Delaware City press. (Delaware City, Del.) 1913-19??, 1913-04-04


l spose-Im a pearlpoacher that's what
out of the Straits by blasted British gunboat
that copied my Kanaka crew and nearly bottled
Yes, boy, not one of yer hold-yer-nose, rock
at-yerfeet, two-minute diver boys, but regular
tin-hat lead-shoes, rubbersuited stay-tor-ever
shark; and If that box of Doodle is still where
you figure on, bet your last thirst wen get it.
and get it all, by Satan!"
The afternoon of the eighteenth day out from
Maize we raised the rocky peaks of East Island
four thousand feet high, and as it was
tain that landing could be made, we stood on
till dusk and hove to for the night getting every
thing ready for full days hard graft on the
morrow
But it was not the next day that we took up
our berth, for two more after that. Dirty
weather, commoner down In that Godforsaken
penguin hatchery thanssuekers Broadway set
in with bump, and for three days little
Pearl had to fight tooth and nail to hold her po-
sition within hail of the islands,
On the fourth day the breeze blew out and left
just good working air, we hauled up and
stood in for the rocks again, this time getting
close enough to let go warp and take the
lines ashore.
BY the official report of the wreck, we were
pretty that right the spot, and
this established when, after sounding all
round the schooner, the lead fouled something,
and brought away piece of sea.rotted rope from
a depth of twelve fathoms.
On the principle that job well started is half
way done, we soon had the diving gear laid out,
and at dead low water manned the wheel of the
air-pump, after screwing up my mates helmet,
and our quest was on when Red clambered over
the low rail and slipped into the cold depths.
At the end of an hour the signal came to haul
up, and when Saunders bobbed over the rail and
had his head-gear removed he reported that we
were almost plumb over the poop of the wreck,
and by ranging ahead twenty feet could drop a
line down her cabin skylight
We shifted our position and went below to get
bite of tucker against the next spell, while my
mate voiced his opinion that:
1--WE would have been better fixed had we
toted explosive along, for the rudy ship
is steel, and quite likely had a strong room I'M
der the cabin"
We expected however to strike some snags,
as there are mostly always plenty Of spikes to
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. bouquet After
brief spell for grub, Saunders got over the side
again and took crowbars along intending, as he
said, ITO bust something or eat the bars"
Next time he came to the surface he brought
up rusty chronometer, the mahogany case Of
which quite good and said he had located
Nthe safe, which build into the steel bulk
head of the shippers cabin
WHAT do you think OF the chances OF hook
ing anything Red?" asked when he had
crawled out of his casing
Tell you tomorrow. son." he grunted Seems
tougher lay than cracking open pearlshell, but
If the weather gives us good fair tilt at It,
there's a chance of busting her with the bar
think"
AS soon as it was light enough to grope an
other start was made on the wreck, and we
knew that it would be case OF pulling up the
chest giving up the chase at the end OF that
days work.
Red took along everything we had that was
likely to be useful below and remarked as he
put his head into his hat:
What don't come adrift this spell will have to
wait for dynamite Gabrel's big bassoon for
! won't come up till the bars bend double!"
ania nrfI
down below well proven by the bundle Of
crowbars he sent up a line, bent to horseshoe
shape; and attached to the line the handle
of a safe He did not up for some time
yet, however, and Triton only knows what he
actually succeeded in doing, but when at long
last ne signaled and hauled up. he had a
small tin box made fast to his waist.
No sooner was he free of the head-gear and
able to speak. than he blurted out:
Good Gordon's beer, bo, she's too much for
me! Every blasted trick did work on that iron
locker but might well dig into the great
pyramid with a cream-puff for all the impress
sion could make with those bars"
If the safe had been easy to break the
box was, we would have had those spondulicks
aboard by now, for one crack with the end of a
bar concertinaed our find, which contained the
ships papers and sundry private documents evil
IDENTIFY the captains.
No good could come of hanging round any
longer, after decided the job was too big for
our limited means to tackle, so we lost not mo-
ment in getting lines and hauling off to the
anchor. Then, before hosting canvas, we
took the casks ashore for water filling them at
the place as those poor devils must have
used years before, and taking a look at the site
of their camp. where they had made dugout in
the cfside for the lady and child of the party.
We might have spent time looking
around this place had the weather looked pref
tier, but Saunders had his eye to windward and
suddenly he jerked me by the arm and growed:
Say, young fellow, we don't want to duplicate
the Robinson Crusoe act this trip-not for senti
ment anyway; and that's just about what we'll
do II we don't get hook and edge off this
spot of dirt in a number one hurry or I'm no
Mother Shipton"
Pointing to the westward Red asked me II
had ever seen the Roaring Forties" on tear;
and sure enough it looked like goodnight for us