The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1909-03-20

61TS6V was In the middle distance.
&D with the lighthouse top shin
Ing black against the sky and the little
cluster Of fishing shanties showing
brown amid the white sand dunes and
green beach grass. The life saving sta
ton was perched on the highest of the
dunes, and Its cupola was almost as
conspicuous az the lighthouse. The
thick cloud, apparently of mosquitoes,
lowering over the point was In reality
the dock Of mackerel gulls that are al
ways hunting for sand cells on the fiat.
Low down across the horizon miles be-
yond was smeared the blue and yellow
streak that marked the mainland of
the cape.
To the right. only half d mile away,
but through the darker water that In
dicated the ship channel, four mast
ed schooner was moving swiftly, the
sunshine flashing sparks from her cab
In windows and marking high lights
and shadows on her swelling caAtas.
Ahead Of her, against the sky line, was
the lightship that marked the turning
point In the course. Behind. not quite
90 far away. was the other lIghtship
that she had just passed. More schoon-
ers were following her. strung out in q
long line, and others, bound In tho op-
posite direction, were standing inshore
or heading out to sea as they beat up
In tho face OF the brisk wind. An oc-
casional steamer or an ocean tug with
tow Haunted dlngy streamer Of
smoke here and there amid the grace
ful schopners. M
Along the edge of the channel and
sprinkled amid the blue were patches
OF light green water where the waves
ran higher and broke occasionally.
There were the shoals--the "Rasop-
back" the "Boneyard" and the rest. II
1t were possible and fashionable to
erect tombstolles for lives lost at sea
these hidden sand bars would bristlc
with them. Not winter month that
passes but vessels are driven ashore
here. and the wicked tides and winds
scatter their timbers far and wide. The
setuckit life saving crew have few
restful hours from October to May.
On the edge of one Of these shoals,
just over in deep water, little
schooner lay at anchor, rocking and
piunging incessantly. Her sails were
down, and only one man was aboard.
Half mile away. just where the tail
OF the shoal made out into the chan
mel, two dories were moving slowly In
parallel courses, trailing a rope be-
tween them. The schooner was the
Lizzie; the man aboard her was Bar
ney Small. once stage driver. but
now. forced out Of business by the new
railroad. back again ut his old trade-
wrecking. Captain Ezra TItcomb was
rowing one dory and Bradley Nicker-
son ras other They were
draggin~."
The two dories moved slowly down
the edge Of the shoal, separated by a
distance Of perhaps hundred yards.
The line between them. weighted with
lead sinker Mt each end, was drag
ging along the bottom.
They were dragging for an anchor
lost by the coasting schooner Mary d.
q month before. She had been caught
by the tide, and the chain had been let
go with run. One of the hands
aboard Eldredge by name-was an
Orham man. and he had had the pres
ence Of mind to take the ranges"
which information he had sold to Cap
tain Titcomb for flve dollar bill.
Bradley and the captain began row.
ing once more. They had gone but a
little way when, slowly but surely. the
dories began to draw nearer to each
other. Bradley. looking over the side.
saw that the drag line'' no longer
hung straight down, but. tightly
stretched by whatever was holding It
on the bottom. led of diagonally
astern.
They kept on rowing easily, and in
few minutes the pressure on the line
had brought the dories side by side.
Then Bradley passed his end Of the
rope to his partner. who began haul
Ing in with care. BY this operation
the skipper's dory was soon brought
directly over the spot where lay the
hidden object. Bradley rowed his own
boat alongside.
"N0w. then," said Captain Titcomb.
"let's see II she's got the right COM
plexion."
He leaned over the side and, taking
one end Of the line In each hand,
pulled them tight and sawed vigorous
ly back and forth, thus drawing a Sec
ton Of the rope again and again under
the treasure trove below. Then he paid
out one end Of the line and hauled In
the other until this section came to the
surface. 1t was marked with a dull
red staln-iron rust.
The smaller end Of the way line" q