Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1896-04-09

Tic hau nnu several opportunities for
drowning before that, but none of them
had ever como of. 80 he supposed that
the Parcse marked him out to live And
what would they have His shout
At that period Mr. Patrick Camhei was
feeling extremely pleased with himself
He hated the work ut which he had been
engaged, rs any man must hate being
mixed with n swindle, be IL great or small.
And the end seemed near. tho end, con
joined to full success
He had had struggle for II, because
once more Captain Kettle had felt inclined
to fight for his own hand rather than dc
all things for mere employers who only
raid him paid salary. 1t was when Cam.
bel woke from that dead sleep on the
wheel grating Of the upper bridge and
came down to learn of the tragedy of the
plume hunters. which had taken place
during his Inconsistencies, that he got
the Grst hint of this The little captain
received him with cold stiffness, wa:
wooden when asked for any suggestion
and snarled when Cambel inquired what
allied him. 1t was the donkeyman who
put the difficulty into words
And, captain. now said no, chow
much might yez be getting out of all this
for ycrsclf;'
Five hundred pounds"
"BcgOr. it's mighty lot of money and
little enough too. / wish I'd it mcsclf an
more I'd like a house ashore an n wife,
an an ass cart that might dhrivc her out
in like gentleman, besides other things ;"
oh, stop that! Don't tell me what o
man might do il he'd his pick Of the
money in this ship. can figure that out
for myself without suggestions from any
blasted Irishman.'
Alb, now. captain, dear, don't be cross
wild me. because was going on to say tina;
in case of trouble. in case there was, well
say, a thrilling argument, I'd be on your
side. Mr.. Cainbel, yer n gentleman, ar
1 like We well, but the captain here's
me officer an-wcll. sor, boy must look
after himself sometimes. specially when
there's chance like this ready TO his fin.
gers. 'Twon't come again in lifetime :"
Probably not, said Cambel. He lay
back In his chair, with linked fingers be.
hind his head. Look here, Kettle IL You
want to shoot me. pull ont your gun and
| get it over. Then you and Sullivan can
run the cargo where you please and share
il how you like. But that's the only way
you'll II make me consent to your taking
what's beyond your due. Shelf trusted
me- and, by Jove, I'm going to act fairly
by Shelf IL hc were n ten times bigger thief
than 1 know him 10 be already. Now,
then, jump quicl.-lct's have 1t over
They were In the chartroom Captain
Kettle puckered his head for a minutes
thought and then, getting up, shut and
locked the starboard door He took that
key and the key also of the other door
which gave upon the head Of the compan.
ionwny and handed them both to Cainbcl
Now, sir" said he, you loci; me and
Il Il
| you like. But l advise you to take your
| id gold somewhere out OF this ship
because rs sure as it's there when l next
como out Of this room so sure do go and
loot 1t. That's my bunk there, bang above
| the place where it's slowed. and Two sat
| on top of those sovcreigns like hen every
watch below I've had this voyage and
/ heard 'cm chinklc and wondered what
they'd hatch out into. You perhaps I'M
dcrstand what l meant
Cambel nodded.
Then take the cinch from me- sir, and
| cart your boxes away to hell as quick rs
| you can. Povr men like me shouldn't
have big temptations. 1t isn't healthy
| for their ncigbbors. No, by God. Here,
| get on: of this. Mr.. Cambel, or shall he
| doing you violence yet, and mind you
| lock the door. Donkeyman, you hound,
| there's whisky In that bottom locker
Take the clean glass yourself and give
| me the dirty one"
Cambel rond the little mans mind to
comma and bowed gravcly without speak.
| ing. Then he did as he was hidden with
| the door and the key and went below and
| began the horculcan task Of bringing up
| the iron bound specie boxes one by one
| out Of the cabin where they had ridden
\ from the Mcrsey deck. He placed them in
tho port quarter boat, whish he had low.
| cred from its davits flush with the bridge
| deck rail, and when she was loaded he
| put the boat into the river. He rowed her
| far up strCam, past bishts and bayous, till
he found narrow canal leading of the
| main river through mnnsrovo clumps,
and held on up that till the boat reached
n great round vat of black water, walled
all round with solemn cypress trees ard
rooted to darkness by their fringing
branches.
One by ole the boxes were raised on the
gunwale and launched with a sullen
plunge, and It seemed an age before the
| foul smelling bubbles came mp to tell that
they had sounded bottom. And then away
back for another load. And then for q
third. The inky covering closed over all,
and not SO much as a splinter from one Of
the boxes tioated on the surface.
Small fear of any one raiding that cache,
Cambel thought, and two days later, with
a clear mind, he was cabling 'Rigbti'' to
Theodore Shelf from the Western Union
Telegraph company's office in the hotel
hall ut Point Sebastian.
Now, modern science enables US to cry
message by wire round half the earth at
breakfast timo and have an answer re-
turned TO us before the gong sounds for
luncheon. and it was in anticipation Of
quick exchange Of news like this that
Cambel had come to the nearest outpost
Of civilization.
He had hidden his $500, 600 Of gold, re-
leased the two men in the chartroem. with
instructions that when they felt inclined
or sufficiently recovered for work they
should, with the negroes, help set about
transforming the steamers appearance,
and afterward had made his way, partly
overland by an Indians path he knew OF,
partly In dugout through lagoon and bay
on, to Point Sebastian.
He got n return message. it Is true, but
not before noon on the following day 1,
said: Take no steps. Am writing" and