The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1913-10-02

hunting with her for shipmate.
mot such life as / crave. II l
cannot have enough for my desires I
would be worse off had nothing"
Well, / was arguing against my
wishes from a sense Of duty so l at
last gave way. After ALL the treasure
might be there. If so, it was hers.
and it would be shame not to get it.
The pulse of adventure leaped In my
veins.
$50 be it," said.
"Will you help me to make my ar
rangements? You are accustomed to
the sea, and
II will do more than that" said I.
with your gracious permission l will
go with you"
| ITO the islandY'
ITO the end of the world" replied.
Whereat she stared at me moment,
then looked away
| She extended her hand to me and
tried to kiss it like gentleman. /
made no doubt laundering effort,
but at least it was that of an honest
man.
~ must go and get ready to go to
Master Ficklins in the town." she
said softly. You know the house."
l nodded.
"Come to me there tomorrow and
we will talk further about the prof.
ect."
When we broached the subject to
Master Ficklin the next day at his
house, he would not hear of it. He
examined the parchment with interest,
but poohpoohed the tale because, for
sooth, it had no legal backing and was
couched in the phraseology of the sea
rather than in the dry verbiage Of the
law. He pointed out that he had only
succeeded in saving this last f2,0OO Of
my lady's fortune because he had skill
fully concealed it's existence from Sir
Godfrey. He asked pertinently what
would happen to her when all was
gone and she had found no treasure, the
very existence Of which he affected to
disbelieve.
A very hard headed, practical person
was Master Ficklin. l had stern ideas
of duty. too. and Master Ficklin's
good sense ever appealed to me. Yet
when did mere good sense ever appeal
to a woman against her wish? My
lady had the gambling instinct, tool
since twas in her blood!-and she
would fain challenge fortune.
The end of it was she made over her
$4,000 to me without requiring me to
give any bond, which Master Flick
lin would fain have insisted upon
and which would have been embarras-
sing indeed for me, for my bond would
was going to embark in the enterprise
in secret. l had saved up xhat money
with no one knows what foolish
dreams. realized those dreams would
come to nausht. had no one depend
ent upon me. Brother or sister l never
enjoyed, and father and mother were
both dead What need had | for
money? Let her have it whose need
was great and whose desire was great
er. might have bargained for share
of the treasure did we find any, but
scorned to do it. I would give all and
expect nothing for it.
AT any rate, not being in any hurry,
although | was frantically urged by
my lady, who could scarcely possess
her soul in patience before she began
her treasure hunting, l looked about
a good deal in order to get just what
wanted. Finally from merchant of
Plymouth l purchased a stout little
ship Of three hundred and fifty tons
burden called the Rose Of Devon,
which had been engaged in the West
Indian and the American colonial
trade.
1t was my first design to have gone
as master Of her myself, and my lady
would fain have had it so, but after
reflection l decided it were better to
have a much older man than l to CON-
mand so long as she went as a pas
senger, and so l engaged a worthy
seaman, one Samuel Matthews, old
enough to be my father, with whom
had often sailed; in fact, the man
under whom l made my first cruise.
/ did engage myself as mate, however,
and l even tried in vain to induce
Master Ficklin and his sister to go
with us.
1t seemed proper in venturing among
islands filled according to common re-
port with savage peoples to provide
for fighting. Therefore, after consulting
with Captain Matthews, whom l fully
acquainted with the entire project in
all its details, l shipped a crew of
thirty men and provided in the equip
ment plenty of muskets, pistols and
cutlasses, with the necessary powder
and ball, and in addition a small brass
cannon which l mounted on the fore
castle. Nor did our cargo lack means
for friendly trading and barter should
such be found practicable.
Naturally the unusualness of these
preparations attracted attention, and
Captain Matthews and l were over
whelmed with applications from ad-
venturous men who desired to make
the voyage, surmising that it was after
fraa CI1ra nf gonna sort