The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1914-11-11

tunity. For half an hour the forecastle
was c2lpty Of all save himself. Fever
;sh!y ne pried back the boards, found
Inc brace beam, and gently laid tie
box there. 1t was a mighty curious
looking box. Once he had stocked up
| the Chinese coast from the Philip
pines. and he Judged it to be Chinese
| il origin. He tried . pry open the
cover and feast his eyes upon the
| treasure; but under the leather and
ivory and mother of pearl was imper-
vious steel it would take an Ak or
a crowbar to stir that lid. He sighed.
| He replaced the boards, and became
to all appearances his stolid self
again.
But all the 1ay down to the BAHIA
mas he was moody, and when he an
| swered any questions it was with
words spoken testify and ierkily.
Il know whut's tn matter" said
Dunkers. Hes in love-"
Shut your mouth"
Didn't I tell yuh?' laughed the tan
talizer, dancing toward the compan-
:onway. "Steve's in love, r he didn't
git drunk enough on shore t satisfy
his whales belly:"
A boot thudded sp;tefully against
the deer jamb.
You fellahs let me alone, r III bash
| in a couple O. heads"
20, yuh will, will yuh?" cried Dunk
ers from the deck. III yuh want c
little exercise. yuh can begin on ne,
yuh moonsick swab, Whut's tn matter
with yuh, anyhow? Whered yuh git
this crouch? Nhut'Te We done t. yuh?
Euh?'
You keep out O. my way, that's oil.
I'm mindin' my watches, an don't ask
no odds OF you buffers. What II have
q crouch? Is it any o your business?
All right. When we step ashore at
IA Bahams, Mister Jim Dunkerh
III tear the ropes out O your pulley
blocks. But till we git there, you Z
tn upper bunk an me t mine"
Leave tn OIL crouch alone, jim.
Tn mate won't stand for 40 scrappin'
aboard. Wen have tn thing done
right in tn custom sheds. Well have
a finish fight, Queensberry rules, an
may tn best man win
I'm willin'," said Jim.
Som l." agreed Steve. But his in
tentions were not honorable. He pro-
posed to desert before any fight took
place. Not that he was physically
afraid; no; he wanted to dig his
hands deep into those doubloons and
pieces-of-eight.
So the four days down passed other
wise uneventfully, amid paint pots and
iron rust and three meals a day Of
pork, onion soup, potatoes, and strong,
bitter coffee. The winds became light
and balmy and the sea blue and gen
tie. The men went about in their
undershirts and dungarees, barefooted
OF course the coming fight was the
main topic Of conversation. It prom
ised to be a rattling good scrap, for
both men we're evenly matched, and
both had kick" in either hand. Even
the captain took a mild interest in tie
affair. He was an old sailor. He knew
that there was no such word as arbi-
tration in a sailors vocabulary; his
disputes could be settled only in one
manner, by his calloused fists.
When the old mudhook (and some
day Steve was going to buy 1t and
hang It over the entrance OF the Gill
son house, slithered down into the
smiling waters Of the bay, Steve con-
clu6ed that discretion was the better
part Of vaIor. He would steal ashore
On the quarantine tug which lay along
side. He was willing to fight under
ordinary circumstances, but he must
set his treasure in safety first. They
could call him a welcher II they
wanted to; devil bit did he care. SO
he pried back the boards Of his bunk
wall, took out the box. eyed it fcndly,
and noted for the first time the let
tering on it:
STANLEY HARGREAh Z.
He Hrinkled his brow in the effort
to recall a pirate by this name, but
was unsuccessful No matter. He
hugged the box under his coat and
made for the gangway. and tnadver-
te1tly ran into his enemy.
Dunkers caught a bit Of the box
peeping from under the coat.
What a yuh got there?" he de-
manded truculently.
None O. your damn business! You
lenlme by; hear me-"
"Ain't none O. my business, huh?
Nhere'd yuh git box Ike that? Steal
it? By cripes. I'm goin' t have a
look at that box. my hearty. 1t don't
smell like honest onions"
You lemme by breathed Steve,
/ with murder in his heart.
Suddenly the two men closed. surgea
back and forth, one determined TO
take and the other to loii ..4i; Ely5-
terious box. Dunkers struggled TO up
hold his word: not that he really
wanted the box but to prove that he
was strong enough to take it II he
wanted to. The name on the box
flashed and disappeared. 1t was kind
of shock to him He and Blossom went
battering against the rail. Dunkers'
grip slipped and so did Blossoms The
result was that the box was catapulted
into the sea. With al asoniZing cry,
Blossom leaned far over. He saw the
/ box osHllate for q moment, then sink
gracefully in a zigzag course, down
through the blue waters. Fainter and
! fainter it grew, and at last vanished.
I'm sorry, Steve; but yuh wouldn't
let me look at it," said Dunkers, con-
tritely.
Damn YOU; In goin' t kill y for
that"
II became a real fight this time, fist
: and foot, tooth and nail; one mad with
| the lust to kill and the other desper-
| ately intent on living It was one OF