The Tupelo journal., 1912-02-02

hilarious spirits for the first Time
since they had known him; seemed
really to try to be good companion.
Captain Planck abdicated his lead
ership that day. He was perfectly
conscious Of the fact. He had known
that to retain the leadership he must
take that murderer out and execute
him. He knew that II he did not do
this. the murderer, not he, would here
after command the party, and that
unless he himself yielded the prompt
est obedience of any, he would follow
the luckless trio whom they we're
never to seeA again.
From that day to this there had
been no more murders. Roscoe had
ruled them with a decision and a
turbulence which put anything like
characterization out of the question.
He had been obeyed better than Cap
tain Planck ever had been. He had
worked then, flercely all those four
years, cutting, everlastingly, at that
wonderful, exhautless golden ledge,
beating the friable ore out of It with
heavy mauls. then, laboriously. con-
veyirg the great rude slabs OF pure
metal on rough sledges over the per-
petual ice of the glacier to a cave
near the shore. where they had de-
posted 1t. There were literally tons
Of 1t hidden there when the smoke
from the yachts funnel was first seen
on the horizon.
The moment the news OF the ap-
preaching steamer was reported to
Roscoe, he had entered upon what
seemed to his followers q thoroughly
irrational and inexplicable line Of &C
ton. He had ordered them, nrst, to
remove all signs of recent habitation
from the hut to the cave where their
gold was concealed; then. to cover the
cave mouth with a heap Of bouldsrs.
to secure 1t against discovery.
Long before the strongest glass on
the ship could have made out their
moving figures, he took the whole
party back to the hills in hiding He
hsd kept them from answering. the
halls and the gun-nre from the yacht
by the sheer weight of his authority,
without vouchsafing q word of expla-
nation.
The next day they had seen the
searching party come ashore, and with
their knowledge of the lay of tho
land found it perfectly easy to evade
observation. though nothing but the
strong habit of obedience kept them
from counting it.
Then, along in the afternoon, had
happened what seemed to them the
strangest thing of all. They had seen
solitary straggler from the search
ing party coming along across the
ice. He could not see them. 1t would
have been perfectly easy to evade
him, but Roscoe now ordered them
to go down to him and tell him who
they were, and to offer to escort him
along the trail down the glacier. And
at certain point they were to lag
behind and let him go on alone. That
was all any of them knew of their
leaders plans, till they saw the flying
dart and the smudge of crimson on
the snow.
Now, at last, came Planck to the
leader, asking the reason why. But
his mission, as 1t appeared, had not
prospered.
For a long time Roscoe walked
steadily on, until the two had come
far up the glacier. Finally, when he
did stop, he whirled quite around and
stood confronting Planck, squarely in
the middle of narrow path between
two deep assures in the ice. His eyes
were glittering malevolently.
do you know any reason" he
asked in q thick voice, why l don't
pick you up and drop you down one
Of those cracks there, or why l don't
serve you as / served that fellow yes
terday?"
Planck thought he meant to do 1t,
but, with the fatalism that marks the
men of his profession, he stood fast
and eyed his big opponent.
You're strong enough to-" he said.
And I'll do it II want to; you
know that" Roscoe supplemented.
Yes. l know that" The big man
nodded CURLY.
We'll, I'm not going to now, be-
cause l choose not to. Listen. If you
had the chance. could you navigate
that solid mahogany, hanA-painted
ship down there?"
Planck cleared his throat, as II
something were sitting him. with .
crew, yes," he answered.
Gould Schwartz run those nickel
plated engines he'll find in her. do you
think?'
Yes
We'll, within two days I'll give you
a chance to make good. Now, I'm
going to tell you my plan, not be-
cause you asked me, but because
want you to know. I'd run the whole
thing alone if could, but want you
with me. We're going to take that
yacht and we're going of alone in her