San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1897-02-07
COPYRIGHT. 1895 on me AUTHOR.


tons. They lifted the tarpauling and
raised the hatch cover, and all drew to
the edge and stared with furious anx-
ioty. The wool came high, but not flush
with the hatch. A number of water
casks were slowed on top of it, athwart.
The men bobbed and peered.
"What did that fellow Poole say"
exclaimed Burn.
Its down there somewhere, said
Hankey, and quick as lightning putting
his hands on the coamings he dropped
ON to the wool. johnson, Weston and
Masters followed.
Lends a hand to shift these casks,
shouted Hankey. eff it's anywhere, it's
behind here. F"
Davenire jumped into the hold. The
casks were seized and rolled to leeward.
They had been the midship casks of the
row, and abaft them you would have
seen the shaft of the mainmast but for
sort of bulkhead of fresh white plank
solidly affixed to floor. 1t looked as
the men saw it, bulkhead. Hankey
dropped on his knees and crawled into
the gloom. In minute he shouted. His
shout rang loud and triumphant.
''It's all right, bullies Just as Poole
described it. It's no bulkhead, but big
locker, There's no door. You'll have to
break it open. Fetch Misunderstanding
I the right sort of tools along"
Weston and Caldwell handed down
axes, hatchets, heavy hammer and
other tools, and Davenire crawled with
them to Hankey. Trollope regained the
deck and stood at the edge of the hatch,
where he might command the ship, but
where, too he was able to see what
passed below. The rest of the fellows
stood in a body on the wool, watching,
q huddle of seven staring men, wild
with eager ass, torn with impotence.
"Let fly, Marx, bawled Burn, and
crash at the instant bounded the sharp
iron in Davenire's mighty grip. Indeed
they had no choice. The wool rose above
the floor which the bulkheads were
secured. Lney must split and hew and
hack to cone at the inside. 1t was an
extraordin; rily stout structure, the
planking fke deck, protected by heavy
iron clamps at the corners of the square
and by flat iron bars screwed to the
wood. Behind and OF either hand rose
the wool, jam of gbastly dul! bales as
far aft as the steerage bulkhead. 1t was
al wool, saving that space under the
main hatch and that corridor created by
the men to the nugget locker.
Not the stout bottom of the ship her
self sheathed with "a ounce metal could
long have withstood the resistless hurri-
cane blows dealt by i:e excited men.
The chips flew, the planks crashed, the
seams yawned, cracked, and with iron
hand Davenire lried them open. By
the time the two men lad beaten out
the foremost bulkhead they were ex-
hausted Davenire swaying by the arm
of Hankey, both as they stood in their
shirts drenched as though they had just
been hooked out of the sea, peered into
the gloomy hollow their axes had re-
vealed, and both beheld a number Of
large chests of different sizes packed one
on top of another and secured by chains.
''Thece it is plain enough" gasped
Hankey. 'Let the others come and look.
I must drink or die. y
He crawled into the light Of day, fol-
lowed by Davenire, who, merely saying
to the others, "You can see it for your
SELF" pulled himself on to the deck.
Then he and Hankey went into the cud-
dy for deep drink of brandy and wa
ter. As they entered the door they heard
the sound of hurrahing in the hold.
The mems joy was indeed unbound
ed. In those chests lay fortune for ev-
cry rogue of them all.
Eight of them squeezed in the narrow
passage to look, and Hankey and Day.
enire, coming out of the cuddy refresh
ed, stood at the edge of the hatch look
ing down. still breathing deep and hard
Trollope crawled into the full glow of
day and looked up at Davenire.
"Well," said this giant of the silver
chain, sis it all right?"
"The boxes sound hard as gold it
SELF" answered Trollope. 1.-The chains,
expect, arc padlocked to the floor, and
the wool blocks them
"File 'eml File 'emp' roared Ham
key, and as quick in action as in idea !
he ran into, the forecastle, overhauled |
the carpenters CHEST and returned with
a couple of heavy rasps, which he flung
to Trollope, who handed them in. Han
key then sat down, with his legs dan
CLING in the hatch.
They found the filing tough work in
that sweltering hold Hand after hand |
seized the r..sps and drove the grit of
the iron with fresh blood and breath |
into the thick links.
Captain Trollope went into the cuddy
to look at the clock. 1t was 20 minutes
to -. He started aud stepped quickly to
Captain Benson cabin, and akiHg the (
old mans sextant ont Of IL @se went /
ON TO the poOn.