The Elbert County tribune., 1913-04-04

wrecked on Saint Paul. and after much chin
music had passed the subject we decided
that whie we were In the business nigh,
just as well store up again In Maize and make the
trip as long shot there being lust an outside
chance that We might land something that would
partly smooth over our failure at the Crozets.
with this new objective hustled the little
Black Pearl all we knew. carrying wholesale In a
two-reei oreeze. scooping up most of the Indian
Ocean over the bows, and living in water day
and night. decks. cabin and caboose with devil a
dry rag or stick fore and aft. until we raised the
land close aboard through the haze. with Mahe
harbor dead to leeward
Every hour spent ashore now was working or
dead horse, so just the grub was
slowed aboard. toward sundown sail piled
on the BLACK Pearl again and her pointed
seaward for one more crack out OF the box
For fourteen days the little hooker snorted
through the seas. and reckoning showed uf
to be within a hundred miles of island. when
down came westerly howler with torrents o
rain for good measure, and of we scooted close
reefed, dead before 1t, and the night al
black the back door of Hades we hoped there
was nothing nearer than Australia
Our figures must have been out some miles
for around midnight the schooner fetched uI
with a Jolt like the kick of hundredton gun
and then dived the bar and broke In two
spilling us out to fight through a swirl of broker
water and splntered timbers to rocky shore
Now here was holy mess IL ever two men
were In one Saint Paul might be all right tt
Il
for permanent residence. not by darned
sight!
The wreck we came to find did not show uI
for some long time, and began to give VI
hope, OF finding any trace of her, but, having
nothing else to do kept up a search when II
the humor. About six weeks after we blew II
there. when | down from the signal-staf
we had erected Red came to meet me- looking
as IL he had just lost his mother-in-law. Asked
If he had sighted a sail that had escaped me- he
grunted
Nothing quite SO good as that sonny; bu,
come along. perhaps you put name 1t
or tell something about it. 1t looks like the thinl
we came for and may well give her
rummage If we find anything. 1t won't eat any
thing and we may make a getaway from her,
after while"
Following him round the point of rocks or
which we had split up, wedged firmly in a crevict
and buried In the sand could be the tim
bers of the stern of what had been an iron ship
There. laddie what dye make of that? Nv,
been scratching sand away for days when youv,
been up the hill and this morning / went in
side the hull. There's whole lot OF stun lyint
on her floor chests. barrels old Junk of sorts
and maybe some of 1t will pay US for a search :
When my mate came out between the ribs
Juggling a SMALL heavy wooden chest a brass
plate was still attached to the lid and the let
ters when we had polished them up a bit will
goats fat, surely read H. NJ s. Megera.
From what remembered reading of her. al
at anchor several weeks off the island before sh,
went up: but evidence before us that som.
part had been overlooked. and a sharp rock IL
Reds powerful fist speedily uncovered the con
tents of the box.
1t specie all right and good gold British
sovereigns at that two thousand by the actua
count Not a fortune by any means. but enough
If we ever got away with ito pay Saunder.
for the loss of his schooner and give boti
another start.
We did not leave that iron sfe frfp
without ferreting every crook and Granny can
able of holding dollar bill endways but no
another yellow boy uncovered and we lug
ged our find up to camp to decide what we
would do with 1t. We both of opinion thai
we would have to leave the bulk of II behind 4
we were taken of. and return and get 1t will
our own vessel. SO we fixed up goatskin belts
for each to carry one hundred OF the little fei
lows. and sewed the rest up in skins and cached
the lot well above high-water mark
Our reasons for leaving the stuff we're gooc
for us, as If we were picked up and taken int
port with a bunch of gold coin in sacks all tn,
persuasion in the world would not prevent some
OF the crew OF whatever picked us up babbliuf
out the truth. and then we would have To ant,
up to the authorities
So our minds were made up and we were read,
to leave when, on the seventeen day of ou
"Crusoing" a bark hove to off the island ant
sent boat ashore to investigate our signal TIL,
transfer of our kit did not take long you ma,
pet; ana mat evening we aboard the
French bark Vendome. bound for the Mauritius
and being feted and palavered over as IL we were
the original prodiga1 sons come home to Poppa
The Vendome made a good passage north w.
were soon counting the days now to elapse be
fore we could make fresh start for Saint Paul
and when she dropped her mudhook in Por,
Louis, we bundled oversize into the first shore
boat alongside after the port doctor and harbo,
master had left. shouting au revor to our erst
while shipmates. and inviting them all to meet
US in the town later.
The pleasure OF returning their hospitality
however could not be allowed to stop the bust
ness on hand Quickly casting about for a Graf,
to carry us back to Saint Paul. luck favored us
In the shape OF Mozambique dhow which was
held for debt and could be bought outright fol
eighty pounds.