The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-06-25
The Treasure Divers
By Hoder-copyrighted by Dodd Mead
& Co.. Publishers, New York.
CHAPTER K (Continued.)
The Box in the Sand.

there was narrow channel to the eastward which
finally discovered. The channel simple opening
in the by the rushing tide currents which
had killed the coral; and thru it the Dolphin
hoated in perfectly smooth water coming to anchor
off a shelving sandy beach. The island an imper-
feet atol-a coral island surrounded by reef with an
inner shallow lagoon cut here and there by blue wind
ing channels whose sides were fringed with coral
the home of fishes of great beauty OF colorng
and shape.
The island was about in length, crescent
shaped, and from one hundred feet to a quarter OF
wide. palms covered it, and it's sole occu-
pants appeared to be crabs and sea-birds the latter
rising numbers as the Dolphin approached.
the voyagers had landed the search for
the hidden box begun. The old chart was pro-
duced contour of the island found to compare
exactly The directions which the sailor
Lawson had dictated read as follows:
Directions for finding the papers Box Island
neck reaches out half mile southeast; on 1t
are palms running southeast northwest; the
souherly being two hundred feet from the water:
IT is marked Xxx northwest is another marked
OK he third feet northwest again and marked
xxx. north 80 feet from this to a palm
marked burned OXO. Twenty-Five feet due west of
will be found three feet under the sand
"Peter Lawson,
"Hls x mark"
Led by Ralph the party at once
south end the The sand soft that they
made headway but they finally reached the point
the white sandy spit extending out to the south being
at once recognized
There it isl cried Captain Sam. But where
the trees?"
perhaps have hit the wrong island" suggested
Ralph There must be others here"
NO" answered Captain Blake; IF Lawsons lat-
probable that in the twenty years the trees have
been blown cut down."
They walked down to the point to the end off
which little island of sand bearing few grasses
n which many birds apparently nesting.
=, 1.-TWO hundred feet from the water stood the first
palm" said Ralph; but where?"
7'IIere is stump, remains one,' cried the
professor, had chasing big purple land crab
into its den in mound of sand.
They hurried to where he his knees
uncoverng trunk that had been taken off near the
ground.
Here's another" Captain Sam, kicking away
another heap, land it's just hundred
feet away
"And the third is standing" said Ralph, running
over and touching lofty palm with his hand; land
here is the mark pointing to xxx family distinguish
thirty feet due north" read the captain,
sulting the chart.
This is thirty north" said Captain Sam,
who held pocket compass in his hand and had paced
off thirty
Ralph upon his knees and threw up the sand
while Joined him in the search but either
the &C torn by the roots, they had
made mistake, sign trace of a tree could be
found Again they paced off thirty feet while the
lessor measured thirty this by
compass and began excavation but tho the place
was dug over and trenched the did not appear
Permit at that chart again. said the
professor ct have paced over there" in
dicating lofty palm, and it is just three hundred
feet"
magnifyng glass. GAS thought" he exclaimed; "a
cipher has been worn out It was originally three
hundred instead OF thirty feet
after another the explorers examined the
chart admitted that cipher might have faded
out during twenty the paper had lain in the
Captain Sam paced off three hundred feet
due the tree, according to the corrected
chart, began to dig twenty five feet due west.
almost fast they threw it out,
light rising that flew in the air; then came
of dark yellow, as tho water had risen.
Here's something" said Captain Sam.
"a root" added Captain Blake, who had reached
1t tme and again they doomed to dis
appointment.
The professor in meantime paced off two
hundred and fifty feet instead of twenty-five. He
thought he noticed something peculiar about the
figure rs, and punching the earth with a
slender rod which he had brought ashore to aid
finding turtle "Hello' he shouted; and
others to where he stood.
'Iisten!" he said, and bending his head he dropped
the iron bar gently. faint metallic followed.