Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1898-12-22

rays coffin TO verify them. On the
other hand, there IS a chance that lis
.eason fer leaving the island re he
rs ~or1o'"ed - io"~ may b. deter
..4oa % eoAsu.. naulleal authori-
/ ties in Manila and figure out the prac-
ticabiiity of locating the wreck
Then, even if we should consider
--..N. ---s0~--,, t.-0.A w1..... be
no time to procure diying-apparatus
from Yokohama or elsewhere2 IF the
padre really has anything of The kind
in view he might complete his prepare
tons and return by the next steameI.
at the latest. mightn't hep"
Easily. That would give him six
months away-time enough to get al
most anything he wanted But, old
chap-it is the strangest coincidence |
ever knew-there are a complete div
ing-suit and equipments on this very
steamer. now, in the after hold
What! You don't mean it, Why,
i how the dev--'' We were glazing at
each other excitedly and with an al
most superstitious feeling. From
mere speculation. the subject was as
Stunning a tangible reality that was
i fairly startling.
/ Yes, / DO mean it, It seems as if
/ the fairy godmotlier had determined
/ 10 shake our skepticism just when we
were denying her existence. Old Ap-
/ pleby, in Singapore, had an idea a
/ year ago that he wanted one of the
best and latest improved diying-suits
that money could buy Whether he in
! tended to go hunting for treasure him
/ self or rot. I don't know-the Malay
/ pirates lost hundreds of their luggers
/ IN the strait-but when we were load
/ ing for London he handed me so SOW
ereigns to buy one for him, and on
reaching port l got the finest thing of
the kind to be had. 1t can be used
either with or without an air-pump.
There is knapsack chamber which is
provided with chemical arrangements
for renewing the oxygen and can be
charged with compressed air by means
of geared pump so that the wearer
may stay under water for three hours;
| believe it's an improvement on the
Rouquayrol idea. Wen, / was quite
pleased with the thing, and knew APP
Singapore again they told me the
cholera had been too much for the
poor fellow, and his executors refused
to accept the package. There was no
mention of it in his accounts, and no
one wanted to buy the suit; so, as /
seemed to have fallen heir to it, I
slowed the thing away in the lazareet,
and have lugged il around ever since"
We'll, I'll be-! Say, Dick, this
seems to pretty effectually dispose of
your biggest 'if:' how about the
others? See here, old fellow; you and
| may go to our graves without ever
seeing a million of money or the
hundredth part of it; yet / don't be-
lieve there are two men on earth who
could enjoy life more If they had such
sum. At this moment l don't know
where to turn for an immediate in
come. If you should get into difficult
ties with your owners you might be
pretty short for awhile, yourself.
Now, the whole combination of cir
cumstances since yesterday afternoon
seems providential to me, and / feel
like making determined attempt to
get that money. Why, suppose we
should have the luck to recover a mil
lion each. Do you know what such a
sum would mean in London or New
York;"
DO /? Well! BY the great horn
spoon, I'm with you, Harry! But how
in? can't Leave the ship, you know.
And it would be folly to depend upon
being sent out here next trip. The
Countess is only chartered, and they
hate like the mischief to employ any
thing but Spanish bottoms
We'll, now, hold on; one thing at
time, and We'll get ahead faster. How
long before you expect to get through
the islands this trip? There may be
time enough to do something"
about II or Is days, from the time
we arrive at zap TO the day we leave
Guajan. But, don't YOU see, that won't
help us any. Guajan is the last stop;
| 60 straight back to Manila from
there. You might get from zap to
Guajan on one of the catamarans, but
the natives are no navigators. and it
would be pretty risky business"
ut would be out of the question to
make GuaJan hrst, suppose?
Rather. OF course it might be
done but at the risk of losing my com
mission and getting into hot water be-
sides. You see, the regular trip for
years has been to make zap first, be-
cause the Caroline and Pelew govern
ments there include two lieutenant
colonies as gobernadors. against one
in the LadrOnes. From zap the ship
goes to Pouynipete, or Ponape the
largest island in the Carol mes, ard
from there to Guaiau Thi~ trip. as it
happens, I'm instructed to take in
Kusaie also, Mt the east end Of the
group; so you see a change of course
might raise considerable unpleasant
ness"
IF these islanders were aalicted
with either push or discipline, it
night Bpt thty seem to take life
pretty easy-don't trouble themselves
t,l = Ia = tF.zt q. 5 .-f