened woman's love for Carl 
 had aroused in her all a woman's loathing for the 
 fate that awaited her. 
 
CRUCIBLE ISLAND 151 
 
 But in spite of it all she would not give up the 
 hope, unreasonable as it seemed, that Carl was still 
 alive. She constantly insisted, both to her father 
 and to Denis, that Carl would yet return. Neither 
 had the heart to gainsay her, though both were fully 
 convinced that Carl had perished the day he had 
 fallen into the river just above the cataract. 
 
 And even if Carl did return, of what avail would 
 it be? Only one more to suffer the dreadful agony 
 of seeing her forced to the loathsome embraces of 
 Herr Schmidt. Both Denis and Clausen, in their 
 own hearts, were thankful that Carl would not be 
 there, though they were careful not to reveal this 
 sentiment to Mina. 
 
 Clausen was sitting in a blank despair at the door 
 of his cottage, upbraiding himself In his dark mood 
 that he had kept MIna as a precious flower apart 
 from the common life of the Splelgarten all these 
 years and had not long ago yielded to the system to 
 which fate had consigned them, when he felt MIna's 
 hand upon his shoulder. He grasped it convul- 
 sively and held it tight. 
 
 "Father," said MIna, "I feel somehow that Carl 
 will come back. I don't know why, but I feel some- 
 how that he is not dead, and that when he comes he 
 will save me." 
 
 "Yes, my dear child," answered Clausen, though 
 his heart was heavy indeed, for he felt he had no 
 right to break the slender stem of her unreasonable 
 hope which seemed to be the only thing that buoyed 
 
152 CRUCIBLE ISLAND 
 
 her up under the terrible burden that weighed upon 
 her. It was all he could do to restrain his tears in 
 the great love and pity that swept over him as he 
 looked into the white face of his child. She had 
 been his single solace in his exile — for to him the 
 Spielgarten had long ago become a prison house — 
 and now to think that she was to be snatched from 
 him to a fate that was worse than death ! He shud- 
 dered at the thought and his face grew tense and 
 ashen. 
 
 "No, father, no," Mina cried, as she read his 
 emotion. "It will never be. I tell you Carl must 
 come back. I know it ! I know it !" 
 
 "Yes, Mina, Carl will come back," repeated Clau- 
 sen after her, seeking refuge in an outward assent 
 to her highly keyed-up hope. "Yes," he went on, 
 "Carl may, indeed, have somehow escaped the cata- 
 ract. Such things have happened before. It is pos- 
 sible, I believe it is possible." But he felt the lame- 
 ness of his speech as in his inmost heart he knew 
 his words belied his thoughts. 
 
 "And when Carl comes," went on Mina, with in- 
 tensity, "everything will be right. I feel it; I am 
 certain that everything will be right." 
 
 At this moment Denis came swinging through the 
 gate, waving his hand to Clausen and Mina. 
 
 "Denis, Denis," cried Mina, as she rushed to him, 
 taking both his hands in hers, "Carl will come back. 
 He isn't dead. I know it. I'm sure of it." 
 
 "Glory be to God," echoed Denis, "but your faith 
 
CRUCIBLE ISLAND 153 
 
 would move mountains, and that's the kind of faith 
 that will bring Carl back." 
 
 "You do believe it, Denis, don't you, Denis?" 
 Mina insisted with intense excitement. 
 
 "I do, indade !" exclaimed Denis. "I was born in 
 the faith and I'll live in it and I'll die in it, in spite 
 of the divil and his myrmidons and the whole Spiel- 
 garten. It's a little thing for the faith to have Carl 
 turn up again." 
 
 Never before had Denis stretched his faith in his 
 own heart to such a breaking point, and, in spite 
 of himself, he caught something of Mina's enthu- 
 siasm. 
 
 "But I've been thinkin'," and Denis began strok- 
 ing the back of his head, as was his wont, when about 
 to propound something that seemed of moment, "of 
 a bit of a thrick that might have put me in the wool- 
 sack if I was in the ould counthry again. Sure an' 
 it might shtop things a bit until Carl gets back," and 
 Denis paused a moment reflectively. Clausen re- 
 garded him intently, for he knew the Irishman, be- 
 neath the surface, to be a man of keen intelligence 
 In spite of his light-hearted manner. 
 
 "I've been thinkin'," continued Denis, "that 
 there's a way, maybe, to bate the divil around the 
 stump afther all. An' it must have been the blissed 
 St. Pathrick, for I've been askin' him, since Mina's 
 trouble began, how to beat Herr Schmidt at ould 
 Nick's game, to give me a little light in this wurruld 
 of darkness, and it's this, Herr Clausen." Here 
 
154 CRUCIBLE ISLAND 
 
 Denis took off his hat and stroked the back of his 
 head again. 
 
 "You'll remember, Herr Clausen, the fight about 
 the family, for that was before my time and t'was 
 yoursel' told me, T'was agreed, yoursel' said, when 
 they decided to play the divil's game by the matin' 
 system and to do away with God Almighty's plan 
 of having little children with a rale father and 
 mither, that ivery family in the Spielgarten be guar- 
 anteed to remain a family under the ould way until 
 it should die out. Sure, your family was one of the 
 families and now is the only one left. An' Mina 
 here bein' your child, is one of your family, and by 
 the powers, sure, isn't she eximpt from the law of 
 matin'. For It's the law agin the law, that I'm 
 pointin' out in me own sweet way. For whin they 
 made the law of matin' they made the exciption, and 
 the exciption proves the law, and now wouldn't that 
 make me Lord High Chancellor, if I'd but argued 
 the case In the ould counthry!" Denis looked at 
 Clausen Inquiringly, and then went on: 
 
 "Maybe there's a way, Herr Clausen. Sure you 
 can see for yoursel'. You can petition the Particu- 
 lar Council that undher the agreemint whin the 
 matin' system was made the law, your family was 
 made eximpt, and that manes both Mina and your- 
 sel'. Even if they'd not admit it, it'd save time, and 
 time's a blessed jewel this minute, it Is," 
 
 As Clausen listened to Denis his face began to 
 lighten a little. The Irishman's contention seemed 
 
CRUCIBLE ISLAND 155 
 
 to have some point to It. He himself could plead 
 the right of exemption and why should it not be ex- 
 tended to Mina, who was a member of his family? 
 At least, the putting in of the petition might cause 
 some delay, and, for a time, stave off the fast-ap- 
 proaching hour that threatened Mina. 
 
 "There may be something in what you say, Denis," 
 said Clausen. "Yes, surely, both Mina and I are 
 entitled to exemption under the old agreement. I 
 never thought of it before. I doubt that they will 
 allow it; the chances are they won't, for I know their 
 temper, and Herr Schmidt himself is an influential 
 member of the Council." 
 
 "Thry it on, anyhow," urged Denis, "an agree- 
 mint's an agreemint, an' they're such sthicklers for 
 the law in the Spielgarten it'd be fine sport to give 
 them a dose of their own medicine. An' be quick 
 about it. There's no time to lose. Draw up your 
 petition at onct and put it in before the sun's beyont 
 the mountains there." 
 
 Clausen needed no urging. Denis' suggestion 
 seemed at least a way to possible delay. He turned 
 into the house to draw up the petition. 
 
 "Mina, my dear," said Denis, as Clausen disap- 
 peared, "don't worry yoursel', mavourneen. I prom- 
 ise ye by the blissed St. Pathrick that Schmidt will 
 never lay hands on ye. Lave it to Denis McCarthy, 
 as sure as he's an Irishman who loves the ould sod. 
 It's ould Nick himself I'm fightin', an' an Irishman 
 can beat the divil at his own game ivery time." 
 
156 CRUCIBLE ISLAND 
 
 "Oh, Denis, you are kind and brave and strong," 
 said Mina, with gratitude shining in her eyes. "Yes, 
 I know you will do everything possible for me and 
 I believe that God is good and that Carl is not dead 
 and will come back yet," 
 
 "Sure he will, of course he will," assented Denis. 
 "The Lord forgive me," he thought to himself, "but 
 it's no lie I'm tellin', but only a bit of a prophecy an' 
 a prophecy's no lie until it's proved not thrue, and 
 that's beyont anybody's knowin' until it happens." 
 
 "You only half believe, Denis," said Mina, "but 
 I know. Something tells me Carl is not dead." So 
 assured was Mina's tone that Denis was startled 
 and, in spite of himself, he suffered himself to be 
 half convinced. He was an Irishman, and believed 
 that there were other things in life than logic and the 
 visible things of this world. 
 
 "I wondher!" he said to himself. 
 
 At any rate, Mina's belief in Carl's safety was a 
 supreme comfort to her in her trial, and Denis, 
 though his reason could not assent to her insistence, 
 allowed his heart to run away with his head and, 
 after a time, began to half believe that somehow 
 Carl had escaped the river and the cataract, "Sure, 
 it's not impossible," he argued with himself, "an' 
 what's not impossible, may be, after all," Mina 
 herself never for an instant wavered in her convic- 
 tion. It was a supreme faith with her, which only 
 grew stronger as the days passed by. 
 
 Clausen, the next day, presented his petition to 
 
CRUCIBLE ISLAND 157 
 
 the Particular Council, claiming exemption for Mina 
 from the law of mating on the ground that his was 
 one of the original families to which exception had 
 been granted at the outset. Herr Schmidt objected 
 and made the point that while it was true that the 
 original families were exempted from the workings 
 of the law, this applied only to those members of 
 the family living at the time the exception was al- 
 lowed, but that Wilhelmina Clausen was born sub- 
 sequent to the enactment of the law and did not, 
 therefore, come under its provision. As the policy 
 of the construction of the law of the Spielgarten 
 was always strictly in favor of its letter and of 
 strengthening the Socialist ideal of collectivism in 
 all its logical bearings, the decision was against Clau- 
 sen and his petition was denied. 
 
 Denis was enraged at the result, for he had come 
 to make himself believe that his contention would 
 stand. Clausen was disappointed, though his hopes 
 were never high that he would succeed; he knew too 
 well the temper of the tribunal before which he 
 pleaded, and also realized that his own family, being 
 the sole remnant of an institution hateful to the 
 Socialist system, would scarcely find its judges well- 
 disposed. 
 
 Mina herself seemed indifferent, save in so far as 
 she sympathized with her father and Denis and 
 shared their disappointment. So sure was she that 
 Carl would return and all come out right in the end 
 that nothing could shake her confidence. 
 
CHAPTER XVI 
 
 It was the morning of the day set for the mating 
 of Mina. Denis came early to Clausen's house. 
 The Irishman's face was grimly set and his shaggy 
 brows were contracted more heavily than usual 
 above his deep-set grey eyes. Clausen looked hag- 
 gard and worn. 
 
 "Mina, girl, never ye care. Herr Schmidt shall 
 never lay a hand on ye." 
 
 Clausen looked keenly and inquiringly at Denis. 
 
 "Do ye go through the cerimony, darlint, though 
 it's I who knows ye'd rather die than say the hated 
 w^ords — but do ye be brave and lave it to me. Go 
 to Schmidt's house as if ye were willin' enough, and 
 then . . ." And Denis' eyes blazed: "I've a little 
 plan of me own. You sthay home, Herr Clausen, 
 and wait for me." 
 
 "What do you intend to do?" asked Clausen. 
 
 "I'll tell ye that afther it's done," was Denis' 
 response, and he refused obstinately to reveal his 
 plan, notwithstanding Clausen's importunity. 
 
 The mating was to take place that evening, just 
 after sunset, as was the custom in the Spielgarten. 
 
 158 
 
CRUCIBLE ISLAND 159 
 
 Denis remained during most of the morning at Clau- 
 sen's house, but in spite of Clausen's entreaties, as 
 to what he intended to do, refused to disclose his 
 course of action. He, however, inspired Mina with 
 confidence and begged her not to falter in the least 
 during the ceremony or after she had arrived at 
 Schmidt's house, but to rely implicitly upon him. 
 
 It was not until nearly noon that Denis departed. 
 Mina had almost become cheerful under the Irish- 
 man's steady stream of encouragement; so deter- 
 mined and confident seemed Denis that even Clau- 
 sen began to believe that perhaps the Irishman had 
 hit upon some plan of staying the dreadful event. 
 
 Under the spell of Denis' encouraging exhorta- 
 tions, Mina induced herself to take some rest during 
 the afternoon and even dozed off for a few minutes 
 and awakened somewhat refreshed. But as the 
 hour grew near Clausen felt his spirits sink. 
 
 A little before sunset Mina arrayed herself in the 
 red robe which all those who were to be mated were 
 ordered to wear for that brief and business-like cere- 
 mony. For mating in the Spielgarten had nothing 
 of sentiment attached to it. It was a mere official 
 formula, gone through with just as any other offi- 
 cial business, for those who participated had neither 
 kith nor kin and the relation to be entered into was, 
 under the system prevailing in the Spielgarten, a 
 strictly official relation. There were no fathers or 
 mothers, sisters or brothers to be present, no con- 
 gratulations, no gifts nor rejoicing. Those to be 
 
i6o CRUCIBLE ISLAND 
 
 mated simply assembled In the great official build- 
 ing in Marxville and proceeded to pledge themselves 
 for the stipulated period. 
 
 At the time designated MIna appeared, arrayed in 
 the regulation red robe. She found about fifty other 
 couples assembled for the same purpose. The presi- 
 dent of the Particular Council officiated. The only 
 indication of anything out of the ordinary were the 
 red robes of the participants and the red flag float- 
 ing above the building in which the mating ceremony 
 took place. The building Itself was a two-story 
 structure of yellow brick, square In shape, with great 
 columns supporting a heavy architrave, which pro- 
 jected from the facade. This was the only attempt 
 at ornamentation and had no relation whatsoever 
 to the character of the building itself, but was evi- 
 dently intended to afford some relief from its box- 
 like appearance. Indeed, It was a symbol of the 
 civilization of the Spielgarten, without ornamenta- 
 tion or variation, and lived down to the bare bones 
 of a monotonous existence. 
 
 Herr Schmidt was there with his Insufferable 
 smile. Mina glanced at him but once, and then shud- 
 dered with apprehension. The men stood on one 
 side of the room, and the women on the other In a 
 pre-arranged order. Mina and Schmidt's turn came 
 almost at the last. It was only with the utmost ef- 
 fort of her will that Mina was able to take her place 
 with Schmidt in front of the President of the Par- 
 ticular Council, and when she and Schmidt clasped 
 
CRUCIBLE ISLAND i6i 
 
 hands, as was the custom, she felt her knees tremble. 
 The ceremony was of the simplest. 
 
 "Do you, Man, take this Woman for a mate 
 
 for the period of two years, for the purpose 
 
 of propagating the race In the service of the 
 
 Supreme State?" was the question put by the 
 
 official. 
 
 The same question was put to the women with the 
 necessary variation of sex. The answer on the part 
 of the principal was a simple "Yes," after which 
 each couple took their departure. MIna could barely 
 falter the repulsive "yes" which she was constrained 
 to reply, but Schmidt's "yes" resounded with em- 
 phasis through the entire room. 
 
 It was dark when MIna and Herr Schmidt left 
 the building, for In the tropics night swiftly follows 
 day when once the sun has gone below the horizon. 
 The heavens were brilliant with stars. Herr 
 Schmidt, looking up, smiled significantly at MIna and 
 remarked, "See, Wilhelmlna, how bright the stars 
 are to welcome us," and then rubbing his hands to- 
 gether, "You see, it Is a beautiful beginning." 
 
 MIna made no reply, but walked beside him with 
 eyes on the ground, her heart beating violently and 
 grasping with might and main at the assurances 
 which Denis had poured into her ears that morn- 
 ing. 
 
 Schmidt's house was In the suburbs of Marxvllle, 
 about a mile distant from the official building. Like 
 all the other houses in the Splelgarten, it was of one 
 
1 62 CRUCIBLE ISLAND 
 
 story, and stood back from the street fifty feet, with 
 the usual garden in front. Schmidt opened the gate 
 and bade Mina enter. Reaching the door of the 
 house, he did the same thing, and the courage which 
 had sustained her up to this point seemed suddenly 
 to leave her as she went in, A great fear seized 
 her; she became limp and weak. Schmidt grabbed 
 her roughly and dragged her in. Mina shrank from 
 his grasp; upon which he caught her to himself 
 suddenly in a fierce embrace. She struggled and 
 thrust her hands with all the force she could muster 
 into his glowering face, now contorted with pas- 
 sion. 
 
 At the same moment Schmidt felt a heavy hand 
 grab him by the collar. He was suddenly torn from 
 Mina and hurled staggering against a desk that stood 
 on the other side of the room. Turning with an 
 oath, he beheld Denis McCarthy confronting him 
 with squared jaw and deep-set eyes aglow with a 
 dangerous fire. For a moment Schmidt snarled 
 inarticulately at the Irishman; then he sputtered 
 through his clenched teeth: "What are you doing 
 here? Get out! you dirty Irishman!" 
 
 Denis regarded Schmidt for a moment without re- 
 plying, and then in a level, tense voice said: "Ye'll 
 niver accomplish your divil's work, Herr Schmidt, 
 as long as Denis McCarthy's alive. It's twixt me 
 and you now, for good. I've been waitin' for ye 
 this long time and your dirty scheme to get Mina 
 Clausen for yourself in this nasty matin' business. 
 
CRUCIBLE ISLAND 163 
 
 It's the last thrick ye'U ever play. I wouldn't mur- 
 ther you, skunk though you are, but I'm goin' to kill 
 ye in a clane, dacent fight. I'm goin' to teach ye 
 your last lesson, an' it's a fair game, for I have 
 nothin' but me two arms, and twixt you and me we'll 
 see who's the betther man." 
 
 While Denis was speaking Schmidt had recovered 
 himself from the Irishman's rough handling and 
 stood leaning with both hands on the desk, his eyes 
 fixed on Denis' face with a sinister gleam, his under- 
 jaw protruding as he nervously bit his upper lip with 
 his lower teeth. As Denis finished his words Schmidt 
 suddenly threw open a drawer of the table at which 
 he stood and, snatching a revolver from it, thrust 
 it pointblank at the Irishman. 
 
 Denis stood startled. Where had Schmidt got 
 the revolver, was the first thought in his mind, for 
 no weapons were made in the Spielgarten, and it 
 was against the law to possess one. Herr Schmidt's 
 heavy lips drew back in a wolf-hke smile, as he wit- 
 nessed the Irishman's surprise. 
 
 "So, you damned Irishman, you would kill me, 
 would you? Well, who will do the killing now, I 
 want to know? You thought I wasn't armed. Well, 
 I'll tell you for your satisfaction, for you'll never 
 be able to tell anyone else afterwards, that I came 
 into possession of this revolver — well, never mind 
 how. That's my business, after all. I'm going to 
 kill you, you dog!" 
 
 While Schmidt was talking, Denis had advanced 
 
i64 CRUCIBLE ISLAND 
 
 two full paces and stood looking right into the muz- 
 zle of the ugly weapon. Scarcely had Schmidt 
 spoken the words when Denis suddenly stooped and 
 threw himself with all his force against the desk, 
 which smashed full against Schmidt's body. The 
 revolver went off with Denis' sudden movement, the 
 bullet just grazing the top of the Irishman's head. 
 
 In an instant Denis had leaped forward and 
 grabbed Schmidt by the wrist of the hand in which 
 the revolver was held and, with his other hand, 
 gripped Schmidt's throat Schmidt was a strong 
 man, with unusually long arms and broad shoul- 
 ders, though of no great height. He was fashioned 
 like an orang-outang, a formidable physical an- 
 tagonist. But Denis had been hardened by his out- 
 door life and the wielding of a heavy axe for many 
 years, besides being a man of natural athletic build, 
 agile and quick in movement. Every muscle in his 
 body had grown to iron in the past ten years in the 
 Spielgarten, but Schmidt was animated by despera- 
 tion. He felt that he was fighting for his life, for 
 the Irishman had plainly declared his intention of 
 killing him, and he knew that Denis meant what he 
 said. 
 
 Schmidt, with his free arm, struck at Denis' face 
 and had the advantage of the Irishman from his 
 longer reach of arm. He delivered two smashing 
 blows before Denis realized Schmidt's advantage. 
 To offset this, Denis pressed himself as close to 
 Schmidt's body as possible, to shorten the blows, at 
 
CRUCIBLE ISLAND 165 
 
 the same time lowering his head so that Schmidt 
 could not strike him in the face. Schmidt struggled 
 hard to wrench his right wrist from the Irishman's 
 grasp so as to be able to use his revolver again. But 
 Denis' hold there was like a vise. 
 
 Meantime the latter's grip upon his foe's throat 
 was tightening. Schmidt's eyes were bulging and 
 the veins grew distended and black on his forehead. 
 Denis, gritting his teeth, pressed harder and harder 
 and at length, although the sweat was pouring from 
 his own forehead with the exertion, felt his antago- 
 nist's body relaxing. 
 
 (The revolver dropped out of Schmidt's nerveless 
 hand to the floor. Denis promptly transferred his 
 free hand to Schmidt's throat and put on additional 
 pressure, until finally the man's body lay prostrate 
 and limp across the desk, with Denis above, glaring 
 down upon his now unconscious foe. 
 
 Mina, who had been watching the struggle in fear 
 and trembling, had shrunk back to the farthest cor- 
 ner of the room. The report of the revolver had 
 both surprised and shocked her, as she had never 
 heard the explosion of a weapon before, — indeed, 
 had never seen one. When she saw Denis over 
 Schmidt's body fiercely gripping his throat, she drew 
 a deep breath of relief and, rushing over, stood be- 
 side the Irishman, and asked in a subdued voice, in 
 which there was still fear and wonder, if Schmidt 
 were dead. 
 
 "I don't know," answered Denis, relaxing his 
 
1 66 CRUCIBLE ISLAND 
 
 grasp. "Sure, he ought to be. But to keep on 
 choking him seems hke cold murther and that's not 
 to me likin'. I can kill a man in a fair fight, but I 
 don't like to choke him to death afther he is onct 
 down and out." Denis stood over Schmidt, gaz- 
 ing with intense scrutiny into his face. To all ap- 
 pearances the breath had been squeezed out of 
 Schmidt's body. He lay inert, with horribly gaping 
 lips and bulging eyes. "Maybe I'd betther make 
 sure," said Denis, reaching again for Schmidt's 
 throat. 
 
 "Oh, no, don't, Denis, don't!" said Mina, as she 
 covered her face with her hands and shuddered. 
 "It's too much like murder now." 
 
 "It's right ye are, Mina dear." And Denis drew 
 back from the prostrate form. "But we cannot lave 
 him this way if he should be alive. We'll have to 
 take precaution aginst that. Here, sthrip me a bit 
 of your robe off and I'll gag him and bind him so 
 that if he should come around again it's little mis- 
 chief he'll be able to do." 
 
 [Mina tore her red robe into strips, with which 
 Denis promptly bound the hands and feet of Herr 
 Schmidt and secured his mouth with a gag. 
 
 "Come, Mina," said Denis, taking her by the arm 
 and leading her to the back door. "I'll be takin' ye 
 home now." 
 
 Apparently no one had been aroused by the shot 
 from Schmidt's revolver. Before stepping out into 
 
CRUCIBLE ISLAND 167 
 
 the field back of the house, Denis made a careful 
 survey, but saw no one moving about. 
 
 "We'll be goin' now," he whispered, and together 
 they started across the fields in the direction of Clau- 
 sen's house. 
 
CHAPTER XVII 
 
 Meantime Clausen remained at home in an agony 
 of suspense, waiting to hear from Denis, who had 
 promised to communicate with him within an hour 
 after the mating ceremony. He paced up and down 
 the little pathway of the garden leading from the 
 door to the gate, straining his eyes through the dark- 
 ness in the direction of Marxville. What had hap- 
 pened? What had Denis done? He firmly be- 
 lieved in his own mind that Denis would stop at 
 nothing, and was convinced that Denis' intention was 
 to kill Schmidt. That seemed to him the obvious 
 conclusion from the Irishman's words, although 
 Denis had preserved a rigid reticence as to what he 
 would do. 
 
 It was a full half hour after sunset, which had 
 been the time for the ceremony of mating, when 
 Clausen, standing at the gate in anxious suspense, 
 was startled to hear footsteps behind him coming 
 from the other direction. It was bright starlight, 
 for the moon had not yet risen, and the outline of a 
 figure plodding heavily up the road caught his eye 
 some hundred feet away. The person approaching 
 
 i68 
 
CRUCIBLE ISLAND 169 
 
 was evidently much spent, for he swayed as he 
 walked along. Clausen stood waiting and, as the 
 man approached, he heard his name called, "Clau- 
 sen, Herr Clausen, is it you?" Clausen's heart 
 seemed to leap into his throat. It was Carl's voice 1 
 He stood for a moment stunned. Meantime the 
 figure had come up to him and staggered into his 
 arms. This was clearly a body of flesh and blood, 
 and indeed Carl. "My God, Is It you, Carl? We 
 thought you " 
 
 "Yes," said Carl, "I know. You supposed, of 
 course, that I was dead, and it Is only by the luckiest 
 chance that I did escape death from the cataract, 
 but I will tell you afterwards. I am faint now and 
 hungry. I have good news for you. We can get 
 out of the Spielgarten. But give me something to 
 eat and drink. I will tell you more later. Where 
 IsMina?" 
 
 "Come inside and I will get you something," said 
 Clausen, putting his arm around Carl and helping 
 him up the path to the house. 
 
 "Where is Mina?" Carl reiterated as they entered 
 the door. 
 
 "Just a moment," answered Clausen, "rest your- 
 self and let me get you something to drink and eat. 
 Mina will be here presently." And Clausen hurried 
 out Into the kitchen, bringing In some food and drink 
 to the exhausted man. 
 
 Carl drank and ate ravenously. To his repeated 
 inquiry about Mina, Clausen put him off by answer- 
 
lyo CRUCIBLE ISLAND 
 
 ing that she had just gone down the road for a stroll 
 with Denis and would be back within a short time. 
 "I'll go meet them," declared Carl when he had 
 finished his repast and stood up with renewed vigor 
 in his limbs. His clothes were fairly in rags and 
 his shoes worn to the soles of his feet. 
 
 "Wait a moment!" exclaimed Clausen. "You are 
 a perfect scarecrow. You would frighten Mina to 
 death. Come, let me get you a change of cloth- 
 ing and shoes for your feet; they are on the 
 ground." 
 
 But Carl was not to be restrained and, in his 
 eagerness to see Mina, started for the gate, when 
 Clausen put a detaining hand on his shoulder. "No, 
 Carl, don't go. I'll tell you, but you must contain 
 yourself." 
 
 "What's that you say?" and Carl turned sharply 
 around, questioning Clausen with a feeling of pre- 
 monition, for there was a warning note in the lat- 
 ter's tone. 
 
 "I do expect Mina and Denis here within a few 
 minutes, Carl, and I have not told you all. But you 
 must hold yourself in, because I believe everything 
 is all right; so let me tell you without interruption, 
 and restrain yourself, my dear boy." 
 
 "Yes, yes!" excitedly ejaculated Carl. "What is 
 it, what has happened?" 
 
 "It was only this evening just after sunset that 
 the ceremony of mating took place, and Mina," and 
 here Clausen's voice broke for a moment, "was 
 
CRUCIBLE ISLAND 171 
 
 mated to Herr Schmidt. Hold yourself, Carl, it's 
 all right — let me tell you," as Carl grabbed him 
 fiercely by the arm. "Denis had a plan to save Mina 
 from Schmidt. I am nov/ waiting to hear from him. 
 He told me he would let me know within an hour, 
 and Denis swore that Schmidt should never lay a 
 hand on Mina. You and I can do nothing more than 
 has been done. Let us wait here now in patience. 
 I am sure that Denis has accomplished his purpose, 
 although he would not tell me what it was. I firmly 
 believe that he intended to kill Schmidt and I do not 
 doubt that he has done it." 
 
 By this time they had reached the gate, Carl de- 
 termined to hasten away, with Clausen's detaining 
 hand on his arm. "Don't go," urged Clausen. I 
 am sure they will soon come. I know how impatient 
 you are, but I have the utmost confidence In Denis, 
 and I know that you have also." 
 
 Carl finally yielded reluctantly to Clausen's per- 
 suasion, though he was all impatience to seek Mina. 
 It was just possible, the thought occurred to him, 
 that Denis' plan had failed. He struggled with his 
 own doubt, but restrained himself at Clausen's in- 
 sistency. 
 
 As they stood waiting, Carl, In a fragmentary 
 way, narrated to Clausen his adventures after fall- 
 ing Into the river and his discovery of Lorlmer's 
 body and diary In the valley the other side of the 
 Splelgarten, as well as the fact of the garrison sta- 
 tioned at the mouth of the river. Clausen was as- 
 
172 CRUCIBLE ISLAND 
 
 tonished to hear of the possibihty of escape, though 
 he appreciated the many difficulties that lay before 
 them in the attempt. The immediate necessity of 
 preparing, though, pressed in upon them. When 
 Denis and Mina should put in their appearance, they 
 must make haste. _ 
 
 "Carl," said Clausen, "as soon as Mina and Denis 
 come, we must prepare to flee. I think it would be 
 wise for us to start our preparation while we are 
 waiting. Let us go inside. We shall need food, 
 blankets, and other things. Let us save time and 
 get them ready." 
 
 Carl needed no urging and the two men entered 
 the house and began to make preparations forth- 
 with. They had scarcely started when they heard 
 the approach of feet outside on the road and then 
 t"he click of the gate. "Carl," said Clausen, "go 
 into the other room for a moment. It might be too 
 great a shock for Mina, for her to meet you sud- 
 denly like this. I'll call you." And he pushed Carl, 
 who went with reluctance, into the adjoining room. 
 Scarcely had Carl disappeared when the door opened 
 and Denis, supporting Mina, entered. 
 
 "Father!" she exclaimed, as Clausen took her in 
 his arms. Clausen looked at Denis inquiringly. 
 
 "Well, it's done," said Denis. "At least, I think 
 so. He's either dead, or it'll be some time before 
 he's alive again." And then Denis narrated to Clau- 
 sen what had occurred at Schmidt's house. Clausen 
 listened intently, and after Denis had finished said; 
 
CRUCIBLE ISLAND 173 
 
 "Well, we've got to get out of this now, as soon as 
 possible. The die is cast. I have good news for 
 you. Carl is here." 
 
 Mina, who had been sobbing in her father's arms 
 as Denis told his story, suddenly looked up and cried, 
 "Carl?" and as she spoke the door opened and Carl 
 rushed to her from the other room. It was a joy- 
 ful meeting. Mina, now happy in Carl's arms, kept 
 saying, "I knew you would come back! I knew you 
 W'ould come back, Carl!" 
 
 Denis fairly gasped when he first saw Carl. 
 "Sure, an' it's a miracle!" he exclaimed, and grabbed 
 Carl's hand until the latter winced in the Irishman's 
 powerful grip. "Glory be to God!" exclaimed 
 Denis. "But Mina was right after all, and how did 
 it happen? I thought it was the end of ye when ye 
 wint over the cliff into the wathcr, Carl." 
 
 Carl repeated his story to Denis and Mina as 
 briefly as he could, while Clausen was making prep- 
 arations. "Come," said Clausen finally, "we haven't 
 time to talk much. We must get ready. We must 
 get away to-night." 
 
 All immediately set to work to gather what things 
 they might need for their adventure, food, blankets, 
 clothing, kitchen utensils, bundled together and se- 
 curely made Into three packs. These were distrib- 
 uted among Carl, Clausen and Denis. Mina was to 
 carry nothing. 
 
 Clausen provided Carl with another suit of cloth- 
 ing and shoes. No extra clothinp;, save for Mina, 
 
174 CRUCIBLE ISLAND 
 
 was taken, as they did not want to burden them- 
 selves. 
 
 A hearty meal was eaten before they set out and 
 enough food for three days was provided. There 
 was plentiful fruit in the valley, Carl informed them, 
 and also fish in the stream so that they had no appre- 
 hensions upon that score. 
 
 It was now about ten o'clock and Clausen sug- 
 gested that Carl and Mina set out ahead of himself 
 and Denis to meet at a designated spot. There were 
 some few things to be attended to before leaving, 
 which he and Denis could readily do and he wanted 
 Mina to start ahead so that she might take the jour- 
 ney easily and not be pressed. 
 
 Following this arrangement, Carl and Mina de- 
 parted first, having agreed with Clausen to wait for 
 them at the foot-bridge, three miles beyond, on the 
 road which passed Clausen's house. Clausen cau- 
 tioned both Carl and Mina not to talk within the 
 vicinity of any house on the road and In the event 
 of seeing anybody coming along the road to step 
 aside and conceal themselves. 
 
 It was a bright starlight night when Carl and 
 Mina set out, Carl carrying his pack over his shoul- 
 der and a hatchet in his hand. There were but three 
 houses on the road between them and the foot- 
 bridge, and as they came near these they walked on 
 in silence. Fortunately, they met nobody. 
 
 Arriving at the foot-bridge, they halted, waiting 
 for Denis and Clausen. Mina, turning to Carl, 
 
CRUCIBLE ISLAND 175 
 
 placed both hands on his shoulders, and looking up 
 with a wondrous sweet smile, said: "I knew that you 
 would come back, Carl. Something told me that 
 you were not dead and that you would come to save 
 me. It seems strange, but I never once wavered in 
 my belief. How dreadful it must have been ! How 
 you must have suffered!" and Carl felt more than 
 compensated for all he had been through, in her 
 sweet solicitude, and in the happiness of holding her 
 in his arms again. 
 
 "To think that I should have found you in the 
 Spielgarten, Mina ! I was looking for the fulfilment 
 of a vain dream and found only what has proved to 
 be a horrible nightmare. But I have found you, 
 which more than compensates for everything. Yes, 
 I know now that true happiness does not consist in 
 seeking the good of aH by levelling us down to what 
 Socialism brings us to, but in the possession of that 
 happiness which we can find alone in each other, as 
 individuals, and that when we destroy individuahty 
 and the family, we have torn up the roots of human 
 joy. But, my dear, this is philosophizing, and I 
 have you and I do not want to philosophize with 
 you in my arms." And Carl pressed Mina closer 
 to his side. 
 
 "Oh, my dear, my dear, how glad I am I" mur- 
 mured Mina, and as they stood there, they looked 
 up at the stars and forgot that there were any other 
 people in the world. 
 
 Meantime Clausen and Denis were busying them- 
 
176 CRUCIBLE ISLAND 
 
 selves with their final preparations. Clausen went 
 through the entire house looking for what might be 
 worth the while to take with them. Denis busied 
 himself in making the packs as compact as possible. 
 He and Clausen stood together, just as they were 
 about to open the door for the departure and with 
 a common instinct, each grasped the other by the 
 hand. 
 
 "Denis," said Clausen, "it seems to be coming 
 true. I can scarcely believe that we have a chance 
 to get out of this. It always seemed so hopeless to 
 me." 
 
 "Begorra," said Denis, "I'd as soon have thought 
 of goin' to the moon, but shure it's here now, and 
 glory to God, but we'll make it thrue. I don't 
 know much about the other ind of it, for Carl's story 
 was too hurried to size up the situation fully, but 
 from what I undherstood, I do believe we've got 
 more than a fightin' chanct." 
 
 "Come," said Clausen, and the two strode through 
 the door down to the gate and struck out along the 
 road, towards the foot-bridge where Mina and Carl 
 were awaiting them. 
 
 As they emerged onto the road the moon just 
 tipped over the mountain tops to the east and its 
 silvery illumination began to flood the valley. 
 
 "I don't like that," exclaimed Clausen, "in an- 
 other ten minutes it wnll almost be as light as day 
 with that moon." 
 
 "Moon or no moon," said Denis, "we're in for 
 
CRUCIBLE ISLAND 177 
 
 it and we'd best use our legs fast to get a good start 
 in case we should be pursued. It may be that divil 
 Schmidt isn't in hell afther all," and the two men 
 hurried their pace down the road. 
 
 After three-quarter's of an hour steady walking, 
 they came in sight of Mina and Carl standing by the 
 foot-bridge. When they came up Clausen asked 
 Carl: "Which way, now?" 
 
 "Over the bridge and then across the country right 
 to where you see that depression in the mountain 
 ridge just below Mt. Bebel. Wait a moment," 
 added Carl as they were about to start out, and he 
 plunged into some bushes by the side of the road, 
 coming out in a m.ornent with a rifle and a revolver 
 in his hand. 
 
 "I brought these in case we might need them. 
 They are a rifle and revolver I found beside Lor- 
 imer's body. Here, Denis, you take the revolver, 
 and Clausen, you take the rifle and I will take care 
 of Mina. Both weapons are in order. I saw to that 
 before I left the valley on the other side of the 
 range." 
 
 With hearts beating and with their hopes high, the 
 four fugitives from the Spielgarten started. By this 
 time the moon had risen clear above the mountain 
 tops and bathed the entire valley in a wonderful 
 brilliancy. As they wended their way across the 
 fields, they were easily visible for a full quarter of 
 a mile and there was no sheltering forest for a full 
 two miles in the direction in which they were going. 
 
CHAPTER XVIII 
 
 The house next to that of Schmidt, some hundred 
 feet distant, was occupied by a man by the name of 
 Wilhelm. When Schmidt fired at Denis, Wilhelm 
 heard the shot, but the sound came muffled to him, 
 nor did he apprehend what it meant, for he was a 
 native of the Spielgarten, and knew nothing of fire- 
 arms. The sound, however, seemed extraordinary 
 to him and aroused his curiosity. What could it 
 mean? 
 
 He went to his door and looked about, but saw 
 nothing. Schmidt's house was quiet and no one 
 was stirring in the vicinity. Wilhelm went in again 
 and resumed the reading of The Spielgarten Clar- 
 ion, the one periodical published there. The Clarion 
 had little news, for there was little news to give in 
 such a community, and, for the most part, contained 
 dissertations upon the beauty and the happiness of 
 the Socialist State. 
 
 But Wilhelm read distractedly. He could not get 
 out of his mind the curious report he had heard. 
 Twice he went outside to look. The second time 
 ne walked in the direction of Schmidt's house and 
 
 178 
 
CRUCIBLE ISLAND 179 
 
 knocked at the door, but received no answer, though 
 the light was burning. Going around to the back, 
 he discovered the rear door standing wide open. 
 
 Standing on the threshold, he called aloud, but 
 received no answer. Entering, he groped his way 
 through the kitchen, for there was no light there, 
 into the dining-room just beyond, through the partly 
 open door of which he could see that there was a 
 light in the room beyond. Again he called, but again 
 received no answer. Opening the door, he cautiously 
 peered in. There was no one visible. "Herr 
 Schmidt!" he called in rather a subdued voice, for 
 the silence somehow oppressed him. Walking across 
 the room, he cam^e upon the figure of a man lying in 
 the farther corner, bound hand and foot with strips 
 of red cloth and a piece of the same material over 
 his mouth by way of a gag. 
 
 It was Herr Schmidt ! Hastily releasing the gag 
 and undoing the red strips from Schmidt's hands and 
 feet, Wilhelm sought to restore the unconscious man, 
 who was breathing laboredly. Wilhelm hurried back 
 to the kitchen and, bringing water, dashed it in 
 Schmidt's face, who responded by gasping. He 
 looked up at Wilhelm with filmy eyes and endeav- 
 ored to say something, but so indistinctly that Wil- 
 helm could not understand him. 
 
 "What is it, Herr Schmidt? What has hap- 
 pened?" asked Wilhelm. But Schmidt could only 
 groan and was still laboring for breath. Wilhelm 
 placed a glass of water to his lips and made him sip 
 
i8o CRUCIBLE ISLAND 
 
 It. At first Schmidt could not swallow at all, but 
 after a while he managed to take a little. Meantime 
 Wilhelm had dragged him up into a chair and began 
 chafing his hands vigorously. At last Schmidt was 
 able to articulate. 
 
 "McCarthy," he managed to say, though his ut- 
 terance was very thick. Wilhelm looked puzzled. 
 "McCarthy," reiterated Schmidt, holding out his 
 MTists and putting them together to indicate what 
 he wanted to tell. 
 
 "McCarthy did It? Is that what you want to 
 say?" asked Wilhelm, and Schmidt nodded his head 
 painfully. 
 
 "He tried — to — kill me," came slowly from the 
 lips of Schmidt. 
 
 "Why?" asked Wilhelm in wonderment. 
 
 "Wilhelmina Clausen, he abducted her," painfully 
 ejaculated Schmidt, who by this time had recovered 
 his faculties, although he was much shaken and 
 trembled violently. 
 
 All this was mystifying to Wilhelm. He knew, 
 of course, that Schmidt and Wilhelmina had been 
 mated that afternoon. That was a matter of no 
 special concern to him, or, indeed, to anybody else 
 m the Spielgarten, and he could In no way associate 
 Denis with the affair. 
 
 "Don't you understand?" cried Schmidt, who by 
 now was strong enough to vent his rage. "You 
 fool," hoarsely shouted Schmidt, rising from his 
 chair, but clinging to Its arm, for he was still weak. 
 
CRUCIBLE ISLAND 
 
 I8I 
 
 *'You fool, he tried to murder rae and has taken 
 Wilhelmina Clausen from me by violence. Don't 
 stand there blinking like an idiot, but get some- 
 body! We must pursue them wherever they have 
 gone!" and he sank back into his chair, exhausted 
 after his outburst. 
 
 Wilhelm, still perplexed, hurriedly left the house 
 and ran across the street to a neighbor for assist- 
 ance. He pounded at the door, shouting, "Herr 
 Schmidt has been murdered! Come quick!" The 
 clamor made by Wilhelm roused several people in 
 the neighborhood and soon some half dozen had 
 gathered at Schmidt's house. Schmidt explained 
 what had occurred. 
 
 This was a most astounding event in the Spiel- 
 garten, the even tenor of whose life was rarely 
 broken by any event beyond a natural death. Mur- 
 der or attempted murder was unknown. The placid- 
 ity of life was rarely disturbed even by so much as a 
 quarrel. Schmidt's hearers were astonished and 
 horrified. 
 
 "Don't stand there like blithering idiots," shouted 
 Schmidt, now thoroughly himself again, "but bestir 
 yourselves and get ready to pursue the scoundrel 
 with me ! Arm yourselves with anything you can 
 find, and we will start immediately." 
 
 The only weapons used in the Spielgarten were 
 clubs, and these were carried only by the police, a 
 small body of twenty-five, of whom only ten were 
 constantly on duty. The other fifteen were practic- 
 
1 82 CRUCIBLE ISLAND 
 
 ally reserves to be called upon In an emergency. In 
 the last twenty-five years no such occasion had arisen 
 in the history of the Spielgarten. 
 
 Schmidt hastily summoned whoever of these re- 
 serves might be within easy call, of whom some six 
 responded, and these, in addition to the neighbors 
 who had gathered to Schmidt's assistance, made a 
 body of fifteen men altogether. 
 
 Leaving Schmidt's house they immediately started, 
 under his direction, for Clausen's. They were all 
 armed with clubs save Schmidt, who had picked up 
 his revolver from the floor. The revolver he put in 
 his pocket. None of his companions had noticed 
 it — not even Wilhelm, who had found him uncon- 
 scious. 
 
 When they arrived at Clausen's house Schmidt 
 went to the front door and knocked upon it vigor- 
 ously. The house was dark and there was no re- 
 sponse. Schmidt took a club from one of his fol- 
 lowers and beat upon It with a half dozen resounding 
 blows. Still there was no response. Without more 
 ado he then threw it wide open, calling the others, 
 and marched In, shouting loudly for Herr Clausen. 
 
 On turning up the lights they found evidences of 
 disorder. On the floor were pieces of rope, a blan- 
 ket, a knife and several cooking utensils. 
 
 A perfunctory search was made, but nobody was 
 found. It was very evident that the Inmates had 
 fled, and Schmidt had no doubt In his mind that the 
 whole scheme had be#n premeditated ; but he smiled 
 
CRUCIBLE ISLAND 183 
 
 as he thought that their flight could not be far. The 
 Spielgarten was a very limited area and it would not 
 take long to capture the fugitives. 
 
 A brief consultation was held as to what possible 
 course the fugitives could have taken. It was de- 
 cided to divide the party into two bands, one to go 
 northward and the other southward. One man was 
 sent back to Marxville to gather a searching party 
 to see if the fugitives could possibly be hiding some- 
 where within its limits, though that seemed most 
 unlikely to Schmidt. The fact of a flight at all was 
 most astounding. It was impossible to escape ulti- 
 mately, and it would be only a matter of two or three 
 days before the rebels (for rebels they were in 
 Schmidt's mind) were captured. 
 
 At the moment he was full of wrath at being 
 thwarted by Denis just when his prey was within his 
 reach. One party, with Herr Schmidt leading, took 
 the road to the north. A keen lookout was kept on 
 either side, which was bordered by open fields. In 
 the bright moonlight, anyone would be easily vis- 
 ible. When they arrived at the footbridge, over 
 which Clausen, Mina, Denis and Carl had crossed, 
 the pursuers halted. It was a question in Schmidt's 
 mind whether Clausen and the others had crossed 
 here or whether they had continued straight ahead 
 on the open road. 
 
 He stood hesitating, when one of his companions 
 suggested that he thought it v/as likely that the fugi- 
 tives would abandon the road and seek concealment 
 
^i84 CRUCIBLE ISLAND 
 
 in the woods. Schmidt accepted the suggestion and 
 started across the foot-bridge, with the others fol- 
 lowing him. Reaching the further side, he started 
 Into a steady trot, going directly east. He soon out- 
 distanced his followers, who were not perhaps as 
 keen as he. 
 
 After ten minutes, on coming to the top of an ele- 
 vation, he thought he saw, some distance ahead, hu- 
 man figures. Although he was pretty well spent by 
 running, he quickened his pace, and after proceed- 
 ing some two hundred yards further, s-aw quite dis- 
 tinctly four figures going toward the forest, not more 
 than half a mile distant. The four figures puzzled 
 him. Turning back and holding his hands to his 
 mouth, he shouted to his followers, "Hurry up !" 
 and then started again In pursuit. 
 
 The wind was blowing towards Clausen and the 
 others with him, and the sound of Schmidt's voice 
 carried to them. It was the first Inkling they had 
 that they were being pursued. All four turned ab- 
 ruptly and halted for a moment, looking anxiously 
 in the direction of the voice. Denis was the first to 
 discover the figure approaching, though, of course, 
 he could not distinguish who it was. 
 
 This much at least seemed evident, that the man 
 was pursuing them, and It was only a few moments 
 when the figures of several more men became visible 
 over the rise of ground back of the first figure, all 
 hurrying forward. Hitherto Clausen and his party 
 had pursued their way without haste, but now there 
 
CRUCIBLE ISLAND 185 
 
 was need of speed with their pursuers close upon 
 them. Denis and Carl caught Mina by either arm 
 to help her. The burden of their packs and the need 
 of helping Mina retarded them considerably. Their 
 pursuers were clearly gaining upon them. What 
 they hoped was to find the shelter of the woods be- 
 fore those behind them would be able to come up. 
 
 "Could that divil have come back to life?" was 
 Denis' thought, for, frankly, he was surprised at 
 this early pursuit. He supposed Schmidt dead and 
 counted upon the discovery of Schmidt's body not 
 before the next day at the earliest. 
 
 Schmidt was not more than two hundred yards 
 behind them, shouting at them to stop. 
 
 "Stop, or I fire!" he cried. 
 
 Then for the first time Denis remembered 
 Schmidt's revolver. Why had he forgotten to se- 
 cure it when Schmidt lay unconscious? Denis swore 
 under his breath at himself for being such a forget- 
 ful fool. 
 
 "Stop, or I shoot!" cried Schmidt again. 
 
 Clausen and Carl were astounded to hear 
 Schmidt's words. 
 
 "He has a revolver!" said Deni«. "I forgot 
 to tell ye. He fired at me in the house. Bad 
 cess to me, but I forgot to bring the revolver with 
 me!" 
 
 Just at this moment Schmidt fired, but his shot 
 went wild. Clausen and the others faced about im- 
 mediately. Meantime Schmidt was still coming on 
 
1 86 CRUCIBLE ISLAND 
 
 and was now not more than a hundred yards dis- 
 tant. 
 
 "Shoot him!" yelled Denis, and accompanying his 
 words with the action Denis fired at the advancing 
 man, but without effect. Schmidt paid no heed to the 
 shot, but kept on with his own revolver pointing at 
 them. Clausen leveled the rifle at him and ordered 
 him to stop; but again Schmidt paid no heed. 
 
 "Shoot!" cried Denis. "Don't wait any longer!" 
 Clausen lifted the rifle and fired deliberately, and 
 Schmidt, throwing up his hands, fell, a crumpled 
 heap upon the ground. Denis rushed over to him 
 and took the revolver from his lifeless grasp. He 
 was evidently dead 
 
 Meantime the remaining pursuers had stopped in 
 consternation a hundred yards from where Schmidt 
 had fallen, where Denis, now with two revolvers, 
 one in either hand, stood facing them. 
 
 "Go back!" shouted Denis, "or we will serve ye 
 as we have this blackguard here." 
 
 The Spielgarten people stood in consternation. 
 Very few, if any of them, had ever heard the dis- 
 charge of firearms. 
 
 "Go back, I say!" shouted Denis a second time, 
 "or I'll fire again. You'll never take us alive, and 
 most of ye will be dead men before you do it!" 
 
 There seemed to be little disposition on the part 
 of the pursuing party to advance. They were com- 
 pletely intimidated. One of them cried out to 
 Denis : "You had better come back. You cannot get 
 
CRUCIBLE ISLAND 187 
 
 away in the long run. You have violated the law 
 and you have committed murder." 
 
 "Glory be to God, but ye're thickheads!" an- 
 swered Denis. "It's the divil's law, and I'm thinkin' 
 it's a dacent deed we've done. And, as for murther, 
 this blackguard here tried to kill me beyont, not two 
 hours ago, and he was thryin' to kill us just now! 
 Go back, and let us alone. We'll take care of our- 
 sel's. An' what we intend to do is none of your 
 dirty business." And Denis withdrew backwards 
 towards Clausen and the others, still facing the Spiel- 
 garteners with his two revolvers threateningly 
 pointed at them. 
 
 "Go on," said Denis when he reached his party. 
 "I'll be rear guard as ye go on." 
 
 With that, Clausen, with Carl and Mina, turned 
 and continued onward toward the woods, which were 
 now not more than four hundred yards away. Denis, 
 meanwhile, walking behind them a short distance 
 and every now and then turning with pointed revol- 
 vers toward the silent group of Spielgarteners, who 
 did not venture to advance further. 
 
 When they reached the fringe of the woods the 
 fugitives stopped and stood looking at the Spiel- 
 garteners, who were now evidently discussing what 
 to do. In a few moments one of them advanced to 
 where Schmidt lay and, stooping down, examined the 
 body. He called the others, who in turn came for- 
 ward and gazed down, awestricken, upon the lifeless 
 man. Such swift and sudden death was new to 
 
i88 CRUCIBLE ISLAND 
 
 them. Violence was a rare thing in the Splelgarten. 
 In all its history there had been but two murders com- 
 mitted and these were during the first ten years of its 
 existence. To see one of their fellows struck down 
 instantaneously by a weapon known to them only 
 by hearsay and so completely disastrous in its effect 
 not only surprised but shocked them beyond com- 
 prehension. After some little parley they picked up 
 Schmidt's body and turned back in the direction of 
 Marxville. 
 
 It was with intense relief that the fugitives saw the 
 Splelgarteners retreating. They had been fearful 
 lest they would be compelled to resort to further vio- 
 lence in beating their attackers off and were thank- 
 ful that this necessity no longer obtained. To have 
 had to kill Schmidt was sufficient blood on their 
 hands, and Clausen was somewhat shaken with the 
 experience, although he felt that he was, after all, 
 acting only In self-defense. MIna was trembling 
 from head to foot and clung desperately to Carl, 
 who was doing his best to soothe her and allay her 
 fright. Denis asserted that Schmidt had got his 
 proper deserts and only regretted that he had not 
 killed him In the first encounter. 
 
CHAPTER XIX 
 
 The fugitives remained in the shadow of the 
 woods, watching the Spielgarteners as they disap- 
 peared over the crest of an elevation in the direction 
 of Marxville. The question in their minds was 
 whether the Spielgarteners would return later on. 
 Clausen was of the opinion that they would not, as 
 the people in the Spielgarten were not accustomed 
 to think or move rapidly in emergencies. In fact, 
 emergencies were rare in the Spielgarten, and an en- 
 tirely new situation had developed. 
 
 Moreover, the knowledge that there was no 
 egress from the Spielgarten would make the authori- 
 ties feel secure in their belief that they could easily 
 apprehend the little party of rebels at their own 
 convenience. Schmidt, through whom all the evil 
 had come about, was dead. If he were alive, there 
 might be fear of attack again that night, as his per- 
 sonal interest and his vindictiveness would have 
 urged him on without rest. 
 
 "At any rate," said Carl, "we ought to move far- 
 ther on. If they pursue us, even if they wait until 
 to-morrow, they will come directly to this spot. We 
 
 189 
 
I90 CRUCIBLE ISLAND 
 
 should be part way up the mountain when they ar- 
 rive. I know the way. We can reach the nearest 
 hilltop in another hour." 
 
 "Ye're right, Carl," added Denis. "We don't 
 want to be caught here in broad daylight. How is it 
 with you, Mina? Can you go on for another hour?" 
 for Mina was very pale and showed traces of fa- 
 tigue. 
 
 "By all means, let us go," said Mina bravely. "I 
 am not tired. See, I'm ready!" and she took Carl's 
 arm to indicate her willingness. 
 
 "It will be easier," said Carl, "to skirt the edge 
 of the woods. The way is a little roundabout, but 
 we will, in the end, save time." 
 
 The party started out, keeping to the open on the 
 left-hand side, Carl in front with Mina to lead the 
 way and to set the pace, according to her ability. 
 Under these circumstances their going was slow, but 
 as they felt no present urgency, they could afford to 
 take it quietly. After a half hour they came to the 
 lower slope of the elevation, which they intended to 
 ascend. 
 
 "Let us rest for a moment," suggeisted Carl. 
 "Mina is very tired." After ten minutes' wait they 
 began the ascent. It was slow and tedious work, as 
 they had to pick their way through underbrush and 
 a heavy growth of trees, which almost completely 
 shut out the light of the moon, brilliant as it was. 
 Carl and Denis between them almost carried Mina, 
 for, by this time, she was practically exhausted. 
 
CRUCIBLE ISLAND 191 
 
 It took them a good hour, after many pauses, to 
 reach the summit of the elevation. Here they de- 
 termined to rest for the night. It was agreed that 
 each of the men should keep watch in turn. Denis 
 volunteered to take the first watch for two hours, 
 when he would arouse Clausen for the second. Carl 
 would take the final watch. Without more ado they 
 wrapped themselves in their blankets, all except 
 Denis, and, in spite of the excitement and toil of the 
 day, were soon slumbering heavily. 
 
 Carl, who kept the last watch, refrained from 
 waking them when the sun arose, as he felt that 
 Mina needed the sleep. So he waited a good hour 
 before he disturbed their slumbers. Mina arose 
 much refreshed and quite dazed at first with her 
 novel situation. Denis stretched himself vigorously 
 and took in a deep breath with great satisfaction. 
 
 "It's the first time I wakened up, a freeman, in 
 this tin years," said the Irishman. "Whether we 
 get out or not, I'm done with the Spielgarten! I'd 
 rather be free and dead than be alive and a slave 
 again! I'm me own master now, and it's a blissed 
 thing to feel this way again." 
 
 Clausen could not help smiling at the Irishman's 
 way of putting it, but he, too, felt a new sense of 
 life, upon waking into a world where the yoke of 
 Socialism no longer burdened his heart and soul. 
 
 Carl, by this time, had started a fire, over which 
 they cooked their breakfast. In the meantime Denis 
 cHmbed a tree for the purpose of getting a view of 
 
192 CRUCIBLE ISLAND 
 
 the clearing beyond the line of the forest. From this 
 vantage point he could see all the way to Marxville. 
 He scanned the scene with eager eyes and breathed 
 a sigh of relief at seeing no evidence of any one ap- 
 proaching through the open fields. Having satis- 
 fied himself, he descended and reported to the others 
 that there was no sign of a pursuit. 
 
 Clausen again declared his belief that the people 
 in the Spielgarten would be slow to follow them. 
 Carl, however, thought otherwise, but Denis agreed 
 with Clausen. They had been in the Spielgarten for 
 a number of years and knew the character of the 
 people thoroughly. Nobody knew of their intention 
 to attempt escape from the island, and, of course, 
 no one knew that Carl had returned. 
 
 Before leaving, Denis again climbed a tree to see 
 whether anybody was pursuing them, but, as be- 
 fore, nobody was visible. After breakfast they gath- 
 ered all their effects together and started, under 
 Carl's guidance. They descended from the elevation 
 where they had spent the night, and after a half 
 hour's steady tramp, struck the bottom of the valley 
 of the first range. The ascent here was a long and 
 fatiguing climb, especially to Mina. They had to 
 make frequent halts out of regard for her, although 
 she constantly insisted that they go on, but Carl, who 
 alone realized the difl'iculty of the way and the hard 
 task that yet lay before them, urged upon her the 
 necessity of sparing herself. Clausen and Denis 
 added their solicitations to his. 
 
CRUCIBLE ISLAND 193 
 
 It was late in the afternoon when they reached the 
 summit of the first range. They had to pick their 
 way, at times making laborious detours. Not only 
 Mina, but Clausen himself was showing signs of dis- 
 tress, for the latter, though still hearty, was well over 
 sixty and quite unused to mountain climbing, to 
 which Carl and Denis, as lumbermen, had become 
 enured. Mina had borne up bravely, but was now 
 completely worn out. 
 
 It was, therefore, determined to pitch camp for 
 the night, although full two hours of daylight still 
 remained. From where they were the entire valley 
 of the Spielgarten lay visible to them. The silver 
 thread of the river wound in and out through the 
 variegated fields, which looked like an immense 
 checker board below. Marxville seemed rather in- 
 significant, with its low buildings grouped Irregu- 
 larly on the farther bank of the river. 
 
 It was a strange and rare sight to Mina, who had 
 never before stood on such an elevation. She was 
 filled with astonishment and admiration. The peace- 
 ful and slumbering valley, the profound silence 
 around, the immense prospect filled her with awe as 
 she stood gazing down upon the scene which had 
 always been her world. How different It now 
 seemed! 
 
 "It is wonderful and beautiful, isn't it, Mina, 
 dear?" Carl's voice broke In upon her. 
 
 "How you startled me, Carl !" exclaimed Mina, as 
 she confidingly took Carl's hand. "It all seems so 
 
194 CRUCIBLE ISLAND 
 
 strange. All these years I have lived down there, 
 never dreaming it would be otherwise. And it is 
 already beginning to seem so far away — like another 
 life entirely." 
 
 "It is the beginning of another, a new life, a 
 greater life outside of the prison from which we 
 are now escaping. It is even stranger to me than 
 to you. All my life I had dreamed of the Socialist 
 State as man's ideal condition, and to have found 
 what I found there, what a terrible awakening I It 
 has been a hard wrench for me to discover that my 
 idol was, after all, of grossest clay. But I thank 
 God that my eyes are now open, and it was worth 
 all to have found you." 
 
 "I am glad, Carl," said Mina, looking up, with all 
 the confidence of youth and love, into his eyes. "I 
 think it is a great blessing that you should have seen 
 for yourself what Socialism really is. You might 
 have gone on all your life deluding yourself, but now 
 you know." 
 
 "You are right, Mina. We will put by the past 
 and bury it and look only to that future of happiness 
 that lies before us. We will go out into the great 
 world beyond and live as man has always lived; 
 normally, striving for happiness and success, each 
 according to his ability. I see it all now; I was 
 blind before. There is no such thing as ideal free- 
 dom in the world. A man wins out by overcoming 
 his adverse circumstances, and must hew his own 
 path to make the most and best of himself. When 
 
CRUCIBLE ISLAND 195 
 
 the State regulates, provides for and controls the 
 Individual as it necessarily does in the Socialist 
 system, it reduces us to the level of sheep or cattle.'* 
 
 Just then Denis interrupted them by calling out, 
 "Come on, Carl, we are ready." 
 
 They descended into the valley under Carl's di- 
 rection. Although it was easier going down than 
 their ascent of the day before, it was, nevertheless, 
 difficult ground to cover. Fallen timber, underbrush, 
 loose gravel, and at times precipitous places made 
 the going often slow and difficult, but by midday 
 they found themselves at the bottom of the second 
 valley. Here they rested for an hour and took their 
 lunch. 
 
 Before them loomed a secpnd range much higher 
 than the one they had just crossed. After toiling 
 upward with many rests on account of Mina, by 
 nightfall they had only achieved half the ascent. 
 Here they remained for the night, but early in the 
 morning, at sunrise, they started again, and steadily 
 climbed until sunset, when they finally reached the 
 summit of the second range overlooking the plateau 
 strewn with boulders, as described by poor Lori- 
 mer. They were then at least seven thousand feet 
 above the Spielgarten valley. The range they had 
 crossed the previous day looked dwarfed below 
 them; above them soared Mt. Bebel, snowclad and 
 with masses of cloud gathered around its summit. 
 Mina was filled with even greater awe and admira- 
 tion as she gazed upon the stupendous prospect. 
 
196 CRUCIBLE ISLAND 
 
 The Spielgarten lay before them almost in miniature. 
 Marxville looked like the merest handful of houses. 
 On the other side of the plateau rose in sheer naked- 
 ness the range of mountains between them and the 
 sea. 
 
 With the setting of the sun the air became very 
 cold. Carl and Denis gathered firewood from fal- 
 len timber and soon had a bright and roaring fire, 
 around which they grouped with their blankets 
 wrapped around them, for a cold and raw air was 
 blowing down from the snowclad heights of Mt. 
 Bebel. It was arranged that each of the men should 
 keep a watch and replenish the fire during the night. 
 
 When morning broke they bestirred themselves 
 again and prepared to set out. They followed the 
 course of the stream flowing through the plateau 
 until they came to the edge of the great precipice 
 over which it plunged. As they gazed down over 
 the precipice Mina drew back with a sharp breath, 
 saying it made her dizzy. Skirting the precipice 
 on the right under Carl's guidance, they followed 
 the upper side of the abutting cafion along which 
 Lorimer had originally made his way. In due 
 time they came to the head of the canon and found, 
 as Lorrimer had, and as Carl had on his return to 
 the Spielgarten, the graduated descent from the 
 accumulated washing of the rain. 
 
 Carl informed them that they could descend in two 
 ways : one by the way in which Lorrimer had taken, 
 using a rope, which they had provided, to swing them- 
 
CRUCIBLE ISLAND 197 
 
 selves down from the forty-foot cliff which lay 
 nearly at the bottom, or they could make a consider- 
 able detour to the extreme end of the canon where 
 the descent would be easier, but would take a much 
 longer time to achieve. He himself had been com- 
 pelled to come back by the latter way, as he had no 
 means of getting up the forty feet of sheer cliff which 
 Lorimer had descended by means of the rope. 
 
 They were all of the opinion that it would be bet- 
 ter to take the longer way round rather than run 
 any risk, especially with Mina. There was no need 
 for hurry, and in all likelihood they would have to 
 remain a considerable time in the valley below be- 
 fore an opportunity of escape presented itself. 
 
 The descent was finally successfully accomplished, 
 though not without some minor mishaps, chiefly in 
 the way of bruises from rocks and boulders with 
 which they came into collision, and a strained shoul- 
 der on the part of Denis, who slipped in the loosened 
 gravel and, sliding down some twenty feet, struck 
 against a heavy boulder. Once at the bottom of the 
 caiion in safety, they pursued their way into the val- 
 ley and traversed it to the little hut that had been 
 built by Lorimer. There they concluded to remain 
 and make it their abiding place until they should be 
 able to escape. 
 
 That night the three men talked over the plan of 
 escape as suggested in Lorimer's diary. It was de- 
 termined that they would go down to the river the 
 next morning and reconnoitre. They agreed that 
 
198 CRUCIBLE ISLAND 
 
 one of them should keep a constant watch for the 
 coming of the tug with provisions for the garrison. 
 The information contained in Lorimer's account 
 pointed out the way clearly to them, and they deter- 
 mined to seize the first opportunity that offered. 
 
 The next morning Denis, Carl and Clausen went 
 down to the river's bank arid surveyed the scene. 
 They selected a point just opposite the barracks 
 where some one of them would be constantly on the 
 watch. There Carl and Clausen left Denis and re- 
 turned to Lorimer's hut. Before doing anything 
 else they dug a grave and placed the remains found 
 in the hut in it. They then set to work to enlarge the 
 structure for their own convenience, as they did not 
 know how long they would be forced to remain. As 
 Lorimer had done, they built the walls of the rough 
 stones they found along the bank of the stream and 
 in its bed, plastering the crevices with mud. It took 
 them several days to complete it, two of them work- 
 ing diligently at it, while one kept watch on the 
 point overlooking the bay. 
 
 It was now two weeks since their arrival and 
 there were no signs of the tug appearing. They 
 could easily imagine the loneliness of Lorimer dur- 
 ing his long and weary vigil, with no soul to speak 
 to. Denis and Carl were growing restless, but there 
 was no help for it. Meantime they had speculated 
 much upon what they should do when they seized 
 the tug and whither they should go, as they were 
 utterly without knowledge as to what part of the 
 
CRUCIBLE ISLAND 199 
 
 world they were in. The people of the Spielgarten 
 knew nothing of their place on the surface of the 
 earth, and those who had been transported thither 
 from the outside had always been kept prisoners be- 
 low deck during the voyage with no means of even 
 calculating the time of the voyage. Carl thought 
 it must have been at least ten days, though that was 
 only guess work on his part. The island, from its 
 character and its flora, was clearly within the upper 
 edge of the tropical zone. Whither, then, should 
 they steer their course in the event of their safely 
 capturing the tug? All these things were discussed 
 again and again, but with no result, save the one 
 idea of finally getting to America. 
 
 r 
 
CHAPTER XX 
 
 One day Clausen was talking with Mina as she 
 was drying her hair after washing it in the stream a 
 little above the hut. The sun shone directly upon 
 her head and as she stood with her luxuriant tresses 
 streaming down over her shoulders, Clausen noticed 
 little gleaming specks through it. 
 
 "Why, Mina," he said, "how your hair sparkles 
 in the sunlight! Come here, my child, let me look," 
 and Clausen, taking a strand in his hand, examined 
 it closely and uttered an exclamation of astonish- 
 ment. "Where were you washing your hair?" he 
 asked eagerly. 
 
 "Why, father, what is the matter? You seem ex- 
 cited over it." 
 
 "Yes, yes," Clausen cried, "it looks like gold dust, 
 Mina. Show me the spot." 
 
 "It is just beyond the first bend there where the 
 bushes are." And Mina led the way to a bend in 
 the bank where an eddy had formed; the bottom was 
 sand. Clausen stooped over and, scooping up a 
 handful let the water ooze out between his fingers, 
 sorting the sand in his hand with his forefinger and 
 
 200 
 
CRUCIBLE ISLAND 201 
 
 holding it exposed to the bright sunlight. Little 
 particles glinted in the sun. Clausen felt his heart 
 beat. If it were gold, here was the solution of a 
 difficulty which had perplexed him ever since the 
 prospect of escape had opened up. If they success- 
 fully reached the outer world, what were they to do 
 without the means of life, for wherever they might 
 go they would be empty handed, and, at least in the 
 beginning, dependent upon the charity of others; 
 but with gold in their possession they would be mas- 
 ters of their destiny. 
 
 Mina could not understand her father's excite- 
 ment; reared in the Spielgarten, she had no idea of 
 the value of the precious metal. Money was not 
 used in the Spielgarten, and there was no gold even 
 for ornament. The Spielgarteners were a purely 
 agricultural and rural people, living an idyllic life 
 on the lowest terms. To Mina gold meant nothing, 
 but to Clausen, who knew the outer world, it meant 
 much, and to be armed with it, under the circum- 
 stances in which they would have to face the world, 
 meant secured victory in the battle of life. 
 
 "Denis, Denis!" shouted Clausen. "Come, come.'* 
 Denis, who was near by, roused by the intensity in 
 Clausen's voice, and imagining that something un- 
 usual or serious had happened, came rushing to 
 where Clausen and Mina were standing. "What is 
 it?" asked Denis anxiously, staring at Clausen, who 
 was still sorting the particles in the palm of his 
 hand. 
 
202 CRUCIBLE ISLAND 
 
 *'Look, Denis," said Clausen, stretching out his 
 hand. "Look at the particles of gold there! See 
 them glitter in Mina's hair! It is gold, I tell you. 
 I discovered it first in Mina's hair, which she had 
 been washing in the stream there." 
 
 "Glory be to God!" exclaimed Denis, with his 
 eyes almost bulging from their sockets as he looked 
 at the sand in Clausen's hand and at Mina's hair. 
 "I'm thinkin' I could be continted for a while here 
 now if there is enough of the stuff to make it worth 
 the waitin'." And Denis forthwith proceeded to 
 scoop up a handful of the sand and scrutinize it 
 eagerly. 
 
 "Sure, it's the stuff that makes the wurruld go 
 round. It's thinkin' I am that wc needn't be in such 
 a pother to get away now. A bit of this In our 
 pockets when we get out will go a long ways to 
 makin' friends." 
 
 Mina was greatly astonished at her father's and 
 Denis' excitement over the finding of gold, but, never- 
 theless, she had gleaned enough to understand that 
 it must have tremendous value in the world outside. 
 
 "You do not understand, Mina," said Clausen. 
 "Gold is the most precious of all metals, and man- 
 kind the world over has always set the highest store 
 upon it, and amongst all people it is taken in ex- 
 change for everything. If we can gather a sufficient 
 quantity of gold here, and it seems to me there must 
 be a good deal in the bed of the stream, we can go 
 out into the world with all confidence in the future. 
 
CRUCIBLE ISLAND 203 
 
 It will put power and Independence In our hands." 
 
 As Clausen was speaking they heard Carl's voice 
 calling only a short distance away. His tones were 
 excited, and as they turned in his direction they saw 
 him running toward them from a little distance down 
 the stream. 
 
 "The tug! the tug!" shouted Carl, waving his 
 hand at them. 
 
 Denis and Clausen looked at each other. Here 
 was a crisis. The tug coming just at the moment 
 when they had found that gold was contained in the 
 stream that flowed at their feet. Carl came up, 
 panting and flushed; he had rushed back from his 
 observation point as soon as he had seen the tug 
 enter the bay, in order to convey the news to the 
 others as quickly as possible. To his astonishment, 
 neither Clausen or Denis shared his excitement. 
 They stood looking at each other rather blankly, 
 each holding a fistfull of sand In his hand. It seemed 
 very odd to Carl and even stupid. Why didn't they 
 arouse to the situation at the good news of the com- 
 ing of the tug? 
 
 The same thought had come into the minds of 
 both of the other men. To leave now before they 
 could gather enough gold for their advent into the 
 outer world would be folly, with it lying right under 
 their feet only waiting for the taking. 
 
 "What's the matter?" asked Carl. "You stand 
 there looking at each other as if I had not brought 
 you the most momentous information you could 
 
204 CRUCIBLE ISLAND 
 
 hear I I tell you the tug is coming into the bay 
 now!" 
 
 "Yes, we understand, Carl," answered Clausen. 
 "But something has happened here that makes things 
 quite different. See this in my hand," and Clausen 
 held out his open palm to Carl with its numerous 
 glittering particles. 
 
 Carl opened his eyes wide and stared, and then 
 lifting up his head looked wonderingly into Clausen's 
 face as he began to comprehend. "Is it gold?" 
 Clausen nodded, and Carl, seizing Clausen's hand, 
 held it closer to his eyes as if scarce believing the 
 truth of them. 
 
 "How did you find it?" asked Carl. 
 
 "Through Mina there," answered Clausen. "I 
 noticed the glint of something in her hair, and found 
 she had been washing it in the stream. The sand 
 that I hold in my hand was taken from the spot, 
 and you can see the gold in it." 
 
 For the moment the coming of the tug went en- 
 tirely out of Carl's mind, 
 
 "We must make a quick decision," said Clausen. 
 "If we are to attempt escape by seizing the tug on 
 this trip we shall have to abandon all idea of secur- 
 ing any of the gold. What do you say?" addressing 
 both Carl and Denis. 
 
 "I'm for shtayin', sure," said Denis. "T'would 
 be throwin' away the chanct of a lifetime to turn our 
 backs now upon it. Besides, the tug will come again, 
 sure, and we know that It would take some time to 
 
CRUCIBLE ISLAND 205 
 
 pan enough gold, for panning it is the only way we 
 can get it." 
 
 "What do you say, Carl?" asked Clausen. "Shall 
 we make the attempt now, or shall we remain to get 
 the gold?" 
 
 "I think as Denis does," responded Carl. "There 
 is no argument about it. If we can get out into the 
 world provided with means of sustenance and even 
 more by spending a little time here we would be 
 more than foolish to neglect it. By all means let 
 us begin at once to pan for the gold, but who knows 
 the process?" 
 
 "I have read about it," said Clausen, although I 
 have never seen it. Do you know anything about it, 
 Denis?" 
 
 "Divil a bit," answered Denis, "the only gold I 
 ever saw was in ould Ireland, and there it is as scarce 
 almost as the snakes, and I have a way of thinkin' 
 that maybe in some ways v/e're the better off for the 
 scarcity of them both," and Denis' eyes twinkled as 
 he got off this bit of moral sententiousness. 
 
 "Well, we shall have to make the attempt as best 
 we can," said Clausen. "All I know is that a shallow 
 vessel is filled with the matejrial with which the gold 
 is mixed, and held just beneath the surface of the 
 water and gently occillated while the lighter ele- 
 ments are washed over the lip and the heavier sink 
 to the bottom. Then the gravel and other non-me- 
 tallic elements of a larger size are picked out by the 
 fingers." 
 
2o6 CRUCIBLE ISLAND 
 
 "That's a slow process," remarked Carl, "and 
 it will take a long time to pan sufficient gold," 
 
 "Well, it's plenty of time we have," said Denis. 
 "It's the one thing that's costin' us nothing and in 
 this climate 'tis aisy passin'. There's no hurr}^ about 
 gettin' away, and sure we are comfortable enough 
 here, an' the tug will be comin' again." 
 
 "Very good," said Clausen, "but let us get 
 busy at once. The only vessels we can utilize 
 are cooking utensils, and I think they will do 
 admirably." 
 
 "In the meantime I think it would be well," said 
 Carl, "to go to the point and watch the proceedings 
 as the tug lands and find out all we can for future 
 guidance when we make the attempt to seize it later 
 on. I will go down to the point and let you know 
 what I observe." 
 
 For the next three weeks all busied themselves, 
 including Mina, in panning the gold. Mina soon 
 grew more expert than any of them. The residue of 
 gold left was not great at first, but Denis explored 
 the stream higher up and found a much richer de- 
 posit. This'they worked diligently, and before long 
 had accumulated a considerable quantity. 
 
 The tug visited the garrison again at the end of 
 the three weeks, but they determined not to make the 
 attempt to seize her until her next visit, so that they 
 might be able to accumulate more of the precious 
 metal. They utilized a large and very tough leaf, 
 something like the palm leaf, which grew profusely 
 
CRUCIBLE ISLAND 207 
 
 in the valley, as pouches. These Mina sewed to- 
 gether to hold the gold. 
 
 Carl had duly reported what he had seen at the 
 point during the two visits of the tug boat, and it was 
 determined that on her next appearance they would 
 make the attempt to escape. They laid their plans 
 carefully. There was only one difficulty that both- 
 ered them, and that was how to get Mina across the 
 river. Carl suggested the building of a raft on 
 which they could float Mina over and which the 
 three men could push In front of them, but Denis 
 made the happy suggestion that this was needless, 
 as when they seized the boat it would be easy to row 
 over and get Mina. In this way also she would be 
 in no danger in case of a struggle, which, how- 
 ever, they did not anticipate as they hoped to 
 take the soldiers unawares when they were in 
 bathing. 
 
 Ijt was just ten weeks after the discovery of the 
 gold that Denis, who was keeping watch at the point, 
 announced that the tug was approaching. It was 
 then late In the evening. The three men waited until 
 night had fallen and then swam across the river 
 under cover of darkness. They spent the night at 
 the top of the bluff just above the garrison and 
 waited in hiding until midday. The tug lay about one 
 hundred yards out from the shore just opposite the 
 barracks. It had been unloading all the morning 
 and by noon the work seemed to have been com- 
 pleted. The three men watching were fearful at 
 
208 CRUCIBLE ISLAND 
 
 first that the tug might perhaps depart immediately, 
 but, fortunately, this did not happen. 
 
 At the noon hour all the soldiers and the two 
 sailors, who had been unloading, proceeded to the 
 shore and plunged in, disporting themselves in great 
 glee in the water. As soon as the three men were 
 satisfied that no one remained in the house they 
 cautiously slipped down and crossed the space be- 
 tween the barracks and the bluff and quietly entered. 
 The interior was as Lorimer had described it in his 
 diary. All three immediately seized rifles and re- 
 volvers, which they proceeded to load. When all 
 was ready they walked around the barracks and ad- 
 vanced toward the bathers. At first they were not 
 seen and were half way down to the beach before 
 one of the soldiers, perceiving them, uttered an ex- 
 clamation of surprise and alarm, whereat all the 
 men in the water turned and faced them in dumb 
 astonishment. "Hands up!" shouted Denis. 
 
 It was a full half minute before the bathers re- 
 covered from their consternation. They looked at 
 Carl, Denis and Clausen as if they were apparitions, 
 for they never dreamed that any human being could 
 possibly get out of the Spielgarten at that end of 
 the island. 
 
 "Hands up !" again shouted Denis, and immedi- 
 ately sixteen hands were lifted with alacrity. 
 
 "What need is there of our lifting our hands?" 
 ventured one of the soldiers; "you see we are not 
 armed." 
 
CRUCIBLE ISLAND 209 
 
 "Sure, I see," said Denis, "but it is the regulation 
 way of doin' the job. Ye can put them down now, 
 and do all ye come ashore all together," The bath- 
 ers obeyed sheepishly. "Now," said Denis, after 
 the bathers had gathered in a group on the beach, "is 
 this all of ye? If there is any more of ye let me 
 know." 
 
 "Yes," answered the man who had spoken be- 
 fore, "this is all of us except the engineer, who is on 
 the tug." Denis glanced at the tug in fear that per- 
 haps the engineer had seen the performance, but 
 there was no appearance of the man anywhere, and 
 Denis concluded that he must be down below. "Be 
 quiet there, you spalpeens," he admonished the 
 group. "The first one of ye that makes a noise will 
 go to Kingdom-come quicker than he knows," and 
 there was a menace in the Irishman's voice. "Carl, 
 do you and Clausen get in the boat there and go out 
 to the tug and seize it. If the engineer gives any 
 trouble don't be compunctious; we can't afford to 
 have any slip now." 
 
 Carl and Clausen immediately jumped in the boat, 
 while Denis stood with two pistols in his hands, cov- 
 ering the mute and cowed men. 
 
 In a few minutes Carl and Clausen reached the 
 tug. Carl cautiously climbed aboard with the re- 
 volver ready, and Clausen followed him, after hav- 
 ing made the boat fast. They stealthily approached 
 the cabin door, which was open, and peered in. 
 There was no evidence of the engineer there. They 
 
2IO CRUCIBLE ISLAND 
 
 then proceeded to the engine room, but he was not 
 there either. There was but one place left and that 
 Mas in the pilot house. Ascending the three or four 
 steps which led up to the door, Carl cautiously 
 opened it, and in full view, outstretched upon a 
 cushion to one side, lay the engineer, evidently asleep. 
 
 Carl stepped in and prodded the prostrate man in 
 the side with the muzzle of his revolver. The engi- 
 neer grunted and then lazily opened his eyes, which 
 grew wide in astonishment at seeing a stranger bend- 
 ing over him. Coming to a sitting posture, he stared 
 blankly at Carl for a moment. "Get up," ordered 
 Carl, as he held his revolver pointblank at the now 
 thoroughly awakened and open-mouthed engineer. 
 
 "Where did you come from, and what do you 
 want?" stammered the surprised man. 
 
 "Never mind," said Carl, "you come with me." 
 The engineer obeyed with a shrug of his shoulders, 
 as much as to say that there was no help for it. 
 Taking the man to the deck, Carl and Clausen or- 
 dered him into the boat and rowed ashore with him. 
 
 As soon as they landed Denis shouted to the engi- 
 neer, "Hands up, there!" and then to Clausen and 
 Carl, "don't you see he has his clothes on and may 
 be armed?" Whereat both Clausen and Carl felt a 
 bit sheepish, for they had entirely overlooked that 
 possibility. "Search him, Carl," said Denis, which 
 Carl forthwith proceeded to do, but found no 
 weapon upon the engineer except a jackknife, which 
 Carl put in his own pocket. The engineer was then 
 
CRUCIBLE ISLAND iit 
 
 commanded to place himself with the other pris- 
 oners. 
 
 "Denis, you and Clausen stay here on guard and 
 I will row over immediately to get Mina," and Carl 
 stepped into the boat and started across the river. 
 
 "Did you come out of the Spielgarten?" inquired 
 one of the men. 
 
 "We did," answered Denis, "thanks he to God, 
 and we'll never go back. It's a divil of a hole I tell 
 ye, and I niver want to see its likes again." Whereat 
 the man who had asked the question grinned. 
 
 "An' what's more," continued Denis, "we brought 
 a lady wid us. Carl there has just gone to fetch her. 
 An' our present intintion is to take the tug there and 
 get to the outside world, leaving ye here with our 
 compliments and best wishes, but, meanwhile, as the 
 lady will soon be here I recommend that ye put on 
 your clothes." 
 
 The prisoners proceeded immediately to dress 
 themselves while Denis went through the crowd, 
 searching to see if they might have any weapons, 
 but found none. 
 
 "Is there any of you, spalpeens," said Denis, "who 
 would like to take the voyage wid us?" None of 
 the prisoners answered. "Well, then," said Denis, 
 "we'll have to do a little impressin'. I think we will 
 stand in nade of the engineer. Here, you," pointing 
 to the engineer, "sthand aside there, we'll need your 
 services." 
 
 The prisoners began talking among themselves 
 
212 CRUCIBLE ISLAND 
 
 and finally one of the sailors stepped out from among 
 them and volunteered to go with them. "Right ye 
 are,^' said Denis, "sthand there by the engineer." 
 Two of the other men also volunteered, but Denis 
 declmed, with the remark that they had a full crew, 
 and that he did not want to weaken the garrison for 
 fear the Spielgarteners might come down upon them 
 in force. 
 
 By this time Carl was half way across the river, 
 returning with Mina. Denis suggested to Clausen to 
 go up to the barracks and secure all the cartridges 
 in the place and to see that none of the guns were 
 loaded. After this had been done and Clausen re- 
 turned, the entire party, including the engineer and 
 the sailor who had volunteered, stepped into the 
 boat, which had arrived with Carl and Mina. As 
 they rowed away Denis shouted back to the soldiers 
 on the beach, "Now, gintlemen, you can continue 
 your bathin'." They immediately boarded the tug 
 and weighed anchor, and proceeded to steam out of 
 the bay, Denis standing by the sailor who was act- 
 ing as pilot and Clausen in the engine room with the 
 engineer. 
 
 In ten minutes the entrance of the harbor was 
 reached and the tug steamed out into the open sea. 
 The sailor at the wheel turned to Denis and asked: 
 "Which way?" 
 
 Denis looked blank for an instant, then put his 
 hand to the back of his head reflectively. "Divil a 
 bit do I know. What part of the world are VvC in, 
 anyhow? I have been in that hell hole over there 
 
CRUCIBLE ISLAND 213 
 
 these tin years past, and whin I came it was in the 
 black darkness below decks of the steamer that 
 brought me. What part of the world is it, me lad?" 
 "Schlectland is about north latitude twenty-three 
 degrees and longitude seventy degrees." 
 
 "Just leave the latitude and longitude alone, me 
 boy. Little geography I've got. What I want to 
 know is, where are we?" 
 
 "Schlectland is in the Atlantic Ocean, about a hun- 
 dred miles east of the Bahama Islands, and about 
 three hundred miles from the coast of America." 
 
 "America, that's it; we'll steer sthraight for 
 America, me lad. That's the land for me, and for 
 all good Irishmen." 
 
 Meantime Clausen was plying the engineer below 
 with questions, and elicited from him about the same 
 information that Denis was getting from the sailor 
 in the pilot house above. 
 
 Clausen's mind was much relieved at this infor- 
 mation. So far they had met with extraordinary 
 good luck. Indeed, the episode of intimidating the 
 soldiers and seizing the tug had been almost rfdicu- 
 lously easy. 
 
 The engineer turned to Clausen and said: "I want 
 you to understand that I am perfectly willing to go 
 with you; there is no need of that revolver in your 
 hand." 
 
 Clausen thrust the weapon into his pocket, and 
 went up the hatchway to the deck and into the pilot 
 house. Denis had already instructed the sailor to 
 head the tug in a westerly direction. They were now: 
 
214 CRUCIBLE ISLAND 
 
 ten miles off, and Schlectland was beginning to re- 
 cede in the distance. 
 
 Mina and Carl stood together in the bow of the 
 boat. Carl held her clasped to steady her, as the 
 motion of the boat was beginning to be felt consider- 
 ably. She had never seen the sea before. The rich 
 color had come into her cheeks and her eyes sparkled 
 with a keen delight. 
 
 "It's wonderful, Carl I I never dreamed the 
 world could be like this !" 
 
 Around them the great waves were tossing with 
 white crests above the blue waters. The sky over 
 them was a deep and fleckless sapphire. They both 
 turned and looked at the island now lessening con- 
 stantly in the distance. "Thank God we are rid of 
 that," said Carl. And Mina's only reply was to 
 draw closer to him. 
 
 In the pilot house Clausen and Denis were con- 
 sulting about their course. Neither knew anything 
 about navigation and the sailor at the wheel knew 
 little more, and his knowledge of the seas to the 
 west of Schlectland was not great. "We shall have 
 to depend on you, my lad," said Clausen, "as we are 
 ignorant of both navigation and the sailing of a 
 ship. You do your best for us and we will reward 
 you amply. Are you willing?" 
 
 "Yes sir, I am," replied the sailor. "I joined you 
 of my own free will, and as long as I am with you I 
 will be glad to do all that I can.'* 
 
 Thev continued their course steadily westward, 
 and, after four hours, the only part of Schlectland 
 
CRUCIBLE ISLAND 215 
 
 visible to them was the soaring summit of Mount 
 Bebel. Carl, Clausen, Mina and Denis stood 
 grouped on the after deck, gazing at the distant 
 peak. At the end of another hour it had become a 
 hazy outline on the horizon to the east. The sun 
 was sinking, a huge red globe, into the waters before 
 them. As night fell and the stars rushed out, the 
 sea behind them became one wide waste of waters — 
 Mount Bebel, grim sentinel of their long prison- 
 house, had disappeared. They were free at last! 
 Onward the little boat ploughed through the tum- 
 bling seas to the land of liberty awaiting them be- 
 yond, America. 
 
 THE END 
 
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