The Kinsley graphic. [volume] (Kinsley, Kan.) 1890-1940, 1899-07-21

always been our last stop. and all the
Agana stuff is in the lower hold. But
il 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 it in as favor to
the church. Then if they come to me
and say they'd like to take whack
at Santa Rosa, I'll head her quarter
further east in the morning"
"Ah, captain, have the fear you are
un hereje; you do make the joke upon
the padres. But you are un benevolo.
SO I you forgive. Ell primero 1 will see
and him absolve. Buenas noches."
When Padre Sebastiano was out of
hearing Halstead and I looked at each
other. His expression must have been
a reflection of my own, for it said. as
plainly as words:
SWELL, what do you think Of that?'
shook my head. It was a little too
much for me. We smoked in silence
for several minutes. Then the captain
sauntered out on deck, to be sure there
was no one near, and carefully closed
the door when he returned.
what I 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 on his own account"
"Your impression is, then, that his
book on the islands is nothing but a
fake"
"M'-blessed if know what my inn
preston is. If he were really plan
ming such a work, nothing would be
more natural than the questions he
asked, or his anxiety to obtain all pos
sible information. These islands have
never been written up; there isn't
even a cyclopedia that devotes more
than a thousand words to them, most
~ relating to their discovery and moth
ing else; and it would be a natural ex-
PLANTATION of such trip undertaken
by a man of his position and learning.
On the other hand, every word and &C.
ton might easily be construed as in
dications OF a secret purpose connect
ed with that reef. l guess the only
safe thing is to accept the last suppo-
sition an. keep him from making any.
thing out of it. We fooled him on the
accident, anyhow"
"H'm-fooled ourselves a little. too.
didn't we? You didn't count upon an
actua! crack in that shaft. did your"
What Do you mean to say that.
knowing all about it, you Well.
Pm! That's a compliment to Mac.
Why. man alive, he made that scrat ch
with Cape chisel while she was max
ing 80 turns, then filled it with lam D.
black and oil. He took the screws out
of the tank brackets and fixed them
straight when she rolled to leeward,
and the hammer he used-that made it
sound SO hollow-had a wooden head
blackened with plumbago. The shaft
is as sound as a new dollar, but we'll
have to put few Of those clamps ON
it to carry out the deception"
well, you fooled me completely.
For an impromptu accident, it was a
bowling success. Old Palacios won't
move six feet from a fe-preserver for
the rest of the voyage. But how about
those soundings? Are you really GO
ing to take them?"
well, 1 rather guess l am, as a par
ticular favor to my friend ell Padre Sc
bastiano. And. being quite interested
in his forthcoming book, l shall use
every endeavor. within the time that /
can spare, to make a thorough search
for It. But I'm very much afraid-very
that he'll be no wiser than he was be-
fore. Why. Harry, I'd have steered
straight for the place myself. If
Id dared. But further irregularities
SO soon after the accident wouldn't do.
Now I'm obliging the padre; and, by
thunder, I've got him just where ]
want him."
fro BE CONTINUED