Arizona republican., 1899-02-09
CHAPTER ".
THE SEA CHEST-


 I lost no time, of course, in telling my mother all that knew, and perhaps should have told her long before, and we saw ourselves at once in q difficult and dangerous position. Some. of the mans money-if he had any--yFas cer- tainly due to US; but it was moi likely that our captains shipmates, above all the two specimens seen by me, Black Dog and the blind beggar, would be inclined 10 give up their booty in pay ment of the dead mans debts. The captains order to mount at once and ride for Dr. Livesey would have left my mother alone and unprotected, which was not to be thought of. Indeed, it seemed impossible for either of us tc remain much longer in the house; the fall of coals in the kitchen gratc, the very ticking of the clock, filled us with alarms.
 The neighborhood, to our ears. seemed haunted by approaching foot steps; and what between the dead body of the captain on the parlor floor, and the thought of that detestable blind beggar lowering rear at hand and ready to return, there were moments when, as the saying goes, l jumped in my skin for terror. Something must speedily be resolved upon; and it oc- cured to us at last to go forth to- gether ard secI, help in the rcighbor- ing hamlet. No sooner said than done as we were, we ran out nt once ill the gathering evening and the frosty fog.
 The hamlet lay not many hundred yards away, though out of view, on the other side of the next cove; and, what greatly encouraged me, it was in an opposite direction from that whence the blind man had made his appear ance, and whither Ire had presumably We were not many minutes on the road, though we sometimes stopped to lay hold of each other and hearken. But there was no unusual but the low wash of he ripple and the croaking of the erows in the wood.
 IL was already candle-light when we reached the hamlet, and I shall never forget how much 1 was cheered to see the yellow shine in doors and windows; 1ut that, as it proved, was the best
 
 hat quarter. FOr-you would have bought men would have been ashamed }f themselves soul would consent 0 return with us to the Admiral Ben 0ow The more we told of our trou- bles, the more-man, woman and child they chung to the shelter of their houses. The name of Capt. Flint, though it was strange to me, was well enough known to some there, and car lied q great weight of terror. Some of the men who had been to tield-worl1 on the far side of the Admiral Ben DOW remembered, besides, to have seen several strangers on the road, and, talk ing them to be smugglers, to have bolt d away; and one at least had seen l little Iuggcr in what We called Kits Iole. For that matter, anyone who was a corarade of the captains was enough to frightcn them to death. And -he short and the long of the matter y5as, that while we. could get several who were willing enough to ride to Or. Livcscy's, which lay in another di- -ection, not one would help us to de- 'end the inn.
 They say coNardice is infectious; but hen argument is, on the other hand. l great emboldcner; and so when each rad his say, my mother made them a speech. She would net, she declared. . ose money that belonged to her father ess boy; If none of inc rest of you lare,'' she said, Jim and dare. Back ve will go, the way we came, and small hanks to you Liz, hull,irg, chicken lcartcd men. We'll lave that chest open, if we die for it. And I'll thank -ou for that bag, Mrs. Crossley, to bring )acl, our lawful money in.'
 Of course, l said I would go with my