He had hardly been
sufficiently awakened to break the thread of his dreams. His mind
however was disturbed by the entrance of the officer, and though he
wooed back the gentle dream, it had lost much of its charm and
brightness.
He saw Morgianna no longer wreathed in sweet smiles; her face was
expressive of distress and agony. The joy and sunlight had given place
to sorrow and gloom. What had occasioned this change?
"Morgianna, do you not love me?"
She bowed her head and wept.
"What is amiss?"
She pointed to her once beautiful home, and he discovered that it was in
flames. Painted demons, whose yells seemed to make the earthquake, were
dancing about the blazing, crackling building. Then wild cheers came
from the ocean, with the boom of a cannon.
He saw British marines, headed by Captain Snipes and Lieutenant Matson,
leap from boats and rush toward them as they stood on the beach.
"Fly! Morgianna, fly!" he cried.
She turned to run, and Fernando, all unarmed as he was, wheeled to face
the foe. Suddenly there came a rattling crash of firearms. He saw
Morgianna throw up her arms, and he sprang toward her, as she fell
bleeding at his feet. He uttered a cry of horror and became conscious of
some one shaking his shoulder.
"Wake up, for Heaven sake, awake! we are attacked!" cried the voice of
Captain Rose.
On his ear, there still came a confused noise of cries, shouts, reports
of firearms and boom of artillery.
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