The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1899-06-06
THE F0(NDgRED GALLE0N.
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b. EEATaER3Y oHEsaEY AID
ALIOK HUNR0.

Copyright 1850. by the Authors.l
swell. Colepepper," he said whel
they were alone, what is it,"
LOOK at the glass"
DR.. Tring did 30 and whistled. "B,
Joys." be said. "it has gone down, ant
no mistakel"
can inch and a quarter in the las
30 minutes" observed the captain
"and it's stiil falling. We're in fol
something out Of the common"
The doctor thought for a moment
"Then, IL that ~ SO, he said at length
"we'd better hurry up and get below
the surface again before 1t begins. Nov
that we've hit upon the spot where thu
gold lies we can afford to be lavish
with our supply of oxygen. Well just
stay down below there till it has blown
itself out"
"Aye,"- assented the captain, eve
might do that II it was going to be an
ordinary storm. I've no more fancy
than you have for leaving the Santa
Catarina now that we've got our fingers
in her money box at last, but this blow
isn't going to be a matter Of hours OF
Of days either maybe. It's a regular
tornado that we're in for, I tell you.
Look at the sea-dancing up and down
like a plate Of calf's foot jelly, though
thers isn't as much wind as would
blow match ont. I've been In q storm
of the kind before, and know the signs.
We shall be precious lucky If we escape
with the loss Of spar or two"
"Do you mean that we shall have to
leave this epot now. when the Spanish
gold is almost In our pockets1"
eyes, doctor, do We shall have to
set about putting the ketch into sea
trim again as fast as we can and then
run before the storm wherever it chooses
to take Us. II we're lucky and don't go
to the bottom, we can come back here
afterward for the rest Of the gold II
we're not lucky, we shall be dismasted
or worse. A West Indian tornado Is the
hottest sort Of terror when 1t fairly
breaks loose, and that's what we are
going to have before we are couple Of
hours older Your trick of command is
over for the present, doctor. I'm afraid,
for there will be precious small chance
Of any more undersurface work for
spell. It's a pity, but there's no help
for it, so we'd best be setting about
putting the Eureka into shipshape
again. "
The two friends left the cabin and re-
turned to the deck. The gold and silver
had by this time all been sorted out
from among the slime, and Tom Jelly
and Henrietta were already busy with
the buckets washing down the mud
fouled decks. Captain Colepepper ex-
planned matters to the others and then
put the whole crew to the work of set
ting up the canvas again. 1t had to be
hurriedly done, for there was no time
to be lost, and hardly had the necessary
rags Of storm sail been set when the
tornado broke upon them.
The first squall came down upon the
Eureka with rush, driving wave Of
white foam before 1t. The sea had risen
rapidly, even before the wind came,
running crosswise in several directions
at the same time and giving clear ovi.
dence by its confused warning Of the
nature Of the tempest which was COM
ing. 1t was one Of the circrilar storms
of the tropics. than which no wind that
blows is more destructive.
The time at their disposal had been
too short to allow them to get the run.
ming tackle of the mainmast set In or.
der To make sure that its standing
rigging was all taut and firmly secured
was all that they had been able to do.
They had managed, however, to set the
mizsen and small jib, and under these
Captain Colepepper hoped that she
might be able to weather the tornado.
1t might be, perhaps, that even this
small sail spread would be too much for
her.
As soon as the storm was fairly upon
them Guthrie was sent to the forward
not that there was any very
strong likelihood Of their falling in
with any other vessel in these latitudes,
but Captain Colepepper would take no
unnecessary risks, and the awful expe-
rience which they had already had with
the P. and o. liner in the bay of Biscay
was a sufficient reminder to the most
that their shippers caution
was by no means unreasonable.
Presently Guthrie was joined at his
post by Dolly. In the rapidly growing
darkness the young man could just
make out that there was an expression
If intense disappointment on her face,
which even the excitement of the COM
ng battle with the sea did not avail to
lrive away.
"Alan," she said "isn't II horrid
% be driven away like this, just when
We had got to the interesting corner Of
hat galleon thing? It's too provokingl
Guthrie nodded, and there was mo-
nent's silence, broken only by the in
'reasing voice of the tempest. The
'oung man shared to the full the gem
raj disappointment and was thorough.
= out of temper with himself and his
ate. He was in no mood, therefore, for
iscussing the situation, even with
DOLLY, for at that moment it seemed
0 him that the Flat Holme light had
cen lying beacon after ALL
The sea had got up quickly, and inst
hen wave struck heavily against the
ows of the ketch. Its top curled over
he weather bulwark, and heavy
bower Of spray dashed against the girl
t his side
Hadn't you better 20 belowH" be
1ggested. 1--WE shall have these big
slows coming aboard bodily by and
y"
Dolly shook the water from her curls
18th laugh. She was sailors daugh.
n, and the delight Of tussle with the
"a was taking hold Of her and driving
way her disappointment. 1t was not
! any case her nature to be melancholy
# long.
mo" she said gayly. II enjoy IL.
IL 60 if it gets much worse, though,
father will begin to be anxious about
Q. l think, though" she added, with
pout which the darkness did not sue
cd in hiding Hfhat Two aarped tho |