The Irish standard., 1898-12-24
CLARENCE HERseRT hEw.
1907. tv j. B. Ltprlneo. Col

guess you'd say. There's no doubt but
that it was there once-scveral of the
old navigators mention it-but, you
see, these islands are volcanic, and it
has probably sunk, because no captain
has found it since 1740."
"Ah! cntiendo. Each OF the cap
itanos who do sail near it do make
the sounding, and when find they do
not, behold, it no longer must there be.
] suppose many the examination must
have made, that los geografos so sure
are that it is now gomez"
well, not very many. The Chal-
lenger didn't get as far east as the
Ladrones, and the American cruiser
Alert is the only one that really made
much of a search. You see, the supply
boat only comes out here four times
year, and the place is not in the
track of any other ships"
"And the capitanos lie los vaporesde
Ia Companiu-yourself also - have
been unsuccessful"
why, personally, I've never looked
for it. Yon see, there's plenty of
sea room to keep clear of the place.
and don't see the use of risking my
ship by fooling around where shoal
certainly existed ut some time or 9th.
cr. AS for the other captains who run
out here, doubt if they would bother
about it, either"
nut would not you much honra
gain, and una gran recompcnsa from
la sociedad geografica If the correct
report of su posicion you did send
them?"
ooh, the Royal society is always
glad to get anything of the kind, and
they like to have every captain send
in what information he can; still,
merchant skipper wouldn't be expect
ed to go out of his course for such
search. The warships arc supposed
to do most of the surveying, you
know. padre"
"Ah, 81, that I do know, OF course.
But, as you say, they come not often
to the Ladrones. Well, perhaps willie
la gran narration de las Ihlns am
writing, I may be able to make I'm ex-
animation with those native proas you
did speak of. If so, the true posicion
of every roca y isla in the archipelago
will send to you. Then los capitanos
the name of ell Padre Sebastiano will
bless; is It not SOP"
"Why, padre, if you're really going
to write book on the group, I've no
objection to helping you out oil can.
Bound as we are for Guajan, it
wouldn't take US more than few
hours out of our way to pass the po-
sition of that reef and take sound
srl
worth while. But you'd have to mako
it right with my primero, Mr.. Diaz.
He feels pretty sore about having to
overhaul his cargo on account OF our
shifting about; you see, Guajan has
always been our last stop, and all tho
Agana stuff is In the lower hold. But
II you can persuade him that there is
chance Of glory and thanks in it, he
may feel in better humor. You go talk
to DiaZ and Moreno: say that it'll give
them five or six hours more to get their
stuff up, and work 1t in Ms a favor to
the church. Then II they come to me
md say they'd like to take whack
ut Santa Rosa, I'll head her quarter
further enst in the morning"
"Ah, captain, ! have the fear you are
un hcrejc; You do make the joke upon
the padres. But you are IN benevolo,
SO you forgive. I'll primero I will see
and him nl,solvc. Buenas noches."
When Padre Sebastiano was out of
hearing 1Ialstead and looked at each
other. Ills expression must have been
u reflection of my own. for it said rs
plainly rs words:
"Well, what do you think of thnt?"
I shook my head. IT wns n little too
much for me. We smoked in silence
for several minutes. Then the captain
sauntcrcd out on deck, to be sure there
was no one near, and carefully closed
the door when he returned.
what l am trying to figure out"
he said, "is whether that oily, old duck
is convinced that we are interested in
the reef, or whether his suspicious
have been so completely lulled by the
, accident that he thinks it safe to med
| die with it OH his own account"
"Your impression is, then, that his
book on the islands Is not thing but .
fnke?"
y "M'-blesscd II know what my inn
preston is. If he were really plane
ming such n work, nothing would be
more natural than the questions he
asked or his anxiety to obtain MI pos
/ sibIe information. These islands have
never been written up; there isn't
even cyclopcdia that devotes more
than thousand words to them, most
ly relating to their discovery and moth.
ing else; and it would be n natural ex-
PLANTATION OF such a trip undertaken
by man Of his position and learning.
On the other hand, every word and ac-
ton might easily be construed us in
dications Of secret purpose connect
ed with that reef. l guess the only
safe thing is to accept the last suppo-
sition and keep him from making any
thing out of it. We fooled him on the
accident, anyhow"
''Hm-fooled ourselves little, too.
didn't we: You didn't count upon an
actual crack in that shaft, did you?"
"What! Do You mean to say that,
knowing all about 1t, you Well
1'm-l That's n compliment to Mao,
Why, man alive, he made that scratch
with Cape chisel while she was MAX
ing 90 turns, then filed it with lamp.
black and OIL He took the screws out
Of the tank brackets and flxed them
with wooden plugs, SOS it would fall
straight when she rolled to leeward,