The Mena star., 1899-03-23
[coNrINuEp rRoM LAsr wEnK.l

On, santa KOSu( cOulun | tell you that. There are no soundings of it, even on the Spanish charts, though it was laid down on Dalrymple's and Can tova's older maps. Dampier said he found it in 1886, four fathoms under water. One of the galleons struck on it in trying to avoid his ships while they were lying at Guajan, and had a deuce of time getting off, but no cap tain has seen the slightest indication of reef there since that time. Most of these islands are volcanic, you know, and it may have sunk to the three or four mile level"
 Every likely. Still, the ships that looked for it might have been there at a time of year when the weather was unfayorable for q search"
 "You mean-?"
 .'That, as is quite probable, they may have been cruising during the sum mer. That would be the southwest monsoon. wouldn't it? Rain, fog, hur- Ticanes-"
 That's so."
 'And the water might have been so iumpy that careful sounding would have been out of the question:"
 Hardly. They wouldn't attempt to sound in bad weather, unless for their own safety. Still, they might not have happened to try it when they were over the exact spot, and the shifting of the monsoon might make anything like m accurate search impossible. Oh, I wouldn't venture to say that there is no reef there; its existence and position are not definitely known, that's all. But suppose there is. Sup pose for the sake of argument that it's lagoon isn't more than 100 feet or so deep, how much chance do you think there would be of finding even she fragments of hulk lost there 120 years ago? Why, man, it would have q coral jacket on so thick that you'd have to use dynamite if it were above water. Coral deposit increases at the rate of an eighth of an inch a year, or more, according to Agassiz; that would make make thickness of about 15 inches. Adding shell-fish and other marine growth, it would be safe to fig nre two or three feet, wouldn't it?"
 Probably; but thought that coral, diatomaceae, and foraminifera depos- jted perpendicularly on these volcanic atolls?"
 That's so. If the wreck lay in bold position some of her side timbers might still be exposed, or at least GOV Guaian 6n one of the catamarans, but the natives are no navigators, and it would be pretty risky business"
 s'It would be out of the question to make Guajan first, suppose?"
 Rather. Of course it 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 Ydp first, be- cause the Caroline and Peiew govern ments there include two lieutenant colonels as gobernadors, against one in the Ladrones. From Yap the ship goes to Pouynipete, or Pouape, the largest island in the Carolines, and from there to Guaian. This trip, as it happens, Pm instructed to take in Kusaie also, at the east end of the group; so you see change of course might raise considerable un rleasant- 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 up a valid excuse for changing the course = machinery or coal = some thing of that kind?"
 Goal 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. We'll Have to take some one into our confi- dence, though 1t may not be necessary 50 do so entirely Now, MePherson my engineer, has sailed with me, off and on for several years, and is under obligations 10 me besides. The nature of those obligations I won't discuss; it is sufficient that. while I don't take any stock in average human nature. I can rely upon his doing anything in lie world for me; and if we should get hold Of that money I'd like Mae to have q share of it, even if it were only a small one. We won't tell him the syhole scheme at first, but he can help sis more than anyone else. and will cred very thinly. Harry, what crazy notion have you got in your head l? There isn't one chance in million of an attempt to raise that treasure he