Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1889-02-21

'sWeI, sir" he said, anxiously, "what do
you Think"
Believing that I could do the poor fellow
no greater kindness than to cure him of
his hallucination, if that were possible, I
said that in my opinion there was about
as much likelihood Of finding the Santa
Anna" as of finding the lost Atlantis or
the philosophers stone.
''I don't know much about them there
! answered Tom, who did not seem greatly
/ impressed by the comparison; "but if you
mean as TO think there is no likelihood of
| finding that there galleon, should be glad
TO know why you think SO, if you would
| kindly tell me''
"Well, to begin with, there is no proof
either that the people on board the Santa
/ Anna died of thirst, as you suppose, or
/ that she became derelict."
Doesn't that gentleman as wrote the
/ dokyment say as he lay a-dying, and that
/ the men were so punished for want of
water that they had begun to jump over
! board?"
1.-TWO jumped overheard, which I sup
pose is what the chaplain meant when he
! said they had committed suicide. But
! don't you see that every death made a
! drinker the less? The weak would be the
! first to go; the strongest, seeing that they
would have fair supply Of water, might
| live for weeks-mOnths, even"
| Bolsover's countenance fell; this was a
view of the matter that had not occurred
to him.
"And how do you know" I went on,
''that the Santa Anna did not get to
| England-or somewhere else-after ALI
Il 4
ever"
"Well, think do know that she didn't
get to England" said Tom, quietly. "My
father, he thought of that, and he went to
lawyer chap and pretended as there was
somebody on board the 'Hecate' as be-
longed to him-a great uncle by his moth
er's side-and that he wanted to find out
what had become of him-a proof of his
death-and he got the lawyer chap to write
to the Admiralty"
"And did the lawyer chap get an an
swer?"
Yes, after waiting long time, and
writing five or six letters-it cost my faith
er matter of two or three pounds, one
way and another. Well, the answer was
as the 'Hecate' sailed from Portsmouth on
such date i'll 1743, reVictualed at Nassau,
and touched at Jamaica; but as after that
nothing more had been heard of her, she
must undoubtedly have persisted with all
on board. Now, doesn't it stand to reason
that as nothing has been heard. of the
'Hecate,' none of the crew-and all of 'em
went on board the Santa Anna, you know
that none of her crew ever got to landf-
because the first thing they'd naturally do
would be to inform the Admiralty and
claim their pay. AS for the officers, they
would of course report themselves, and tell
how the 'Hecate' was lost"
"Of course; and the fact that nothing has
been heard of her or any of her crew shows
In my opinion, that the fate which the Ad
miralty think overlook the 'Hecate' over
took the Santa Anna'-she persisted with
all on board, perhaps in a cyclone; or she
may have struck on a sunken rock or got
burned. Your supposition, Bolsover, that
every man-jack of her crew died of thirst,
and that she is either afioat or aground
with all her treasure on board is-excuse
me for saying it-all bosh: and the sooner
you get the idea out of your head, the bet
ter it will be for your peace of mind"
81 am sorry to hearyou say so, Mr.. Erie"
answered the bOatswain, with the air Of a
man who, though shaken in his opinion,
IGIuSSS " U6 COuNluCGu. i dIu SOGTY 10
hear you say so. | cannot argufy like a
man of 'ead and education, and facts is,
may be, against me. Well, I don't care
hang for the facts; and | am as cock-sure
as If I saw her this minute as the galleon
is ship yet, or leastways the hull Of one,
and as | shall set eyes on her afore I die,
and carry off as much of that there treas
ure as will make me as rich as Jew. If
you won't go shares with me. so much the
worse for yOu-that is all as l can say"
Though l saw that it was useless to con-
tinue the discussion, wanted to put one
more question.
"Dfd your father say anything to the
Admiralty about the chaplain's statement?'
/ asked.
mo, he didn't" answered Tom, almost
savagely; che wasn't such a darned fooli
He had too much white in his eye, my
father had, to put the Admiralty on the
track of that there treasure-ship; and as it
was nigh on hundred years after she dis
appeared, it would have done no manner
of good to anybody"
The subject then dropped, and it was not
resumed until several rather strange things
had come to pass, and Bolsover was in
more placable mood.