Evening journal., 1899-08-18
satIon the aIght va came ab0ard.'

sation the night we came aboard"
''Then you were watching us?"
"Sin duda, senor My eye was al
ways on you until the doctor tied me
to that cursed hammock i slept on
the deck before your door"
"But why?. Why have ycu watched
me so? 1t was that which made you
ILL.,"
Listen, senorito. l give ysu my
confidence. am dying, and I open to
you my heart. I tell you what no man
knows, make to you a confession.
You shall be nay father, my brother,
my padre, my friend. Listen, senior
Americana; listen to dying man.
am not Don Manuel Arce / am in
cognito. l am Barundia, el Duque de
Bauvadia, Marques de Chirimoyaw he
exclaimed, rising from the berth and
looking as II he expected to see me
paralyzed with the revelation. But
el Duque de Bauvadia, Marques de
Chirimoya, was nothing more to me
than Manuel Arce had never heard
the Rame before, but seeing, that sur
prise was expected, / exclaimed, 'Is it
possible" and waited for further light
You realize now why l could not
90 to the consul. He would have rec
ognized me. for / am a famous man
in Spain. am a soldier, statesman,
diplomatist, / was OF the government,
and this begmrly consul was a clerk
in the Department de Fomento. 1t was
announced that ] am travelling in the
States. | went to New York as the
Duque de Bauvadia, When l left the
city and took the Colon steamer
was Manuel Arce, the name OF a serV-
ing man OF our family, who mysteri-
ously disappeared years ago. I am in
cOgnito. amigo uio, because I am on
se0ret mission; a secret mission OF
transcendent Importance. l tell you
this because / will die. You will bury
me in the ocean. You will wrap me
in an cid blanket with a pig of lead
and throw me overheard TO feed the
sharks, the devil-fish and you will
write to the Ministro de Relaciones,
Exteriores Madrid; and you will say
this, and this only, not one word more
or one word less, and get the captain
and purser to sign it with yourself:
"El Duque de Bauvadla, Marques de
Chirimoya, died this day on board the
steamship Coquimbo, on the coast of
Ecuador, travelling incognito as Man
uel Arce. He was buried at sea- Ais
effects were sent unopened TO his
address, Madrid"
"Dios miol" he continued, "it makes
nae creep to think of 1t, to speak thus
Of death; seal the trunk and the port
manteaus carefully, especially the
black one that is so heavy. 1t is full
Of treasure, pesOa de oro, my entire
fortune. Promise me, senorito, proR-
i've me- and may the Mother Of Mercies
requite you for your kindness"
When we got to Geayaquil Senor
Arce was able to be carried to a hotel
where he revealed to me the object OF
his journey. which was nothing more
nor less than the pursuit OF the old
will-o'-the-wisp, which has lured SO
many adventures and spectators tc
destruction, the buried treasure Of the
Incas, millions Of dollars worth OF
gold and silver, supposed to be buried
in the mountains south Of Quito by
the faithful Incas, who were bringing
it to the Spaniards in 1885. for the ran
son OF Atahualpa, their king. Senoi
Arce offered nae an opportunity to par
/ ticipate in the tolls and rewards o
his advesture, but / assigned my shar
to Yankee sailor, who had been run
ming a steamboat on the Guayas river
but who was just then out Of employ
ment.-'ChicagO Record.