The Elbert County tribune., 1913-04-04


spose-fm a pearl-poacher, that's what; run
out OF the Straits by blasted British gunboat
thae copped my Kanaka and nearly bottled
Yes. boy. not one of yer hold-yer-nose rock
atyerfeet, two-minute diver boys but a reg'lar
un-hat, lead-shoes, rubber~suited stay-foreyer
shark; and II that box of Doodle is still where
you figure on. bet your last thirst well get 1t.
ana get 1t all. by Satani"
The afternoon of the eighteenth day out from
name we raised the rocky peaks of East island.
Tour thousand feet high and as it was never GER
taln that landing could be made we stood on
tii DUSK and hove to for the night getting every
thing ready for full days hard graft on the
morrow.
But 1t was not the next day that we took up
our berth, nor for two more after that. Dirty
weather. commoner down in that God-forsaken
penguin hatchery than suckers Broadway set
In with bump and for three days our little
Pearl had to fight tooth and nail to hold her Do
altion within hail of the islands
On the fourth day the breeze blew out and left
Just good working air SO 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 sure that we right the spot and
this was established when after sounding all
round the schoonex, the lead fouled something.
and brought away piece of searotted rope from
a depth of twelve fathoms.
on the principle that job well started is half
way done. had the diving gear laid out
and at dead low water manned the wheel OF the
airpump, 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
wero almost plumb over the poop of the wreck.
and by ranging ahead twenty feet could drop
line down her cabin skylight
we shifted our position and went below to get
oite OF tucker against the next spell, while my
mate voiced his opinion that:
I'VE would have been better fixed had
toted some explosive along, for the ruddy ship
is steel. and quite likely had strong room un-
der the cabin"
We expected however. to strike some snags.
as there are mostly always plenty of spikes to
a hundred-thousand-dolar bouquet. After our
brief spell for grub. Saunders got over the side
again and took crowbars along. intending he
said. TO bust something eat the bars"
Next time he came to the surface he brought
up a rusty chronometer the mahogany case Of
which was quite good, and said he had located
the safe. which build into the steel bulk
head of the skipper's 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 pearI-shell. but
If the weather gives good fair tilt at it.
there's chance of busting her with the bar
think"
AS soon as 1t was light enough to grope an
otHer start was made on the wreck, and
knew that IT would be of pulling up the
chest giving up the chase at the end of that
days work
Red took along everything had that was
likely to be useful below and remarked as he
put his head into his hat:
What don't come adrft this spell will have to
wait for dynamite Gabriel's big bassoon for
won't come up till the bars bend doube!"
What titanic efforts he must have put forth
down below were well proven by the bundle OF
crowbars he sent up a line, bent to horseshoe
shape; and attached to the line the handle
of safe. He did not come up for some time
yet. however, and Triton only knows what he
actually succeeded in doing, but when at long
last he signaled and hauled up he had a
small tin box made fast to his waist
No sooner was ne free of the headgear and
able to speak. than he blurted out:
Good Gordon's beer, boz 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!"
II the safe had been as easy to break as the
box was, would have had those spondulfcks
aboard by now, for crack with the end of a
bar concertina-ed find. which contained the
ships papers and sundry private documents eyi-
IDENTIFY the captains.
No good could come of hanging round any
longer after we decided the job too big for
our limited means to tackle we lost not mo-
ment in getting our lines and hauling off to the
anchor. Then, before hoisting canvas,
took the casks ashore for water. filing them at
the same place as those poor devils must have
used years before. and taking look at the site
OF their camp where they had made dugout in
the cliffside for the lady and child of the party
We might have spent more time looking
around this place had the weather looked pret
tier. but Saunders had his eye to windward and
suddenly he jerked me by the and growled:
Say, young fellow. don't want to duplicate
the Robinson Crusoe act this trp--not for senti
ment anyway and that's just about what weTl
do II we don't get hook and edge off this
spot OF dirt in number hurry. or I'm no
Mother Shipton."
Pointing to the westward. Red asked me II
had ever seen the Roaring Forties" on a tear:
and IL IL