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


music had passed on the subject we decided
that while we were in the business we might
Just as we'll store up again in Maize and make the
trip as a long shot, there being Just an outside
chance that we might lard something that would
partly smooth over our failure at the Crozets.
With this new objective we hustled the little
Black Pearl all we knew carrying WHOLESALE IN a
two-reef breeze, scooping up most OF the Indian
Ocean over the bows. and living in water day
and night. decks, cabin and caboose, with devil
dry rag stick fore and aft until we raised the
land close aboard through the haze, with Maize
harbor dead to leeward
Every hour spent ashore now was working on
a dead horse SO just soon as the grub was
slowed aboard toward shutdown, sail was piled
on the Black Pearl again and her nose pointed
seaward for one more crack out of the box.
For fourteen days the little hooker snorted
through the seas, and our reckoning showed us
to be within a hundred miles of our island, when
down came westerly bowler, with torrents OF
rain for good measure, and off we scooted close
reefed dead before it, and as the night was as
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 up
with Jolt like the kick of a hundred-ton gun,
and then dived over the bar and broke in two,
splitting us out TO fight through swirl of broken
water and splintered timbers to rocky shore.
Now here was holy mess II ever two men
were in one. Saint Paul might be all right to
visit II of making a getaway, hut
for permanent residence, not by darned
sight!
The wreck we came to find did not show up
for some long time, and began to give up
hope of finding any trace of her, but, having
nothing else to do. we kept up search when in
the humor. About six weeks after we blew in
there when l down from the signal-staft
we had erected, Red came to meet me, looking
as If he had just lost his motherin-law. Asked
II he had sighted a sail that had escaped me. he
grunted
Nothing quite so good as that, sonny; but
along perhaps you put name on 1t,
or tell something about it, 1t looks like the thing
we came for, and we may as well give her a
rummage II we find anything, 1t won't eat any
thing, and we may make getaway from here
after while"
Following him round the point of rocks on
which we had split up wedged firmly in crevice
and buried in the sand could be seen the tim
bers of the stern of what had been an iron ship
There, laddie, what dye make of that? I've
been scratching sand away for days when you've
been up the hill and this morning went in.
side the hull. There's whole lot OF stuff lying
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
tiers, when we had polished them up bit with
goats fat, surely read H. M. S. Megera.
From what remembered reading of her, al
the valuables had been saved, as she had beer
at anchor several weeks off the island before she
went up; but evidence was before that some
part had been overlooked, and sharp rock II
Reds powerful fist speedily uncovered the con
tents of the box
itrwas thece1 ALL right, sh& good g5id Bfleisi
soveregns at that; two thousand by the actua
count Not fortune by any means, but enougl
If we ever got away with ito pay saunder
for the loss of his schooner, and give us bot
another start.
We did not leave that old iron steam frigat
without ferreting every crook and Granny car
able of holding dollar bill endways, but no
another yellow boy uncovered and we lug
ged our find up to our camp to decide what W,
would do with 1t. We were both of opinion tina
We would have to leave the bulk of it behind
we were taken off, and return and get it witt
our own vessel, SO we fixed up goatskin belt
for each to carry one hundred of the little fe
lows. and sewed the rest up In skins and cache,
the lot well above high-water mark
Our reasons for leaving the stun we're goo
for us, as If we were picked up and taken int
port with bunch of gold coin in sacks, all tn
persuasion in the world would not prevent SOM
of the crew of whatever picked us up babblip
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 on
"Crusoing" bark hove to off the island an
sent a boat ashore to investigate our signal TIL
transfer of our kit did not take long you ma
bet; and that evening we were aboard tn
French bark Vendome bound for the Mauritius
and being feted and palavered ove5 as il we wer
the original prodigal sons come home to Poppa.
The Vendome made 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 mud-hook in Por
Louis we bundled oversize into the first shor
boat alongside after the port doctor and harbo
master had left, shouting revoir to our erst
while shipmates, and inviting them all to NEE
us in the town later.
The pleasure of returning their hospitality
however, could not be allowed to stop the bus
ness on hand. Quickly casting about for a Graf
to carry us back to Saint Paul. luck favored II
in the shape of Mozambique dhow which wa
held for debt and could be bought outright 70
eighty pounds.
We made the best of our way down tn Sain