The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1893-01-04

fOundered during it's passage from the
Australian coast to this island"
Zach saw that he would have little
show of overcoming this theory; but
still being unwilling to leave undone
anything which might aid them in
learning what had become of the cast
Always, he added: "But captain. you
surely intend to visit the other rsz is of
the island?"
eyes, to keep my conscience quiet"
replied Willis; 'hut first let's go and
and remove that signal so that vessels
will not be Influenced to leave their
course to save people who don't exist"
The captain and Zach and the others
now made last examination of the
beach, then, having gained the plateau
by passing through the gorge, they
turned their steps toward the promon-
tory.
They found it necessary to pass
around deep excavation, sort of
stony pond fed by the rains and cloud
bursts, in order to keep on their way.
Suddenly Willis came to a halt and
pointed at four mounds parallel with
each other. Possibly they would have
escaped his attention had they not been
marked by small wooden crosses now
partially decayed. They were graves
1t was the cemetery of the castaways.
cat last" cried Willis, "we're in
position to learn"
The two sailors set to work making
use of their knives to loosen the dirt,
but many years must have elapsed since
the burial, for the graves contained
nothing but bones. Willis ordered
them to be closed again and the crosses
to be replaced. The truth concerning
the wreck on Browse island had again
escaped Willis and his companions. If
four human beings had been buried on
this spot, what had become of him who
had rendered them this last service?
And he, too, when death struck him
down, where had he fallen? Would
they not find his bones on some other
part of the island? Capt. Willis could
not bring himself to think so.
''Why shouldn't this wreck be the
Dreadnaught?" asked one of the sea-
men.
''But why should it?" replied Zach.
The fact is that there was nothing
to show that it was the Dreadnaught
that had gone to pieces on the reefs of
Browse island, and the outlook was
that this second cruise of the NIOlly's
Hope was fated to end as fruitlessly as
the first.
Capt. Willis stood with his gaze riv-
eted upon the spot where these poor
castaways were now sleeping that last
sleep which alone had been able to put
an end to their misery. Were they
Americans? Were they his country
men? We're they rof those whom the
Molly's Hope was seeking?
forward to the signal!' he cried out.
Zach and the others followed him as
he made his way up the rocky slope by
which the promontory is joined to the
body of the island.
When Willis and his men had reached
the signal they found the staff to be Sc
curely set in deep split in the rock,
fact which explained it's having re-
manned standing so long. AS they had
already discovered by means of a glass,
the staff was the broken end of a bow
spirit and had come from the wreck be-
low. AS to the rag nailed to it, it was
nothing but shred of sail, unraveled
by the winds and without any mark to
identify it.
At an order from Capt Willis the two
seamen were about to chop down the
staff, when lack French burst out with:
"Cantain. look! Look there!'