Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1909-03-30

DI oars, ana saw the DldCk Silhouette Oh
the boat pass out from the shadow of the
rock on to the moonlit sea did Brinkley
again begin to stir; and even then he did
30 very cautiously, lest his figure should
be perceived against the moonlight by the
lynx-eyed rover. Creeping on hands and
knees, he again crawled to the mysteri-
Gus spot, and found, as he had indeed
anticipated, that the hole was covered
up, and the wooden lid or trap door so
carefully covered with stones and loose
sand as to be completely hidden.
His first impulse was to displace the
debris, and at once to explore the mystic
rious place; but rejecting that he was
unprovided with lights of any kind, and
that the cavity below would most certainly
be in total darkness. he determined to
postpone his visit Of inspection until day
light BY this time there was no sight
or sound of the boat. Rising to his feet.
he unused. 1t was all very well TO talk
OF returning another time, but how was
he to find the spot? The sea of sandy
hillocks stretched on every side, and he
knew by experience how difficult it was
TO distinguish one hillock from another.
AS TO the cairns of loose stones, such
cairns were nearly as numerous as the
hillocks themselves.
At last he thought of the rock where
he had first concealed himself Such
rocks were numerous too; but pulling
out his case of crayons, he marked the
base of the rock with a small streak of
color. Finally, remembering that the
drift sand might cover this mark so made,
he drew out his penknife, and made a
large cross in the hard sand. Having
taken these precautions, he made the best
of his way down the cliffs and, follow
Ing the open greensward which fringed
the crags, wandered back to the Caravan.
At daybreak the next day he strolled
back along the crags, first taking birds
eye view of the village; and perceiving no
sight of William Jones, who had doubt
less no suspicion that he would rise so
early he soon found the spot where he
had stood overnight, watching the APP
proach of the boat and first reconnoiter-
ing the neighborhood, struck off among
the sand hills. At first he was guided by
footprints, but as the sand grew harder,
these disappeared. At length, after a
somewhat bewildering search, he found the
sand hill he sought, the rock with his
mark upon it, the cross marked in the
ground, and finally, the well-concealed
mouth of the hole.
He looked keenly to right and left. No
one was visible. STOPPING down ne dis
placed the stones and loose sand, and dis
closed the trap door with its iron ring.
A long pull, a strong pull, and up came
the trap. Open Sesame Beneath him
was a dark cavity, with a slanting path
descending into the bowels OF the earth.
Anxious to lose no time he squeezed
himself through the aperture, and began
descending. While he did so he heard
the hollow roaring he had heard the night
before. As he proceeded he drew out a
box of matches and candle, which he
lit Proceeding cautiously on his back
and restraining himself with his elbows
from too rapid descent, he found him
self surrounded not by sand but by
solid rock, and, peering downward, saw
that he was looking down into large
subterranean cave.
Just beneath him was a flight Of steps
cut in the solid rock. Descending these
carefully, for they were slippery as ice,
he reached the bottom, and found it made
of sea gravel and loose shells, forming
indeed, a decline like the sea shore itself,
to the edge of which. filling about half
the cavern, the waters of the sea crept
with long, monotonous moan. Approach
ing the waters edge he saw facing him
the solid back of the cliff, but just at the
base there was an opening, sort of slit,
almost touching the waves at all times,
quite touching them when the swell rose
and through this opening crept beams of
daylight, turning the waves to clear
malachite green.
The mytery was now clear enough. The
cave communicated directly with the sea,
but in such way as to make an entrance
for any large object impossible from that
direction.
Turning his back upon the water, and
holding up the candle, he examined the
interior. The damp black rocks rose on
every side, and from the room hung
spongy AID hideous weeds, like those
fungi to be seen in sunless vaults of
wine: but piled against the inner wall
was a hoard of treasures to make a SNUG
sler's mouth water or turn wrecker's
brain.
Puncheons of rum and other spirits
bales of wool, planks OF mahogany and
pine, oars, broken masts, coils of rope
angles of running rigging. flags of all
nations, and articles of such material as
is used on shipboard, swinging tables
brass swinging lamps. masthead lanterns
and hammocks; enough and 10 spare. in
short, to MT out a small feet of vessels
Lost in amazement Brinkley examined
tlis extraordinary hoard, the accumula-
ton doubtless of many years. All at
orce his eye fell upon a large canvas bag,
rotten with age. and gaping open. 1t
was as full as it could hold with pieces
of gold. bearing the superscription of the
mint of Spain.
o William Jones! William Jones! And
all this was yours, at least by right of
plunder. upon the queens seaway: all
this which, turned into cash, would have
made . man rich beyond the dreams Of
avariee. was the possession of one who
lived like miserly beggar, grudged him
self and his flesh and blood the common
necessaries of life, and had never been
known. from boyhood upward, TO give a
starving fellow-creature so much as a
crust of bread, or to drop a penny into
the poor box o William Jones William
Jones.
The above reflection and parenthesis
belong, not to the present writer. bat TO
my adventurous discoverer. the captain
of the Caravan.
rs Brinkley proceeded on his tour of
inspection he became more and more
struck with wonder. Nothing seemed too
insignificant, or too preposteroasly use
less. for secretion in that extraordinary
ships cavern. There were mops and
brooms, there were holystoneS, there
were "squeegees," there were caniSters of
timed provisions. there were bags Of wee
Wild biscuits, there were sacks of pota-
toes (which eseulents, long neglected. had
actually sprouted and pus forth learesl
there were ring bolts. there were tin mugs
and pannikins, and. lastly. mirabile dictu,
there were books-said books lay piled on
the top of a heap Of sacks. and were in