The Red Cloud chief., 1913-05-01

light, and Tasmania in the seventies was the
theater for the exploits Of Coventry Strke.a.
Light, but 1t is doubtful II either Of those wor-
thies at their best. or worst. had anything on
the bright particular star Of the Indian Ocean.
Red Saunders.
To have known Saunders liberal educa.
tion. and when turn Of Dame Fortunes wheel
pitched me out on the beach at Maize and into
his company. the tickle old lady unwittngly did
me service not to be too highly esteemed
There is only place in the little town that
sailor is likely to bring up in--Francois MA.
hogany Bar" and like everybody else had hung
around that rum ranch until money was as
scarce frogs feathers. was trying to figure
out my next move when Red Saunders hove In
sight.
The barkeep suppose on the same principle
that leads a sawbones to give a poor devil
dose Of dope preparatory to abbreviating his
longitude by leg, set bottle OF liquid tin
tacks up for me- with the kind intimaton to
have one on the house and clear to bazes out
Of here" and my outlook seemed about as bright
as the soul of Chinaman. when redtopped
giant six feet six by about four feet BEAM rolled
in through the door and strobe up to the bar
"Barkeep, where in Tophet are all the hugger.
muggers today?" he growled In a voice like
Mauna.Loa In eruption.
"Suds" briefly indicated my Improbable
carcass and shrugged his shoulders. remarking
that business bad even should have
been my way before now.
Solitude will breed strange comradeshp any.
where. and having nothing else to nail his at.
tention. Saunders took good look over me and
showed the "tacks" my way again. saying as he
let 60 the bottle:
you don't seem dazzling with diamonds,
matey. but maybe you can shoot the guff. so take
another pearler's peg and -.eep me company for
Z spell"
We took our vtriol over to table and stretch.
ed legs. giving and receiving the news OF the
beach, while was debating In my mind whether
1t would be worth while for me to broach to this
copper.nobbed stranger the scheme that had kept
me awake nights for months. Though gossip and
rumor had made Saunders familiar to everybody
the beach. the man had never crossed my
bows until ten minutes before and what or who
he was little Willie could not have guessed Pre-
vious to his entry there had been nothing on my
horizon. and he certainly a sociable sort Of
brute: so putting all my trade in one bottom,
opened out and laid my dream out for Red to
pass on. Said I:
"You look like blue.water man, none bluer.
and, II you can find the hooker can lead you to
the place where mnted moguls are lying. not too
far down for number one diver to get at; but
I'm cleaned out, busted to blazes. and can't even
subscribe to the tucker BILL I'm all in, but this
yarns straight stun; II you're looking for aut.
ter. here's a chance. What dye say?"
was keeny aware Of cold steely drive
through and through from a gimlet eye before
that mighty voice rumbled forth:
"Show your goods perish your pelt! That gun
is too easy to pass II you've got no rocks at bot
tom. I've got a little schooner out In the bay
right now; she's ready for any trip from Niger
stealing to pearl-poaching. and can be handled by
two sailor-men; but give US the yarn and give 1t
straight or by the peak Of perdition I'll haze you
for trying to throw the bull at Red Saunders!
Here. Francois. give that bottle fair wind and
leave 1t here"
Back in 1875" began, "the clipper ship
strathmore. outward bound for Otago. New Zea'
land, piled up on the Crozets and when she went
up had fifty odd people aboard. all colonsts. and
all carrying their entire worldly capital In the
ships strong box. The amount OF cash aboard
including a sum for payment Of government sal
aries, was somewhere around twenty thousand
pounds sterling or one hundred thousand II you
want It In dollars.
"The people were taken of after more than
six months Of misery. but the stun Is still there
and I think can be got by . diver. The spot is
well laid down and can take you there How's
It strike you, capn?"
Red took his secondmate's nip at a gulp and
gripped me my the arm growing like south
erly buster:
.'See here, young fellow.my-lad. I've got .
streak Of intelligence in me today, and 1t seems
to me that you are sailing straight Anyway. !
like the cut Of your phiz. and as I've got nothing
better on hand. I'm going to take you up on that
Strathmore job and we'll get our hook this same
ruddy p. m. I'll stand the stores and put my
boat in It; you'll take us there and we'll go alone.
share and share, fifty and fifty; and you'd bet.
ter be sure you're sailing straight for I'm an
ugly blighter when find I'm being blistered!"
That settled the hash so far as ! was con.
cerned: haG no dunnage to stow, and Red sim.
ply yanked me out OF the bar and down to the
beach where his boat was lying, telling me to
row out to a little black schooner In the road.
stead and cast of the stops, while he went up to
the town to get a barrel Of beef and some small
stores
The little vessel boarded was certainly a
beauty-reguar yacht In lines and deck fittings.
When we'll under way and heading for the
east coast of Madagascar. we arranged to keep
watch and watch, and each to call the other II
the schooner got out Of hand. but after Red
showed me how the little hooker would lay her
course with the wheel In a beckett ] had no
uualms as to the necessity for more hands. and
decided that would not be the first one to
"call the watch"
We took our supper on the cabin skylght to-
gether and broached the subject OF diving, hav'