Litchfield enquirer., 1873-02-27

were of that kind, and as the ground was
 all broken up with steep ravines and over
 grown with shrub, you may fancy what Q
 piece of work we had to keep the line, ,and get the right post at the end of it. We
 had to start up the side of the ridge, and
 as we got within Q couple of hundred feet
 of the summit, 1t was as steep as the side
 of house. As we got higher and the
 ground oceanic sleeper, there were fewer
 big trees, but the undergrowth got thick
 CT than ever. It was just ten o'clock, and
 we were nearly at the top, when the Doc
 tor, who was leading, gave whoop, and
 scrambled up the bank in front, on all-
 fours; we all followed at double-quick,
 and in another minute were on smooth
 ground again. The ridge seemed to have
 been broken here, making sort of gap
 the ground falling away rapidly on. each
 side; and then, just in the center of the
 little plateau was aboutsthe biggest tree
 ever saw; it was jiccatybar, and the
 one we wanted. That tree, mind, was
 67 feet round, and went up straight as the
 mainmast of three-decker for a good 120 feet without-a branch; then 1t broke of into five great arms, five or six feet thick they seemed, but all grown over, and GOV
 errd with anchids and suchlike There
 were two old macaws sitting up near the
 top and croaking to each other, with their
 heads all on one side squinting st us; and
 it struck me, expressing their opinion that
 we must be blamee set of fools anyhow,
 to come sweating and swearing up the mountain-side on the ground instead of by the tree-tops, like other monkeys.
 One of our boys fired his revolver at them, and they flew off into the woods; and, believe, took our luck with them.
 q never saw another pair all the time l was in the island). When We had got our breath, and taken, drink, we all fell to examining and measuring the tree.
 '' Whats this ? said Dick Gregory, pointing to mark in the bark
 I. Anyhow, we'll see, and so I set to felt something hard, and, after whiting bit more, found on the edge of my knife bit of stuff that shone like gold And big copper bolt, inches long, which had the bark had closed. Now in the old in structions 1t said that the cache was at certain distance from this tree measured
 : and there round the head of the bolt and completely encased in bark we found some strands of hemp. That old bolt had been used to .taste3a the nseasoYi,1g line to. I don't think there were a dozen more pleased men in the world than us, as we rested under the shade of that jiccatybar that morning. But we didn't spend much time in resting; we had plenty of work hoforo Snn1awbaro in bo va1loxr 4hat sloped down from our feet was the treas- ure, but it's exact position could only be determined by following the line of the shadow of the big tree, as projected at 6.r5 a. m. on the 17th day of a certain month years before. Now the old leaves from the log book in which the observa- tions had been written, the upper corner had been torn off, so that we never knew the month, though the rest of the date was clear enough: and to this slight flaw in the chain we owed all our troubles. We employed the afternoon in clearing away the undergrowth as nearly as we could judge in the line of our future ex- ploratlons, so as to be able to get good view of the valley from the great tree looking N. W. This we did, and before sundown sufficient timber was down to enable us to get an uninterrupted view all over the valley, and right down to the shore three or four miles distant. Some of us voted to fetch up keg of water and to camp out where we were; others propos- ed returning to the ship for the night, none caring to face the mosquitoes and sand flies down on the beach again. At last It was sttled that the Doc, with about half-a- dozen, including two who were com blaming of sickness, should return to the ship, while l and four others should camp where we were. The three previous days had Jagged us all, and we soon turned in; but for my part, after two or three inef- fectual effor, s, to doze of, quietly got up and, lighting fresh cigar. seated myself on a rock just within the belt of black shadow cast by the great tree. Insensibly fell into reverie, in which the present, the past, and the future were strangely blended. From where sat I could dis tinctly see the little steamer lying at an- chor outside the reef; the night was so clear, the moonlight so bright, that I al- most fancied could distinguish objects on her deck. Then began trying to pie ture them to myself-two or three men on watch-others lying about the deck asleep the Doc and one or two more stretched out on chars under the little awning aft, smoking cheroots and indulging in iced shangaree, and talking together in low tones. I could almost hear the murmur of their voices and the wash of the tiny waves rippling along the sides of the yes sel and splashing under the counter, as she ever and anon rocked slightly to and fro as she felt the ground-swel or the slight power of of the sea-breeze, which was just springing up and whispering softly through the tree-tops. Was it the tree-tops? No; the land was too far off; 1t must have been the light tracery of spars and rigging standing out indistinct- ly against the starlit sky. How they have changed the look of the boat since morn ing What rake they have given to the topmasts Surely there were no such spare spars on board; nor had she even sail bent What strange madness posses ses me An icy chill seems to strike to my very bones-a vague terror possesses my very soul; but cannot fy-a power that cannot resist seems to urge me to look: the steamer herself seems changed "a long, low schooner with spars raking considerably, and appearing too big for her, her mainsail and foresail brailed up and Tapping heavily in the night breeze; an awning extending fore and aft, and protected by it from the heaey night dew, forward of the mainmast, some fifty or sixty men-rough withholding men of every nationality and colour, lying about in every position, sleeping heavily. For ward, sitting on the heel of the bowsprit. are two men on watch. Aft, the officer on duty is slowly pacing to and fro on the small quarter-deck; TOUT 9-pounder car- ronades are mounted on either side, whilst amidships is long gun of Spanish make, profusely and grotesquely ornamented, as was the fashion fifty years ago. Below l. find another group; they too are on watch. They sit silently smoking and playing cards by the light of a rude lantern. Piled up against the buik-head behind them are heavy chests filled to the lid with broad silver dollars fresh from the mint of Mexico, rolls of valuable silks, silver-mounted pistols, and swords, watch es and valuables of all kinds. Aft in the cabin are still others; dark bearded, broad, stalwart man. looks over another who is writing to the dictation of a third, who is carefully repacking in an arm-chest plunder also like that guarded by the sail