Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1898-02-15

care for but money? For what would
they risk their rascal carcasses but
money!"
'sThat we shall soon know" replied
the doctor. "But you are so confound-
eddy hot-headed and explanatory that
cannot get word in. What want to
know is this: Surprising that l have
here in my pocket some clew to where
Flint buried his treasure, will that
treasure amount to much?"
amount, sir!" cried the squire. "It
will amount to this; if we have the clew
you talk about, l fit out ship in Bristol
dock, and take you and Hawkins here
along, and I'll have that treasure if
search year."
very WE'LL" said the doctor. Now,
then, if Jim is agreeable, we'll open
the packets" and he laid it before him
on the table.
The bundle was sewn together. and
/ the doctor had to get out his instru-
ment case and cut the stitches with his
medical scissors. 1t contained two
things-a book and sealed paper.
"First of all We'll try the book" OBJ
served the doctor.
! The squire and 1 were both peering
over his shoulder as he opened it, for
DR.. Llvesey had kindly motioned me to
come round from the side table, where
had been eating, to enjoy the sport of
the search On the first page there
were only some scraps of writing, such
as man with a pen in his hand might
make for idleness or practice. One was
the same as the tattoo mark, Billy
Bones his fancy" and then there was
! Mr.. w. Bones, mate" mo more rum"
of Palm Key he got itt;" and some
other snatches, mostly single words
and unintelligible. / could not help
wondering who it was that had got
itt," and what "itt" was that he rot
A knife in his back as like as not.
Not much instruction there" said
DIR. Livesey, as he passed on.
! The next ten or twelve pages were
tlled with curious series of entries.
There was date at one end of the line
and at the other a sum of money, as in
common account-boolls; but instead of
explanatory writing only a varying
number of crosses between the two
On the 18th of June, 1745, for instance,
sum OF e7o had plainly become due
to some one, and there was nothing but
SIX crosses to explain the cause. In
4 lew cases, to be sure, the name of a
place would be added, as "Offe Carac-
cas-" or mere entry of latitude and
longitude, as "62 degrees, II minutes.
70 seconds, 10 degrees minutes 40 Sec
onds."
The record lasted over nearly 20
years, the amount of the separate en-
tries growing larger as time went on.
anu at the end grand total had been
made out after five or six wrong adj.
Z ditions, and these words appended:
Bones his pile"
Il can't make head or tail of this"
said DR.. Livesey.
The thing is clear as noonday,"
cried the squire. This is the black
hearted hounds account-book. These
crosses stand for the names of the
ships or towns that they have sunk or
plundered. The sums are the scoun-
drels share, and where he feared an
ambiguity, you see he added something
clearer. 'Offe Caraccas,' now;iyou see
here was some unhappy vessel boarded
Off that coast. God help the poor souls
that manned her-coral long ago"
fright" said the doctor. "See what
It Is to be traveller. Right! And the
amounts increase, you See, as he ius.
in rank"
There was little else in the volume
but a few bearings of places noted in
the blank leaves toward the end, and a
table for reducing French, English and
Spanish moneys to common value.
Thrifty mani" cried the doctor. "He
wasn't the one to be cheated"
"And now" said the squire, "for the
other"
The paper had been sealed in several
places with a thimble by way of seal;
the very thimble, perhaps, that had
found in the captains pocket. The doc.
tor opened the seals with great care
and there fell out the map of an island
with latitude and longitude. soundings
names of hills and bays and inlets, and
every particular that would be needed
to bring ship to a safe anchorage
upon its shores. 1t was about nine
miles long and five across, shaped, yor
might say, like fat dragon standing
up, and had two fine land-locked har
bors, and hill in the center part
marked THE Spy Glass" There were
several additions of later date, but
above all, three crosses of red ink-twc
on the north part of the island, one in
the southwest, and beside this last, ir
the same red ink, and in small, neal
hand, very different from the captains
lottery characters. these words: Bull
of treasure here"
Over on the back the same hand hat
written this further information:
Tall tree, Spy-glass shoulder, bearing 6
point to the N. of N. N. e.
Skeleton Island E. S. e. and by e.
'Ten feet.
1.-THE bar silver is in the north cache; YOU
can find it by the trend of the east hum
mock, ten fathoms south of the black crat
with the face on 1t.
1.-THE arms are easy found, in the sand
hill. N. point of north inlet cape, bearing
L. and quarter N. j. T."
That was all; but brief as 1t was, and
to me, incomprehensible, it filled thu
squire and DR.. Livesey with delight.
"Livesey," said the squire, you will
give up this wretched practice at once
Tomorrow start for Bristol. In three
weeks time-three weeks!-two weeks
ten days-we'll have the best ship
SIR; and the choicest crew in England
Hawkins shall come as cabin boy