Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1895-06-26
CHAPTER XII.
THE GREAT AGRA TREASURE.

THE GREAT AGRA TREASURE.
Our captive sat in the cabin opposite
to the iron box which he had done Sc
much and waited so long to gain. He
was sunburned, reckless-eyed fellow
with a network of lines and wrinkles
all over his mahogany features, which
told of a hard, open-air life. There
was singular prominence about his
bearded chin which marked d mar
who was not to be easily turned from
his purpose. His age may have been
fifty or thereabouts, for his black
curly hair was thickly shot with gray.
His face in repose was not an I'M
pleasing one, though his heavy brows
and aggressive chin gave him, as had
lately seen, terrible expression when
moved to anger. He sat now with his
handcuffed hands upon his lap and his
head sunk upon his breast, while he
looked with his keen, twinkling eyes
at the box which had been the cause
of his ill-doings. 1t seemed to me that
there was more sorrow than anger in
his rigid and contained countenance.
Once he looked up at me with CLEAN
of something like humor in his eyes.
swell, Jonathan Small" said Holmes,
lighting cigar, II am sorry that it
has come to this
''And so am /" he answered, frankly.
81 don't believe that ] can swing over
the job. give you my word on the
book that / never raised my hand
against Mr.. Sholto. 1t was that little
hell-hound Tonga who shot one of his
cursed darts into him. had no part
in it, sir. I was as grievcd as if it had
been my blood-relation. welted the
little devil with the slack end of the
rope for it, but it was done, and could
not undo it again"
ssHave cigar said Holmes; ''and
you had best take pull out of my flask,
for you are very wet. How could you
black fellow to yoverpower Mr.. Sholto
and hold him while you were climbing
the rope?
''You seem to know as much about it
as if you were there, sir. The truth is
that l hoped to find the room clear.
| knew the habits of the house pretty
well, and it was the time when Mr..
Sholto usually went down to his sup
per. shall make no secret of the
business. The best defense that can
make is just the simple truth. Now, if
it had been the old major l would have
swung for him with light heart.
would have thought no more of knit
ing him than of smoking this cigar.
But it's cursed hard that should be
Jagged over this young Sholto, with
whom had no quarrel whatever.
'sYou are under the charge of Mr..
Jones, of Scotland Yard. He
is going to bring you up to my rooms,
and shall ask you for true account
of the matter. You must make clean
breast of it, for if you do hope that I
may be of use to you. I think can
prove that the poison acts so quickly
that the man was dead before ever you
reached the room"
'sThat he was, sir. I never got such
a turn in my life as when | saw him
grinning at me with his head on his
shoulder as climbed through the VIM
dow. 1t fairly shook n e, sir. I'd have
half killed Tonga for it if he had not
off. That was how he
came to leave his club, and some
of his darts, too, as he tells me,
which l dare say helped to put
you on our track; though how
you kept on it is more than | can tell.
don't feel no malice against you for
It. But it does seem queer thing"
he added, with a bitter smile, ''that I,
who have fair claim to nigh upon
half a million of money should spend |
The first half of my life building a
in the Andamans, and am |
ike to spend the other half diggin' |
Trains at Dartmoor. 1t was an evil /
lay for me when first ! clapped eyes
lpon the merchant Achmet and had to-
10 with the Agra treasure, which never
brought anything but a carse yet upon
he man who owned it. To him it
brought murder, to Maj Sholto it
brought fear and guilt, to me it has
slavery for life"
At this moment Athelney Jones
thrust his broad face and heavy shout
lers into the tiny cabin. "Quite fam
ly party, +" he remarked II think !
hall have pull at that flask, Holmes.
Veil, think we may all congratulate
.ach other. Pity we didn't take. the
'ther alive; but there was no choice I
ay, Holmes, you must confess that you
ut it rather fine. 1t was all that we
ould do to overhaul her,
"All is well that ends WE'LL said
Iolmes. But certainly did not
now that the Aurora was such
Upper"
Smith says that she is one of the
astest launches on the river, and that
he had had another man to help him
With the engines we should never have
aught her. He swears he knows moth
ng of this Norwood business