The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1888-05-27

m,uu nv s,-vryc<yine through the curis cs
smoke spoutins up from his deaths head
nine talked easily and confidcn,ially; but
/ saw in his gaze the eyes OF my murderer,
and was so sure of his intentions that bad
shot him in self defense us he sat there, am
| certain INV conscience would have acquitted
me Of his blood
| passed two most uneasy hours in my cot
before closing nv eyes ! could think Of
nothing but how to secure myself against the
Frenchmans trcachcry. .ou would suppose
| that nv mind must have been eiigroSScd "itfl
| considerations Of the several possibilities OF
the morrow; bu, that was not so. MY re
Elections ran wholly to the bald headed, evil
owed pirate whom in an evil hour i had
| thawcd 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-
J TO find leisure TO dwell upon what he had said
At breakfast: and now that | 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
ticipating! Suppose the schooner Is crushed
| by the ice. or becomes janmed in conSe-
quence Of the explosions Until we are under
way-nay, until the treasure is burled-l
have nothing to fear, for the rogue cannot DO
without me And, reassuring myself III TINS
fashion | went to the cook room and Lighted
| the fire: my companion presently arrived,
| and we sat down 10 our morning meal.
| We breakfasted in silence, and then | rose,
saying: "Let Us now see what the gunpowder
| is going 10 do for u.s."
The wind, as before was in the southwest,
blowing without much weight, but the sky
was overcast with great masses OF white
clouds. with tint of ralnbows 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
10 work 10 fix matches 10 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
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 war;
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 20
tell how deep the rents went
The bags being lighter, there was less 10
| 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 20 the schooner
the Frenchman breaking into rum and
tumblng over the rail, in his alarm, with the
dexterity of a monkey.
Each match was supposed 70 burn an hour.
| 80 that when the several explosions happened
they might all occur a. nearly as possible at
once and we had therefore a long time 70
wait The margin may look unreasonable
/ in the face of our dispatch, but You win not
think it unnecessary il you consider that our
machinery might not have worked very
smooth, and that meanwhile all that was
lowered was in the way Of exploding. 50
intermnable period rs now followed | 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 70 look at our
watches and east our eyes over the ice, 1t
was like standing under gallows with the
moose around the neck, waiting for the cart
to move off Ny own suspense became
torture but ! commanded my face. The
Frenchman, on the other hand, gould NOT
control the torments of his expectation and
fear
"Holy Virgin he would cry, Suppose we
are blown up tool suppose we are ingulfed
in the ice suppose it should be yomited up
in vast blocks, which in falling upon US must
crush MS 10 pulp and smash the decks in!"
1t was three or four minutes past the hour.
and was looking breathlessly at my watch
when the first of the explosions took place.
Before the ear could well receive the shock
of the blast the whole Of the barrclscxp l0ded,
along with some twelve or fourteen parcels.
Tassard. who stool beside me, fell on his
face. and believed he had been killed. il
was 50 hellish thunder that ! suppose the
blowing up Of first rate could not make
more frightful roar of noise \ kind Of twl-
light was caused 10y the rise OF the volumes Of
white smoke out OF the ice The schooner
shook with such CONFUSION that was per
suaded she had been split Vast showers of
splinters OF ice fell rs if from the sky. and
rained like arrows through the smoke; but if
there were any great blocks uphoye they did
not touch the ship Meanwhile the other
parcels were exploding in their places, some
times two and three at time, sending "A 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 | burst 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
as before. and in exactly the same posture,
as if anoat in harbor, only that of course her
stern lay low with the slope Of her bed.
called to Tassard, and he lifted lis head.
Are YOU hurt said /.
"No. no. he answered. Its a Spau.ard's
trick 10 ding down 10 broadside. Body Of
ST. Joseph, what Il furious explosion" and so
saying he crawled into the companion and