Waterbury evening Democrat., 1895-02-21
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eCC bS tAAG tH lANAi tI HIS llp ti4db lhfAS was a struggle going on within him.
 This is very important matter, Small, he said at last. You must not say a word to any one about it, and l shall see you again soon.
 Two nights l1trr he and his friend Captain MOrstan came to my hut in the dead of the night with n lantern.
 '' I want you just to let Captain Mor- stan hear that story from your own lips, Small. said he.
 II repeated it as l had told it before.
 It rings true eht' said hc. It's good enough to act upon.
 'Captain MOrstan nodded.
 Look here. small, said the major, We have been talking it over, my friend and l, and we have come to the conclusion that this secret of yours is hardly a government matter, after all but is private concern of your own, which, of course, you have tho power of disposing of Rs you think best. Now, the question Is, What price would you ask for it? We might be in clined to take it up, and at least look into it if we could agree as to terms He tried to speak in a cool careless way, but his eyes were shining with excitement and greed.
 'Why, as to that, gentlemen, I an swerCd. trying also to be cool, but feeling aS CANlttNt t9 iiC NAlNs IAiCAS Ao o'AiAs SAS bNAA gain which a man in my position can make l shall want you to help me to my freedom and to help my three compan- ions to theirs Wo shall then take you into partnership and give you a fifth share to divide between you
 "'Hum. said he, a fifth share That is not very tempting.
 It would como to E50 900 apiece, said l,
 ' But how can we gain your frecdom' You know very well that you ask an i'm possibility
 Nothing of the sort, answered. I have thought it all out to the last detail. The only bar to our escape is that we can get no boat fit for the voyage and no pro- visions to last Us for 50 long time. There are plenty of little yachts and yawls at Calcutta or Madras which would serve our turn well. Do you bring one over. We shall engage tu get aboard her by night, and if you will drop Us on any part of the Indian coast you will have done your part of the bargain.
 If there were only one, he said. None or all, I answered, We have | sworn it. Tho four of us must always act together,
 '' You sec Mur>,an. said he Small is a man of hi> word He docs not finch IIOIll IllS Itlt.i.N-S llIlil h WI may NCtS well trust him..
 It's a dirty business, tho other an swcred. Yct. ns you say, the mCncy would save Our commissions handsomely | {" Well, small, said the major, we must, l suppose. try to meet you. We | must first, of course, test the truth of your story. Tell me where the box is hid, and I shall get leave of absence and go back to India in tho monthly relief boat to inquire 1 into the affair.
 Not >o fast. said l, growing colder as he got hot. l must have tho consent of | my three comrades. tell you that it is | four CT MOnc with Is.
 1 '',Nonscnsr, he l:roke in. What have three black fellows to do with our agree mCnt:
 ." Black ur blue, said l, they arc in with nv, and We all go together
 'W,u, the matter rndrd by a second meeting, at which Muhummcd singh. Ab- dullah Khan and DoSt -Nkbar wcrc all | present. We talked the matter over again, | and at last Nc came To an arrangement. | We were tu provide both the officers with charts uf tLe part of the Agra fort and mark tLr place in thr wall where the | treasure Was hid. Major ShultO was tn go l to India 10 test our story. If Ec found the
 box, he WAS to leave il thcrc, to send out Q small yacht provsio ned fer a voyage, 1 which was to lie oil Rutland island and | to which wo were Ia make our wax. and l finally to return 10 his duties. Captain | MOrstan ""s lh, 10 apply for leave of ab-
 sCncc to meet US at Agra, and there we
 were 10 have a final division of the treas
 urc, h. takiLE the ,,uujor's share as well
 as lis own. All this VIC sealed by the most l solemn t.ljl4 that the mind could think
 or the lips u;icr. sat up all night with I .h, !,
 tho two ch'r,s all Toady, signed with tho
 sign of tlIr four-that iS, of Ahdullah
 Akhar, M"lammcd and myself
 Well. gentlemen. weary you with my
 long story, and l .know that my frirnC
 Mir. J, nls k impatient to get me safcl!
 slowed in ch1kry. I'll mako it as short n,
 I can. Tho villain Sholto went off to In
 dia, but Er MCvtr came back again Cap
 tain Morstan >huwcd me his nalno among
 a list of pass, gers in one of the mail
 boats very shortly afterward. His uncl'
 had died, leaving him n fortune. and h,
 had left tho army, yet he could stOop t.
 treat five men as he had treated us. Nor
 stan went over to Agra shortly aftcrwAr(
 and found as we expected. that tho treas
 ure was indeed gone. Tho scoundrcl ha'
 stolc0 all without carrying out one o
 t. '..ditiOns on which wC had sold hin the s rrCt. From that day lived only fo vengeance I thought of it by day, and
 nurscd it by night. It became an over towering, absorbing passion with mo. l cared nothing for tho law, nothing for tn gallows. To escape, to track down SholtO } to havo my hand upon his throat-tha was my one thought Even the Agr ' treasure had como to be a smaller thing il } my mind than tho staying of Sholto, l Well. haVo set my mind on man l fhiDrz in this lifH 1nH TCbirl1 ' did not carry out, but it was weary year $ before my timo came. I have told yo ) that had picked up something of mcd S cine. One day when Dr. SomCrton wa c down with fever little Andaman is y lander was picked up by convict gang i . the weeds. He was sick to death and ha 0 gono to q lonely pace to die. took hi1 | in hand, though he was as vcnomous as $ young snake, and after couple of month = I got him all right and able to walk. II r took kind of fancy to nc then and woul . hardly go back to his woods, but was a 0 ways hanging about my hut I learned t little of his lingo from him, and this mad g him all the fondcr of me. V "Tonga-fOr that was his name-was c fno boatman and owned a big, room, n ranoo of his own. When I found that ~ was devoted to mo and would do anytbin
 to servo mo, 1 saw my chance of escape. V talked it over with him. He was to brir n his boat round on a certain night to . e old wharf which was never guarded, ar V thcro ho was to pick mo up I gave hi ,r directions to have several gourds of wat 1t and q lot of yams cocoanuts and sweet p
 tatocs
 g He was stanch and true, was lit 10 Tonga. No man ever had more faithf mate. At the night named he had his bo r, at the wharf As it chanced, howeve ,e there was one of tho convict guard dov IS therc-a vile Pathan, who had nev ct missed q chance of insulting and injuril
 me. had always vowed vengeance, al to now had my chance. l. was as if ia