Wichita eagle., 1888-08-15
THE BURIED TREASURE.

The sunset light covers with splendid
glow the coast Of the Pacific, and bathes
In beauty the sands Of lonely beach,
where the waves are breaking gently.
This is barra-a tidal creek, and its
cove is smooth and peaceful, being well
protected by line of breakers that here
lie farther out from shore than is usual
In such places. Black against the back
ground of crimson and gold with which
the great orb decks his descent TO his
tomb, a boat looms up, rounding the
point from the sea into the creek, thence
opening inland; and presently the frail
vessel grounds and two men leap ashore
and draw the canoe up beyond danger Of
drifting.
SO brief is the twilight Of the tropics
that it is fairly nightfal as they ahght on
the bank The stars are coming out and
reflect themselves in the sea, and far
away CLEAN the lights from scattered
cabins. The chattering blackbirds have
flown home 70 their night haunts, and
the belated guIls are winging toward
their craggy nests. In the edge of the
darkened water the mangroveS rustic
sadly, the broad banana leaves wave in
the plantation farther inland toward the
savannahs. The mournful CRY of the
lurking jackal resounds from the thicket,
and from the forest comes the roar OF the
tiger-the iaguar, while thousand in
sects call from the jungle. Nature
seems calling to rest; sea, heaven and
earth, all animated creatures appear to
be at prayer. The only sounds Of activ-
ity are the splashes of the countless fish
that leap into the air and fall back into
the placid, onward flowing water of the
barra, and the ftful gleam of the myriad
fire flies against their fOrnless back
ground. Even these, however, show the
light Of their greenish, phosphorescent
lamps but languidly, as if they lacked
energy or stimulus for more sustained
glow.
The men from the boat, who had sat
down upon the bank, as if weary from
their task Of rowing, arise as the moon
climbs slowly up from the horizon, and
turn to where their canoe lay canted
upon the sands.
Just yonder in the thicket, says one.
sis the spot have marked out on the
parchment that we have left IL your
sea chest, that each Of US might be able
70 trace the way again should aught be-
fall the other. You can see the palms I
spoke of, two tall but slender ones, grow
ing close together. y
Il see, )" says the other, briefly; ''it IS
not far TO carry, and well enough for Us,
for the load is heavy enough"
There are not many who would COM
plain of the weight Of ii" rejoins his
COMPANION, IF it were theirs for the
carrying. And it is ours, beyond ques-
ton. No one can claim it from us,
though if our comrades knew of our
having It they might determine TO take
share by foul or by fair means.
They have come TO the boat now and
are lifting out the load from it-a mas
sive looking Golfer, under whose weight
the two, with their forces combined, still
stagger. And so they go unsteadily up
the bank and into the jungle, TO the foot
OF the tall young palm trees, and there,
plying the spade and mattock with a
right good viii, they soon have dug pit
among the nodding ferns and other herb
age, rank and clustering, and with many
a groan and straining Of knotted sinews,
they lower into it the heavy, precious
Golfer.
And now TO bury our treasure" says
he who has first spoken, ito cover it over
SO well that none but ourselves can find
it ever
Aye, bury it deeply" says the other.
''for the heavy lying earth betrays re
secrets"
1T or,, ,,o+ 60 c,,ra Of +I,o+ ro+,,,--,S tho
former; las the sea gives UP its dead
from time to time, so the earth has been
known to lay bare gksstly buried hor-
roTs''- the sentence Is never finished.
As the speaker has been STOPPING 10 push
into the pit the loose lying earth, his COM
panion, grasping the nlattock, has half
lifted it now and then irresolutely. and at
last he lifts it suddenly on high and sends
i crashing down upon the skull of the
detenseless, unSuspecting man before him.
i traitorouS, cowardly murClerl The
victim falls in a huddled, shapeleSs mass;
his body is convulsed in one or two long,
horrible quivers, and then that form, SO
lately full Of strength and vigor, is inert
and still forever.
The assassin stands stockstiu for a few
moments, gazing upon the work Of his
hands, upon the ruin be has wrought.
Then he turns hastily away from the spot,
and even takes few wild steps toward
the creek side, but suddenly he stops, re-
turns, thrusts the body into the pit above
the treasure, pushingit with the rnattock,
carefully avoiding its touch with his
hands. Then hurriedly, franticalIy. he
rhroyrS tba dirt ,1-an- IL until the mr. *
level with the surrounding plain, ere he
turns away again. The freshly moved
earth shows plainly its disturbance, a
largish mound remains, displaced by the
box and the body of the dead rIan, the
ground about it Is tranpled and indented,
and even one spot, oEnirously darker
than the rest. where the moonbeams
stream through the palm leaves, shows
where the life blood OF the murdered
man had poured out, in piteous waste
and spelling.
BIT the red handed one no longer notes
aught CT this. The silence and the soli-
tude Of the spot weigh upon him with
potent, dreadful terror. and his only
thought and care Is to fee from il. Why.
the very palms above his head, ruS1lirg
their leaves at hun LOUDLY. are accusing
him. be thinks, with Ineligible voices
So he dashes nnadly through the low
growth of the jungle. and reaching the
boat. leaps IN, casts loose the rope and
uushes of il haste from that shore ac-
cursed.
But has he let his sin and his awful
fear behind hiIni Not 50. Even hare.
Il