The daily Alaskan., 1907-06-07
Captain Dreams.

mine was visited by sen captain Wlll whom he had served. overheard much of their conversation. The Hm- loo finally died.
 The name of the captain was Dralnes. A few weeks later people were calling him Dreams. He was a good sailor, but poor ln pocket. The antive had told him a secret before be IIIed.
 The father of the dying native had 1 been a sepoy In the great mutiny, and when the rebellion had been stamped out he had to go Into hiding and live his last days In the Jungle. When 1t became apparent that the English would conquer, a move was made by aIl the wealthy HlndOOs to save their fortunes. The father was attached to the force of the uabOb Of AIysOre and with certain others removed treasure to the amount of a million dollars from that province to the coast and thence | by sailing craft to one of the Lacca- dives. There 1t was buried. The ia l ther could not tell the son what par tlculAr Island lt was. nor did he know whether the treasure was recovered after the war. He was wounded In battle soon after hIs return 10 the coast. and when peace came be became fugitive to save himself. The treas ure was taken ashore at night and de posted in cave.
 That was the story told to the son, and that was the son who told It to the captain. The story was over twenty wears old then. You will ask why the son hadn't made a try for the treas ure. In the first place, for twenty years after the war the English were very vlgilaut about such things but claimed a big share of whatever the natives found. Again, the son was poor In pocket and dlstrustful or his fellow men. If he had had the money to 1t out an expedition. he would have had to take five or six persons into hls confidence. and the chapce of his being murdered and despOilei was good In. deed. Had he gone tn the owner or any craft and offered half he would have been laughed at He had simply come to the conclusion that the Island was one of the Laccudlve group, and be could not say that the treasure hal not been removed years before. He simply hung on to bis secret and waited, and he was waiting yet when he was stabbed in a street brawl
 Captain Drulues at once determined to try for the treasure. He had to have money, and he had to have men and In this way 1t came to be known that he was of after Q million. No one knew whlther he was bound, but everywhere he showed up he was rldi- culed and laughed at. Before be left port he was spoken of as Captain Dreams. He resigned from his ship chartered a native craft and selected a crew to be depended O0. He fitted the craft to light as well as to sail, and be got away from Madras In the night and was out Of sight of the coast next morning. Be had hls all In the enter prise. and lt was a case Of make or break with him.
 The run down to tho group was made. but that was only the beginning Some of the Islands are only sand bars or rocky lslets, while others are four or five miles ln circumference and heavily wooded. They had to be searched in rotation. The craft would be anchored ln the channel between two islands while parties landed on either to search for a cave. This searching took up lots Of time. At the end of three months only eight of the Islands had been explored, and the men were ready for mutMy. The pro visions were gone. and a hundred diff ferent dIsappolutments had sOured the temnars Of the men. They agreed to search the ninth island, but would go no farther. lf nothing was found there. the captain must head for the coast. even If he had to go in chains.
 Fortune stands by some men In strange ways. Half the Island had been explored when there came a great gale, and a Preach ship that had been dlsmusted and abandoned at sea came driving In. She furnished plenty of pro visions and it was seen that the sal wage Of her cargo would give every man a good thing, treasure or no treas ure
 The next day after the wreck drove ashore Captain Dreams set out to gath. CT some wild fruit. In their search tia men had discovered no animals 0t auy sort The captain had not gone forty rods when a goat sprang out Of the bushes and raced away. He turned at 8 tangent to follow her and ten min utes later found himself at the base Of a rocky cllff with a cave entrance five feet above the ground. It was the na- bob's treasure house, and the treasure was there. He had a portion of 1t with him when he returned to the men. Just what the treasure amounted to In dol lars and cents no one outside Of the treasure party ever learned, but the cargo taken from the wreck sold for S4O.OOO at the Portuguese port Of Goa.
 Captain Dreams was ready to sail