The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1888-08-02
TIE BURIED TREASURE.


where the waves arc breaking gently.
This IS n barra-a tidal creek. and its
cove IS smooth and peaceful, beng wen
protected l., a line Of breakers that here
lie farther ont from shore than Is usual
i'm 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
po;ni from the sea into the creek, thence
opening inland; and presently the frail
vessel grounds and two men leap ashore
aud draw the canoe up beyond danger OF
drifting
SO brief is the twilight Of the tropics
that it is fairly nightfall rs they alight 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 blackbrds have
flown homo 10 their night launts, ana
the bclatcd gulls are winglDg toward
their craggy nests. In the edge OF the
darEened water the mangrOves rustic
sadly. the broad banana leaves wave III
the plantation farther inland toward the
savarnahs. The mournful cry OF the
lurking iackal resounds from the thicket,
and from the forest comes the roar OF the
tigcr-the jaguar, while thousand In
sects call from the Jungle. Nature
seems calling t. 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 CLEAN Of the myriad
fire flies against their formless 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 10 where their canoe lay canted
upon the sands.
Just Wonder in the thickot, says one,
lis the spot | have marked out on the
parchment that we have left in you
sea chest. that each Of us might be able
TO trace the way again should aught be
fall the other You can sec the palms !
spoke Of two tall but slender ones, grow
ing close together
IL see" says the other, briefly; ''it is
not far 10 carry, and well enough for us,
for the load is heavy enough"
There are not many who would COM
L.. e e ,l
companion. "if it were theirs for the
carrying. And it is ours, beyond ques
ton. No o-c can claim it from us,
though if our comrades knew of our
having it they might determine to take a
share by foul or los fair means.
They have como TO the boat now and
are lifting out the load from ia mas
sivc looking Golfer, under whose weight
the two. with their forces combined, still
staggcr And so they so unsteadily up
the bank and into the jungle, to the foot
of the tail young palm trees, and there,
plying the spade and mattock with a
right good will. 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 bower into il the heavy, precious
Golfer.
"And now to bury our treasure" Gays
he who has first spoken. "to cover it over
so well that none but ourselves can find
it ever.
ave bury it deeply" says the other
"for thc heavy lying earth betrays no
secrets.
IL am not so sure Of that, returns the |
former; las the sea gives up its dead
from time 10 time, so the earth has been |
known to lay bare ghaslly buried hor-
rors - the sentence is never finished. |
As the speaker has been STOPPING IL push |
into the pit the loose lying earth, his com
panion. Grasping the mattock has half |
lifted it now and then iresolutcly, and at |
last he lifts it suddenly on high and sends |
II crashing down upon the skull Of the |
defenseless, unsuspecting man before him. |
A traitoTous. cOwardly murder 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
md still forever.
The assassin stands stoclsstill for few |
moments, gazing upon the work of his
hands. upon the ruin he 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, pushing it with the mattock,
avoiding its touch with his
hands. Then hurrieily, fran;ically, he
throws the dirt upon il until the pit is
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 oil The dead man, the
ground about it is tranpled md indentcd,
and even one spot, ominously darker
than the rest, where the moonbeams
stream through the palm leaves, shows
where the lie blood Of the murdered
man had poured ont, in piteous waste
and spoilirg.
Bat the red handed one no longer notes
.ught Of this. The silence and tho soli-
.Gdc of the spot weigh upon him with q
potent, dreadful terror. and his only
hourbt and care il 20 flee from il. Why.