Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1902-06-05


driven to subsist on clear water. and /
the proceeds of their hunting. Water |
would llaNe been little to their taste;
:, sailor is not usually a good shot;
and. besides all that, when they were
so short of eatables, it was not likely |
they would be very flush of powder.
Well, thus equipped we all set out
even the fellow with the broken head
Who should certainly have kept in
shadow--and struggled. one after aii-
other, to the beach, where the Two
gigs awaited us. Even these bore trace
of the drunken folly of the pirates, one
In Il broken thwart and both in their
lnuddled. unbaicd condition. Both
We're To be carried along with us, for
lie sake of safety and So With our
numbers divided between them, We set
forth upon the bosom of the aucilor-
age.
AS we pulled over there was some
discussion on the chart. The red
cross was, of course. far too large to be
a guide; and the terms of the mote
or the back, as YOU Will hear, admitted
of some ambiguity They ran, the
reader may remember, thus
Tall tree, Spy glass shoulder bear
Ing a point to the n. of N. n. L.
skeleton Island, g. $. +. and by r.
"Ten feet
A tan tree was thus the principal
ia.
chorage was bounded by q plateau
from 200 10 500 feet high adjoining on
the north the sioping southern shout
der of the Spy glass. and rising again
toward the south into the rough, cliifS
cminence called the Mizzenmas llili,
The top of the plateau was dottet!
thickly with pine trees of varying
height. Every here and there, one OF a
different species rose forty or fifty feet
clear above It's neighbors. and which
of these was the particular tall tree
of Captain Flint could only be de
cided ON the spot and by readings %
the compass.
Yet, although that was the case.
every man on board the boats had
picked favorite OF his OWN ere We
We're halfway over. Long John alone
Struggling his shoulders and bidding
them wait till they We're there.
We pulled easily by Silvers llirec-
TONS not to weary the hands pre!ns.-
tulely; and, after quite a long passage
landed at the mouth of the second
riNef--that which runs down II woody
cleft to our left, we began to ascend
/ the slope toward the plateau.
At the first outset heavy miry
ground and matted marsh vegetation
greatly delayed our progress; but by
little aud little the hill began to steep
en- and become stony under foot, and
1'the wood 10 change its character and
to grow In Il more open order. t Was,
indeed a most pleasant portion of the
island that Nc were now approaching.
a heavy scented bloom and man,
Towering shrubs had almost taken TIN
place of grass Thickets of green nut.
meg trees were dotted here and There
with the red columns and the broac
shadows of the pines: and the FIRST
\ mingled their spice With the aroma OF
9
4 and stirring, and this. under the sheer
4 ment to cur senses
4 The party spread itself abroad. in n
+ fan shape, shouting and lcaplps to and
4 fro. bout the center, and a good
way behind the rest. Silver ana fol-
Il lowed tethered by my rope, he p!ow-
ing. With deep pants, among The Sliding
gravel. From time to time, indeed, /
4 had 10 lend him a hand, or he must
have missed his footing and falien.
4 backward down the hill
We had thus proceeded for about
4 half mile. and We're approaching the
brow of the plateau, when the man
upon the farthcst left began To cry
cloud, as if in terror Shout after
4 shopt came from him, and the others
i began to run in his direction.
He can't have found the treasure.
said Old Morgan, hurrying past us
from the right, for that's clean
a a-top.
Indeed, as we found when we also
4 reached the spot, IL WIS something
Very different. a the foot of Il pretty.
4 big pine, and involved in a green
sreepel, which had even partly lifted
some of the smaller bones, II human
skeleton lay with a few shreds OF
clothing. on the ground. ! heEieye II
chill struck for q moment to every
heart
He was seaman, said George
Merry who, boidef than the rest h2d
t5onc UP close. and WAS examining the
rags of clothing. "Leastwslys, his is
II good sea cloth.
aAy. ay. said Silver. .siilc enough;
you Huulin'tloob 20 flnd a bishop here,
"a reckon. Isllt what sort Oh a way is
8 that for bones to lie? FAINT in
n:atur'.
Indeed, on second glance, it seemed
impossible to fancy that tie body WAS;
in u natural position. But for some dis
array (thc work, perhaps OF The birds
that had fed upon him, or Of the 5loN
growing crccper that had gradually ON
Neloped his renmiEs) the man lay per-
fectly straight his feet pointing in ono
direction his hands, raised above his
head like divers pointing directly in
the opposite.
nunskull" observed silNer. @Ile,as
the compass there's the tiI9-top pint
of Skeleton island, stickin our liI5e a
tooth. Just take a bealng Wll yoa
along the line OF them bones
IL was done. The body pointed
straight in The direction OF The isi;8in!,
ana the compass read duly f. S. H.
by T.
4 thought so" cried the eool,. thi.
here is a PRINTER. Ikight up there Is out