The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1899-06-29

I
Rouquayroi idea. Well, l was quite
pleased with the thing, and knew APP
pleby would like il; but when made
Singapore again they told me the
| cholera had been too much for the
poor fellow, and his executors refused
TO accept the package. There was no
mention of IL in his accounts, and no
one wanted TO buy the suit; so, as l
seemed to have fallen heir to IL,
| slowed the thing away in the lazareet,
and have lugged il around ever since"
well, I'll be! Say, Dick, this
seems to pretty efIectually dispose Of
your biggest if how about the
others2 See here, old fellow; you and
! may 90 to our graves without ever
seeing a million of money, or the
hundredth part Of it; yet l don't be-
lieye there are two men on earth who
could enjoy life more IL they had such
a sum. At this moment | don't know
where to turn for an immediate in
come. If you should get into difficult
ties with your owners you might be
pretty short for awhile, yourself.
Now, the whole combination of cir
cumstances since yesterday afternoon
seems providential to me, and feel
like making determined attempt to
get that money. Why, suppose we
should have the luck to recover a mil
lion eachl Do you know what such a
sum would mean in London or New
York;"
do I? Well! By the great horn
spoon, I'm with you, Harryl But how
in-2 l can't leave the ship, you know.
And it would be folly to depend upon
being sent out here next trip. The
Countess is only chartered, and they
hate like the mischief to employ any
thing but Spanish bottoms"
We'll. now, hold on; one thing at a
time, and wen get ahead faster. How
long before you expect to get through
the islands this trip? There may be
time enough to do something"
About II or IS days, from the time
we arrive at Yap to the day we leave
Guajan. But, don't you see, that won't
help us any. Guajan is the last stop;
/ go straight back to Manila from
there. You might get from Yap to
Guajan on one of the catamarans, but
the natives are no navigators, and it
would be pretty risky business"
at would be out of the question to
make Guajan first, suppose?"
Rather. OF course il might be
done, but at the risk of losing my com.
mission and getting into hot water be-
sides. You see, the regular trip for
years has been to make Yap first, be-
cause the Caroline and Pelew govern
ments there include two lieutenant
colonels as gobernadors, against one
in the Ladrones. From Yap the ship
goes to Pouynipcte, or Ponape, the
largest island in the Carolines, and
from there to Guajan. This trip, as ii
happens, I'm instructed to take in
Kusaie also, at the east end of the
group; so you see a change of course
might raise considerable unpleasant
ness"
IF these islanders were afflicted
with either push or discipline, it
might. But they seem to take life
pretty easy-don't trouble themselves
about little things. Couldn't we think
course - machinery or coal - some
thing of that kind?"
"Coal wouldn't do. We're carrying
more than enough to get back on, and
there's little or none in the islands. As
for machinery-m'-w-e-l-l- Look
here, Harry; we can't put thing like
this through without assistance. Well
lava 70 talra Snme ono In IN nur ron a.
dence, though it may not be necessary
to do so entirely. Now, Mcpherson
my engineer, has sailed with me, of
and on for several years, and is under
obligations to me besides. The nature
of those obligations ! won't discuss;
it is sufficient that while don't take
any stock in average human nature,
can rely upon his doing anything in
the world for me; and if we should get
hold of that money I'd like Mac to have
share of it, even if it were only O
small one. We won't tell him the
whcle scheme at first, but he can helE
us more than anyone else, and will
keep his mouth shut, top. What dc
you say? Shall we let him inP"
"By all means. From what I've seen
Of Mac like him very much; and, a:
you say, we need all the assistance We
can safely get"
Halstead sent one of the quarter
masters below for Mcpherson, and in
a few minutes he appeared in the door
way. Glancing along the deck to see
| that no one was within hearing, the
captain closed the door and said:
Mac, I've known you and Stevens sc
long that | thought you should be bet
| ter acquainted with each other. We
were talking of the voyages you and
l have sailed together, and thought
we'd like to have you join with us in Q
| little speculation. Whether there will
be much of anything in ii or not we
can't say; in fact, il wouldn't be fair tC
raise your antiCipations by going into
| the particulars. But we are willing to
agree that If the scheme should be
successful we'll do what's right.
| guess you know me pretty well, and II
| answer FOR Stevens. Now, are you will
ing to help us with no more of an ex
planation than that?"
"Aa think ye medina ask me thit
Haalstead. Ye kin MAX yerseI easy
thit Aall do onything ye saay wi lit
tie adoo aboot il. We be three amane
FARMERS oot in this part o. the warld
an Aa fancy we'd best pull tagither.'
That's what l thought you'd say
Mas. Now, 1t seems to me necessary