Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1911-07-28

except poor Miguel Planck and
Schwartz were down toiling at the
boilers.
commanded. I'm going below to see
that everything's slowed all right.
When I come back l want to talk to
you"
He disappeared down the after
hatchway, switched on light and in
dulged in long, satisfied look at the
great masses Of precious metal which
were stacked, according to his direc-
tlons, in the strongroom
His purpose in coming down here
was threefold. He meant to see that
the gold was stored correctly and he
meant to lock the room up, so that its
precious contents would not be tam
pered 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
1t locked away where it was inacces-
sible to them, and Of his keeping the
keyin his own possession, would be
help in maintaining his prestige as
commander They knew the sea bet
ter than he did, just as he knew the
nature of gold-bearing 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 wanted to be sure that 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
sometimes wished that when it came
into his hands that day he had yield
ed to his first impulse to shatter 1t,
for the thing had always Knocked him
-coquetted with him.
He had often seen 1t lying open on
Captain Ffelding's table in the tiny
walled-off 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 that first winter, fire.
quently thought OF trying to open it,
should the opportunity offer itself.
After the murder, when he took that
little room for his own quarters, he
found the box and preserved 1t with
the idea that now, at least, he would
rrntt hA hoyt 30 IL lyv xtftn tneat
Its contents were we'll enough-Cap-
tain Fielding's charts and journal, and
he had no curiosity concerning them.
But 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 Importance to him and to
the others, out of all proportion to any
effect which the solution of 1t could
have. One by one, with the exception
Of the Portuguese, they tried. Hour
after hour they labored with 1t, and In
variably they failed.
The rest of them gave 1t up, and
their admitted defeat gave Roscoe an
other incentive for solving the thing
himself, for he meant to leave no
stone unturned to convince them that
they were fools and weaklings; that
| ha ~
them. Such conviction was neces.
sary to his leadership.
1t was towair the end of that WIN
ter that the Portuguese made a sug.
gestion destined to bear fruit. IT'S
q curse that has sealed up that box
he said. you can't open it, and Il
you break it, the curse will kill you. u
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 involuntary acts, shrinkings and
glances, that Miguels belief was In
fecting them. Sometimes, after long
succession of sleepless lightless days
Roscoe found himself believing it, too
and regarding that little box as the
sealed-up casket of the murder he ha(
done upon the owner of It, The crime
was there inside.
To overcome that feeling, he haC
worked all the harder trying to solv'
its secret.
His interest, now, however, in ma
king sure that the box had really beel
brought aboard the Aurora was no
superstitious, but wholly practical
They were leaving most Of their store
behind them, as there was no tim
either to transport them to the Al
rora or to destroy them. With thes
stores and with the shelter afforde
by the hut and the little clump of SUI
. rounding out-buildings, 1t was prol
] able that some members of the A,
rora's party. at least. would surviv
i the winter. If relief ship shoul
/ arrive the next summer, or even tn
| e,,ronar tbaraaftar n would ,,poha III