Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1905-05-19


m0ny?
so much fuss for nothing" she said
1T is used in alloys and medicines,
he explained. To us 1t is useless
He threw the piece of rock contemp-
tuousiy among the bushes. But. be
Ing thorough in all that he undertook,
he returned to the cave and again
conducted an inquiStion. The silver
hued vein became more strongly mark
cd at the point where 1t disappeared
downward into n collection Of rubble
and sand. That was all. Did men
give their toll. their lives. for this? So
1t would appear. Be that as it might,
he had more pressing work. If the
cave still held secret it must remain
there
Iris had gone back to her sage knead-
ing. Shouldering the Ak. he walked to
the beach. Much debris from the steam
er was lying high and dry. 1t was an
the palm tree, yet the sailor hesitated
with almost 1mperceptible Gualms.
"A baited rat trap" he muttered
Then he quickened his pace. With the
first active spring from rock to rock
bis unacknowledged doubts vanished.
He might find stores Of priceless util-
ity. The reflection inspired him.
|, Jumping and climbing like a cat, in
two minutes he was near the tree.
He could now see the true explana.
ton Of its growth in a seemingly i'm.
possible place. Here the bed Of the
sea bulged upward in a small sand
cay, which silted round the base Of a
limestone rock 80 different in color and
formation from the coral reef Ma.
ture. whose engineering contrivances
can force springs to mountain tops.
managed to deliver to this isolated ref
uge sufficient supply Of water to
nourish the palm. and the roots. firmly
lodged in deep crevices. were we'll pro.
tected from the waves
Between the sailor and the tree In
tervened small stretch Of shallow wa
ter. Landward this submerged saddle
shelved steeply into the lagoon. Al
though the water In the cove was TWEEN
= fathoms In depth. its crystal clear.
ness was remarkable. The bottom
composed Of marvelously white sand
and broken coral. rendered other OBJ
jects conspicuous. He could see plenty
Of fish. but not single shark. while
on the inner slope Of the reef was
plainly visible the destroyed fore part
Of the Sirdar, which had struck BE-
yond the tree. relatively to bis present
standpoint. He had wondered why nc
boats were cast ashore. Now he saw
the reason. Three Of them were still
fastened to the davits and carried
down with the hull.
Seaward the water was not so clear.
The waves created patches Of foam,
and long submarine plants swayed gen.
tly In the undercurrent.
To reach Palm Tree rock ~ antici-
pating its subsequent name-he must
cross a space Of some thirty feet and
wade up to his waist.
He made the passage with ease.
Pitched against the bole of the tree
was a long. narrow case, very heavy,
iron clamped and marked with letters
in black triangles and the broad arrow
Of the British government
rifles. by all the gods" shouted the
sailor.
The Sirlar carried a consignment Of
arms and ammunition from Hongkong
to Singapore. Providence had decreed
that practically inexhaustible store
Of cartridges should be hurled across
the lagoon to the island. And here
were rifles enough to equip half q COM
pany. He would not risk the precious
az in an attempt to open the case. He
must 60 back for O crowbar.
What else was there in this store
house thrust by Neptune from the
ocean bed7 A chest Of tea, seemingly
unchanged: three barrels Of -four, ut.
terly ruined; a saloon chair, smashed
from Its pivot: battered chronometer.
For the rest. fragments Of timber in
termingled with pulverized coral and
broken crockery.
A little farther on the deep water
entrance to the lagoon curved between
sunken rocks. On one of them rested
the Sirdar's huge funnel. The north
west section Of the reef was bare.
Among the wreckage he found coil
Of stout rope and pulley. He instant
~ conceived the idea of constructing
an aerial line to ferry the chest Of tea
across the channel he had fortled.
He threaded the pulley with the rope
and climbed the tree. adding a touch
Of artistic completeness to the ruin of
his trousers by the operation. BE had
fastened the pulley high up the trunk
before he realized how much more sim.
pie 1t would be to break open the chest
where It lay and transport its contents
in small parcels.
He laughed lightly. Il am becoming
addle headed" he said to himself.
ANYHOW. now the Job Is done, may
as we'll make use Of Il y
Recoiling the rope ends. he cast them
across to the reef. In such small ways
do men throw invisible dice with death.
With those two lines he would within
q few fleeing seconds drag himself
back from eternity.
Picking up the ak, he carelessly
stepped into the water, not knowing
that Iris, having welded the incipient
sage into a fat pancake. had strolled
to the beach and was watching him.
The water was hardly above his
knees when there came a swirling rush
from the seaweed. A long tentacie shot
out like a lasso and gripped bis right
leg. Another coiled around his waist.
my Godw he gurgled as a horrid
sucker closed over his mouth and nose.
He was in the grip Of devilHsh!
A deadly sensation Of nausea almost
overpowered him, but the love of life
came to his aid and he tore the suffo-
eating feeler from bis face. Then the
ak whirled, and one Of the eight arms
Of the octopus lost some of its length.
Yet a fourth flung itself around his left
ankle. A few feet away. out Of range
Of the AK and lifting itself bodily out
Of the water. was the dread form Of
the cutie, apparently all head. with
distended gills and monstrous eyes.
The sailors feet were planted wide
apart. With frenzied effort he hacked