The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1897-11-16

ward the Javanese coast until we were
almost in sight Of it We had then to
recover our lost ground, but what with
the loss of two topmasts and several
sails in squall and continuation of
bad weather it was 16 days before a
man was sent to the masthead to look
for land
The Chagos archipelago consists of
score OF islands, banks and reefs Scott
believed that his island was the eastern
most one of all. but as he could not be
sure of it we had to examine all Run
ming between them and around them
was slow work, and we had to feel our
way, and it was six or seven DAYS be-
fore we reached the last. We had found
no such island as described by the sail
or. and in our disappointment and
ohagrin he came in for plenty Of abuse.
He retallated by pointing to his treas
ure. II there were no island, no cave and
no treasure, how did he come by the
ivory and gold dust? 1t was a convinc-
ing argument, and our captain decided
to bear away to the east and search at
haphazard At the close of the fourth
day, sailing back and forth across a sea
supposed to contain no land for hum
dreds Of miles in every direction but
the west, we sighted Scott's island Our
man identified it as soon as it could be
seen from the deck. and we ran in and
came to anchor for the night within
mile from the beach. Had the night not
been SO dark believe the captain would
have had a boat down, but as it was he
dared not chance it. Such was the ex-
element aboard that no man slept for
an hour, and as soon as daylight had
come and the men had bite to eat we
set off to secure the treasure
We soon found the opening of the bay
and rowed into it. Scott had been on
the island for over year and the hut
he occupied and the Flagstaff he erected
were in plain sight At the end of the
bay we came to the cave, and, leaping
out Of the boat the captain was the first
to enter. A moment later he reappeared
and for the next quarter of an hour be
cursed as never heard a seaman before
or since The cave had been plundered.
One broken tusk had been left behind,
and there was perhaps an ounce of gold /
dust lying on the spot where Scott emp
tied the jars That was proof enough /
that he had told straight story. When /
we landed and went up to the hut, we
soon solved the problem Some whaler
had touched there for wood and water
For wood they had used all the wreck |
stuff lying about and had also partially I
pulled the hut to pieces They had filled
their casks at the spring, and we could |
still see the marks where they had been
rolled down hill to the boats.
Then the Scotchman did a mean thing |
by the rescued sailor He made great
ado of how he had deviated from his
course and lost fortnight's time and |
insisted that Scott divide with him. | |
believe he threatened to leave him on |
the island if he didn't. There was trou- |
bic for a few hours, and then the sailor /
came to terms, but not SO much as a
penny's worth was ever handed over to |
the owners or distributed among the |
crew Scott was transshipped to craft
bound for Java and that was the last | |
ever saw or heard of him A year later,
however, l met an American runaway
sailor in Batavia. and he told me that
his craft. the Bessie Herrick of Marble
head, put in at the island, remained for
two days, and her captain discovered
the cave and the treasure while fishing
In the bay He gave every man aboard
500 In cash as present, but kept the
dust and the ivory and turned them into
cash at Singapore 1t was a rich haul
OF treasure, and the captain must have
been made independent for life. How
old the island was, how the treasure
came to be deposited there, who were
the rightful owners of it--well, those
are questions | cannot answer 1t was
at least two years after we visited the
place before it was surveyed and char
tered. g B Lewis