The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1878-01-11


what pretty nigh cosr him his life''
Il quite understand that, Hans; but
you We never told me an untruth yet and |
don't believe you're going to begin now"
"Thank you, SIR said the old fellow
looking pleased. "Well, if you'll wait a
minute I'll tell you all, just as it happen
ed.''
lie rolled away across the deck, and went
below, but soon came up again with a
leather bag in his hand. l had seen it be
fore and knew he kept his treasures in it,
so put aside my newspapers and settled
to comfortable smoke while listening to
the story which Hans told, as follows
Some few years ago-it was about '63,
L reckon-there was q very bad time ont in
these parts. / don't know how it happen
ed-tbough perhaps you do, sir-but trade
seemed altogether at a standstill. Some
firms sent their men adrift aud laid up their
ships, for Il was no good fetching things
when there was nobody to buy them when
they was fetched others held on and did
a little bit here and a little bit there, pot
tering in aud out among the islands for
log or two OF mahogany or sandal wood, or
a birds nest, or whatever came handy.
But there was norbing doing to speak of,
| and the town was as full as it could hold of
men that bad much better been atioat.
Il was sent adrift early. | was no3 sail
ing for this firm then, and, as ! was pretty
well off when | got ashore, | didu't trou-
BILE myself for "a few weeks for Id Glanced
on a boarding house where the grub was
good and they made me comfortable, but
as time went on, and there came no chance
! of work, | didn't like it, and what was
more, the missus at the boar ding house
didn't like it either. She had need to be
sharp with such a set of beech combers as
was about then, and I'm not blaming her
! for when the money goes the welcome goes
with 1t, all the world overland mine had
nearly come to an end, and my berth wasn't
| what it used to be. | stirred about to see
what work | could find, but there was
nothing in my line. Owners were afraid
| to RISK their money, and a good many had
! hard work to keep on at all, and | could
not hear anything moving in the way was
| used to. But after a while was told of a
| small craft that was going out to pick up
| cargo for the China malket-nestS, sharks,
| GogfislI, anything they could lay hands on;
! aud, though didn't half fancy the lot on
! board. | GOT shipped and went with her.
"The skipper was native, and we'd two
| chaps that it was all could do to put up
with-Eulopeans they were too, but I'm
| blest If they hadn't turned Mahometans :;
| aud to see them a bowling and scrapiug
| 10 the prophet, and carrying on their games
! about Mecca, and all that bOsh, it were
| enough to turn fellow sick, and them
! born Christians, too. However, | kept a
| quiet tongue and said nothing, though it
! xould have done me good score of times
to tell them bit Df my mind. At the
! fishing grounds we had very fair luck, and
! got tidy lot of sharks besides"
'What did you get them for?' | asked.
"Biess you, sir, them CT inamen will eat
| anything. The uastier it is the better they
like it. Dried shark andIpickled fins fetch
lots of money out there. But of course the
nests was what we looked to make profit
| by; and the skipper took run Cor tie is
| land. But he hadn't any luck to speak Of
! till lie got a private word from Singapore
| boat of a cave i'll one of the islands, that
| ships did not often go near; not knowing
there was anything to go for, We should
never have heard of it, only the skipper,
! being a Singapore man himself, got the
! hint from his friends.
! cit was pretty place when we reached
| it, that island was, or, more properly speak
| ing, there was two, and We dropped anchor
| between them in what locked like a bay,
| though there was narrow passage right
! up at the far end.
| "'There were lots of swallows fving
| about, but where to find the cave and their
/ nests bothered us altogether. We looked
/ far about from the sea, and then went
! ashore and worked along the cliffs, and
| wherever there was dark place one of the
! Cingalese went over to search but not an
! opening could we find, aud the skipper got
! wild to see the birds, aud know there was
prize close by and not able to find it. and
| after day or two he offered twenty dollars
to any Que who could discover the entrance.
"Ihe ship was anchored ard there was
nothing doing, except that the divers were
! after pearl oyster and coral, or whatever
| they could 1iud underneath so we men
used to go prospecting, and one day | got
| leave and took little bamboo bOat-we'd
lot Of 'em aboard, packed one inside the
other-and wen: off to see what could do.
| rowed right up the bay to the eud, aud
found marrow little bit of water that took
turn round a steep rock and then brought
me into wide water again. | hadn't gone
far III il when chap hailed me from the
shore, so | ran in aud found he was one of
those Germans who spend Ill their time
getting binds and beasts and flowers and
insects. There's lots of 'em about the
island, sir; and they go pretty nigh of
their heads If you show them beetle that
is out of the common, no matter how ugly
the brute may be. | never could see no
reason in such goings on out | had not
noticed before that they are wonderful
soft about telling things that other people
would want to keep To themselves--same
as they are wild to get hold of what we
should be glad to let alone so, after we
had had little chat, | asked him if he'd
dropped across any Caves or Openings about
there.
9 oh, yes, he says quite willing. There's
a large one not far off. | passed it only
last night, aud should have gone in, only
hadn't got my gun, aud there was some
thing queer docking out of it but | shall
be round there again soon,"
- Shall you 2 thinks |. Then I'll Just
go and look round fl St
''He told me where it was, and away
went, thinking l was sure of the twenty
| dollars reward.
The opening was not large one, but
/ as soon as i ran the boat inside [ could see
that it was big place, and no mistake
/ about 1t being the one we wanted. There
| were nests stuck on the walls and nests
! banging from he roof, and before began
| knocking .hese down | stepped To think
| whether 1T would be safe to keep it ali
] dark, and make "a venture myself when we
| goi back again 10 8atavIa--ior those nests
| fetch lot of money, yen know, sir. IL
was very tempting, bu il was not very safe:
} So | made up my mind 70 let i out. aud
began knocking down i.ests with my push