The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1910-12-22
The DIAMOND SHIP
MAX PEMBERTON
Of Doctor Xavier. 1.-THE Hundred Days" etc
Copyright by d Appleton Din
MAX PEMBERTON
'1AI. -,Contlnued.)

I.4APALI. -,Continued.)
There arc no more pleasing moments
~ lives than those confirming the
= of some great idea which we have
dc,saced from u certain set OF circum-
atai.ces. There, upon the far sea.
found one vi the links in the chain of
NY conjecture stood revealed. had
vt en lie tllan human If my heart had
act quickened at the spectacle.
Captain" l said to the commander
who stood by my side, the men un-
leistand l think, that our object Is to
'add out why that ship visits ST Hell
she quits 1t. The rest / leave to you
and the engines. IL our purpose Is dis
covered. 1t will be Immediately frus-
rated. trust to your good sense that
nothing OF that kind shall happen"
Nothing OF the kind win happen. SIR
No said quietly; 1--WE are going dead
rs already. Mr.. Benson has his. in
riuctions"
rhe night would tell me the truth.
Who could wonder IL i waited for the
"A gnt as a man for the rewards which
laonths of dreaming had promised him.
dinea with Mc,5hanus at O'Clock
hat night and played a little piquet
nth him Afterwards, He had now
acen admitted to my confidVce and
new a good deal Of that which sur
Used.
Iris your opinion. then" he had
aid, that the men on yonder ship are
O receive the diamonds stolen from the
hines of Africa? Man, could we prove
(, twould be the sensation OF the uni
verse"
Timothy" said, Il have formed the
Union that these jewels are hidden
upon the sea. This ship we are fol-
lowing will receive percel OF stolen
diamonds between here and st. Helena
bay. She will carry them to larger
vessel now afioat upon the Atlantic.
That greater ship, could you board her,
would tell you the story OF many a
famous robbery show the contents of
many riied safes, enlighten you as to
the whereabouts Of many a great jewel
now advertised for by the police. l
hope that the day will come when /
that you will accompany me. Timothy.
One thing have never doubted. II is
my friends {, .. ge."
Honest Bc.sR in Larry, true son Of
Portsmouth pite his name, came
laundering into the cabin as though
the ship wereiafire. / had but to take
one look at his bright eyes to know
say that the night was eloquent
Doctor" he cried, too excited to
speak at all, please to go up. There's
something happening"
We raced up the ladder together.
McShanus with an agility that must
have spoken OF his lost youth. II
would have been then about 10 O'Clock
at night. four bells of the first watch,
as the seamen have It. The night was
intensely dark and void of stars; a
long, gentle ground. swell lifted the
yacht lazily and rolled her as though
she had been cradle rocked by low
ing hand. / perceived at once that our
engines had been stopped and that we
carried no lights. The African shore
was hardly visible, but the thunder of
distant surf said that we still Rugged
1t. The crew themselves were all at
the bows. did not fail to notice that
the machine guns were uncovered and
the magazine hatch already removed
1t really was wonderful how the good
fellows acted In that moment OF dis
coyery. Had they been trained upon
the decks of a British man-of-war 1
could have looked neither for q warmer
zeal nor finer prudence. None spoke
aloud or gave tongue to the excitement
which possessed him. Quietly making
way for me as / came up, the great
boatswain, whom they called Balaam,
pointed with his fat hand at the scene
which engrossed their attention and
waited for my remarks. Others nodded
their heads expressively. 1t was as
though to say. "The master Is right
after ALL" could have asked no
greater compliment
And what did we see to hold us
there. engrossed? A low light flashing
upon the water, perhaps the third of
mile from our own deck; other lights
from u steamers deck plainly answer
ing the signal. A man needed to be no
wizard to say that boat had put
out from some harborage near by and
now exchanged signals with the steam
err we had followed all day. But this
was very far from being all; for as we
stood there, one Of the ships suddenly
came out to her, and we saw the whole
picture, as in vivid radiance. cast upon
the black screen OF the night.
There were two vessels, as we had
surmised, and one OF them had the
shape and the manner of a foreign
built gunboat; the other seemed to be
little more than sea- going launch,
speedy and snakelike, and carrying no
more than three men, We could plainly
see that rope ladder had been slung
out from the apparent gunboat, and
that one OF the hands from the launch
meant to go aboard her. A great cloud
Of crimson smoke above the funnel OF
the larger vessel denoted her prepara-
ton for a speedy voyage and the brief
aspect of her call. Indeed. to be pre-
else, she did not lie-to more than 10
minutes In all. and the man who had
gone aboard her had already descended
the ladder and had cast the launch off,
before she discovered our presence and
knew that she was watched.
AS fash OF light upon a dark
horizon, SO 1t happened. The quivering
rays of the great lantern skimming the
limpid sea. as 1t were jestingly on tho
part Of the man who guided them, fell
for an instant upon our decks, and re-
vealed US there as a black shape,
and undeclared. Instantly
signal guns were fired from the shore;
the lights were extinguished: the after
fell impenetrably and UNI
save where the crimson flame
lowered above the gunboats funnel.
Then for the first time voice spoke
upon my own yacht. 1t was that OF
Captain Larry, and he uttered a truth
which was plain to all
They're running due west. sir--to
the open sea. 1t rs as you said 1t
would be-"
And will be afterwards Captain
Larry Full steam ahead, IL you please
We must not lose sight of them again."
whatever II may cost. STRIP
1T will cost nothing. captain"