The Holly chieftain., 1900-03-02

the alphabet How was he TO learn
what they stood fort He took the nrst
sentence. FWFSZU. and 10 ON. meant
absolutely nothing, and could NOT be
made to spell anything. Starting with
A, the first letter OF the alphabet, Rob
tried to make r stand for It. But there
was no way to at the same rule to r.
and make sense. This would be ARA
1t might lead to something. But wheE
he had gone through the sentence he
found II would not do. and begAn On
B. He kept this up, with all the irss.
nuity his young head was Capable ~
and tried c and d. He began TO de-
spair Of reaching 1t, when he tried 3.
The first ave letters gave the word
Every
With his heart beating faster now,
Rob kept on his way. Each letter -oi
the simple cipher really stood for the
letter that came before it in the alpha
bet. And when he had studied 1t all
out, the message read as follows:
Everything is ready. You will al
once assemble your forces and join ms
here"
This meant something, surely. Il,
meant that a revolutionary army was
to assemble under. Richard Elvin ano
make an attack on the forces Of the
government. This means. perhaps, ruin
to his uncle in Buenos Ayres. And II
his uncle was killed, perhaps Elvin
would take all his property and
wealth.
With his heart filled with boyish
courage, Rob wrote the letters In CT
pher, as he had been ordered to do
Then he addressed envelopes from list
4 number two.
The message In form number three
meant nothing to him. The nearest he
could come to a guess was that 1t in
formed the persons to whom 1t was
sent that the BLACK Cat" had brought
another cargo Of contraband goods
But what had loyalty to do with SNUG
| Cling? No, 1t was another revolution
ary message. and the BLACK Cat had
perhaps been taken as the symbol OF
the revolutionists.
Fortunately, Elvin remained away
and Rob had an opportunity to carr,
out the design he had formed. He
wrote letter to his uncle.
Dear Uncle David" he wrote, q
was not drowned when I was throwr
overheard from the Royal Mail. wa:
picked up by smuggler, and am nov
a prisoner among some men. who arr
smugglers, and also conspirator.
against the government of Argentina
The head mans name is Richard Ell
vim. and he thinks am the nephew o
Torrevo. the captain of the schooner
that picked me up. If he knew wa!
writing this, he would kill me. Tn,
man who threw me overheard wal
Lemuel Starne, the same one who II
trying to marry my cousin Elsie. HI
is scoundrel. He is really the sol
Of Elvin. He comes here, and an
afraid he will recognize me- So, a
soon as get this of with lot of let
ters am writing to other conspirators
am going to slip out of the windoy
and go back to the schooner 'Blacl
Cat Captain Torrevo told me t.
come back II was In danger, and
think / am. could have gone las
night, but wanted to finish the jol
they set me at, 80 that l could ge
this letter off to you. There are thre'
kinds of letters am writing, and
can only read one. That is the yer!
one that seems hardest to read. 1t Il
in cipher, but made 1t out. 1t !,
being sent to several generals ant
colonels and captains In Argentina
and says: Everything is ready. Yo,
will at once assemble your forces ant
Join me here.-Vin.' The name Vii
means Elvin. Here means a hous'
not far from the river, at spot callet
Black Cat Bay. II get back to tn,
schooner l will be safe until ElviI
finds me. But hope you will conf
after me, or send someone. I war;
you against Lemuel Starne, who's
name is Elvin. He is trying to ge
Elsie and your money. He tried. +
kill me to prevent me from reaohin,
you. Please try and get me ava.
from these men. l am afraid they will
kill me yet. Your loving nephew,
ROB CLEVERDALE."
Rob addressed an envelope to DAY
i'd Horton, buenos Ayres." and slippel
the letter, folded neatly, into 1t. Thel
he placed this among the letters o
number one, that he had written tn
previous day and which Elvin ha'
j looked over.