The Washington times., 1908-12-24
CHAPTER XVII.
WHAT M FOUND.

lematicaL
Possibly not until he rip
ped all her timbers apart
and severed them into toOthpicks would
he have been satisfied, so fierce is the
ardor which obseSses the seeker after
hidden treasure.
But fortunately for him, he had not
hunted far before he discovered a Sc
cret cubby-hole in the cabin whose ex-
istence he had hitherto never even sus-
pected. and In this he found the records
the mad old skipper had so jealousy
guarded-a map of the island and the
narrative of the cabin boy. sole sur
vivor of the original massacre
Jim's eyes sparkled as he deciphered
that quantity wor3ed document. Mas
sic gulden chanes" were described,
crowns set with diamonds as big as
pigeons eggs. rubies by the pecke.''
preshus stones, carven in quante and
Gurus devises.'' upward of fore score
big emeralds and 1 wot not how many
small ones" ''briIliants. sanires, topa-
yes, carnelians and such Ike in utmost
profuslon.'
Our friend may not have been strong
on spelling" commented Jim, as he read
knew what was what. It sounds ike
"A detailed catalogue Of AIaddin's cave.
What gets me. though. is how the
old duffer after having seen it. ever
kept from going back for il himself. in
stead Of leaving it as "A sacrifice charge.
10 his son. Is 1t possible that the
memory Of those 'kreases' he so feel
iEgly speaks Of at the start was suf-
ficient to deter him.
Jim was amused, too. at the variety
and oddly of the excuses which each
separate descendant seemed to have
thought necessary to subscribe to the
manuscript as an explanation for his
not having taken up the quest
II had evidently been held as a close
family secret, and had passed down
from father TO son through six genera
lions, until the last Of the house had
written recklessly: Amt got no wife,
chick. nor child. and am poor as a
church mouse I'm a going"
And he II was who had died OF bu-
OOnic fever at Bombay. and passed on
the chronicle to a stranger-the man
who only an hour or two before had
gone down into the waves with a weight
n his heels
Jim, all alone there in the dark little
cabin, and with that tragedy uDon
which he had stumbled fresh in his
memory, could not restrain a shudder.
Were all who went seeking this treas
IRE, or had anything to do with If
destined to some horrible or violent
death2 Could the old Maharaiab. find
ing himself bereft both Of daughter and
fortune, have placed some curse 11non
frh ct III
the centUries2
He shook of such superstitious fancies
and turned to an EXAMINATION of the
faded map.
Yes; Vartra was the island beyond a !
doubt, and moreover, equally certain
was it that the shrine visited by himself
and Helene was the right cave.
But there was one detail which at
tracted his attention. The path marked
out as leading TO it was not the one
which he had followed; but starting
from little cave on the north shore
part Of the Island he had never visited |
ran up into the high ground. and then |
Joined the trail over the top Of the |
cliffs, by which the chief priest had I
come upon himself and Helene.
Gould y not well be, then. that on the /
night when all the village was engross-
ed in the marriage feast, the old skip !
per bad silently dropped anchor in the |
northern cove, made his way undetect- |
ed TO the cave, and succeeded In trans /
porting the entire store of loot to his |
boat?
II so, 1t must unquestionablv be on
the sloop. He rose with fresh zest to /
recommence the search, but as he laid
the map and record back into their
place. his fingers touched something in
the compartment which he had not be-
fore perceived. and he drew out a little /
boOk-the log of the Helene.
Curiously he turned over the dop-ear-
ed pages inscribed with their brief pitbv
entries in the old mans grabbed hand
writing.
There the whole story Of their cruise
from New York was told in skeleton
outline, and as he whipped through II.
many an incident he had entirely for
gotten was recalled to Harrison's mind
Suddenly he paused, however. and
began to read more slowly. It had
grown dark by this tir1e, so he Iiphhd
the cabin lamp and sat down TO fbe |
og under il with his elbows resting IN |
he table. Then ne read on:
Aug 26.-Lisht breeze, dying to a dead