The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1907-10-10
CHAPTER III.
The Treasure Shin


hotel on Market ST., and next morn
ing went to the hospital. Visitors
were not admitted that day, but at
3 o'clock the next afternoon he was
admitted without objection. Elliott
was startled at the pallor of the
face upon the pillow, but Bennett
greeted him cheerfully and seemed
nervously anxious to talk.
"Sit down here. This Is mighty
good of you," he said. Il never got
ditched like that before. It's going
to cost the road something, l think.
But you've stayed by me like a
brother" Bennett went on, land
III make it up to you if can, and
| think can. There's something
want to tell you about. It's no
small thing, and it'll take an hour
or two, so you'll have to come to-
morrow afternoon and bring note
book. We can't talk with all these
visitors swarming around They'll
let you in; I've fixed it up with the
doctor. They said that it was
liable to kill me, but l told them
that it was a matter of life and
death. 1t is life and death bust
ness, too, for couple Of dozen
men have been killed in it already,
and there's round million at least
in solid gold"
Elliott waited impatiently for the
next afternoon. When it came, he
found Bennett propped up on three
pillows and looking better.
First" he said, when the nurse
was out of earshOt, "Ill tell you
what you must do for me. Youll
have to go out of your way to do it,
but, unless I'm mistaken, you'll find
it worth your while. | want you
to go to Nashville, Tenn, and
want you to go at once. It's case
for hurry. l can't write now, and
l daren't telegraph. Maybe the
men I want aren't there, but you
can find where they're gone. VIII
you go?"
Elliott hesitated half a moment,
wishing he knew what was coming
next, but he promised-with a
mental reservation.
That's all right, then" said
Bennett, because I know you're
square. I told you how d cross
ed the country from the coast. l
had come as straight as l could
from South Africa. l had big deal
on that was going to make or break
me, and it broke me. l was in
Lorenzo Marques then.
1--WE seen good many wicked
places, but | never went against
anything like that, and l wanted
to get back to America. The Amer
lean consul wouldn't do anything
for me, but l saw an American
steamer out in the river-the Clara
McClay, of notwithstanding
for the east coast and then Ant
werp. She was the rottenest sort
of tramp, but was determined to
go on that ship. The mate wouldn't
take me, SO | sneaked abroad, got
below and dropped through the
hatch into the forehold. They fin.
ished loading and pretty soon they
put the matches on.
when / thought she must be
good and clear of land l started to
go up and report myself, but
found that the bales and crates
were piled up so that l couldn't
get near the hatch.
81 waited 10 or II hours, then
began to be hungry. l had a quart
bottle of water with me, but moth
ing to eat. I tried moving some OF
the crates to get to the hatchway
but they were too heavy. Lighting
matches to see where l was, saw
a lot of cases just alike, and all
marked with the stencil of Chi
cago brand of corned beef.
"The cases were big and heavy
screwed up and banded with sheet
iron, but l determined that l was
going to get into one of them, ant
at last l did burst a hole.
There appeared to be nothins
there at all but lot of dry grass
But when | tried to move the case
it seemed heavy as lead. | pdket
my arm into the grass and1 rum
mayed around. At last struck
something hard and squares dewr
near the middle, but it didn't fee
like a meat tin. l worke it out. hnt
lit match. It was a gold bficl
and 1t must have weighed II
pounds
solid, real gold?" cried Elliott
with a sudden memory of Sal
! Lake.
THE real thing. 1t didn't take
me long to gut that box, and fuf
out 10 more bricks, nearly $50300t
worth, | reckoned. Then Looked
over the rest of the cases. There
were % of them just alike, so
figured that there must be consider
ably over a million in those boxes.
Stolen from the Pretoria treas
ury!" Elliott exclaimed.
81 believe it was, but what made
you think of that?"
Never mind; III tell you later
Go on"
! when came to think it over, /
looked like there wasn't anythins
in it for me- SO after awhile
packed up the box again as well as
| could and fixed the lid.
when I'd drunk all my bottle o
water and was pretty near ready
to eat my boots | raised a racket
yelling and hammering on the decl
| i Mt ~ Il l. =