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

that the seeds of life were still in him, that
twas only the current of his being that had
troze, that If l were to thaw him afresh he
might recover, and that if l buried him
should actually be dispatching him.
But though these fancies possessed they did
not control me, l took his watch and what
ever else he had in that way, carried him on
deck, and dropped him over the side, using
as little ceremony as he had employed in the
disposal of his shipmates, but affected by
very different emotions; for there was not
only the idea that the vital spark was still in
him; could not but handle with awe the
most mysterious corpse the eye had ever
vewed-one who had lived through stapor
or death sleep for eight-and-forty years, in
whom in few hours Time had compressed
the wizardry he stretches in others over half
p century; who in a night had shrunl from
the aspect of his prime into the lean, puck.
cred, bleared eyed deaf and lettering ex-
preston Of 100 years.
All that day and through the night that
followed the schooner drove, rolling and
punging before the seas, into Tire northeast,
to the pulling of the sprtsail. | made sew
eral excursions into the forehoId, but never
could hear the sound of water in the vessel.
Her sides in places were still sheathed in ice;
but this crystal armor was gradually drop
ping off her to the working of her frame in
the seas, so that, since she was proving her
self tight, it was certain her stanchneSs owed
nothing to the CLASSY plating.
l should but fatigue you to follow the sew
eral little stories of these hours one by one
how gotm my food, snatched at sleep, stood
at the helm, gazed around the sea line, and
the like.
The sea worthiness of tho craft, coupled
Al. If, ,,f .t,-
falling in with a ship, rendered me SO far
easy in my mind as to enable me to think
very frequently of the treasure, and how 1
was to secure it. If | fell in with an eupny's
cruiser or privateer l must expect to DO
stripped. This woald be the fortune of war,
and | must take my chance. My concern
did not lie that way-how was / to protect
this property, that was justly mine, against
my own countrymen, suppose had the good
fortune to carry the schooner safely into Ing
lish wnters9 | had a brother n-law, Jere-
mah Mason, Esq, a Turkey merchant i'll a
small way OF business, whose Office was in
the CITY of l. ,adon, and if | could manage TO
convey the treasure secretly to him lie would,
knew, find me a handsome account in his
settlement of this affair But it was impCs-
sble to strike out plan. | must wait, and
attend the course of events.
| was resolved at oil hazards to stick to the
schooner: and. with a view of providing
against the curiosity of rummaging Of any
persons who should come aboard, fell to the
following work after getting my breakfast.
| hung lanterns in the run and hatchways
and cabin to enable me to pass easily to and
fro; ! then emptied one of the chests in my
cabin, and carried it to whore the treasure
was. The chest l filled nearly three parts
f,,1I
the contents of the other chests to the depth
l wanted. l then fetched a quantity of small
arms such as pistols and hangers and cut
lasses, and filed up the chests with them,
first placing a thickness of canvas over the
money and jewelry, that no glitter might
show through. To improve the deception
brought another chest to the run, and wholly
filled it with cutlasses, powder horns, pistols
and the like and SO fixed it that it must be
the first to come TO hand. My cunning
amounted to this: that suppose the run to be
lummagcd, the contents Of the first chest
were sure to be turned out, but, on the other
chests being opened, and what they appeared
to contain observed, it was as likely as not
that the rummager5 would he satisfied that
they We're arms chests, and quit meddling
with them.
The wind at dawn had weakened and come
into the west There was a strong swell
indeed there always is in this ocoan-but the
seas ran small. The sky looked like marble,
with its broad spreadings of high white
clouds and the veins OF blue sky between.
wished to make all the northing that was
possible, but there was nothing to he done in
that way with the spritsail alone. Had not the
capstan been frozen should have tried TO get
the mainsail upon the ship, but without the
aid Of machinery | was helpless, SO, with
helm amid5hips the schooner drove Ian
guidly along with her head due east, lifting
as ponderously as lne-of-buttle ship to the
floating launches of the high SWELL and the
albatross hung us s,eadfastly in the wake of
my lonely ocean path as though it had been
some messenger sent by God to watch he
into safety.