The Mena star., 1899-03-23
CLAREncE HERBERT HE~.
 [Copyrlght. Iso7 by J. B. LIppincott Col

with among your crew.
 "Well, I became interested in the story And then the idea occurred to me that being out of job, there would be nothing 10 hinder my Investigating the thing a little. Just for the sake of argument, now-we might as well amuse ourselves with this as anything, suppose I were to leave the steamer at Guaian; that's the biggest and most southerly Ladrone, isn't 1t? Right. Then suppose I should happen to get hold of Fray Ignacio's account of the shipwrecked officer. and should find in 1t just where the gaileon went down. I'd very likely get myself into serious scrape, but just suppose should man. age to see the document after all. Then suppose I took little trip some day on one of those flying catamarans- they make 9 knots sometimes, if re- member correctly-and succeeded in locating this reef. Suppose I had diving suit with me; there probably i isn't such a thing between Frisco and the Yokohama navy yard, but imagin- ation is cheap. Suppose 1 actually found something that looked like an old wreck, crusted over with coral, and tried dynamite cartridge on it. Sup pose I found something there, and slowed it away until you could join me. eh ?"
 Halstead was filling his pipe as l spoke, but his fingers trembled a little. He took several long, meditative puffs without saying a word. Then he got up and began to pace the deck, up and down, back and forth. Presently he cleared the table and spread upon it an Imray chart of the western Pacific be- tween New Guinea and Japan. After studying this closely for several mo- ments. he took down Findlay's Direc- tory of the North Pacific, which he also consulted. The conversation had drifted casually into this channel from its association with the Ladrone voy- age, but the subject was taking hold of us with the grip that such seeming impossibilities often will; and all sorts of wild absurdities flashed through my mind as I watched the captains face. After what seemed an hour of calcula- ton over the chart and directory, he said:
 'sThat reef hasn't been found by any vessel since 1740. but it isn't safe to ac- cep. the fact as conclusive evidence against it's present existence. It is q difficult matter to fix the position of any ship exactly on a chart. Compass deviation, or trifling errors i'll the ad- justment of a sextant, may easily make difference of several miles. Then, again, these islands are probably the most unfrequented portion of the earth's surface. I don't know of spot so seldom visited as the Ladrones; the government itself only communicates with them four times a year. Now, that galleon would have been ap- preaching from almost due east, 1nak- ing for Guajan-Port San Luis q Apra. The prevailing winds, being no'theas' i to eas', would drift the coral frag- ments over to west'ard, forming shoal 1 lagoon and breaking an entrance to 1t on the lee side. In that case, a ship under fair headway would either drive firmly on to the first bold ledge or ] shove herself over the ridge into the lagoon. So that, reasoning from pure theory, the chances are against her having sunk along the more precipit- ous face, which may go straight down a thousand fathoms or more The same 1 prevailing no'theasterly wind and waves which break and scatter the coral grit to leeward would have a tendency to crumble the deposit on a hulk in the same direction, leaving one side, or one end, more or less exposed. If Nuestra Sonora de Sevilla was head
 'That depends how often Padre Julian has talked of it in his cups. When he found that he must have said something to me about the affair dur ing one of his irresponsible periods, he attempted to pass it off as yarn; then he shut up on the subject like clam I doubt his having an idea that it would be possible to recover anything from the galleon, or that he thinks the mat ter anything more than q church se- cret which his regulations would for bid him to reveal. In that case, possi- bly, two other priests besides himself may know of the facts; but it isn't likely that they have disturbed the old Trays coffin to verify them. On the other hand, there is q chance that his reason for leaving the island where he has remained sc long may be deter imitation to consult nautical authori- ties in Manila and figure out the prac- ticability of locating the wreck"
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