The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1901-05-31
By Weatherby ChaSney and Alick Munro


bow he gave me had been driven home
stead o. falling half hearted through
the frightened trembling q the don's
arm | should have gone down ure
enough. As 1t was, | stood an top
| pied him into the sea for numbering
my way. Saul Dickory maybe could
tell us how handy legs anne to he on
the gallcon."
"Fctch him." said I. And Job went.
If Job was right and the Spaniards
had really succeeded In leaving Cave
island, nothing could he more fortu.
nate for us In our present crippled
state. There we could recruit our
war weary bodies and rcnt our wound
cd ship mt our leisure, and when our
pulses beat full and strong again we
would be ready for another throw with
Don Miguel, for |. for one, felt sure
that we had by no means seen the last
OF that yellow fangcd grin OF rage.
But II our late slaves were still on
the island ' would be madness to at
tempt the landing. Heaven grant they
had escaped!
AYE" said Saul Dicltory when | ca
gcrly questioned him, they've got Off,
sure enough I've seed a-mnny o. them.
an. what's more. through them I've
heerd NIL about your doings or the Is
land"
"How did they get away"
sighted u trading snow the day aft
or you left, slgnnled her wi a smoke
from. that ere Sarpipt hill I've heard
tell OF, an got took Off. The snow set
them ashore mt Barcelona. From there
some o EN- took ship to Cartagena,
where, as we was short handed, they
Joined our galleon.
"Then." said l cheerily, "our course
ls clear. Wen run to the old harbor to
recruit and reflt." And with the deci-
sion I felt more hopeful and light heart
ed than | had since first my wounded
leg began to Jingle.
When we rounded the bluffs ut the
harbor's mouth and the foreshore In
front of the cave opened out to view, 1t
was with anxious gaze that those Of us
who were hale enough to stand on deck
or to lean against mast or bulwark
scanned the beach and the heights
above the ave for sign Of human hab-
itation. The island was n pleasant
enough spot to dwell In. and some OF
the Spaniards might have elected to
stay and plant n colony there.
But not Il trace of man did we see.
Our old Notifications lay ruined and
decayed, and In places the quick grow
ing tropical vegetation had almost hid
den them from sight. The heavy door
with which we had closed the caves
mouth lay half covered with sand. and
the doorposts from which it had once
hung had fallen shantwlse across the
I opening.
No. there was nothing to fear. The
island had returned to the possession
or the pigs and the gulls and the
~parrnkectS, It's original owners.
To reach the huts on the high ground
above was for the most seriously
wounded an impossibility, and so we
had to turn the cave itself into our hos
pltal. We regretted this, because we
had hoped much from the healing vir-
tues OF the flower scented breeze of the
uplands, but there was no help for it.
All. Ii vas n time to make the greedi-
est plumber hunter sickcn of his trade!
The angel OF death was lowering round
us and claiming now II good sailor
and true comrade and now another rs
part payment of the price of plumber.
Not that we were cheerless company,
for the old mans caustic wit and VIII
lie Trehalion's cumbersome attempts to
reply to him raised many IA smile from
h weaker ones and many a loud guf-
faw from the stronger. And job Ire
hailon's grin we had always with us.
But the summons of death came all
too often, and the tale OF sandy rounds
on the yellow harbor grew sadly long
in spite Of all that the old mans skill
full s%urgeoning and John Tops ~tireless
nursing could do to shorten 1t. All that
man could do we did, but our enemy
was too strong for us.
The end of our nursing came at last.
Some conquered their wounds, and
some their wounds conquered. and
when the last grave had been dug and
filled there were but u men left out
Of the two and thirty who had been
hale and strong when the fight for the
galleon's gold began. ~
ITO DO continued next Friday