The times., 1900-12-30

Fay was clearly marked as q slight inden-
| "a lion on the northeastern side OF the
great island, giving poo. shelter, but with
good holding ground close in shore. We
could have done, perhaps. with another
hand. Still, Baxton was capital yachts
man. and took to the cutter like a bird;
| as for me. we'll, by virtue OF that three
months training from the Cape to Mel
bourne I looked upon myself as regular
! hardened old salt; Jim. CT course, was with
! the rig that suited him: thus. altogether.
we made up pretty efficient crew, and one
certainly free from any anxiety as to Its
personal belongings The third day out
We met big white warship steaming
| leisurely down the coast
| III. /. II. s. Bassard,' remarked Now
bray. Now. we might get reliabls infor-
maticn as TO our friend Eberhardt Bech.
| Bht | think we'll leave well alone. They re
apt to be inqusitive. and derced peremp-
tory TOO. at times. with people who go
a-visiting in their territory. They know
Bech; probably also Rnow his brother Carl
! and the Putzig; and might feel disinclin-
| ed to believe oGr story Of what happened.
No. this little spec. must be strictly pri-
| vate. II it turns up trumps. 1t must still
| be private; II wild goose, still more So"
Jim knew nothing, of our errand. Nor
did he care. A good natured, stolid soul,
aware that he had received a months adj
vance; that the Ruby wac fine seaboat:
with plenty to eat and drink and little to
do, he was perfectly satisfied
| AS day by day We got closer to our des-
! tination we left off making the wild guess
es hitherto indulged in as 10 the nature Of
the THREE years treasure" and spoke
scarcely at all about the affair. Nor, Gu
riously enough, did II seem to strike any
of us that the man whose hypothetical
hoard we were after might still be alive
and we'll. and what fools we should feel
and look il that actually turned out to be
the case.
But as, at last. after az uneventful light
wind passage. the Ruby rounded South
Cape and stood along the nearly straight
coast line backed by the lofty mountains
of the Owen Stanley ranges, then think
that judging by the faces Of my friends
I and my own feelings. we were all more
than dubious as to any tangible result Of
our expedition. Nor were our hearts
lightened when presently. some fifty
a small lugger manned by white skipper
and five Kanakas, We thought It safe to-
ask a question.
"Bech? Bech?" replied the captain
tall. brown, grey-haired Engllshman, who
had been trepang hunting around New
Mecklenburg. mo. l don't know the
name. Lives at Wilhelm Bay? Why, that
5
called. / never saw him. But I've heard
some prospectors as was warned off the
territ'ry last summer yarnin' bout him.
Seems he's always roamin' around the
bush, tappin' trees and plantin' out young
'uns. an what-not. Oh, mad mad as a
bl0omin' halter, An. let me tell you.
lads. II you don't want to lose that nice
boat O. yours. you'd best give this part
O. the country wide berth. Kaisers Is
dead protectionists-no free trade about
them jokers. They hunted me of the ISL
ands youder in quick style. No man as
don't say yah for yes l. wanted in their
territ'ry. You bet, Could you let US have
a couple O. days tucker to take me round
to Samarai7 I'm clean run out"
We could and did provision him; and In
return he tried to force some sea-slugs
upon us. But he had only a very few. and
We refused to take them. feeling in no
hunor lust then to cater for Chinese.
WELL" remarked Mowbray. as we slack
ened off the main sheet again and put our
helm up. whilst the captain waved his hat
and stood away on his course. II suppose
we may as well see the thing out now
we've- come SO far. As legatee I must ex-
ecrts the provisions Of the will-treasure
or no treasure-and bury the fellow. IL
he's dead. But by heavens. II he should
be alive. and saf.e enough to appreciate a
joke. this one ought to amuse him SUM-
cientlyi"