Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-07-19
CHAPTER VIII.
Apparitions.
Copyright. 1919.
BY the Ceatury Company

one. III the man VINO mad confronted
him there in the companionway were
dead. so much the better. II he were
only half dead, the job could be finished
at any time. He was out of the way
for the present at least. Roscoe hurried
on, searching staterocms and passage
ways and finally the crews quarters. for
ward.
When he had satisfied himself that he
and his men were in undisputed posses
sion of the yacht. he emerged on deck
again by the forward hatchway and
found Capt. Planck already there. he
directed him to go below with Schwartz.
who had been engineer aboard the
whaler. and get steam up as promptly
as possible. He himself remained on
deck. directing the unloading and stow
age of those precious golden SLABS that
the rest of the party were bringing out
in boats from the shore.
He paced the deck uneasily. for there
was a superstitious streak in his other-
wise strong composition which caused
him. always, a feeling of alarm when
matters went too we'll with him; when
his plans succeeded beyond his hopes for
them. He had expected to lose man or
TWO in getting possession OF the yacht'
yet they had gone off and left 1t. ap-
disabled member Of their party. And.
then, he had not expected that the relief
would have set out so soon: he had
counted on having to wait twenty-tour
hours more before the field should clear
itself for his operations: and those
twenty-four hours would have been
fraught with perils.
Now that he was in possession of the
yacht-now that all the gold. except what
three or four more boats could carry,
was transferred safely TO the between
deck space beneath the turtle-back-now
that the smoke was pouring out of-the
Aurora's tunnels and the steam rising in
her pressure gauges, he fell to wonder
ing just what sort OF trap the devil
was batting for him with this unoroken
train of successes.
When, with the arrival Of another boat
from the shore, one of the great golden
slabs it brought went overheard as they
were lifting it up on deck. he astonished
the boats crew by taking the disaster
good-naturedly.
Never mind. boys" he said: we've
got q. plenty without that. Come! Look
alive with the rest Of it,.
For now his mind was at ease again
The "hoodoo,' as he would have called
it. of too complete success was broken
by this trifiing mischance.
In reality, this primitive religion. which
was all he had, was satisfied. He had
performed sacrifice, involuntary, as
devil which served him for a god. IT
occurred to him after it happened that
perhaps Miguel would count for sacri-
fee too. for he had not come back. But.
then not even an envious devil Of a god
could think that Miguel was worth much.
He watched. through the fog, the sue
cessive arrival Of the other boats. bring
ing the last of the treasure with them.
We've got il all. Roscoe, unless you
want them barrels of whale Gill; a man
in the last boat sang out as they came
alongside.
Wen leave them TO pay for this nickel
plated ship" Roscoe answered. Come!
Look alive, and get aboard. Well be
ready to start as soon as We can get a
little daylight"
He looked them over, numbered them
as If they had been 50 many sheep,
noted that they were all here. except
poor Miguel; Pianck and Schwartz were
down toilins at the boilers.
Stay here till I come back" he COM
manded. I'm going below to see that
everything's slowed all right. When I
come back / want to talk to YOU
He disappeared down the after hatch
a long, satisfied look at the great masses
Of precious metal which were stacked,
according to his directions, in the strong
room.
His purpose in coming down here was
threefold. He meant to see that the gold
was slowed correctly and he meant to
lock the room up, SO that its precious
contents would not be tempered with,
and bring the key away with him. He
was not afraid that any Of his crew
would try to steal it. but he thought the
moral effect of having it locked away
where 1t was inaccessible to them and
Of his keeping the key in his own pos
session would be a help in maintaining
his prestige as commander. They knew
the sea better than he did. just as he
knew the nature Of goid-bearins rock. 1t
was necessary to do something to bolster
up his position as chief OF the party and
keep it above dispute He did not want
to have to kill any of them yet The
Aurora would be short-handed enough as
1t was.
But there was one more reason for that
hurried trip to the strongroom. He want
ed to be sure that a certain rosewood
box had come aboard along with the
treasure and what few stores they were
taking away with them.
That little box had occupied much OF
his leisure since the day when he had
murdered the owner Of it. He had some-
times wished that when il came into his
hands that day he had yielded to his
first impulse 10 shatter il. for the thing
had always Knocked him-coquetted with
him.
He had often seen it lying open on
Capt. Fielding's table in the tiny walled
of cubby hole of room they called the
captains cabin. while the captain himself
was writing UP his journal or working
upon his charts, He had, during the
first winter, frequently thought Of trying
to open 1T. should the opportunity offer
itself
After the murder, when he took that
little room for his own quarters. he found
the box and preserved it with the idea
that now. at least. he would get the bet
ter Of X. He know what its contents
we're well enough-Capt. Fieldings charts
and journal-and he had no curiosity COM
corning them. Bat the secret mechanism
of the box itself tantalized him. and he
meant some day to solve 1t. Once he
had done so he would kick the thing to
pieces and destroy its contents.
That was all there was to it at first,
but during the next winter. when the
long night kept them prisoners in their
narrow quarters. the mystery OF that
little rosewood box took on an added i'm
of all proportion to any effect which the
solution of It could have. One by one.
with the exception of the Portuguese
they tried. Hour after hour they la
bored with it, and invariably they failed
The rest Of them gave It up, and their
admitted defeat gave Roscoe another in
centive for solving the thing himself for
convince them that they were fools and
weaklings; that he, Roscoe. was the only
man among them Such a conviction was
necessary to his leadership.
1t was toward the end Of that winter
that the Portuguese made a suggestion
destined to bear fruit It's a curse that
has sealed up that box" he said. You
can't open IT: and IL you break it the
He evidently believed implicitly In this
theory, for no persuasion could induce
him to touch the box himself. Gradually
the others. had shown, by little involun-
tary acts. shrinkinws and giances. that