Arizona republican., 1899-02-24
reaSure
 ,IsIaDd.$ BY ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON (Continued From Yesterday)
BY ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON
(Continued From Yesterday)


 took the cover of some thick bushes
 and crept warily up to the ridge of the spit.
 Behind me was the sea, in front the
 anchorage. The sea breeze, as though
 it had the sooner blown itself out by
 it's unusual violence, was already at an
 end; it had been succeeded by light.
 variable airs from the south and south
 east. carrying great banks Of fog; and the anchorage. under lee of Skeleton
 island, lay still and leaden as when
 first we entered it. The ''HisPanio.a
 in that unbrOlcn mirror was exactly portrayed from the truck to the water line, the Jolly Roger hanging from her peak.
 Alongside lay one of the gigs, Silver in tke stern shects-him I ccu,G always recognize-whilc q couple Of men were leaning over the stern bulWarlis, enc of them with q red cap-the very rogue I had seen some hours before stride legs upon the palisade. Apparently they were talking and laughing, though at that distance-uPward of mile-I could, of course, hea@ no word of what was said. All at crce there began the 1lCSl nC1IIil5 G4lSIA l-A-N SN- ' AA-t ., which at first startled ne badly, though I had soon remembered the voice of Capt Flint. and even thought I could make out the bird by her bright p-um age as she sat Perched upon her mas -ter's wrist.
 Soon after the jolly-boat showed off and pulled fer shore, and the man with the red cap ard lis comrade went below by the cabin companion.
 Just about the same time the sun had gone down behind the Spy-glass. and as the fog vas collecting rapidly it began 10 grow dark in earnest. I saw 1 must lose no time if I were to find the beat that evening. lg
 The white rock. visible enough above the brush, was still some eighth of mile further down tie spit, ardit tcoi, me a goodish while to get up esith it, crawling often on all foUrs ar1Qng the scrub. Wight had almost CoIRc when I laid my hand on it's rough sides. Right below fl there was an expecting ly small hClloE Of green tUrfs~ hidden by banks and thick undcrwo8d about lnec-deep, that grew the1e very plen- t:fully; and in the center of tGe deH. sure enough. a little tent of e9dtskins like wha, tka ryuzies carry about with them in England.
 I dropped into the hollow. lifted the side of the tent, and there was Ben ,iunn's boat-Aome:1ad if ever any hing was homemade; a rude, lop-sided Tram eworI1 of tough wood, and stretched upon that covering of goat 7Izin, with the hair inside. The thing .Tas extremely small. even for me- unCi ] I can hardly imagine that 1t could have l i0ated with full-sized man. There .Tas one thWart set as low as possible, | kind of stretcher in the bows, and q double paddle for propulsion.
 | had not then seen coracle, such | $ the ancient Britors made, but 1 | have seen once since, and can give you | 10 fairer idea of Ben Gunn's boat than | oy saying it was like the first and the | worst coraclc ever made by man. But | he great advantage if the coracIe it cer- -airIy possessed, for it was exceedingly | ight and portable.
 Well, now that I had found the boat, | -ou would have thought l had had ! though of truantry for once: but in the meantime 1 had}taken another notion, | md become so obstinately fond of it hat I would have carried it out, I be- ieve, in the teeth of Capt. Smollett him. self. This was to slip out under cover of the night, cut the ''Hispaniola" drift, and let her go ashore where she 'anciod- I had quite made up my mind hat the mutineers, after their repulse 'f the morning, had nothing nearer heir hearts than to up anchor and away o sea; this, l thought, it would be inc thing to prevent, and now that l rad seen how they left their watchmen with q boat, l thought it night be done with little risk.
 Down I sat to wait for darkness, and made a hearty meal of biscuit. It was night out Of ten thousand for my pur- pose. The fog had now buried all heaven. As the last rays of daylight iwindIed and disappeared, absolute )!ackGess settled down on Treasure sland. AnG when. at last, l shouldered he corac!e. and gr2ped my w;,y stu1n- 9linglY out of the hollow where l had upped, there were but two points visi- oie on the whole anchorage.
 One yv3s the great fire on shore, by which the Jsccated pirates lay carous- ng in the swamp. The other, mere ,lur cf light uToA the darkness, in Heated the rcsition ol the anchored hip. She had >r.uug round to inc ebh
 her Low W&s nc" toward Eo-the ,.. Y iGhts on i.oard were in inc eGbin; nd what san' Uas merely q reflection ,a the fog of ti." strong rays that flowed ron tAe stera window.
 The cl3 l@s! ,..reaoy run some tune, nd I had to wade through thc lcnr belt f swaIapr send, where l sunk several ines above the ankle, before ] came to he edge Of Inc retroating water. and, yaCing little way ir. with some tre2gth and deNtcrity sot my coraelc, -eeI downward, on the surface.
 CH HAIl-Ct,r E[III