Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1888-06-28
CHAPTER XXI
WE EXPLODE THE MINES.

CHAPTER XXI.
WE EXPLODE THE MINES.
don't design to weary you with a close
account Of our proceedings. How we opened
the main deck hatch, rugged up tackles,
eiapplng purchases on the falls, as the cap
stan was hard frozen and immovGblc: how
we hoisted the powder barrels on deck, and
then by tackles on the foreyGrd lowered them
over the sides how we filled a number Of bags
which we found in the forecastlc with pow
der; how we measured the cracks in the ice.
and sawed a couple OF spare studdingsail
booms into lengths to serve as beams whereby
TO poise the barrels and bags-would make
bat sailors talk, half of which would be I'M
intelligibte and the rest wearisorne.
The Irenchnan worked hard, and we
snatched only half an hour for our dinner.
The split that had happened in the ice during
the night showed by daylight es a gulf be-
tsyixt eight and ten feet wide at the seward
end, thinning to width of three feet, never
less, to where it eEdod, ahead Of the ship, in
hundred cracks in the ice that showed rs il
thpmderbolt had fallen just there. looked
into this rent, but it was as black as q well
past certain depth and there was no CLEAN
of water. When we went over the side to
iS-A ONA III - btlA w VI iO0utl 10 Aie SlIOl
where we meant to lower it, the FrenchInau
marched up to the figure of Trcntanove, and,
with no more reverence than a boy would
show in throwing a stone at a jackass, tum-
blcd him into tbs chasm. lie then stepped
up to the body Of the Portuguese boatswain,
dragged him to the same fissure and rolled
him into it.
"There" cried he; "now they are properly
buried"
And with this he went coolly on with his
work.
| said nothing, but was secretly heartily
disguised with this brutal disposal Of his
miserable shipmates' remains. However, il
was his doing, not mine; and | confess the
removal of those silent witnesses was a very
great relief to me, albeit when | considered
how Tassard had been awakened, and how
both the mate and the boatswain might have
been brought to by treatment, felt as though
after a manner tho Fronehman had COM
mitted murder by burying them 50.
We got our supper and sat smoking and
discu sing our situation and chances Tas-
sard was tired, and this and our contempla-
ton Of the probabilities of the morrow so
beIed his mind, and he talked with a certain
gravity. lie drank spareiy end forbore the
hideous recollections or inventions he was
used to bestow on ne, and indeed could find
nothing to talk about but the explosion and
what it was to do for US. | was very glad
he did not again refer TO his project to bury
the treasure and carry the schooner to the
Tortugas. The subject fired his blood, and
it was such nonsense that the mere naming
OF it was nauscous to me. Eight and forty
years had passed since his ship fell in with
this ice, and not tenfold the treasure III the
held might have purchased for him the sight
of so much as a single bone of the youngest
of those associates whom he idly dreamed of
seeking and shipping and sailing in command
of Yet imbccile as was his scheme, having
regard to the half century that had elapsed,
] clearly witnessed tho menace to me that il
implied. His views were to be read as plainly
Us if he had delivered them First and fore
most, he meant that l 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 a 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 q witness to his being pirate; and
next, that he alone should possess the secret
OF the treasure.
lie little knew what was passing III my
mind as he surveyed me through tie curls of
smoke spouting up from his deaths head
pipe. talked easily and coatidentially; but
/ saw in his gaze the eyes of my murderer,
and was so sure of hi7 intentions that had
shot him in self defense as he sat there, am
certain my conscience would have acquitted
me Of his blood.
passed two most uneasy hours in my cot
before closing my eyes | could think of
nothing but how to secure myself against the
Frenchmans 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-
Elections ran wholly to the bald headed, evil
eyed pirate whom in an evil hour l 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 at
work all day-too full of the business of
planning, cutting, testing and contriving-
to find leisure to dwell upon what be had said
at breakfast; and now that 1 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 l thought: What is the good Of an
| ticipating? Suppose the schooner is crushed
by the ice, or becomes jammed in conse
qucnco of the cxplosions Until we are under
way-nay, until the treasure is buried
have nothing to fear, for the rogue cannot dc
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: "L.et us now see what the gunpowdeI
is going to do for us.n
Tho wind, as before, was in the southwest
blowing without much weight, but the sky
was overcast with great masses Of white
clouds, with a tint Of rainbows in theil
shoulders and skirts, amid which the sky
| showed a clear liquid blue. Those clouds
seemed to promise wind, and perhaps snow
anon; but there was nothing to hinder oul
| operations. We got upon the ice ard went
to work to fix matches to the barrels anc
bags, and to sling them by the beams we haC
contriyed, ready for lowering when the
matches were fred, and this occupied us Tho
best part of two hours When all was ready
fired the first match, and we lowered The
barrel snartly to the scope Of line we hat
settled upon; so with the others. You may
| reckon we worked with all imaginable wari
ness for the stuff VIC handled was mighty
deadly; and if a barrel should fail and burst
with the match alight, We might be blown il
an instant into rags, it being impossible tC
tell how deep the rents went.
The bags being lighter, there was less *
fear; and presently al tho 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 tho schooner
the Frenchman breaking into run, and
| tunbling over the rail, in his alarm, with tbs
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 a long time t.
wait. The margin may look unreasonable
in the face Of our dispatch: but you viii not
think it unnecessary if you consider that our
machinery might not have worked very
I smooth. and that meanwhile al that was