The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1907-10-14
CHAPTER V.
Mystery of the Mate

Elliott awoke next morning and,
wide awake instantly, jumped out
of bed in a flush of excitement
| He found a new suit of clothes
Don chair, which he had bought
ready made on the previous after
noon. They were very good clothes
and fitted well, and in the trousers
pocket he found a thick wad of
bills. Each of the partners had
taken a hundred dollars, and the
rest of the money was in a sealed
package in the hotel safe.
In the dining room he found Hen
ringer and Hawke. After break
fast they returned to Henninger's
| room.
First of all, vote we send Ben
nett hundred dollars. I kept 1t
oout for him when | sealed the
money last night" said Henninger.
"Ill wire him what we've done, and
then I'll wire Sullivan. He's in
Washington, attending to case for
us. We were all in South America
last winter and we've got a claim
against the Venezuelan government
for damages and confiscatiOn of
property, and so forth, for two
millions"
| 1.-TWO WHAT" exclaimed Elliott.
1.-TWO Millions We though we
might get a few thousand out of it,
but well drop all that and tell Sui
livan to meet us in New York
I'D like very much to look up
that Madagascar channel on the
largest map there is Hawke broke
in, land see what we can make OF
it."
He voiced common desire. So
they went down to the public H.
brary and obtained giganticc
atlas. They propped it up on a
table and put their heads together
over the map of East Africa. The
steamer route from Delagoa bay to
Zanzibar and Suez was marked in
red. and at the northern end of the
Mozambique channel it passeo
through a tangle of little islands
and reefs. Some where among
these islands lay the treasure that
had cost the lives of a ships COM
pany already.
The sight of the map and its hun
dreds of miles of islands and seas
brought the problem into concrete
reality, and forcibly emphasized
the difficulties. They all felt some
what downcast and vaguely disap-
pointed. but, as they were going
down the library steps Elliott had
an inspiration.
1T occurs to me-" he said, that
if anybody escaped in the boats
they must have been picked up
somewhere at sea. In that case,
the fact is likely to be reported in
some newspaper, isn't it?'
What have We been thinking
Off" exclaimed Henninger. you're
right, of course, as she was an
American ship. Well go back and
look through the newspaper files. "
They found a four-line telegram
from Sydney, stating that seaman
named Bennett had been picked up
from a raft in the Indian ocean, rs-
porting that the American steamer
Clara McClay had foundered with
all hands in the Mozambique chan
mel.
There was nothing new in this,
but it seemed somehow encour-
aging, and while Elliott was read
ing it, Henninger came over to
them. his eyes sparkling. He laid
down his file and put his finger on
a paragraph, dated more than a
fortnight earlier than the dispatch
from Sydney.
BOMBAY, Mar. 19.-The Italian
steamer Andrea Sforzia, arriving
yesterday from Cape Town and
Durham, reports having picked up
on the 10th about 100 miles north
east of Cape Amber, a boat con
tanning First Mate Burke, of the
steamer Clara McClay, of Philadel
phia. He stated that his ship foun
dered in deep water in the Mo
zambique channel by reason OF
heavy weather and shifting of car
go, and believes himself to be the
only survivor. He was almost un
conscious, and nearly dead of thirst
when rescued.
THE Clara McClay was an iron
steamer of $500 tons, built al
Greenock in 1869, and has been fol
some years engaged in the east and
west African coast trace. She was
owned by S. JACOBS &c Son, OF
Philadelphia, and commanded by
Capt. Elihu Cox"
The two men read this item and
Elliott, glancing up, saw his mysti
ficaton reflected on Hawkes. face
What new development did it indi
cate that Bennett and the mate
should have told the same false.
hood about the sinkiig of the Clara
McClay, and certainly without col
fusion?
We've got line on it at last
Henninger said when they had left
the library and were comfortably
seated in small German cafe
where they could talk.
"You see." he then resumed. 1.-THE
mate lied--said the ship sunk in
deep water He told the same
story as Bennett. Why? For the
same reason. He must have known
the bullion was there. He took
chances on being the only survivor
OF the wreck, and he wanted to
choke off inquiry"