The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1901-02-22
AN ISLAND
STOREHOUSE.
BY N. Quad.
copyright, 1900, by c. B. Lewis.l

l
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 it's 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 a tumble of broken rock.
| 1t was in the year 1881 that the cap
tain of trading schooner entered the
| port of st. Louis, in the Mauritius, to
tell 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 explor-
ed the island. Amid the rocks he
discovered great cave, and from that
cave he had taken and brought away
two elephants tusks box of silver
| bars and a jewel handled sword. He
was cunning chap, this trader, and
he had got the stuff aboard without
his crew being the wiser and had said
nothing about the caves. He did not
report his find to any consul or other
official at st. Louis, but after hanging
about for awhile he decided to make
confidant of the firm of Daypne & Co.
This was a French trading and export
| ing firm, and as l was in it's employ
came to hear the story first hand. If
the trader whose name was Barcas
and who was half breed Frenchman,
had not brought evidences of his find,
his story would have been hooted at.
Even with the evidences before us we
could hardly credit his statement.
The plumber Barcas had brought
away was worth $4,000, but he as
sured us that this was mere flea bite
compared to what had been left be-
hind. He had counted $50 tusks, which
| did not include all. He had counted
$50 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 to
open, and he believed the contents of
the cave would pan out $1,000,000 and
ballast a trading brig. 1t was a very
dignified' and respectable firm, that of
Daypne & Co., but it got down off it's
high horse pretty fast to make bar
gain with Barcas to bring that treasure
away and dodge customs officials and
government authorities. What they
offered to do after a consultation was
to fit out ship, bring the stuff off,
convert 1t into cash and give him n
quarter 1t wasn't a liberal offer on
their part but Barcas closed at once,
and the enterprise was turned over to
me to engineer.
The firm had a trading brig called
the Foam, and as soon as she arriv-
ed in port she was cleared of cargo and
her crew discharged. l then began to
pick up Madagascar sailors and soon
had ten of them, with an English A. b.
| who had cut and run from merchant
man. Barcas was to act as captain, and
| was to go along as supercargo. 1t was
easy enough to deceive the Madagas
carites, while the sailor was satisfied
with an offer of double wages and $500
extra. We left Mauritius with the os-
/
to the east to establish trading stations,
but when we had made good our offing
we headed for the north and the island
of Agalegas. We were on our way to
fill our craft with plumber from a store
house filled hundreds of years before
and worth hundreds of thousands of
dollars, but the voyage was prosaic
| Mona of IIS VOC oycita1 avaP II until
the last day, and then it was through
fear that the cave might have been dis
covered by some other caller.
| We ran into bay and dropped an
Choir at 10 o'clock in the forenoon and
before midday Barcas had visited the
treasure house and reported all safe
After dinner the three officers Of us
went up together. The mouth of the
cavern had once been sealed, but had
been uncovered by a fall of rock and
earth. 1t was natural chamber, 90
feet deep, about 30 feet wide and from
10 to 20 feet from floor to roof. There
was good ventilation, and the place was
as dry as bone. No man could say
when that cavern had first been made
a storehouse, but judging by some of
the arms found it must have been 100
years perhaps twice that. The
| tusks had come from Ceylon and the
mainland of India, the silver from In
dian mines, the wines and liquors and
shawls and cloths from no farther
south. Nothing had decayed. There
were Chinese silks and Iudia shawls
and Persian wraps as stout and strong
and as lively in color as the day they
left the looms. There were bales of
furs from Madagascar and the African
| coast from which time had not loosen
ed hair, and the kegs and barrels of
| wine with French and Spanish marks
ON them had doubled in value ten times
| over since they were hoisted up from
| the beach.
Who had created the storehousei
Why had they sealed it up and gone
| away? Was it the plumber of pirates
or the treasure house of some prince Of
India or Ceylon? We wondered and
| speculated, but we were no better off,
Our first move was to establish
camp on the highest spot of the island
and divide our force. l took charge of
the land party and Barcas of the brig.
My party removed the plumber from the
cave and carried If half Xyav down To tha