, 1890-08-14


And then he tried to plan what he
should do, but his head ached so he
could not think. At last he threw
himself upon the sand and sank into
the sleep of exhaustion, from which
he did not wake until the sun shono
full upon his face.
His head still throbbed, his
tongue felt parched and his limbs
stiff. His horse was dead, and he
was I'm no condition for marching.
All that stood between him and
death was one cantecn of water!
He gazed around him. On all
sides u sea OF level white sand.
bounded by mountains, bleak and
barren. An intolenble heat every-
where, and water nowhere, save
that alkaline counterfeit that
Knocked him.
Away of lay the ghostly ship,
loaded with treasure. On the sands
before were heaped up the sacks of
doubloons for which he had risked
his life. OF what use where they
to him now? Gladly would he cX-
change them for those canteens of
water he had thought 80 little of two
DAYS ago. The piles of money
W ttiu Ic CURSED
his folly in risking--no, in giving
his life for them.
He took II few swallows of his last
canteen of water, forced himself TO
eat II little food and loading himself
with what provisions he could carry,
and not II doubloon of the money ho
had come so far to find. he turned
his back on the ghostly ship and
started on the road from whence he
came. If he could but reach that
spring he could get his fill of water.
ON the evening of the third day,
wild, haggard, wan, his canteen
empty, his throat and tongue
parclled and blistered, his head one
wild pain, he spied the rock at
whose base the brakish waters
flowed. At u half run he reached 1t,
drank of II, laved In IL; now his
face, his head, his hands. Water,
water, water, more water. What
treasure on earth could compare to
it, or avail without IP
He drank till he could drink no
more and then slept heavily beside
the sluggish flowing stream. Tho
next morning he started airesh after
filling up the only two canteens left
him, an Xious to get to- some human
habitation before his supply of pro-
visions was exhausted.
He marched steadily all day and
night found him among the moun-
tains. When day broke he stood on
the threshold of II mighty canyon.
Never before had he seen this
place. Great heavens! he was lost.
What should he do? TO retrace
his steps was certain death. No, lie
would 20 forward, always travelling
toward the north. He plunged into
the canyon. The precipitous sides
of the mountains rose on each side
many hundred feet, excluding the
light, except for "A grey twilight that
crept down through the rift which
looked as though some Titan had
sawed n seam through the noun
tains. Despairing and almost hope
less Austin passed on, and the next
night found him mt the other end.
After this all became confused.
The water was exhausted In his
canteen and his swollen tongue re-
fused to swallow the dry food. He
wandered on and on in sort of
dream.
The stage coach that travels be-
tween the old desert road from San
Juan to Potosi del Rey came lum-
bering down the mountain side.
Suddenly the driver spied IA dark
object lying by the road. As he
drew up beside il he saw that II was
IA man-dead-he thought.
Two passengers clambering out to
investigate reported him alive but
IsT1t... Lat
the coach, took him along with
them and mt Potosi del Rcy de-
posted him Mt the hotel, IL hand
some building of four rooms.
Two weeks later Austin opened
his eyes and gazed about him. \
stout, middlc-aged man was seated
at II table mixing some medicine. \
Chinaman sat beside the bed brush
ing away the flies.
"Melican man wakee," said the
heathen and the strange man APP
preached the bed
"How do you fecl?'' asked he.
"Weak, said Austin, briefly.
ut is likely you do" saitl the
doctor, offering II glass; ''now, 20 to
Sleep
In the few days ofIenforced silence
that followed, Austin lived over and
over the scenes of his late adven-
ture. In vain he questioned his
nurse.
"Melican man no talkee," said
the Mongolan.
At last one day he burst out to
the doctor: 'Do let me ask you u
question. Where am ~"
'At Potosi del Rcy."
"How did | get here?"
Passenger coach from San Juan
brought you"
"But how could they find me?
was out on the desert, where L
found "A ship loaded with gold and
silver"
"les, have heard of that ship
every day for the last two weeks"
said the doctor, dryly. 81 thought
the fever was out of your head, but
1t seems 1t isn't"
"But | did find ship, full of
treasure" and Austin, in trcmulous
tones, related his late experience.
The doctor listened quietly. ~
dare say the crazy old priest told
you about the ship, and that you
may have been foolish enough to
go and hunt IL. But tits douh'f'tl II
you ever found 1t, as IL probably had
no foundation save In Father Fran
cisco's brain. You have certainly
been suffering from sunstroke,
and have had n near call. All the
scenes you have lately gone through