Okolona messenger. (Okolona, Miss.) 1900-current, 1911-05-11

them aH If they had been 81 many
sheep, noted that they were all here,
except poor Miguel; Planck and
Schwartz were down toiling at the
boilers.
Stay here till l come back" he
commanded. Pm going below to see
that everything's slowed all right.
When come back l want to talk to
you"
He disappeared down the after
hatchway, switched on a light and in
dulged in a long, satisfied look at the
great masses of precious metal which
were stacked, according to his direc-
lions, in the strongroom.
His purpose in coming down here
was threefold. He meant to see that
the gold vas stored correctly and he
meant to lock the DON up, so that it's
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 1t, but
he thought the moral effect Of having
it locked away where 1t was inacces-
sible to them, and of his keeping the
keyin his own possession, would be a
help in maintaining his prestige as
commander. They knew the sea bet
ter than he did, just as he knew the
nature Of go%ld-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 shcrt-handed
enough as 1t was.
But there was one more reason for
that hurried trip to the strongroom.
He wanted to be sure that a certain
3 rosewood box had come aboard along
? with the treasure and what few stores
they were taking away with them.
l That little box had occupied much
: of his leisure since the day when he
had murdered the owner of it. He had
D sometimes wished that when it came
into his hands that day he had yield
ed to his first impulse to shatter 1t,
8 for the thing had always Knocked him
-coquetted with him.
He had often seen it lying open on
8 Captain F1elding's table in the tiny
n walled-off cubby hole Of a room they
a 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
e quently thought Of trying to open it
should the opportunity offer itself.
n After the murder, when he took tina.
2, little room for his WI quarters, he
J. found the box and preserved 1t will
IS the idea that now, at least, he would
d get the better of it. He knew wha
70 its contents were we'll e~nough-Cap
t. tain Fielding's charts and journal, anC
he had no curiosity concerning them
Ie But the secret mechanism Of the DO,
e. itself tantalized him, and he mean
ID some day to solve it. Once he hal
" done SO, he would kick the thing Il
)r pieces and destroy its contents.
m That was all there was to 1t ut first
at but during the next winter, when tn
long night kept them prisoners i
re their narrow quarters, the myster
lie Of that little rosewood box took o
a an added Importance to him and t
r, the others, out Of all proportion to an
TX effect which the solution Of it coul
IN have. One by one, with the exception
is Of the Portuguese, they tried. Hou
after hour they labored with 1t, and II
8 variably they failed.
n The rest of them gave it up, an
1t their admitted defeat gave Roscoe al
le other incentive for solving the thin
himself, for he meant to leave n
le stone unturned to convince them tina
~ they were fools and weaklings; tina
Ks he, Roscoe, was the only man anon
them. Such a conviction was necei
ne sary TO his leadership.
d 1t was towalH the end of that VIII
81 ter that the Portuguese made a SUI
VI gestion destined to bear fruit. 1T
~ a curse that has sealed up that box
III he said, You can't open 1t, and
you break it, the curse will kill you
He evidently believed implicit
in this theory, for NO persuasion coul
induce him to touch the box himsel
Gradually the others had shown, b
70 little involuntary acts, s~hrinkings an
a ~glances, that Miguel's belief was i
m. fecting them. Sometimes, after a lor
IN. succession Of sleepless, ~lightless day
II Roscoe found himself believing 1t, to
i'd and regarding that little box as Il
inf sealed-up casket Of the murder he he
done upon the owner of 1t. The erin
to- was there inside.
lly To overcome that feeling, he ht
worked all the harder trying to sol'
lat its secret.
ed His interest, now, however, in m
ed king sure that the box had really be-
CHI brought aboard the Aurora was n
al superstitious, but wholly practic;
go They were leaving most of their stor
ZEN behind them, as there was no tin
ret either to transport them to the A
He rora or to destroy them. With the
ing stores and with the shelter afford
1se by the hut and the little clump Of 81
est rounding out-buildings, it was pre-
ats able that some members of the A
rora's party, at least, would survi
you the winter. If a relief ship shot
a arrive the next summer, or even t
ley summer thereafter, it would probat
~