The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1909-08-03
CHAPTER XIV (Continued).

outer Office, and don't let q soul
I COme in to me. Mind, am out for
ftne day. Except to Miss Rolleston
and her father"
He then closed all the doors and
sunk exhausted into a chair, NUT
tering, Thank heaven. l have got
rid of them all for an hour or two.
Now, Wylie. First of all, did you
succeed in shifting the bullion as
agreed?"
YES" said Wylie, II got the bull
lion safe aboard the Shannon,
marked for Lead
And the lead on board the Pro
serpine?"
) "Ay, shipped as bullion"
Without Suspicion
mot quite"
Great heaven! Who?"
Zone clerk at the shipping
agents scented something queer,
think. James Seaton. That was
the name he went by
Gould he prove anything?"
Nothing. He knew nothing for
certain, and what he guessed won't
never be known In England now.
And Wylie fidgeted in his chair
Notwithstanding this assurance
Wardlaw looked grave and took a
note of that clerks name. Then he
begged Wylie to go on. olive me
all the Details" said he. "You
scuttled the ship. Was any suspi-
cion excited?'
mot among the crew. And, sup
pose there was, I could talk EN- all
over, or buy 'em all over, what few
of EN- Is left. I've got 'em all with
me In one house and they are all
square, don't you fear."'
well, but you said among the
crew! Whom else can we have to
fear?"
why. nobody. To be sure, one
of the passengers was down on me,
but what does that matter now?"
1T matters greatly-it matters
terribly. Who was this passenger"
HE called himself the Rev. John
Hazel. He suspected something or
other and what with listening here
and watching there he judged the
ship was never to see England and
always fancied he told the lady"
"Ay. worse luck, sir; and a pretty
girl she was. Coming home to Eng
land to die of consumption, so our
surgeon told me-"
well, never mind her. The cler-
gyman. This fills me with anxiety.
A clerk suspecting us at Sydney,
and passenger suspecting us in
the vessel There are two Witness
es against us already"
NO; only one
How do you make that out?"
why, Whites clerk and the par
son, they was one man."
Wardlaw stared In utter amaze
ment.
1 Don't we believe me?" said Wy
lie. Il tell We that there clerk
shaved off his beard; but, bless
your heart, knew him directly"
He came to verify his sus-
picions." suggested Wardlaw, in a
faint voice.
mot he. He came for love of the
sick girl, and nothing else; and
you'll never see either him or her,
II that Is any comfort to you. We
abandoned her. and took to the
boats. l commanded one"
And Hudson the other?"
Hudson! No."
why, how was that? and what
has become of him?"
What has become of Hudson?"
said Wylie with a start. There's
question! And not drop to wet
my lips and warm my heart. Is
this tale to tell dry? Can't We
spare drop of brandy to a poor
devil that has earned we E150,O0O,
and risked his life, and wrecked his
soul to do it,"
Wardlaw put bottle of brandy,
tumbler, and carafe of water on
the table.
Wylie drank a wineglassful, and
gave sigh of satisfaction.
Then he told Wardlaw how
Hudson got to the bottle, and
would not leave the ship. II think
] see him now. with his cutlass in
one hand, and his rum bottle in
the other, and the waves running
over his poor, silly face, as she
went down. Poor Hiram!
Wylie shuddered, and then took
another gulp at the brandy.
While he was drinking to drown
she picture, Wardlaw was calmly
teflecting on the bare fact
"Hum," said he, 1--WE must use that
circumstance. I'll get 1t into the
journals. Heroic captain. Went
down with the ship. Who can sus.
pect Hudson in the teeth Of such a
!, fact? Now pray 60 on, my good
Wylie. The boatsl"
swell, sir, had the surgeon
and 10 men, and the lady's maid,
66 board the longboat; and there
was the parson, the sick lady, and
five sailors aboard the cutter. We
sailed together. till night, steering
for Juan Fernandez; then a fog
came on and we lost sight of the
cutter, and l altered my mind and
Judged 1t best to beat to win ard
and get into the track of ships.
Which we did, and were nearly
swamped In a sou'wester; but, by
good luck, a Yankee whaler picked
us up. and took us to Buenos Ayres,
where we shipped for England,
what WAS left of us, only four. be-
sides myself; but l got the sigma
lures of the others to my tale of
the wreck. 1t ia all as square as a
die, l tell YOU"
"Well done. Well done. But,