Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1910-08-06
CONTINUED from Yesterday,


Consequently. when he discovered
mat the box was not on board, and his
particular injunctions concerning it had
been either neglected or d~isobeyed, he
came raging up on deck again. a most
formidable figure, which caused his
companions, hardened rufflans though
they were, to cover and shrink away
from him.
In a torrent Of furious blaspherny,
he demanded to know why that box had
not been brought aboard; and the con-
c~entrated lees Of his rage he emptied
at last upon the two men whom he had
ordered to do 1t.
Now" he concluded, when the tor
rent had spent itself, you go ashore.
you two. Yes. you, Carlson-I mean
you-and you, Rose; go ashore now and
get It,"
Then, after a momentary silence, he
ragged out the command again, amid a
foul food OF abuse.
But still they made no move to obey.
and the big Swede, in evident terror,
answered him. 81 won't get It, Roscoe.
If you want that box, you can get it
yourself"
What in hell do you mean" the
leader. stormed. But his voice, even as
he spoke, lost its confident tang of au-
thority.
Carlson huddled back into place
among the other members of the crew,
and from their meaning mods and in
articulate growls of assent, it was evil
dent they knew what ne meant and
why he would not 60; that they as
canfa1 In hfo raf,co1 T4d4o1 to T1oa1A~
had not been lacking in that intuitive
feeling for the temper of his followers
the feeling which distinguishes only
those leaders who govern otherwise
than by terror, he would nave perceived
that a strange spirit of unrest was dis
tracing the whole party.
He saw 1t now, at all events, and
when he repeated the question. What
in hell do you mean?" t was with an
infection that meant he wanted to
be informed.
you tell him." said Carlson, nodding
to his companion, Rose. Evidently it
was Rose who had told the story to
h other members of the party. He
was a squatly built man with a stub
born jaw, and Planck, In the days of
his command. had always disliked him
as that most undesirable pest that can
be found In a forecastle-a sea lawyer.
What did you leave the box in the
hut for?" he demanded. HE might not
have come back If you had left it in
the cave"
Come backi" echoed Roscoe, with a
growl.
That's what I said. We went to the
hut to get it, and there was a light
inside, and there he sat, just like he
used to. And he had the box open"
HE! Who do you mean?' There
vas no trace of turbulence in Roscoe's
voice tnow. He spoke as though his
throat were dry.
"It was Captain Fielding; him to the
life. And, yet, it was different from
the way he used to be. We couldn't see
it very well. Its face was sideways
and the light was behind it, and it
looked smaller and thinner-more-
more like a woman. IF Rose had had
the word spiritual IN his vocabulary
he would have used 1t. In default OF 1t
he gave up trying to express just what
he meant. Anyway, there he sat with
the box open beside him, and that red
book Of his open on his knees. Go
back for 1t? Well, 1 guess not"
There was a momentary silence after
he had finished. and Roscoe could feel,
as 1t stretched itself out to the length
of half a minute or so. the chill of
their terror enveloping him. To throw
1t of. he clustered, stormed at and
abused them for a pack Of liars. But
In the end he sprang down into one
of the boats. and said he would fetch
the box himself. Whether he believed
their story. or not, 1t was the only
thing for him to do.
AS he pulled shoreward he tried hard
to convince himself that he did not be-
1ieve it; that Rose and Carlson had
probably forgotten all about the box,
and had trumped up the story to avoid
the necessity of going back for II.
He must believe the story was a
lie. There was no rational explana-
ton of the thing the two sailors pre-
tended they had seen. The box, not
shattered. but lying open, after having
defied their Ingenuity for -four yearsi
And a figure like Captain Fielding. yet
strangely smaller, like a woman-there
was a touch of undefinable terror about
Lfldl lued. II uiu not Secm ike a ito
Rose and Carlson would be cap
able of making up. Its very weirdness
gave it a horrible resemblance to the
truth. He remembered what Miguel
poor, half-crazy Miguel-used to say
about it. Miguel in all probability was
dead now. Could Miguel, dead, have
anything TO do-by way OF a vengeance
perhaps-with the thing Rose and
Carlson had seen. or had believed they
saw
with an oath, he cast the idea away
from him. They had lied, thai was
all. When he cot back to the ship he
would have them fiogged. both Of them.
That would teach. them, and the
others. too, perhaps, that he was not
be trified with
He beached his boat, scrambled
and set out walking doggedly
along in the direction OF the hut. The
fog was still all but iinpenetrable. even
to his practised vision, but he knew
the shore like the palm OF his hand.