The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-08-07
Copyrighted 1910 by the Century Company
Copyrighted l909-10by the Success Company

stacked, according to his directions, II
the strong room.
His purpose in coming down here wa,
thfeeiold- He meant TO see that tho
gold was slowed correctly and he meant
TO lock the room up, that its pre-
cious contents would not be tampered
| with. and bring the Key away with him
de was not afraid that any OF his crew
would try to steal 1t, but he thought the
moral effect OF having It locked away
! where 1t was inaccessible TO them AM,
OF his keeping the key in his own pos
session would be a help in maintaining
! ms prestige as commander. They knew
the sea better than he did, Just as lie
knew the nature of gold bearing rock
| III was necessary To do something 10
bolster up his position as chief OF the
party and keep It above dispute. He
them yet. The Aurora would be short
handed enough as IL was.
But there was one more reason for
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, Tie had some
times wished that when II came into his
impulse to shatter IL. for the thing had
always mockod him-coquetted with
him.
He had often seen it lying open on
Captain Fielding's table In the tiny
the captains cabin, while the captain
himself was writing up his journal or
working upon his charts. He had. dur
ing that first winter, frequently thought
OF trying to open it, should the oppor-
tunity offer itself.
After the murder, when he took that
little room for his own quarters. he
Idea that now, at least. he would get
the better of it He knew what Its
contents were we'll enough-Captain
Fieldings charts and journal, and he
had no curiosity coffccrning them. But
the secret mechanism OF the box itself
tantalized him. and he meant some day
10 solve IL. Once he had done so, he
would kick the thing TO pieces and de-
stroy It's contents.
There was all there was to it at first,
but during the next winter. when the |
long night kept them prisoners in their
mar, narrow quarters the mystery OF thar
Importance TO him and TO the others
out OF all proportion to any effect which |
the solution of IL could have. One by !
one. with the exception of th, ,-ortu- |
guese, they tried. Hour after hour tn,
labored with it. and Invariably they
failed
The rest of them gave it up. and their
admitted defeat gave Roscoe another In
'entive for solving the thing himself. for
ne meant to leave no stone unturned to
convince them that they were fools and
veaklings; that he. Roscoe, was the only
man among them. Such a conviction
vas necessary TO his leadership.
II was toward The end of that winter
hat the Portuguese made n suggestion
destined 10 bear fruit. IT'S a curse
hat has sealed UP that box" he said
You can't open il. and If YOU break
t. the curse will kill you"
He evidently believed implicitly in this
heorN, for no persuasion could induce
lim TO touch the box himself. Gradually
he others had shown by little inyolun-
ary acts. shrlnkings and glances. that
liguels belief was injecting them. Some
ines, after long succession Of sleep
ess. lightless days. Roscoe found him
ELF believing il, too. and regarding that
title box as the sealed-up casket of
he murder he had done upon the owner
( II. The crime was there inside
To overcome that feeling. he had
'orked all the harder trying to solve Its :
ecret.
His interest now. however. in making ,
ure that the box had really been ,
rought aboard the Aurora was not sup ,
but wholly practical Thcy
;ere leaving most Of their stores behind :