The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1895-06-26
SUMTER S. c., WEDNESDAY, JUNE 20, 1895.

sent OF M three comrades. / tell you
that it is four or none with US.
Nonsense he broke in. What
have three black fellows to dowith our
agreement
Black or blue said l. they are in
with me. and we all 60 together.
We'll, the matter ended by second
meeting. at which Mahomet Singh. Alb
dullah Khan and Dost Akbar were all
present. We talked the matter over
again. and at last we came to an ar
rangement. We were to provide both
the officers with charts Of the part OF
the Agra fort and mark the place in
the wall where the treasure was hid.
Maj. Sholto was to go to India to test
our story. If he found the box he was
to leave it there. to send out small
Yacht provisioned for q voyage, which
was to lie off Rutland island. and to
which we were 20 make our way. and
finally TO return to his duties. Capt.
Morstan was then to apply Tor leave OF
absence. to meet US at Agra, ana there
we were to have final division of the
treasure, he taking the majors share
as we'll as his own. All this we sealed
by the most solemn oaths that the
mind could think or the lips utter.
sat up all night with paper and ink,
and by morning had the two charts
all ready. signed with the sign Of foul
that is. of Abdullah. Akbar. MahOmct
and myself.
well. gentlemen, weary you with
my long story. and know that my
friend Mr.. Jones is impatient to get
me safely slowed in choSey. III make
it as short as can. The villain,
Sholto. went off to India. but he never
came back again. Capt. Morstan
| showed me his name among list of
passengers in one of the mail boats
very shortly afterwards. His uncle
had died. leaving him fortune, and ne
had left the army. yet he could stoop
| to treat five men as he had treated US.
Morstan went over to Agra shortly
afterwards. and found. as we expected,
that the treasure waSfndeed gone. The
scoundrel had stolen it all. without
carrying out one of the conditions on
which we had sold him the secret.
From that day l lived only for ven
geance thought of it by day and
nursed it by night. 1t became an over
powering absorbing passion with me.
I cared nothing for the law-nothing
for the gallows. To escape. to track
\ down Sholto. to have nv hand upon his
] throat-that was my one thought. Even
l the Agra treasure had come to be a
smaller thing in my mind than the
Staying of Sholto.
We'll. have set my mind on many
things in this life, and never one which
did not carry out. But it was weary
years before my time came. I have
told you that l had picked up some
thing of medicine. One day when DR..
Somertcn was down with a fever lit
tie Andaman islander was picked up
/ by a convict gang in the woods. He
was sick to death, and had gone to O.
lonely place to die. / took him in
hand. though he was as venomous as
snake and after couple of months /
got him all right and able to walk. He
took kind of fancy to me then. and
would hardly go back to his woods,
but was always hanging about my hut
| learned little of his lingo from him,
and this made him all the fonder of me-
''Tonga-for that was his name-was
a fine boatman, and owned big, roomy
l L.: T hot
he was devoted to nee and would do
anything to serve me, saw my chance
of escape. talked it over with him.
| He was to bring his boat on certain
night to an old wharf which was never
guarded and there he was to pick me
up. l gaze him di. ctions to have sew
eral gourds of water and lot of yams,
cocoanuts and sweet potatoes
He was staunch and true, was little
Tonga No man ever had more faith
fhl mate At the night named NE had
his boat at the wharf. As. it CHANGED,
however. there was one of the convict
guard down there-a vile Pathan who
had never missed chance of in
sulting and injuring me. I had
always rowed vengeance. and now
had my chance. I was as if
fate had placed him in my way that l
might pay my debt before | left the
island. He stood on the bank with his
back to me and his carbinc on his
J shoulder. looked about for (; stone to
beat OFT his brains with. 5pt none
could sec. Then a queer thought
came into my head and showed me
where could lay my hand or :; weap-
Oh. sat down in the darkness and un-
strapped ny wooden leg. With three
long hops was on him. lie put his
carbinc to his shoulder. but I struck
him full and knocked the whole front
Of his sllnli IN. You can see the split
il, the GOOD now vhcrc hit him. We
both went down together. for | could
10. keep ny balance. but when | got
ND found hirn still lying quiet enough.
| rludc for the boat and in an hour we
were well out at sea. Tonga hao