The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1898-01-29
" the lnutioeers; and then, as we pro-
,eled ieisurelY liowntli!l to where tins

cats were Isl. :. related in a Jew words
what Lad iaae. Place. II was a story
;aat profoundly Interested Silver, aad
Sen Gum, the ha.F-idiot maroon, was
t.!s hero frcal beginning to end
Ben, in his long, lonely wanderngs
about the island. had found the skelc-
;oil--it WIS he that had riiled il; he
had found the treasure; he had dug
it up Qt was the half Of his pickax
that lay broken in t,e'exravation); he
had carried it on his 'itatk in many
weary journeys from tic foot of the tall
pine to cave he. had en- the two-ponted
hill at the northeast angie ofthe island.
and there it had laid stored in safety
since two months before the arrival Of
the "Hispaniola."
When the doctor had wormed his Sc
cret from him on the afternoon of the
attack, and when, next morning, he
saw the anchorage deserted he had
gone to Silver, given him the chart.
which was now useless-gven him the
stores, for Ben Gums cave was we'll
supplied with goats meat sailed by
himseif-given anything and every
thing to get Il chance of moving in
safety from the $tockade to the two
pointed hill, there to be clear of ma
laria and keep guard upon THE money.
AS for You, jim" he said, cit went
against my heart, but l did what I
thought best for those who had stood
by their duty; and if you were not one
of these, whose fault was it?"
That morning, finding that was TO
be involved in the horrid disappoint-
memt he had prepared for the mu-
'ineers, he had run all the way to the
cave, and, leaving Squire to guard the
captain, had taken Gray and the ma
room and started, making the diagonal
across the island, to be at hand be-
side the pine. Soon, however. he saw
that our party had the start of him;
and Ben Quinn, being fleet of foot, had
been dispatched in front to do his best
alone. Then it had occurred to him to
work upon the superstitions of his for
mer shipmatcs, and he was so far sue
cessful that Gray and the doctor had
come up and were already anbushcd
before the arrival of the treasure hunt.
ers.
"Ah," said Silver, cit was fortunate
for me that / had Hawkins here. You
would have let old John be cut to bits
and mover given it a thought, DOCTOR
mot thought" replied DR.. Livesey.
cheeriv.
And by this time we had reached the
gigs. The doctor, With the pick NIX, de-
molished one of them, and then we all
got aboard the other, and set out to go
round by the sea for North Inlet.
This was Il run of eight, or nine miles.
Silver, though he was almost killed
already Will. fatigue, was set to an oar,
like the rest of us, and we were soon
skimlning swiftly over smooth sea.
Soon we passed out of the straits and
doubled the southeast corner of the
island, round which, four days ago, we
had toHcd the ''IIispnniola.
AS we passed the two-pointed hill, we
could see the black mouth Of Ben Gums
cave, and figure standing by it, lean
ing on musket. 1t was he squire; and
we waved handkerchief and gave him
three cheers, in which the voice of Sill
cr Joined as heartily as any.
Three miles further, Just inside the
mouth of North inlet, what should we
meet but the ''lIispaniola, cruising by
herself. The last flood had lifted her;
and had there been much wind, or a
strong tide current, as in the southern
anchorage, we should never have found
her more, or found her stranded beyond
help. AS it was, there was little amiss.
beyond the wreck of the mainsail An
other anchor was got ready, and
dropped ina fathom antAa half of water.
We all pulled round again to Rum cove,
the nearest point for Ben Gums treas
ure house; and then Gray, singlc-hand-
cd, returned with the gig to the Ellis
PAMELA" where he was to pass the night
on guard.
a gentle slope ran up from the beach
to the entrance OF the cave. At the top
the squire met us. To NE he was cor
dial, saying nothing of MY escapade,
either in the way of blame or praise. At
Silvcr's polite salute he somewhat
flushed.
John Silver" he said, you're a
prodigious villain and impostrr-a mon
strous impostor, sir, 1 am told l amnot
to prosecute you. Well, then, will not.
But the dead men, sir, hang about your
lcck like millstoncs."
"Thank you kindly, cir" replied
Long John, again saluting.
"1low dare you to thank mel" cried
the squire. ut is gross dcrclicton OF
my duty Stand back"
And thercupon we all entered the
cave. 1T was large, airy place, with a
little spring and pool OF clear water,
ovcrhung with ferns. The floor was
sand. Before u big fire lay Capt. Smol-
let; and i'll far corner. only luskily
tlickered over by the blaze, | bchcld
great heaps Of coin and qnadrilatcrals
built of bars of gold That was Flint's
treasure that VIC had come so far to
seek. and that had cost already the lives
OF II men from the "IIispanioa." How
many it had cost in the annssing what
blood and sorrow, what good ships scut-
tied on the deep, what Grave men walk
ing the plank blindfold, what shot of
cannon, what shame ahd lies and cruel
ty, perhaps no man alive could tell.
Yet there were still three upon that
1sland-silvcr, and old Morgan, and
Ben Gunn-who had each taken his
share i'll these crimes, as each had hoped
n n CHI !, Il