The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-08-26
have hunted for needle in hayst.ck

have hunted for needle in haystack
at home.
In group and the spring We found
the trees standing back a quarter of a
mile from the beach. with never
mark Of any sort on the trunks to fur
200 feet above high tide. but nothing
around it furnished the clew we We're
after.
For q week after our arrival we had
every man ashore on the hunt We
paced off SO. many PAGES from the
spring in every direction and then dug
into the earth. We dug about the
roots of the three tall trees and then
the tide was out. we dug up the beach
in a dozen places. The island was
finally explored in every direction, but
we had our toilsome work as a reward.
gave it up We did not doubt the exist
ence of a treasure there. but we were
satisfied that we couldn't lay our hands
on it. We pulled on to the schooner
about 8 o'clock in the afternoon, and
had there been any breeze we should
have weighed anchor and put to sea at
once. but it had fallen dead calm. and
the day was a hot one.
On getting aboard the captain and
sat down to luncheon, while the Ma
lays went overheard for a bath and
frolic in the water. We heard them
shouting and splashing. but We were
glum. Wed made q failure of it and
were financially busted" Under such
circumstances some one must be held
blamable. The captain suddenly be-
gan to blame mo for the biggest fool
that ever lived, and in the course of a
couple of minutes our conversation
was great deal hotter than the wealth
er. We'd been ''pards" a long time
without word. but were now on the
point of walking into each other tooth
and toe nail when a wild yell from the
Malays stopped U.S.
''Nipped by a shark. just as I expect
ed" growled the captain as he made a
dash for the deck. followed, of course.
and as l reached the quarter deck and
looked over the four Malays were in the
yawl, and one of them was holding up
something for the captains inspection.
We both knew what it was before it
| was passed uo to Us. 1t was a pearl
| oyster, and a monstrous large one too.
Where did you find it?" asked the
| captain.
ION the bottom" was the answer.
There is one great bed of them down
| therev'
Five minutes later we had half a doz-
| en- more. and inside of an hour we had
| surveyed the bed and found our treas
ure-the treasure of John Kane's rude
| chart. In bringing UP in five fathoms
and in line with the trees we had an
| chored on the center of the bed. Whv
! he had mentioned the spring we could
not make out. unless it might be to
save time hunting for it if in want of
water.
You may have seen something in
print in reference to 1.-The great Pope
island find." as it was called. It was
not the largest pearl oyster bed ever
found among the western islands. but
it was by long odds the richest. No
hand had ever disturbed it, and the
heaviest and largest shells ever seen
| by fishermen or traders came out of
that bed. At that depth of water 1t
was no trick at all to bring I'D the
| shells, and the first dozen we opened
more than paid all the expenses of the
trip. From an oyster in this bed which
weighed eight pounds was taken what
| was afterward called the Blood pearl.
1t was one of the largest and finest ever
| placed on the market
| We remained in the bay five weeks
before exhaust.ng the bed and when
ready to weigh anchor we had the
schooner fairly loaded with mother of
pearl Shells doubt If SO small a
| craft, outside of a Spanish galleon of
the olden days, ever entered the harbor
of Sydney with more valuable cargo.
No craft entered the bay while we were
| there; but. as we afterward discovered.
we had only left 1t one day when three
| schooners, the crews of which had
! somehow got a hint of the treasure.
made their appearance. to find that
nothing remained for them.
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