Evening star., 1898-06-11

and drowning every soul on board. and
the yarn is easy believablc. Capt. Kettle
and his companions had undergone horrible
privations; here ut last was the isle of
thefr hopes, and the treasure Gas 1t SEEM
cdD in full view; but by some intolerable
| fate they were barred from it by relentless
walls of surf. Kettle ran in as close as
he dared and then flattened in his sheets
and sailed the lifebcat close-hauled along
the noisy line of breakers to the norrard,
| looking for an opening.
The two Portuguese grumbled openly,
and, when not ghost of a landing place
showed. and Kettle put her about to sail
back again. even the cautious McTodd put
up his word to run in and risk it,
But Kettle. though equally sick as they
were of the boat and her voyage, had all a
sailors dislike for losing his ship. what
ever she might be, and cowed them all
| with voice and threats, and at last his
forbearance was rewarded. A slim passage
through the reefs showed itself at the
southern end of the island. and down 1t
they lodged, trimming their sheets six
times a minute. with an escort of dangers
always close either hand, and finally
ran into rocky bay. which held compare
lively smooth water
There was no place to beach the boat.
They had to anchor her off, but with a
whip on the cable they were able to step
ashore on a ledge of stone and then haul
| the boat off again out of harms way.
| 1t may be thought that they capered with
| delight at treading on dry land again. but
cramped limbs and disused joints it was
much they could do to hobble, and
| every step was wrench. But the lure
| ahead of them was great enough to tri-
umph over minor difficulties. Half mile
away along the rocks was the Duncansby
| head. and for her they raced at the top of
| their crippled gait. And the seafowl
screamed curiously above their heads
They scratched and tore themselves in
this frantic progress over the sharp vol
| canic rocks. they choked with thirst, they
painted with their labor, but none of these
| things mattered. The deserted, steamer
when they came to her, was lying of from
| the shore at the other side Of lake of deep
water. But they were fit for no more wait
ing. and each. as he came opposite her.
waded in out to his depth and swan off with
eager strokes. Davit falls trailing in the
water gave them an entrance way and up
these they climbed with the Quickness of
apes and then with one accord they made
for the pantry and the stewards store
room. The gold which had lured them was
forgotten: the immediate needs of their
famished bodies were the only things they
remembered. They found cheese, box
OF musty biscuit and a filter full of stale
and tepid water, and they gorged till they
were filled, and swOre they had never sat
to so delicious a meal.
with repletion came the thoughts of for
tune again. and off they went to the chart
mouse to finger the coveted gold. But here
was a disappointment ready and waiting
Tor them. They had gone up in a body
together they ransacked the place with
thoroughness. There were papers in abun-
dance, there We're clothes furry with mil
dew, there was broken box of cheap ci-
sars, but of money there was not so much
as bronze piece
"Eh, well, said Kettle. sitting back on
the musty bed clothes, I'VE have had our
a arouoie Ior nothing. Some ones been here
! nrst and skinned the place clean" Nc
Todd pounced upon the counterpane and
caught something which he held between
| MS black thumb and finger.
Look he said, that's not white
| mans flea That's Spanish or Portuvee.
| And neither Tonic nor his mate brought it
mere because they have been washed clean
on the trip. You remember what / said
ABOUT fishing schooners from Las Paimas.
| skipper?''
BY Jares, yes. And look on the floor
there. See those cigarette ends? They're
| new. and dry. Il the old man had been a
| cigarette smoker he wouldn't have chucked
| his butts on mis- charthouse deck, and even
| II he had done they'd have been washed
| to bits wnen she was hove down on her
| beam ends. You can see by the decks out
| side that she's been pretty clean swept
| No. it's those fishermen, as you say, who
| have been here before u.s."
''Weel." said McTodd. rubbing his thumb
| tightly into his fingers end IF 1 were a
| swearer 1 could say deal"
| The DagOS are swearing enough for the
| whole crowd of us. to judge by the splutter
OF them. The moneys gone clean; it's vex-
| ing, Dut tnat 3 q fac{. Still, i don't Ike
| TO go back 'emptyhanded."
I'm as keen as yourself. There's that
| e. of my wages I left when l ran in Glib
that's got to be ma de up somehow What's
wrong with getting on theehatches and
| seeing how her cargos made up?'
She's loaded with hides. I saw 1t on
| the manifest. There was Jimmy Mulready's
| scraw1 at the foot of 1t. That photo there
above the bed foot viii be his wife. Poor
| old Jimmy. He got religion before I did.
| and started his II surance. too, and II he's
kept them both up he and his widow ought