Litchfield enquirer., 1873-02-27

others PEozpeeted about. and tried likely p1Rses fsw yards father of. and so on bat with 10 results. Then as evening be- ga7 Co close ins we silently and one bv enc Qzifted work, and came out of the gulen up to the foot of the big tree again. In the morning we had thrown together roughly some logs. so as to make a sort oG cover m case of an attack: and here eight of us were to pass the night and guard the workings which could easily be seen in the clear moonlight. Those whose l0t it was to return to the ship started about twilight, taking with them in . hammock one of the party who had been seized with the same symptoms as those the day before. He had in a few h0un become quite hght-headed; and they were obliged to take away his knife and revolver, to prevent his doing some Of us or himself mischief.
 The disappointment caused by the 1ns1eceasfu1 days work, coupled with the illness of our friends. and the strange encounter of the previous night, made us the reverse of a jovial party under the olg liceatybar tree that night No one volunteered q song, and no one seemed 10 care to talk and so, guard being set, and relisfs arranged, one by one we fell asleep. | confess the remembrance of my nocturnal experiences kept me awake for some time but finally I snoozed of. and did not awake till the watch aroused me to take my spell 'on guard The night passed Quietly-not a sound, not an indication of there being living soul on the island but ourselves. Morning came, and with 1t a fresh supply of pluck to the whole party We hastily finished break fast. and hurried of to our shafts and eross-cuts, each returning to where he had left of work the night before. Hard- lv had taken up my pick when hurried call from Charley Burt brought us all to his location He had been working in soft earth the day before, and had thrown up quite heap of it. He was now stand ing m his claim stepping forward and examining his heap
 Look here boysl" says he; Pat was not dreaming after all. guess there is none of you got a hoof to match HGt track, have your
 Sure enough there, deeply impressed m the soft black soil, was the print of a human foot. doubt if Robinson Crusoe ever examined the first footprint he found with half the eagerness we did that one: but there was not much to be made of it beyond that it was a foot track certain sure, and a big one at that-the biggest any of us had ever seen, wish now we could have measured it, but 1t seems to me that 1t must have been fourteen inches long If it was onei At least none of our crowd was up to it, though have known some Indians who might have: yes, and Dyaks too-they could track a bird, I think As it was, we thought we could touch on it here and there, bat nothing came of our search; and when the rest of the party came from the ship, they tried and could make nothing of it either. Bad news they brought. One of our compan- ions had died in the night, and M'Gill had -emained on board with the other three sick, one of whom seemed almost gone. | felt there was no hope for him, for his face came back dimly to me as one of the five had seen in my dream. Dog gedly and silently we worked on through all the weary hours of that day. The sun seemed to pour down in all its concerns strated heat into thatlonely gulch-the air more dense and stagnant-the sun seem. ed to beat down into ones brain and caase fearful agony Sick and giddy, at length I threw down my spade and stag gered back to the camp. I remember hearing Seth Parker's voice speaking kind ly in his rough way, and feeling some one supporting me and guiding me. Then all seemed to become indistinct, and re- member no more.
 :
 ''It was near three weeks after this. as l afterward found, that I awoke from what appeared to have been a long deep sleep. I had a faint consciousness of be- ing deadly sick and weak, so weak that my arms felt like lead when I tried to move them. I dimly recognised the well known hospital ward at Panama; then I slept again. When awoke my head was clearer. and I tried to speak to M'Gill who was standing by my bedside; the sight of him brought back in a confused way the events of the past up to when I gave up work that fearful afternoon. I tried to ask M'Gill what had happened. but I could hardly whisper; and it was not till after several days that he gave me the closing scenes of our unfortunate expedi- tiOn. It seemed that after was taken i'll. l was at once carried on board ship; where MGin was engaged in nursing the other three patients. We were all down with the same complaint, jungle fever of the most deadly kind, next day added three more to the sick list, and another death occurred. For two more days did the treasure-seekers work on literally with death in their midst; and it was not till a third of our party had sunk that the quest was for the time abandoned. During the run to Panama another sank, and one more in the hospital after landing-sAnd, O'Brien, my boy,' said M'Gill, kindly. for days and days I feared you would make the sixthI No, Doc, no, mutter. cd l. There tcere only .tfUe hat night! I was just dozing of again from weak ness, I suppose, but heard M'Gill say to the attendant, The laddie's wandering again, but he'll pull through
 ''It was not till some days after that MGin would tell me all that had hap pened. It was a weary tale of disappoint- ment; and I mind feeling so heart-sick and down at the time that heartily wished I had been one of the five, and hardly care to think of it now.
 "'TO cut matters short, it appeared that the only explanation M'Gill and the rest could give of our failure was. that each monta the shadow thrown by the big tree would fall on different ground-I don't see why 1t should. but they say so; and thats not knowing the month, we had gone
 
 would never give it up, if he had to make eleven more trips. But, as for me, kind CT felt I had had enough of treasures seek ing and the Cocos Island; and then ] couldt get rid of that face, which fairly haunted me; so I concluded to try my luck at the diggings, and haven't beer near Panama since.
 There, boys, that's the yarn, but it's run out longer than reckoned. Goldey I sayl Charley,-why, if the boys ain I asleep, Thunder.'
 NOTE-The story of the Lost Secret O. the Cocos Group is true-that is, all tho leading facts happened much as I have tried tO tell them-but since several oi the party are still (to the best of my be hefl alse. and being so, have certainly never for moment gwen up the intention of trying again. names, dates, and To cAlltles ksve been, for obvious reasons altered by ''the RarTator."