The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1909-08-20
addition in vainly trying to interrogate


| addition in vainly trying to interrogate
Duponceau.
There was no doubt but that in the
direction of the beach we were practically
impregnable. Invaders would first have
to climb the rocks and then splash
through the water. or, if they came by the
| causeway, pass the narrow defile at the
| base Of the cliff. In either case we would
| have ample chance to defend ourselves,
| and even if they succeeded in reaching
the Ships side we would have the advan-
| tage of being six feet above them.
pulled in the rope ladder that still hung
over the side and slowed it away in
cupboard in the cabin. When we had
| done everything precaution could suggest,
we three gathered on the forward deck
| and sat with out backs to the sea, facing
| the shore.
The night was clear and cool; there
| was little sound beyond the regular throb-
bling of the waves on the beach and the
occasional distant call of a bittern from
the marshes up-river. AS l liStened to
the talk of the other two, / realized that
Rodney was slipping under that same in
describable fascination Of Duponceau's as
readily as had done.
But l say" put in Islip ut last. "do
you mean to tell me that you came all the
way over here without any luggage, that
you let those chaps land you just as you
were, without anything else?'
without anything else save a little
box of papers"-Duponceau smiled-''and
each paper worth many thousand times
its weight in gold"
why said Islip. what kind of Sc
curities were those?'
"See how l trust you,' returned the
other. 1--WE hid the box in the ground
back in the woods, between two roots Of
| hemlock. one pointing south by the
compass, the other west. The hemlock
is ten PAGES west of SCARED fir that was
stripped of it's sea branches by lightning"
Il know the tree said l.
Rodney rubbed his hands joyfully. aye
gods and little fishes. think of it! Ever
since 1 was boy I've wanted to have
my hand in a buried treasure. We used
to hide tin cans in the back yard, just
to dig them up again. And now to think
that I've come across a real treasure
What would those other boys say"
Here's one of them now" put in. Il
used to do the very same thing myself"
Duponceau was smiling again. You
can both take it lightly he said, be
cause you do not know. Many men, aye,
many governments would give almost
ANYTHING for a chance at that box out
there
Better and better. The higher the
interest, the more sport for u.s., said
n foA TO ho p1iY rod
up in an international ARRAY. I'm more
than ever glad l decided to come to the
Penguin, for more reasons than one;"
and he looked across slyly at me.
could not help liking him, even if he
was in love with Barbara; he was so
open and frank about everything.
After time Duponceau went below
for two hours nap, and Islip and l sat
on deck, smoking and chatting. About
midnight the air grew colder, and we
walked to warm ourselves.
do you think" said Rodney, finally,
"that we might go on hunt for that
tree? My eyes are fairly itching to fol-
low that trail, and we might reconnoitre
| the enemy's position you know. we
could make tracks back to the Ship II
there was any need
"Wait till Duponceau comes up, and
| We'll ask him." suggested.
In time, at the end Of his midnight nap,
Duponceau came on deck, and gave Us
permission to take a survey of the shore
eff / need you," he said, IN make the
| call of the osprey-listen and he sent
| forth long, quavering cry that was
echoed back to us, from cliff and beach.
Armed with revolvers, Rodney and
slipped out of the Ship, fOrded the lake,
and, keeping as close as we could to the
| rocks, for the night was bright with stars,
headed towards the pines.
We said not word, but tip-toe, lead.
| ing. he following, we skirted the woods
until we came to the SCARED fir. There
| turned to look back; the beach lay a
bright silver field sloping to- the sea,
which rippled like quicksilver beneath the
| stars. The beach was empty as sle des-
ert, and still, save for the tapping waves.
"Ten PAGES to the east" whispered
Rodney, and, with infinite caution, we
tiptoed through the pines. The trees are
very thick there; we felt as if ploughing
into an unknown screen. We came to
the hemlock, and crouched on the sea side
of it, some instinct telling us that there
was need of caution. On hands and
knees l crawled foot farther, and beheld
q white tent, it's guide-ropes running to
the hemlock's roots. Islip pulled himself
up beside me.
| ITO be continued)