The Press., 1912-07-10

the summit of the hill where the giant palm lay prostrate on the ground. They flew at the tangle of upturned roots and tore madly at the loosened earth.
 "HereT" screamed Darrow suddenly, and he brought forth rusted tea can ister.
 Crazed by the nearness of the treas ure they had come so far to seek. the TWO men fought over the possession of the canister until finally the lid came of in Bains' hand. Then they cooled off sufficiently to look within.
 There in the bottom rolled two small pearls. That was all.
 Their curses went up to the blue sky bending softly above them and smote roughly on the balmy air. Finally, breathless with rage. they faced each other.
 somebody's been here frstr' de clared Rains.
 You mean this morning?" panted DarrOw, hiding his one pearl in his pocket.
 Bains nodded. Since the palm blew over Of course 1t was Sweeney"
 "We haven't seen him but that once. We thought mebbe it"was his ghost" objected Darrow.
 1.-The grave is empty" said Rains. "I went and looked the next day"
 ''Then we'll find him." Peter Darrow arose and looked down at the strip of beach visible from the hilltop. "He must come out at night. I'll catch him if 1t takes twenty years. and then them .- .-..-
 ''Then-eh?' leered Rains. .-. d..
 Hell stay in his grave" muttered Darrow cruelty.
 All that day they looked for Dennis Sweeney and found nothing save his footprints on the sand and pile of CO., coanut shells showing where he had eaten. All night long they hunted him relentlessly, growing more ugly as morning approached. They did not scan the thick tops of the palm trees where the younger man might have hidden securely from them, for Swee- ney was agile as a monkey.
 At that mysterious hour between gray dawn and actual daylight they came upon him standing at the wa ter's edge, and there was something so dim and shadowy about his appearance that the two treasure seekers hesitat ed for a moment so that he turned and saw them.
 Bains fourished the empty tea can ister
 'You devil. you've found the pearls" he shouted.
 "Go away" said the voice of Dennis Sweeney. "I'm dead-dead as door nails. Yez have said SO! Lave me rist in pace. Rimimber. dead men tell no tales!"
 "Be careful. Sweeney" warned Peter Darrow, edging toward the second mate. Were armed and if you don't give up those pearls you'll be dead and we'll get 'em anyway"
 "Pm ghost" said Sweeney, with re- gret, as he tumbled backward into the water and struck out skillfully. with wary eye for sharks. "1'm a spoek. Tn captain there will take oath to it. He said so."
 Captain Rains let fly a volley of oaths as he joined Darrow at the waters edge.
 Suddenly Dennis Sweeney emitted a frightful scream and disappeared be- heath the surface of the water.
 The two Onlookers watched the bub- bles rise to the surface with horror on their faces. >.... .'
 "Sharks! muttered Bains hoarseIy.
 "My God" groaned Darrow. momen- tarily unnerved by the unexpectedness of it.
 With one accord they turned and hurried around to the other side of the island, where they remained for sev- eral hours before they ventured to re- turn to the place where Dennis Swee- ney had disappeared from their sight.
 Carefully folded on the beach above high water mark was the red flannel shirt of Dennis Sweeney. On the shirt lay two large leaves, and in the middle of each leaf was little heap of pearls, perhaps a third of what the tea can ister had contained Written in the hard white coral strand were strag- gling words. a....... ..-~.=.. ''What does 1t sayT demanded Rains. |
 Take the next ship" read Dar- row slowly. Then he turned and point | ed to the opening in the coral reefs. | There was trail of black smoke and the black hull of an Australian liner bearing away from Sugar island Ut ! means he played trick" 1.-The sly devilP' gasped Rains at last. Here's more writing. Peter Read 1t, manr' Darrow bent over and obediently read | the last message of Dennis Sweeney "Dead men tell no tales"