Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1913-03-15

slant the ship was on a coral reef
full of water, and the seas breaking
over her from stem to stern.
Morning came and showed a H.tlG
patch of land, with palm trees anc
tropical vegetation waving in the
gusts and green in the sunshine. Cap
tain Nat ordered the boats to be low
cred. Much as he hated the thought,
he saw that the Sea Mist had maze
her last voyage and must be abaA-
dOned He went to the cabin, col
lected papers and charts and prepared
TO leave. The ships money, over ten
thousand dollars in gold belonging to
the owner and to be used in trade
and speculation among the East In
dies, he took with him Then the
difficult and dangerous passage
through the opening in the reef was
begun
Only the captains boat reached the
shore The mates was caught by a
huge breaker, dashed against the reef
and sunk. Captain Nat, his second
mate and five of his men were all that
was left of the Sea Mist's company.
And on that island they remained for
nearly two weeks. Provisions they
had brought ashore with them. Wa
ter they found by digging. Nat hid
the gold at night, burying it on the
beach below high-water mark.
Then, having made sure of his To-
cation by consulting the chart, he de-
termined to attempt a voyage to the
second island, where he knew the
English colony to be. Provisions were
getting short, and to remain longer
where they were was to risk starva-
ton and all its horrors. So, in the
longboat. which was provided with a
sail. they started Charts and papers
and the gold the skipper took with
them. None of the crew knew of the
existence of the money; it was a Sc
cret which the captain kept to him
self.
A hundred miles they sailed in the
longboat and, at last, the second isl
and was sighted They landed and
found, to their CONSERVATION and sur
prise, that it, too, was uninhabited.
The former residents had grown tired
of their isolation and, a trading yes
sci having touched there, had seized
the opportunity to depart for Tahiti.
Their houses were empty, their cat
tie, sheep, goats, and fowl roamed
wild in the woods, and the fruit was
rotttng on the trees. In it's way the
little island was an Eveless Eden,
flowing with milk and honey; but to
Captain Nat a conscientious skipper
with responsibilities to his owners, it
was a prison from which he deter
mined to escape. Then, as if to make
escape impossible, a sudden gale came
up and the longboat was smashed by
the surf.
Il guess that settles It, ruefully
observed the second mate, another
we'll stay here for a spell now, hey,
Cap'n-"
For spell, yes" replied Nat.
We'll stay here until We get another
craft to set sail in, and no longer"
Another craft? Another one?
Where in time you goin' to get herr"
Build her." said Captain Nat cheer
fully Then, pointing to the row of
empty houses and the little deserted
church, he added, There's timber and
nails-yes, and cloth, such as it's II
can't build a boat out of them I'll
agree to eat the whole settlement"
He did not have to eat it. for the
boat was built. 1t took them six
months to build her, and she was a
curious-looking vessel when done, but,
as the skipper said, "She may not be
a clipper, but she'll sail anywhere, if
you give her time enough" He had
been the guiding spirit of the whole
enterprise. planning it, laying the keel,
burning buildings to obtain nails and
iron, hewing trees for the largest
beams, showing them how to spin