The news & observer., 1897-03-07

grew warm, she'd sit out in the moon
light and sing. Her music was nothing
iii my line though; it was all of hlghty
sort; but then it was not made directly
for my pleasure. Cameron was the man
she Sung for, and though at first she
disguised this, before we rose the Ca
nary mountain above the sea line. she
was not shy of letting it be seen by any
one who chose to look. And Willie Cam
eron liked her in return; and if ever |
saw it, love glowed out of the eyes OF
those two.
We were fellow countrymen. Cameron
and | u am Scottish MYSELF and at
one time and another the pair of as put
in a fairish deal of talk, His alrpump
needed bit of an overhaul, and as /
was set on to help him, we had plenty
Of opportunity. But Ill not say we got
much off general topics. He seemed n
man in n desperate hurry to get rich,
aud most every day he'd ask me if /
could point him ont plan But my an
swer to him was always the same.
Man" I'd say; I'D no he acting as
third engineer on an old-job steamboat
hike this If I'd a plan handy to my fin
gers such as you seem to want"
And then he'd shake his head and sigh
and fall to talking about the methods by
which he and his mate hoped to get the
gold boxes out of the wreck and down
into the Cleaners hold. / suppose /
ought to have seen what he was after
then. But / didn't. ia only got it in
mind that he wanted to marry Miss Brad
bury. and didn't see his way to finger
| ing enough money ready to set up house
keeping upon.
We'd an easy bay and good run
down, and we made Grand Canary one
morning just before the dawn. We ran
into Les Palmas harbor and saw Tene-
rife far away across the sand neck,
with its sunny head, rosy in the sun
rise. We'd day there making arrange
ments, and getting in some stores, and
then we steamed out again and made
for the spot where the Corinth had gone
down, and brought up to anchor and
lowered fires.
Before us lay the open sea; behind
were the dry cinder hills of Grand
Canary; and above was the blue haven
and sun Of dancing brass. The day
was frizzling; the island gave US a lee
Tout of the southwest trade; and there
was no breath of wind astir. The water
lay like a sheet of metal No divers
could have asked for better prospect,
We got their two boats into the water,
each with air pump, rowers, coXswain,
man to tend the life lines and men to
pump, and off they rowed, a hundred
yards apart Presently the air pumps
began to turn, and the diver, like some
white, uncanny sea beast, went over from
each. After a pause the boats pulled
slowly ahead. Cameron and his mate
were walking along the sea floor, search
ing for the wreck:
| was off watch, and stood leaning my
elbows on the t'gallant rail of the lower
deck, and smoked and looked about me.
The water was full of these little pink
sailed jelly-fsh that we sea folk call
Portuguese men o. war, though 'nauti-
lus'' is, | believe, the fancy name. |
pointed them out to Miss Bradbury,
who was standing near, and asked her II
she'd like one caught.
do you think there's much danger
Mr.. McToddT' says She They've just a
wee sting to them if they get upon your
hands," said + "But there's no need to
touch them. You can just crafty your
leyes, and then we will fling them over
bOdId dEdlis LE9 IL IO DttLhAtIo biioI
we'd care to keep and take home with
Iye, like a canary Bird
What do you meanW says she.
I'm talking of these Portuguese men
o. war;
She put her hand upon my arm and'I
looked up into her face and saw it was
as white as paper, saving for black
rings under the eyes. II beg your par
don, Mr.. MeTodd, for being so inatten-
tive I'm afraid my thoughts are under
the sea instead of on top of it. Is this
diving very dangerous work? Their air
tubes might get entangled."
They're too old hands to let them
foul"
"Or they may get swept away by cur
rents"
Their life-lines win keep them in
tow"
"Or sharks"
Sharks are always feared at divers,
Miss Bradbury. No, miss, you may be-
lieve me, those two men are as safe
down at work below as you are here,
or safer, seeing that they can't get sun
stroke, and you very likely will if you
stay here away from the awnings with
no hat on"
She shivered and thanked me, and
went away into the shade, and / turned
again and watched the boats and the
two moving patches Of muddled water
which they were following. 1t struck
me at the moment that the S S Corinth
Salvage association were putting a vast
deal Of trust in the two men whom
| they employed as their divers-f270,0 900
worth of gold is a very vast bulk of
wealth for poor men to be near.
They did not find the wreck that day
or the next. Indeed not till a week had
passed did they come across her, and
then they found that she had settled on
her broadside into little gulley on the
sea floor where a current had carried
silt over her till she was almost COW
cred out of sight. They buoyed her
when she was found, and that day
went off in Cameron's boat and tried to
see if / could make her out from above.
/ But she lay in 16 fathoms, and the
| xratar vas Gray with mud from fham