Milford chronicle., 1901-02-15
AN ISLAND
STOREHOUSE.
BY M. Quad.
copyright. 1900. by c. B. Lewis.I

5 Copyright. 1900. by c. B. LewisJ y
? Naaassa@19aa;essss
Two thousand miles due north of the
island Of Mauritius and almost mid
way between that and the Seychelle
group IS the lone island of Agalegas. 1t
Is an Island about six miles in circum-
ference with its highest point about
100 feet above the sea. There were no
inhabitants up to 1882. though traders
and shell gatherers often called there
for wood and water. A part of the is
land was covered with vegetation up to
that date. but it is now little better
than tumble of broken rock.
II was in the year 1881 that the can
tam Of trading schooner entered the
port OF ST. Louis. in the AIauritius. to
zen wonderful story about this island
OF Agalegas. He had called there TO
WOOD and water and make repairs, and
While his crew was at work he eynlor-
ca the island. Amid the rocks no
discovered great cave. and from that
cave he had taken and brought awav
TWO elephants tusks. n box Of silver
Dafs and jewel handled sword He
was a cunning chap this trader ana
ne had got the stuff aboard without
ms crew being the wiser. ana had said
hothlng about the caves. He did nor
report ms find to any consul or other
oIilclal at st. Louis. but after hanging
about for awhile he decided 10 mako a
conhdant of the firm of Daypne &, 20
Inns was French trading and eynorf-
ing hfm' and as | was in its employ I
came to hear the story first hand. If
the trader, whose name was Barcos
! ana who was half breed Frencbman
had not brought evidences of his find
I ms story would have been hooted Mt
Even with the evidences before us we
could hardly credit his statement
! Inc plumber Barcas had brought
away was worth $4,000, but he as
sured us that this was a mere flea bite
compared to what had been left no. I
hlnd. lie had counted 80 tusks. which |
ana not include all He had counted
IoO boxes Of silver bars, worth over /
/ $1,000 per box, but there were others
behind them. There were bales. boxes
and barrels he had not attempted IN
open. and he believed the contents Of
the cave would pan out $1.OOOOOO and
Dallast a trading brig 1t was a very
ulShlhed and respectable firm. that of
Daypne * Co., but it got down Off its
nigh horse pretty fast to make n bor-
gam with Barcas to bring that treasure
away ana dodge customs officials and
government authorities What they
oHered to do after a consultation was
TO lit out ship, bring the stuff off
convert it into cash and give him
quarter 1t wasn't Il liberal offer or
thelr part, but BaEcas closed at once
ana the enterprise was turned over tn
me to engineer.
The firm had a trading brig called
the Foam, and as soon as she arriv.
cd IN port she was cleared Of cargo and
her crew discharged I then began 70
PICK up Madagascar sailors and soon
mad ten of them, with an English A r
VINO had cut and run from a merchant
man. Barcas was to act as captain. and
was to go along as supercargo. 1t was
easy enough TO deceive the Madagas-
cartes, while the sailor was satisfied
with an offer Of double wages and 500
extra. We left Mauritius with the os-
tenslble object of visiting the islands
10 the east to establish trading stations.
Dut when we had made good our offing
we headed for the north and the island
or Agalegas. We were on our way IN
NIL our craft with plumber from a store
mousse hlled hundreds of years before
ana worth hundreds of thousands of
dollars' but the voyage was prosaic
None OF us was excited over it until
the last day. and then it was through :
rear that the cave might have been dis :
covered by some other caller.
we ran into a bay and dropped an.
Choir at 10 o'clock in the forenoon. and ;
before midday Barcas had visited the I
treasure house and reported all safe
After dinner the three officers of MS
went mp together The mouth of the
cavern had once been sealed. but had II
oeeh uncovered by a fall Of rock and 81
aarth. 1t was natural CHAMBER. 90 n
feet deep about 80 feet wide and from
10 to 20 feet from floor to roof Thpra n
vas good ventilation. and the place was
Is dry as bone. No man could say
when that cavern had first been made h,
storehouse, but judging by some of t,
ne arms found il must have been 100 r.
'ears Defore-perhap twice that. The So
usks had &C n" from Ceylon and the al
mainland of india, the silver from In "
nan mines. the wines and liquors and
hawls and cloths from no farther
outh. Nothing had dpcayed. There
we're Chinese silks and India shawls 81
ma Persian wraps as stout and strong h
hd as lively in color as the day they "
EFT the looms. There were bales of sa
urs from Madagascar and the African he
oast from which time had not loosen in
q halr' and the kegs and barrels Of lOt
vine with French and Spanish marks de
II them had doubled in value ten times ha
Ver since they We're hoisted up from bl
he beach. Il
Who had created the storehouse?
My had they sealed it up and gone
way! Was it the plumber Of pirates ri
L 'ile treasure house of some prince Of sh
hdla or Ceylon? We wondered ana IN,
Peculated, but we were no better off
Our first move was to establish no
amp on the highest spot of the island de
hd divide our force l took charge Of
ne land party and Barcas of the b,io IT
y party removed the plumber from the
ave and carried it half way down TO tbe
each, and his men carried it aboard
nj slowed it away. 1t was a rugged {
ath we had to travel, and though We wal
'orked lG hours out Of the a we 20.
uced the piles very slowly. As
lecked off the goods as they We're r7v
'ought out OF the cave let me tell Won Nv
nat we took out in the five weeks we M
ere at work. The tusks counted mn u
So the boxes of silver 307, the barrels J
wine GA, the kegs of wine 40. fine
lies of fur 81, the bales Of shawls and
lks l9O' the boxes of coined gold Of con,
ltive Indian money %, and there der
as $4,000 to the box. In addition IN
ese we found two boxes Of pearls. RI. II
es' diamonds etc, most of them nm. ottei
It, which | roughly valued at $500. NoG
U. On certain evening when wo SosI
locked off work figured the yalue of az n
ms already taken out at S1.50O ono to h,