The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1909-07-29

/ Fdibit pSChr', many league dSjF'TE-
But Kelly and Mcknight brought down
| the cleaver and an iron bar. and pro-
| ceeded to burst il open. the rest Of
us Crowding about. 100 cold and ex-
| cited to keep still but very confident
| >he treasure awaited US within Ny
own heart beat fiercely with anticipa-
| ton. and | heard De Nova swearing
| IN French, quite unable 70 control him
self. It seemed 10 me that door would
| never yield; but at last Johnson man
aged TO get a purchase low down. and
| with Cole heaying at his side they
| fairly tore the wood asunder Through
| the considerable opening thus made
| there burst a torrent of icy water into
| our very faces. eXtinguishing the light
| and sending US stumbling backward to
| the ladder. up which we swarmed al
most in panic. Anything unexpected in
| that ghost-Ship made towards of Us
| all, and we fought our way forth into
the daylight in a suddanness of ter
! rOr almost ludicrOUS, swearing and
| clawing at each other like msdmen
1t 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 a
considerable trickle still gurs'inE
through the hole in the door. How
| ever we had an opening to work at.
and soon succeeded in tearing most nf
| the obstruction away pieCemeaI. only
| 10 be confronted By a solid barrier Of
| giittering ice fully five feet thick. leav-
| Ing space at the top of the door bare
| ~ Sufficient for d mans body TO pass
| thrOu@h. De Nova. cursing as if h.
| had gone crazy. hoisted me to the top
| OF it. where | chung precarously. hold,
| ing the spU'tcEing candle ai0ft. and
| peerinS about over the cleaning sur
face and through into the black Sua-
| aows. Good Lord. but il was cold. re
| pellent, frghjiiN 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 the rift in
| the deck-pianks above But from one
| bulging side 10 the other extended
| this solid mass OF ice. the CONCEALED
draining OF a century Of waves that
| had dashed their salt spray down the
| opening ripped by the wrecked main
mast No wonder the Old hulk hung
| Sodden with all that load below,
! Crawled forward as far as he sill
very butt of the mainmast whence I
| could look up through he splintered
| deck to the narrow strip Of sky over
| head. There was a buIkhead forward.
| but the ice extended solidly to the
wood. | could hear the ceaseless swell
of the sea pounding against the sides.
| the groaning of timbers. the tapping
| Of the iib's canvas and realized more
| than ever before the sickeninG, sodden
roll of the laden hull. The level sur
| face Of the ice told plainly enough its
| story of formation; when all that wa
ter came through. the vessel had been
upon an even keel. imbedded firmly,
n0doubt, in the ice-pack I crept back
as cautiously as | had advanced. the
| rolling OF the wreck rendering the slip
perry surface dangerous to travel over.
| The men wa Ched me anXiously as |
| slid down into the laZarette
What did you find, sir?"
Nothing except ice. solid ice clear
| to the forward bulkhead 1t looks as
though we had reached the end of
our treasure hunt. my lads"
There was a sullen growl Of profan-
ity. Mcknight viciously slashing at
tho ipa front viii oil
he struck, with no other object except
| the venting of his ungovernable anger.
| his forehead beaded, the great muscles
| of his arms standing out like whip.
cords A considerable chunk scaled
| OFF, falling humping o the deck. and
causing him to spring backward to
escape injury. As if maddened by
this he drove in the blade of the AK
again-it changed against metal We
all heard it; we all Witnessed the re-
bound
By God, mates, there's one of en-.
anyhow roared a voice, hoarse from
exploding excitement But ! was al
ready upon my knees, feeling blindly
into the ice cavity
ny NdIhe NOW lliIS ABOUT me IKE
so many wolves. eager to sea with
their own eyes, but | crowded them
back, snatching the candle from De
Nova's fingers and throwing the flick
ering light down level with the deck.
IT'S a brass bound chest. men"
cried, Strengthening up and facing
them. But it is going to require
some hard digging to get it out About
all can see is the handle OF It,"
/ never comprehended before how
the passion and lust for gold can ex,
press itself upon mems faces Tense.
motionless, breathing heavily. their
features drawn. their eyes cleaning
feverishly in the yellow fame, they
stared at me and then at that ice-front.
demented and speeches.. No one
thought Of where we were-castawavs
our lives the sport of winds and waves.
a sodden wreck under us, our nearest
port a thousand miles away across a
stormy sea; all we realized at that
moment was that there. Just before us,
under that mantle of ice, lay buried
three million pesos God! the collar