Akron daily Democrat. [volume] (Akron, Ohio) 1892-1902, 1899-12-28

y
faded utterly into the darkness. A
sailor hauled back the line which at.
tached the boat to the stern and
loopcd II upon one OF the davlts
Then he Joined his fellows In the fore.
castle. AmIdship Jones and the mate
kept motioniess watch, one scaward,
one toward the shore.
The boat lay rubbing and nosing
gently against the timbers OF the hull,
like puppy nesting to Its mother.
Then, almost imperceptibly. the rip
pies swung her shoreward again. and
she stretched out to her full tethcr.
The shadow lay black between the
companionway and the deckhouse,
and through 1t figure moved ghost
like on noiscless feet. Suddenly the
dingey; as II endowed with life, turned
and made back toward the ship. A
white hand leaned through the taff-
rail and pulled gently but steadily
at the painter. AS the boat swung
under the stern two little feet were
poised above her, feeling carefully
for foothold. Then IIilmar slid noise
lessly down in the darkness and
pushed away from the hull, speeding
to the shore with silent impulse. She
caught the rocks with outstrctched
hands before n timber could crate
and crept out upon them. She
spurned back the boat as she landed,
and without ripple 1t glided again
to the ships side and resumed its dull
tapping against the planks. Unseen
In her dark cloak. Hilmar crept along
the reef, gained the sand and was in
her turn swallowed by the darkness.
The deck watch, cngrossed in other
directions. had not caught vcstlge
of her as she passed.
A mile away in the forest the
treasure seekers were stumbling along.
path here, there and everywhere, and
many were the trips they made and
numberless the imprecations they NUT
tered. AT their head strobe Lars, star
ing round him and pointing now and
again to some huge trunk or bowlder
as he signlfied that he recognized IA
miliar landmarks.
The night was dull and heavy. Thick
clouds moved slugglshly across the
sky, opening at short intervals to let
down ray Of light from the crescent
moon.
Now and again, disturbed by some
errntic stumble from one or other
member Of the party, the half walked
chuckle of a willow grouse was heard.
The shrill cries of the owls answered
each other from thicket to thlcket.
Here and there huge patches of win
ter drift lay white between the bowl
ders and were religiously skirted by
the party, who desired to leave no
trail. Once or twice lean black shapes
swerved shadowlike across their path,
only the CLEAN of a pair Of savage
eyes proclaiming that VOLTS lair had
been invaded, so ghostlike did they fit
from one dark recess of the under
growth to another. Out of the pine
trees the occasional gurgle Of a night
jar came startlingly.
An hours toll among the branches
and powders and the tinkle of run
ming water broke upon their ears. At
n gesture from their guide they turned
to the right and debouched upon the
bank of rivulet, a little brook that
leaped and FLASHED from pool to pool,
laving great rocks that stemmed its
course among shadows a bare foot
deep. Only the worn and smooth
course of the rocky channel showed
to what heights 1t rose in winter or
autumn spnte. "a
The guide looked eagerly from right
to left Then stealthily he crept for
ward and laid his hand upon bowl
der face. He shook his head as lie
passed his palm over the smooth sur
face and stepped on to another. Some
half dozen times did he finger the
mighty stones that ridged across the
stream without result. At the seventh
or eighth attempt an exclamation
broke from him. Turning, he beckon-
ed to the colonel, who crept noiselessly
to his side. Catching his masters
hand, Pladja placed It beside his own.
The colonel felt rough cross craven
in the stone.
my own mark, one of noble brthw
exclaimed the Finn, with suppressed
excitement Between these stones |
saw the cup and scepter rise. Beneath
our feet lies the treasure
In low voiced tones Desmond and
PreObeslas consulted, and their pur-
pose took shape as follows:
Centrally down the channel of the
water course they threw up n ridge of
sand and stone, running 1t parallel
with the banks and not striving as yet
to divert the streamlets course. Some
three or four yards above where they
believed the treasure to lie they began
their embankment, stcmming the cur
rent with huge bowlder. Working
down from this, they dug sand ana
silt with vigorous spade strokes, and
soon n ridge about three feet high be-
gan to stand up in midstream.
While the sailors continued to pile
up and strengthen this embankment
Desmond and the colonel proceeded to
hurl stones and Jumps between the
head of the new made mound and the
shore, Joining the two slantingly, and
gradually DETECTING the water into the
narrowed channel, down which it
coursed deeper and swifter in its
straitened bounds.
AS the last of the pools drained
away and left the sandy intervals dry
they left this work and took their
stand before the rock first indicated