Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-09-01
CHAPTER XVI.
II Which We Find Treasure,

CHAPTER XVI.
In Which We Find Treasure.
We began to dream Of treasure as
soon as the fierce winds ceased and
the waves fell. Thaslus for wealth,
partially blunted by the requirements
Of hardship and peril, revived within
Us the instant nature granted q tenn
porary respite. The memory OF the
three million pesos that might be
slowed away below began to haunt
our imaginations, and the story of it
found utterance on our lips. The ne
gro. blurted 1t forth, his eyes rolling,
and De Nova came direct to me, ask
ing, In behalf Of the men, the privi-
1ege Of making search There was no
excuse for refusal, even had desired
to find one, as the decks were
cleared Of the debris left by the storm.
and the Donna Isabel rode her course
easily to a dashed helm. Leaving Dade
above to keep a watchful eye on the
weather. willingly led the others in
to the stewards pantry, where we
pried open the door leading down into
the lazarette.
That same intense cold Of the Ant
arctic smote us the moment the creak-
ing hinges yielded, and we stood peer
ing down through the aperture. We
waited impatiently for the first frigid
breath to escape, huddled about the
stove In the cabin, and recalling va
rious sea tales of treasure seeking,
which only served to whet our appe-
title for the coming adventure. Now
and then I lifted my eyes, meeting
Doris questioning glance, and assured
that understood her mood.
At last. but well wrapped in our
mufders and bearing a candle aloft
to cast its pickering yellow light
through the pitchy darkness, we ven
tured below, scrambling down the
short ladder. Cole held the glim, his
black face shining, the whites of his
eyes conspicuous as he stared eagerly
about. We found innumerable boxes
and barrels, crates, bottles and wicker
TASKS, some open, the packing straw
strewn about. others tightly nailed,
piled everywhere, evidence that the
galleon had been amply provisioned
Tor long voyage, and that her crew
had never persisted of starvation. 1t
had been the cold, the loneliness, the
awful agony of their hopeless condi-
ton that had left the Donna Isabel a
charnel ship. We handled this collec-
ton rapidly, contenting ourselves with
merely testing the weight of each
package, quickly convinced that none
was heavy enough to conceal precious
metal. This job must have occupied
more than an hour, handicapped as
we were by the poor light, and several
times glanced through the open trap
overhead to observe the faces of the
women framed there as they watched
us silently. Once Dade stared down,
bringing word the sky was thickening
in the west, and lingering to observe
our operations until had to order him
back upon deck.
A solid. nail-studded, oaken door ap-
peared in the forward bulkhead, and
80 soon as we had succeeded in ham
ding every article stored within the
lazarette. had passage cleared to
It, the men working with feverish I'm
patience. When finally reached, the
door was locked and seemingly as SOL
i'd as the bulkhead itself, nor did a
search of the after state-rooms reveal
any keys. No doubt they were in Sal
vatore's pocket, many league astern,
But Kelly and Mcknight brought down
the cleaver and an iron bar, and pro-
ceeded to burst it open. the rest Of
us providing about too cold and ex-
cited to keep still, but very confident
the treasure awaited US within. MY
own heart beat fiercely with anticipa-
ton. and heard De Nova swearing
in French, quite unable to control him
self. 1t seemed to me that door would
never yield; but at last Johnson man
aged to get sipurchase low down, and
with Cole heaving at his side. they
fairly tore the wood asundsr. Through
the considerable opening thus made
there burst altorrent of icy water into
our very faces, extinguishing the light,
the ladder, up which we swarmed al
r-cst in panic. Anything unexpected in
vnat ghost-ship made edwards OF Us
all. and we fought our way forth into
the daylight in sndenness Of ter
TOR almost ludicrous, swearing and
clawing at each other like madmen.
It required another hour for the
deluge of water to drain away through
the deck, after which We ventured be-
low again, the relighted candle re-
vealing slush-ice everywhere, with q
considerable trickle still gurgling
through the hole in the door. How
ever, We had an opening to work at,
anu 50osSs sS:::cceoied in tearing must 0i
the obstruction away piecemeal, only
to be confronted by q solid barrier OF
glittering ice fully fvs feet thick ,leav-
Ing aSspace at the top OF the door bare
~ sufficient for a mans body 70 pass
through. De Nova, cursing % II he
had gone crazy, hoisted me to the top
Of it where chung precariously, hold
ing the sputtcring candle aloft. and
peertng about over the cleaning sur
face and through into the black shs-
dows. Good Lord. but 1t was cold. So
pellent, frightful! The beams sup
porting the deck. huge, black timbers.
were within easy reach Of my hand.
and forward the spectral glow Of day
light streamed in through tho rift in
tho deck-planks above. But from one
bullying side to the other extended
this solid mass Of Ice. the CONCEALED
draining Of . c66tury Of waves that