The Forrest City times., 1888-03-17

CHAPTER NNxr. rHE TREASURE HUNT-FLINr's POINTER
 Jim" said Silver, when we were alone, If 1 saved your life, you saved mine; and I'll not forget it seer she doctor waving you to run for it-with the tall of my eye, ! did; and l seen you say no as plain ss hea'- ing Jim, that's one to you. This is the first glint of hope had since the attack failed, snd owe 1t you. And now, Jim, we're go ing in for this here treasure hunting, with sealed orders, too, and don't Ike lt; and You and me must stick close, back to back like and we'll save our necks in spite O fate and fortune.'
 Just then a man hailed us from the ire that breakfast was ready, and we we're soon seated here and there about the sand ovet biscuit and fried junk. They had 1t lire tt to roast sn ot and 1t was now grown so hot that they could only approach from the windward, and even there not without pre- caution In the same wasteful spirit they had cooked, suppose, three times moro than we could eat; and one 0f them, with an empty laugh. threw what was left Into the fire, which blazed and roared again over this unusual fuel never in my life saw men so careless of the morrow; hand to mouth is the only word that can describe Ah'ii Ny Ni AbiiAH Hha NAtat n'sf food and sleeping sentries, though they were bold enough for brush and be cone with It, l could see their eatlre nnfitness for any thing like prolonged campaign
 Even Silver, eating away with Captain Flint upon his shoulder, had not a word of blame for their recklessness And this the more surprised me for l thought he had never shown himself so cunning as he did then.
 "Ay, mates" said he. tits lucky you have Barbecue to think for you with this bere head 1 got what 1 wanted, did. Sure enough, they have the ship. Where they have it don't know yet; but once we hit the treasure, we'll have to jump about and find out And then, mates, us that has ,he boats, reckon, has the upper hand"
 Thus he kept running on, with his mouth full of the hot bacon; thus he restored their hope and confidence, and, more than sus- pect repaired his own at the same time.
 ''As for hostage" he continued. that's his last talk, I guess, with them he loves so dear. Pve got my piece O news, and thanky to him for that; but it's over and done. I'll take him in line when we go treasure-hunting, for we'll keen hlm like so much gold, in case of accidents you ina1a, and in the meantime, once we got the ship ana treasure lc., ho.- -a,, vr " ,-a nEe Joify fompaniOn, why then we'll talk Mr. Flaw kins over, we will, and we'll give him his share, to be sure, for all his kindness,'
 It was no wonder the men were Tn a good humor now. For my part l was horribly rast down. Should the scheme he mad now sketched prove feasible Silver already doubly a traitor. would hot hesitate to adopt it. He had still q foot in either camp, and there was no doubt he would prefer wealth and freedom with the pirates to a bare escape from hanging which was the best he had to hope on our side.
 Nay, and even if things so fell out that he was forced to keep his faith with Dr. Live fey, even then what danger lay before usl What a moment that would be when the suspicious of his followers turned to certain ty, and he and 1 should have to fight for dear life-he, cripple, and 1, a boy against five strong and active seamen!
 Add to this double apprehension, the mystery that still hung oyef the behavior of my friends; their unexplained assertion of the stockade: their inexplicable cession Of lhe chart; or, aarder still to understand, the doctors last warning to Silver, Look out for squalls when you find it." and you will readily believe how little taste found in my breakfast. and with how uneasy hart | set forth behind my captoEo oa the qnsst iol treasure.
 We made curious figure, had any one been there to see us; all in soiled sailor clothes, and all but me armed to the teeth. Silver had two guns slung about him, one before and one hehind-besides the great ,utlasS at his waist and pistol in each
 'ket of his squaTe-tailed coat. To com
 ,o his strange appearance, Captain Flint sit perched upon his shoulder and gabbled odds and ends of purposeless sea-talk. l lad ] line about my vast and followed 0be- diently after the sea-cook, who held the loose end of the rope, now in his free hand. now between his powerful teei. For all the world, was led like a dancing bear
 The other men were vaTiousl, burthened; same carrying picks and shoypls-for that had been the very first necessary they brought ashore from the Hispanioa- others laden with pork, bread, and brandy for the midday meal. All the stores 1 observed, came from our stock; ana l could see the truth of Silvers words the night before. Had he not struck a bargain with the doctor, | he and his mutineers, deserted by the the ship, must have been driven to subsist on clear water an the proceeds of their hunt ing. Water would have been little to their taste, a sailor is not usually good shot; and, besides all that when they were so short of eatables, it was not likely they would be very flush of powder.
 We'll, thus equipped, we all set out-even the fellow with the broken head, who should certainly have kept in shadow-and strag- Zled, one after another to the beach, where the two gigs awaited us. Even these bore trace of the drunken folly of the pirates, one i'm, b,,,t hot i'm, died and unbailed condition. Both were to be carried along with Us, for the sake of safety; and so, with our numbers divided between them, we set forth upon the bosom of the anchorage.
 As we pulled over, there was some discus sion on the chart. The red cross was, of i course, far too large to be guide; and the terms of the note on the back as you will hear, admitted of some ambiguity. They ran, the reader may remember, thus:
 ''fall tree, Spy glass shoulder, bearing a point to the of x. N. F.
 Skeleton Island E. $. E. and by E. Ten feet"
 A tall tree was thus the principal mark. Now, right before us, the anchorage was bounded by a plateau from two to three hundred feet high, adjoining on the north the slOping southern shoulder of the Spy glass, and rising again toward the south in- to the rough, cliffy eminence called the Mizzen-niast Hill. The top of the plateau was dotted th cllly with pine trees of vary ing height. Every here and there, one of different spec es rose forty or fifty feet clear above it's neighbors, and which of these was the particular tall tree' of Captain Flint could only l" decided on the spot and by the readings ef the compass.
 Yet although that was the case, every man on boar the boats had picked a favor ite of his own ere we were half way over, Long John aloue struggling his shoulders and bidding them walt till they were there. We pulled easily, by Silver's directions, not to weary the hands prematurcly; and, after quite a long passage landed al the mouth Of the second river-that which runs down a woody cleft of the Spyglsss. Thence, bending to our left we began to as- cend the slope toward the rlaleau.
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