Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1904-09-03

say word TO anyone about it, and 1
shall see you again soon
Two nights later he and his friend
Capt Morstan came 10 my hut in the
dead of the night with lantern.
Il want you just TO let Capt. Nor
stan hear that story from your own
lips. Small, said he.
81 repeated it as had told it before.
1t rings true, eh?' said he. It's
good enough to act upon?'
Capt Morstan nodded.
look here, Small, said the major.
We have been talking it over, nv
friend here and l, and we have come to
the conclusion that this secret of yours
is hardly a government matter, after
all, but is private concern of your
own, which of course you have the
power of disposing of as you think
best Now the question is, what price
would you ask for it? We might be in
clined to take it up, and at least look
into 1t, If we could agree as to terms
He tried TO speak in cool, careless
way, but his eyes We're shining with
excitement and greed.
why, as TO that, gentlemen an
swered, trying also to be cool, but feel
ing as excited as he did, there is only
one bargain which man in nv posi-
ton can make. ! shall want you to
help me TO my freedom, and to help NV
three companions to theirs. We shall
then take you into partnership, and
give you a fifth share to divide be-
tween you
'Hump said he. "A fifth share!
That is not very tempting
1t would come to fifty thousand
apiece, said l.
But how can we gain your free
domP You know very well that you
ask an impossibility.'
Nothing of the Sort | answered.
i have thought it all out to the last de-
tail. The only bar to our escape is
that we can get no boat fit for the voy-
age, and no provisions to last us for so
long a time. There are plenty of
little yachts and yawls at Calcutta
or Madras which would serve our turn
well Do you bring one over. We
shall engage to get aboard her by
night, and if you will drop us on any
part of the Indian coast you will have
done your part of the bargain
IF there were only one he said.
"'None or ALL I answered. We
have sworn it. The four of us must al
ways act together
"'You see. Morstan,' said he, Small
is man of his word. lie does not
finch from his friends. think we
may very well trust him
Its dirty business the other an
swered Yet, as you say, the money
would save our commissions hand
somely.
h.
must. suppose, try and meet YOU We
must first, of course, test the truth of
your story Tell me where the box is
hid, and shall get leave of absence
and go back to India in the monthly
relief-boat to inquire into the affair
mot so fast, said |, growing colder
as he got hot. i must have the con-
sent of my three comrades. | tell you
that il is four or none with us
'Nonsenser he broke in What
have three black fellows to do with our
agreement?'
= Black or blue said |, they are in
with me. and we all go together
We'll, the matter ended by a second
meeting, at which Mahomet Singh, Alb
dullah Khan and Dost Akbar we're all
present. We talked the matter over
again. and at last we came 10 an ar
rangement We were TO provide both
the officers with charts of the part of
the Agra fort and mark the place in
the wall where the treasure was hid
Maj. Sholto was TO go 10 India TO test
our story II he found the box he was
to leave IL there, 20 send out a small
yacht provisioned for voyage, which
was to lie of Rutland island, and TO
which we were TO make our way, and
finally 20 return 10 his duties Capt
Morstan was then to apply for leave of
absence to meet US at Agra, and there
we were TO have a final division of the
treasure, he taking the majors share
as well as his own All this we scaled
by the most solemn oaths that the
mind could think or the lips utter. I
sat up all night with paper and ink,
and by morning had the two charts
all ready, signed with the sign of four
that is, of Abdullah, Akbar, Mahomet
and myself
We'll, gentlemen, weary you with
my long story, and / know that my
friend Mr.. Jones is impatient to get
me safely slowed in cholley. I'll make
1T as short as can. The villain,
Sholto, went off TO India, but ne never
came back again. Capt Morstan
showed me his name among a list of
passengers in one of the mail boats
very shortly afterwards. His uncle
had died, leaving him fortune, and he
had left the army, yet he could stoop
TO treat five men as he had treated us.
Morstan went over to Agra shortly
afterwards, and found, as we expected,
10 raa Ind
scoundrel had stolen it all, without
carrying ont one of the conditions on
which we had sold him the secret.
From that day ! lived only for VEN
geance. ] thought of it by day and
nursed 1t by night. 1t became an over
towering, absorbing passion with me-
i cared nothing for the law-nothing
for the gallows. To escape, to track
down Sholto, to have NV hand upon his
throat-that was my one thought. Even
the Agra treasure had come to be a