The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1896-06-06

men straightway made their way
therein, knowing that some one had
been there before them, and had for
some reason marked this especial
cave. Within, the cave was smooth,
with pebbly floor Jack Mcclure
struck match and looked around,
and there was nothing to be seen
The match sputtered and went out,
but the Captain quickly struck an
other, and pointed to white patch.
about foot square, in the wall OF
the cave near the roof, or about on a
level with his head. 1t was appar-
emily a sort of cement, grown very
hard from age, and beneath it, cut in
the rock, was the same spear and star
which they had noticed outside. I'm
der the spear were several Spanish
characters, or so Jack said (for he
lived all over the world and had a
language at every finger end). So,
while the Captain held matches aloft,
Jack MEG uire examined the letters.
Somebody's been here many a
year ago, SIR said Jack Mcclure,
'and to my mind he's hid something
here and never got back for it,
"Then he and the Captain went
out and hunted pieces of brushwood,
and lighted them on the floor of the
cave, that they might see the palmer,
and then without word they went to
work with their jacknives to cut out
the plaster. 1t was had work, for it
was about as solid as the rock itself,
but by and by they found that there
was evidently an opening in the wall
of the cave, filled by a rock, and then
the crevices covered by the plaster.
After an hours work, the Captain and
Jack Mcclure dug around until they
loosened the stone, and a little more
and they we're able to draw it out and
throw it on the floor of the cave.
This exposed the opening in the
rock. Jack Mcclure, who was a little
fellow, got on tiptoe and peered in,
and exclaimed aloud. Then he thrust
his hand in and drew out this very
thing"-Deborah held up the silver
vase. Screen with mold it was, but
Jack felt it's weight and knew that it
was something valuable.
"Reach in, Captainl Reach inn
he cried. And the Captain, reaching
his arm in turn, drew out bundle in
oilskin that was we'll nigh dropping
to pieces.
"They sat down by the light of the
fire. and unwound it. | doubtnot that
it was a pouring vessel of some sort,
and, as the Captain said, best called
a teapot, but it was of solid goldV'
Deborah Knox leaned forward i'm
pressively in the freight. "Sold
gold, as l live, and weighty with
something packed to its lid. They
forced the lid off, and there was a
piece of moldy skin on the top, and
underneath it-well" Deborah drew
deep breath. Jack Mcclure
made space with his arms on the
floor of the cave, and the Captain
poured the contents of the teapot
therein, and what do you think il
wasp
money! gold" said Evelyn and
in breath.
Deborah shook her head.
"Jewels! Precious stones, cut and
uncut, the like of which you'll never
lay eyes on in this country! Jack
MEG uire knew all about them. He
held them one by one to the light
and called them by name, and gath
ere1 up a handful, and told the Cap
tain that his arithmetic couldn't cal
culate the fortune he was holding
And then, so Captain said, Jack Nc
CURE just up and danced hornpipe
on the floor.
"Then they examined the hole in
the wall, but there wasn't another
thing there. They put the stones
back in the teapot, and then sat down
again and studied what to do. There
were strange men among the crew,
and they did not dare carry treas
ure aboard, and as they were to row
back such distance they had no way
of secreting it. So, after a bit, they
decided to put the pot full of jewels
back in the wall, and wedge the rock
before it, and to cast anchor for
all night, and then come back by
day and wear their leather pouches