The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1907-06-20
FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND
# POUNDS IN GOLD.
CHAPTER vi.

The little red bearded man had gone,
nlanming the door noisily behind him.
Shelf mopped his large white face
with scented pocket handkerchief.
do you think" he said neryously, do
y'ou think we may trust hiIn?"
ITO begin with, we've got to know.
whether we like 1t or not. He's moth
ing 70 gain by playing traitor"
rBut would he betray us in case of
successT
Perhaps. said CambeI, che won't
have the chance. Other hands on that
steamer will have to share the secret in
whole or in part. Perhaps they won't
all Of them come through ii alive. II
sou remember that we are plotting de-
tiberate piracy on the high seas, you
will recognize that there is precedent
Tor n considerable percentage Of casu-
alities. IS.
The city man shuddered. Through
me double windows came the sullen
rear OF q London street, and in imagi
nation he seemed to distinguish the
howl OF the crowd joined in execration
against him. ......
His eye fell upon paper on the
desk. 1t was the formal notice from
her BANKERS that his wife's account
was heavily ,cverdrawn. He lifted the
paper and tore II with his teeth, then
smote the table so that geysers flew
from the ink wells. But his passion
found no outlet in words. He spoke in
his platform voice and said nothing
about the prime compelling force.
I'VE will not talk of these unpleasant
details, II you please, Mr.. Cambel T.
my heart is weak, / think, and they
turn me sick. But. at whatever cost,
we must so through with the affair. 1t
Is necessary that I make heavy coup
within the next month. or the conse-
nuenees may be disastrous
sMarmaduke Rivers & Shelf will go
Gown? Quite so. / also am at the end
,f my cash balance, so that money
seems to be the impelling power for
each OF US. And, after all, suppose
It's natural Out of fiction men don't
gamble with their necks for the sheer
amusement OF the thing. They either
do 1t for the love Of place, or the love
bf woman, or the love OF gold, and of
.he three the last is the best prize to
win. because with it you can buy the
Dthers. But come, now, wake up, sir,
and let's get on with the business. Pm
not so sweet on this city atmosphere Of
yours that / care to spend another
morning down here il Il can be avoided.
How are you going to raise the specie?"
'T'll proceed about it at once" said
Shelf, pressing another Of the buttons
On his desk. you may as we'll wit
pess every step of the process"
In answer to the bell Fairfax came
into the room, nodded rather stiffly to
~ambei and turned to Shelf with an
expectant Yes, sir"
In terse businesslike phrases his
principal touched upon the silver crisis
IN America and the gold famine in the
southern states. Then he explained
.erprise. THE Port Edes," he said, "ls
IN the Herculaneum dock, returned on
pur hands today. Wire Liverpool at
once asking for freights to Norfolk, Va,
Pensacola, Fla. Mobile, Ala; or New
Orleans at lowest rates. New Orleans
ls her final port, and offer that at Is
per cent. less. Captain Owen Kettle
da-s from now.
"When you have deputed your clerks
20 DO this SO yourself to the bank and
negotiate for half million in gold to
De delivered on board the Port Edes
IN dock. The insurance policy on the
money will be deposited with the bank
20 secure them in full for the loan tt
self, and for their other charges the
credit Of the house will easily suffice.
That clear?" .a
Perfectly, said Fairfax, but l should
ike TO remind you of one thinG-wharf
shefts at New Orleans are notorious,
and you'll have to pay heavily to In
cure against them"
II know, more heavily than for risks
across the ocean and the run OF the
river Underwriters are Justly nervous
about those all nation thieves. But in
his instance propose to save myself
shat fee and insure In different way.
MIR. Cambel Is going out on the Port
Edes expressly as my representative,
and I fancy that he and the captain
toEether will be capable of seeing to
safe delivery, The ships arrival will be
reported by telegraph from the pass at
Mississippi mouth, and my New
Orleans agent can calculate her ap-
pearance alongside the levee to quar-
ser OF an hour He viii meet her with
vehicles and a strong escort Of deputy
sheriffs as she brings in to her berth
and take the specie boxes off by the
first gangway which is put ashore, and
carry them straight to a bank. Does
this strike you as sound course? ?"
yes" said Fairfax thoughfully. II
see no undue risks. BY the way, as the
Port Edes is merely a cargo tramp
and doesn't hold certificate for passen-
gers I'm afraid the board of trade
wouldn't let Mr.. Cambel travel by her
simply as the firms representative.
But that could be easily overcome"
Oh, said Cambel, I'll sign on ar
ticles in the usual way as one Of the
ships company-as fourth mate, say,
pr doctor with salary OF a shilling for
tho run. 'Tisn't the first time that
pleasing fiction has been palmed upon
= shipping master 1t doesn't deceive
any one, you know, because the rate of
wages gives one away at the outset,
nal shipping laws are obeyed, and SO
ncl shipping laws are obeyed. and so
cverybody's pleased"
Fairfax laughed and went into the
Offices. and Patrick Cambel turned to
the shipowner VITA a couple of ques-
tions. "To begin with" he said, why
did you offer freight to Norfolk and
Pensacola and Mobile and those places?
IL you call In there, the natural thing
would be to get the specie ashore and
express 1t by railroad direct to New
Orleans. III you miss that chance and
start carrying 1t round by sea, the
thing looks fishy at once. Now, fishi-
ness Is an aspect which we can't af-
ford In the very least degree The
swindle will call uu quite enough SEN
sation In It's most honest and straight
forward dress"
My dear Mr.. Cam5el, please give me
credit for a little more finesse I see
the objection TO intermediate ports as
much as you do, but merely mention
ed them to Fairfax as blind. To be-
gin with. II Is hundred to one chance
against our getting any cargo consign-
cd to them at this season of the year
at all, even If we offered to carry 1t
fyY-afis In the second Mace ff IL was