Waterbury evening Democrat., 1888-04-03
WATERBURY EVENING DEMOCRAT. TUESDAY, APRIL 3. 1888


 most, he meant that should help him to sail the schooner to an island and bury the plate and money-which done he would take the first opportunity to murder me. His chance of meeting with ship that would lend him assistance to navigate the schooner would be as good if he were alone in her as if I were on board too. There would be nothing, then, in this consideration to hinder him from cut ting my throat after we had buried the treasure and were got north. Two motives would imperatively urge him to make away with me: first, that should not be able to serve as witness to his being pirate; and, next, that he alone should possess the secret of the treasure
 He little knew what was passing in my mind as he surveyed me through the curls of smoke spouting up from his deaths head pipe talked easily and confidentially; but l saw in his gaze the eyes of my murderer, and was so sure of his intentions that had I shot him in self defense as he sat there, I am certain my conscience would have acquitted me of his blood.
 passed two most uneasy hours in my cot before closing my eyes. I could think of nothing but how to secure myself against the Frenchman's treachery. You would suppose that my mind must have been engrossed with considerations of the several possibilities of the morrow; but that was not so My re- factions ran wholly to the bald headed, evil eyed pirate whom in an evil hour I had thawed into being, and who was like to dis charge the debt of his own life by taking mine. The truth is, had been too hard ct work all day-too full of the business of planning, cutting, testing and contriving- to find leisure to dwell upon what he had said at breakfast; and now that I lay alone in darkness, it was the only subject could set tie my thoughts to.
 However, next morning found myself less gloomy, thanks to several hours of solid sleep. thought: What is the good of an tcipatings Suppose the schooner is crushed by the ice, or becomes jammed in conse- quence of the explosiona Until we are under way-nay, until the treasure is buried-I have nothing to fear, for the rogue cannot do without me. And, reassuring myself in this fashion, went to the cook room and lighted the fire; my companion presently arrived, and we sat down to our morning meal
 We breakfasted in silence, and then rose, saying: "Let us now see what the gunpowder is going to do for us"
 The wind, as before, was in the southwest, blowing without much weight, but the sky
 
 clouds, with a tint of rainbows in their shoulders and skirts, amid which the sky showed clear liquid blue. Those clouds seemed to promise wind, and perhaps snow, anon; but there was nothing to hinder our operations. We got upon the ice and went to work to fix matches to the barrels and bags, and to sling them by the beams we had contrived, ready for lowering when the matches were fired, and this occupied us the best part of two hours. When all was ready l fired the first match, and we lowered the barrel smartly to the scope of line we had settled upon; so with the others You may reckon we worked with all imaginable wari- ness, for the stuff we handled was mighty deadly; and if barrel should fall and burst, with the match alight, we might be blown in an instant into rags, it being impossible to tell how deep the rents went
 The bags being lighter, there was less to fear; and presently all the barrels and bags, with the matches burning, were poised in the places and hanging at the depth we had fixed upon, and we then returned to the schooner the Frenchman breaking into run, and tumbling over the rail, in his alarm, with the dexterity of a monkey.
 Each match was supposed to burn an hour, so that when the several explosions happened they might all occur as nearly as possible at once, and we had therefore long time to wait. The margin may look unreasonable in the face of our dispatch; but you will not think it unnecessary if you consider that our machinery might not have worked very smooth, and that meanwhile all that was lowered was in the way of exploding. So interminable period as now followed I do believe never entered before into the expert ences of man. The cold was intense, and we had to move about; but also were we repeatedly coming to @ halt to look at our watches and cast our eyes over the ice. It was like standing under a gallows with the moose around the neck, waiting for the cart to move off. My own suspense became torture; but I commanded my face The Frenchman, on the other hand, could not control the torments of his expectation and fear.
 "Holy Virging' he would cry, Suppose we are blown up too! suppose we are ingulfed in the ice suppose it should be vomited up in vast blocks, which in falling upon us must crush us to pulp and smash the decks imp
 It was three or four minutes past the hour, and was looking hreathlessly at my watch when the first of the explosions took place. Before the ear could we'll receive the shock of the blast the whole of the barrels exploded, along with some twelve or fourteen parcels Tassard, who stood beside me, fell on his face, and believed he had been killed. It was so hellish thunder that suppose the blowing up of first rate could not make a more frightful roar of noise. A kind of twi- light was caused by the rise of the volumes of white smoke out of the ice The schooner shook with such convulsion that was per suaded she had been split. Vast showers of splinters of ice fell as if from the sky, and rained like arrows through the smoke; but if l. not touch the ship Meanwhile the other parcels were exploding in their places, some times two and three at time, sending sort of sickening spasm and throe through the fabric of the vessel, and you heard the most extraordinary grinding noises rising out of the ice all about, as though the mighty rupt- ure of the powder cracked through leagues of the island. durst not look forth till all the powder had burst lest should be struck by some flying piece of ice; but unless the schooner was injured below she was as sound bofore and in eract1v fhe sar,o y,<cfrra