The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1909-04-02
9pms gsahe1
Gadtz


OF deck underfoot 1T was re treas.
ure ship! 1t was re tree million
pesos! Sacre dam!
1t does not appear possible that
perceived 1t all, but now, looking back,
can recall the attitude Of every man
as this revelation of the vessels iden.
tity was swiftly borne In upon his con.
seriousness. Sanchez sank affrighted.
ly TO his knees, lingering the beads
of a rosary, his lips muttering mar.
ticulate fragments Of prayer; Dade
stared, white-faCed and trembling, his
mouth wide open; Kelly jerked his
cap from OF his red hair and swung
1t over his head with a wild yell;
Johnson never stirred, a mouonless
statue, his lips compressed; the negro
Joined De Nova, his eyes rolling, his
great feet pounding the snow; while
Mcknight grabbed the ak from Kei-
ly's needless fingers and began slash.
ing at the door. AS for myself, at
the instant everything was chaos. Tut
tie was right, then; he had seen all
that he said; our voyage had not been
causeless, n search after a will-o-the-
wisp; the sacrifices, suffering, loss Of
these past months, we're not all in
vain. Out OF Antarctic solitudes, re-
leased from the merciless grip OF the
ice by some marvel of dellverance,
this treasure galleon Of Old Spain,
this ancient tomb Of dead sailors, had
! come drifting down to US, veritable
gift Of God. The knowledge stunned
me; dazed my perceptions. 1t seemed
miracle. ] could only press my
hands to my eyes, stare blindly at that
| inscription, and struggle back TO
conception Of reality. 1t was KeIly's
wild shout and Meningitis blow that
aroused me, recalling me as instantly
| to command.
Stop that" ! shouted, catching the
latter roughly by the arm. I'VE shall
need that cabin door. If there indeed
be treasure down below, we can
hunt for 1t like men and not maniacs.
Mcknight, II you strike another blow
III drop you where you stand. Take
knives and dig the ice out of the
cracks. Get down on your knees at
the bottom, Dadc, and don't stand
there like a fool. De Nova, sec If you
can locate the front winduws-tliere
must be two Of them-and cut the ice
away from the shutters"
AS they labOred feverishly, their
breath steaming in the frosty air, the
moonlight sLlyertng them and CLEAN.
ing weirdly Oh the scattered ice.rrag-
ments, the haunting mystery of that
! Theoretically sealed cabin brought to
me feeling Of unutterable horror.
! Heaven! how long had 1t been thus
| frozen in? What awful tragedy OF an
other century was about 10 he re-
vealed? What years Of loneliness, of
darkness, Of polar night and cold had
| this derelict of the grim Antarctic eX-
perenced? Where had it been? What
Of those who had sailed on board out
| OF GuayaqHil that fair June day of
1853, dreaming OF the glad welcome
! awaiting them in sunny Spain? What
of the crew, hardy seamen all, black
bearded, the gold loops In their ears?
I What of the passengers? What Of the
five women who had walked these
decks? Where had they died, and
/ how?
| clenched my hands, my nerves
throbbing, tramring from rail to rail
in excitement as the men hacked. yet
was FIRST to grasp the exposed latch,
md Eprrn tho roIaosoI ,v1o1 hal.
ward in its groves. Through the mar.
how openinG thus attained there came
whistling blast so frigid as to drive
us headlong back, gasping for breath
| Cold as it was without there on the
open deck, that cabin revealed tenn.
perature so awful in intensity as TO
make us rGcoi before It, our hands to
our faces. A hundred years of win.
| ter-the black eternal winter Of the
south pole-smote us with icy BREATH
seeming fairly to scar the flesh with
its frozen touch. Dade dropped un-
der It, and we dragged him aside, sob.
bling Ike a baby. It was several min
Htes before we could even draw near
enough TO hack away more of the ice
and, with the AK. drive the door far.
ther hack into its grooves.
1t was intensely dark within, every
window and portfolio shrouded, only
the narrow door.opening permitting
the slight glimmer of the moon to
touch the edge OF the black interior.
| wrapped my mufEler to the very eyes,
and stepped across the threshold, feel
ing as II the icy air grasped me with
actual fingers, yet resolute to learn
all, and confident no other there would
ever venture it. touched an over
turned bench with my knee; my fin
gers explored the back OF a heavy
chair having carven top, and then
came Into contact with bare table,
heavily ridged along the edge. Seem
lngly this stood crossways Of the cab.
in; and felt cautiously along II, q
deeper cowardlce gripping me with
every hesitating step forward IN the
dark. Suddenly touched hair and
the geld GOODNESS Of frozen flesh, and
as instantly leaped backward, mad
with nameIess terror. The overturned
bench tripped me, and ! fell, grasping
at the door easements, and thus
dragged myself out Of that hell.hole BY
my arms.
(To Be Contlnued.)