Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1889-03-22

venture 10 como OIL Will US IuuC0 money
would render me independent for life and
enable me to turn my back forever upon the
hardest calling to which the destiny of man
can wed him.
OF such were tho fancies which hurried
through my mind.
wished to see how the schooner lay, and
what change had befallen the ice in the
night, and went on deck. 1t was blowing
whole gale of wind from the northwest.
The sea was swelling very furiousy, and
could divine its tempestuOus character by
clouds of spray which spread like volumes Of
steam under the sullen dusky heavens high
over the mastheads. The schooner lay with
u list of about 10 degs., and her bows high
cooked ] looked over the stern and saw
that the ice had sunk there and that there
were twenty great rents and yawninG seams
where l had before noticed but one. A vast
block of ice had fallen on the starboard side,
and lay so close on the quarter that / could
have sprung on to it. No other marked
changes were observable.
| was about to go below again, when my
eye was taken by the two figures lying upon
the deck No dead bodies ever looked more
dead; but after the wondrous restoration Of
the Frenchman l could not view their forms
without fancying that they were but as he
had been, and that if they were carried to the
furnace and treated with brandy and rub
! bing and the like, they might be brought to-
Full Of thoughts concerning them / stepped
into the cabin, and going to the cook room
| found Tassard still heavily sleeping. The
| coal in the corner was low, and as it wanted
| an hour Of dinner time ] took the lantern and
a bucket and Sent into the fore peak and
after several journeys stocked up a good pro
vision of coal in the corner. | made noise
enough, but Tassard SLEPT on. When thie
was ended | boiled some water to cleanse
myself, and thin set about getting the dinner
| ready.
! The going into the fore peak had put my
! mind upon the treasure, which, as I had
! gathered from the Frenchman's narrative,
was somewhere hidden in the schooner-in
the run as l doubted not; | mean in the hold
under the lazarette-for you will recolect
that, being weary and half persisted with the
Geld, had turned my back on that dark part
after having looked into the po:der room.
All the time was fetching the coal and dress
ing the dinner my imagination was on fir,
with fancies of the treasure in this ship. The
Frenchman had told me that they had been
well enough pleased with their hauls in the
/ South sea to resolve them upon heading
round the Horn for their haunt, wherever it
might be, in the Spanish Main; and had too
good an understanding of the character of
/ pirates to believe that they would have
| quilted a rich hunting field before they had
/ handsomely lined their pockets. What, them
was the treasure in the run, if indeed it were
thcrct
was mechanically stirring the saucepan
full of broth | had prepared, lost in these
golden thoughts, when the Frenchman sud-
denly sat up on his mattress.
"lla" cried he, shifting vigorously, 81
smell something good-something l am ready
for. There is no physic like Sleep" and with
that he stretched out his arms with q great
yawn, then rose very agSlely, kicking the
clothes and mattress on one side, and bring
ing a bench close to the furnace. "What
time is it, sirln
"Something after 10 by the captains
watch" said |, pulling it out and looking at
it. But it's guesswork time"
'The captains watchn cried he, with
short loud laugh. "You are modest Mr.
paul Rodney said |, seeing he stopped
for my name.
YES, modest, Mr.. Paul Rodney. That
watch is yours, sir; and you mean it shall be
yours"
"Well, Mr.. Tassard,' said I, coloring in
spite of myself, though he could not witness
the change in such a light as that, II felt
this, that if left the watch in the captains
pocket it was bound to 90 to the bottom ul-
timately, andn-
"Bahm he interrupted with a violent
flourish of the hand. Let us save the
schooner if possible; there will be more than
one watch for your pocket. moro than one
doubloon for your purse. Meanwhile, to din
nerl My stupor has converted me into an
empty hOgshead, and it will take me a fort
night Of hard eating to feel that have broken
my fast
With blow of the chopper he struck off
a lump of the frozen wine, and then fell to
eating perhaps as 4 man might be expected
to eat who had not had meal for eight-and-
forty years.
"There are two of your companions on
deck said /.
He started
"Frozen" I continued; "theyll be the
bodies of Trentanove and joan Barros"
He nodded.
"There is no reason why they should be
deader than You We're. 1t is true that Barros
has been ON deck while you have been be-
low; but after you pass a certain degree of
cold fiercer rigors cannot signify.n
what do you PROPOSE said he, looking
at me oddly.
=
fire and rub them, and bring them to if we
cam
"Whym
l was staggered by his Indifference for
had believed he would have shown himself
very eager to restore his old companions and
shpmales to life, l was searching for an
answer to his strange inquiry, "WhyP'
when he proceeded: First of all, my friend
Trentanoyo was stone blind, and Barros
nearly blind. Unless You could return them
their sight with their life they would curse
you for disturbing them. Better the black
ness OF death than the blaclncsS of life.n
"There is the body of the captain, said l.
He grinned
"Let them Sleep" said he, "Do you know
that they are cutthroats who would reward
your kindness with the poniard that you
might not tell tales against them, or claim a
share of the treasure in this vessel OF all
desperate villains | never met the like of
Barros. He loved blood even better than
money He'd quench his thirst before an
engagement with gunpowder mixed in
brandy. l once saw him choke man-tut
he il very Iye1I-lpaVa him tO his raDoSa