New-York tribune., 1896-11-01
A ROMANCE OF GOLD.
STORY OF AN ISLAND IN THE SOUTH
PACIFIC.
From The Boston Transcript.

From The Boston Transcript.
Here is a real story OF a search for gold. which
has some OF the fascination that the hunt for the
% s,srt On the ssest Without KNOWING whether the
lonsed-for Treasure really oe found where they
sea n D0s ss Ss ony e,pedI,Ss that
nov being lifted out here IN pro-y. censeryasiys
the gold may Be exactly ~asre the searchsrs hope
that II may be fourd
e. S1a Biy Of No + no, sn AFTER roxss sss
Spanish explorers Who piunssTed % the coast os The
sou'h.rn Pacific in the fifteenth century; There
real piracy in the story he sure. and hanging
and all that. but this comes very different way
Lne oo;Hct OF the expedition = 20 ara certain
known to those most concerned. which is supposed
Up in large heaps The secret Of this island has
been transmitted from man TO another. and
;r,b ;ury: bg, for vsr:ons resson. none Of them hss
been abe TO avail himself Of his kpewledge until
mysteries Of the story. that the name Of the orgt-
natcr OF the expedion. as well as all specific de-
D. KEEP, strictly secret until after the exp~dition
has started and the chances Of its being foresaed
With the omission Of few details which might
lead 10 Identification. this is the story which has
Melrose.
FINDING A GOLD ISLAND
Abou, is,7 a s-pentsr whose home VA. in Naioe.
fornia. where ne had earned a fair measure Of
cess IN the goIl fields. In such places men are Dot
make and while staying here he fell in VITO
couple OF rough-looking -aiiors WHO had deserted
from vhsle- that put into the port for provisions.
one evening. Ipon learning that he was miner.
one side md showed him a strong beg filled with
some hard substance. which they asked him 70
He examined r.ie con,eSts Shici he found to Be
gold of the finest quality: whereupon after having
hrst imposed oath OF strict secrecy. they told him
[nat <nOrfly before arriving Panama their ship
had touched AZ island TO take on water. The
casks were RATED ashore and quickly filed. the
snip meanwhile standing of and on. While wait
ing for The ship 10 stand in these TWO sailors
strolei along the beach for about two miles until
they came 20 place where a raviae or watercouree
came down from high mountain passed under .
retura stone arch and empted into the ser. Here
they noticed that the sand the beach hed
with number of shining particles resembling gold
snf that the crerces or seams Of the wstercourse
gold. they gathered small package and rerrsced
their steps 20 the boat saying nothing however. 70
thsir companions OF their discovery.
Being assured by the carpenter that they had dis
clvrred genuine gold. the sailors proposed that the
itree q them A. ou, small vessel and return 10
n island. The plan was agreed TO at once ver-
sci was purchased. and six or eight more were
induced 20 Join me expedition. There were - Few
men availab bic thar they had 10 take sscn as they
could set. and they goi a. precious iot of rsscas
two v,liairouslooking Spaniards who could not h
trusted Of sight. a unchbacksd. snaky-lookin2
fellow no. Il vas eftsrward learned. was an ss-
csp-d convict from the penal colony in French
Guiana. and -uriy. SCARED Oil fellow. who had
been warned out Of California by vigilance COM
crew and even before the coast lines had sunk be-
horizon ha had let little suggestions thai
filed the carpenter with pr@monitions hat Ne was
going 20 make serious trouble sury ana norose,
h. -lOuched about tn. deck without a word to any
body The other members Of the crew were in
different characters.