The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1910-07-15

deCkS III OlSCOnleNt, now tnat tne snip
and weather gave us little occasion
for concern. Here they vigorously
piled the cleaver, working in relays OF
two hours each, during the remainder
Of the day and night. After break
last had been served we all of us went
below to unite our strength in hauling
forth the loosened box from the ice
cavity.
We accomplished this by resorting
10 block and tackle, and even then ex-
perienced no small difficulty in drag
ging it away from the ice grip. Under
the dim candlelight it appeared a fair
sized sea-chest, constructed OF some
heavy, dark wood, and bound secure
ly by metal bands, with a cumbersome
lock. A considerable quantity OF wa
ter from somewhere continued to seep
down into the lazarette, making the
floor an icy puddle. and so we tailed on
to the ropes again, and hoisted the
chest up through the trap-door out up
on the cabin deck. l could find no
keys in any of the state-rooms, and
we must have been half an hour break
ing the rusty lock and prying open
the lid, the only sounds audible the
blows struck and the heavy breathing
OF the men. Finally We wrenched apart
the last band, and our eager eyes be
held the revealed contents-pieces-of-
eight, yellow and level to the top.
There was a wild yell, a fierce scram-
BILE, the crazed men digging their fin
gers into the coins, handling them,
fondling them, laughing and crying
like children in their excitement. and
for a chance at the box. For the mo
ment, staring down at the dull glow Of
the metal, I even lost control of my
self, scarcely aware of the mad uproar.
1t was actually there-there before
me! That Did Spanish record had all
been true; here, and beneath that ice
between decks lay the remainder
three million pesos! Here was the
wealth Of a king; here, almost within
reach Of our hands, and it was ell ours
ours, IL we could only bring 1t forth
to where 1t possessed value.
If we only could! The thought
struck me like a blow. l knew the
truth, the truth. There was not one
chance In q thousand-not one. |
made no effort to deceive myself. The
men, even the mate, blinded by the
goldlust had ignored facts plain as
day to me-the terrible listing Of the
ship to port, the constant seeping of
water into the hold, the increasing
soddenness of the staggering hull-all
these combined to tell the story-that
the Donna Isabel was doomed. No
power of men, situated as we were
could ever save her. The protecting
ice-sheath. by help of which she had
drifted ghost-like out Of the Antarctic,
pounded by the fierce seas, loosened
by the milder air Of more northern
ATTITUDES, had already commenced tc
flake off. and the invading water was
discovering crevices everywhere along
her ancient seams. We had come to
the gold; we had discovered it; It
was ours. But we could only gaze on
it, and give it back to the ocean in ex
change for our lives. l Strengthened
up, my lips compressed, and looked be
yond the struggling figures Of the men
into Doris questioning gray eyes
Father of Mercy, l possessed some
thing worth more than money-the
love of a woman! Ay, but what OF
the men? What of the men? 1t would
be cutting their hearts out; yet 1t
must be done-done, If necessary, with
all the brutality Of a slave driver. She
had said this treasure was a curse, q
legacy of crime and death, a prize
for dead men. Not while l retained
mind and body to battle should it cost
our lives. l pushed De Nova back
ward, and planted myself across the
open chest, scowling into the uplifted
angry faces.
That's enough, men. This is part
of the treasure all right, but there is
no occasion for you to go crazy owe
it. Put those coins back-do you hear
McKnight?-put them back. and We'll
shut down the lid. They're nice tc
look at, and dream over, but that's
about all the good we'll ever get OF
them. Were there any signs Of 9th
ers down there in the ice, Johnson
(TO BE CONTINUED.)