Elk City mining news. (Elk City, Idaho) 1903-1913, 1910-01-22
CHAPTER MI.


ers to drop to sleep in the stuffy hunks
below when it was not our turn on watch.
Rodney tried it. but soon came up on
deck. announcing that he never had felt
more wide awake in his life AMI believed
he could last through the night without
a wink SO we three busted ourselves
making the Ship snug, and Rodney in
addition in vainly trying to interrogate
Duponceau.
There was no doubt but that in the
direction of the beach we were practically
impregnable. Invaders would first have
to climb the rocks and then splash
through the water. or, II they came by the
causeway, pass the narrow defile at the
base of the cliff. In either case we would
have ample chance to defend ourselves,
and even il they succeeded In reaching
the Ships side we would have the advan-
tage of being six feet above them. l
pulled in the rope ladder that still hung
over the side and slowed 1t away In
cupboard in the cabin. When we had
done everything precaution could suggest,
we three gathered on the forward deck
and sat with out backs to the sea, facing
the shore.
The night was clear and cool; there
was little sound beyond the regular throb-
bling of the waves on the beach and the
occasional distant call of a bittern from
the marshes up-river. As l lictened to
the talk of the other two, realized that
Rodney was slipping under that same in
describable fascination of Duponceau's as
readily as / had done.
But / say" put in Islip at last, do
vou man IN tall ma that NON me- II fha
way over here without any luggage. that
you let those chaps land you just as you
were. without anything elsef"
Without anything else save a little
box Of papers"-Duponceau smiled-"and
each paper worth many thousand times
its weight in gold"
why" said Islip. what kind u Sc
curities were those?"
'See how / trust you" returned the
other. I'VE hid the box In the ground
back In the woods. between two roots OF
hemlock, one pointing south by the
compass, the other west. The hemlock
ia ten PAGES west Of a SCARED fir that was
stripped of its sea branches by lightning"
II know the tree said j.
Rodney rubbed his hands joyfully. "Ye
gods and little fishes. think OF 1t Ever
since i was boy I've wanted TO have
my hand In buried treasure. We used
10 hide tin cans in the back yard, just
90 dig them up again. And now 70 think
that I've come across a real treasure
What would those other boys say
Here's one Of them now" put In. II
used TO do Che very same thing myself"
Duponcsau was smiling again. you
can both take IL lightly" he said, "be-
cause you do not know. Many men, aye,
many goysrnmsnts, would give almost
anything for q chance at thai boz out
there"
Better and better. The higher the
interest, the more sport for us" said
Rodney I've always wanted 70 be mixed
up ID an international afray I'm more
than ever glad ] decided 70 come 70 the
Penguin, Tor more reasons than one =
and be looked across slyly Al me
could not help liking him, even n hf
Was Ia love Nin barbara be was 20
0Dep and franz about egerythring
After a tins DuDonoeau went beloV
Tor . two hours nap, and isllp aud ] saf
o. deck smoking aud chatting. About
midDighf The al grey colder and ~
walked 10 warn ourselves.
"Do you think said liodnfy finally,
thai ~ nigli ~ on p hunt fof ihAt
tfeef ~ fyee hre fairly itching ~ fol-
ioH fhai ueil apo ~ NIGH reconnolife
fle euemyf position SOY fnoN. Ne
could make baclf baeh ~ ile slip n
flerf nAf auy need"
'Naif ni DupQpcesp comes pp apa
RfN AZ lIm' ] flRseafef
Ia IIDla al ala and III LA IuInuIaIII uHU