The Aberdeen Democrat. (Aberdeen, South Dakota) 1???-1909, 1905-09-01

ing each inch with the feeble light. he
paused once. with an exclamation.
What is it?" cried Iris.
i cannot be certain" he said doubt
fully. Would you mind holding the
lamp while l use a crowbarw
In the stone was visible a thin vein.
oluish White in color. He managed to
break off a fair sized lump containing
d wei defined specimen Of the foreign
metal.
They hurried into the open air and
the fragment with curious
eyes. The sailor picked it with his
knife, and the substance in the vein
came off in Illuminated layers, small.
brittle scales.
rs it silverT" Iris was almost ex-
cited.
i do not think so. 1 am no expert,
out have a vague ideal have seem
lie wrinkled his brows and pressed
away the burrows with his hand. that
physical habit Of his when perplexed.
Il have t." he cried. ct is anti
mony."
Miss Deane pursed her lips in dis
dain. Anthony! What was anti
mony?
5 much fuss for nothing" she said.
1T IS used in alloys and medicines"
he explained. "To us it is useless"
he threw the piece Of rock contemp.
tuously among the bushes. But, be-
ing thorough in all that he undertook.
ne returned to the cave and again
conducted an inquisition. The silver
nued vein became mor strongly mark
ed at the point where it disappeared
downward into a 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 a 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
easy task for an athletic man to reach
the palm tree, yet the sailor hesitated
with almost imperceptible qualms.
"A baited rat trap" he muttered.
Then he quickened his pace. With the
first active spring from rock to rock
his unacknowledged doubts vanished.
He might find stores Of priceless util-
1ty. 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 so 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 a sufficient supply Of water to
nourish the palm, and the roots, firmly
lodged in deep crevices, were well pro-
tected from the waves.
Between the sailor and the tree in
tervened a small stretch Of shallow wa
ter. Landward this submerged saddle
shelved steeply into the lagoon. Al
though the water in the cove was twen-
ty fathoms in depth, it's 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 a 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 his present
standpoint. He had wondered why no
boats were cast ashore. Now he saw
the reason. Three Of them were still
fastened to the davits and carried
down with the hull.
Seward the water was not so clear.
The waves created patches of foam,
and long submarine plants swayed gen.
tly in the u%ndercurrent.
To reach Palm Tree rock = antici-
pating it's subsequent name-he must
cross a space of some thirty feet and
wade up to his waist.
He made the passage with ease.
flCcneQ agalnSC the pole 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 Sirdar carried a consignment of
arms and ammunition from Hongkong
to Singapore. Providence had decreed
that a practically inexhaustible store
Of cartridges should be hurled across
the lagoon to the island. And here
were rifles enough to equip half a COM
pany. He would not risk the precious
TX in an attempt to open the case. He
must go back for a crowbar.
What else was there in this store
house thrust by Neptune from the
ocean bed? A chest Of tea, seemingly
unchanged; three barrels of flour, ut
terly ruined; a saloon chair, smashed
from it's pivot; a battered chronometer.
For the rest, fragments Of timber in
termingled with pulveriZed coral and
broken crockery.
A little farther IN the deep water