The evening world., 1914-03-26

selves free OF In Belle Arlesienne and
making for the shore.
They rowed to the southern beach.
II will take the quarterboat across
be q bit Of a Job, but she's light
enough. ana eight Of the hands will
be able to do It. I'm going to use her
for the diving. Mordieu, but It's a
desolate place, this island Of yours.
There's no gainsaying that. Who
would ever think there was ship
sunk here. and lying In shallow wa
ter too?'
Gaspard nung himself over the side
and helped to run the boat up a. far
on the beach as the weight OF her
Quarterboat was beached Just beside
her, and then the unlading oegan.
Whilst It was still In progress
Sagesse, leaving Jules to superintend.
took Gaspsxd's arm.
Come" said ne. lets have q look
at her. The tides half out and she
ought to show up WELL"
This way" said Gaspard.
He led his companion amidst the
bushes, avoiding the spot where he
knew. face down amidst the bay
cedars. the body OF Yves was lying /:
he dared not even look twice toward
the pace, ana ne DTtu'H'u
when they had passed 1t.
The line he took would also lead
them twenty yards or 40 to westward
of the mound beside which Yves had
discovered the belt and pouch and the
skeleton to which they belonged.
In "A few minutes they were free or
the bushes and on the northern beach.
The tide was more than half out
and the whole OF the encircling reef
OF the lagoon was visible. Gaspard
led the way on to. the reef. then along
It, till he reached the spot opposite
the foretop, weed grown and project
ing from the water.
Look" said he, pointing into the
lagoon.
Sagesse. without n word. stared
down at the vision beneath him.
Gaspard, az he stood beside Sa-
gssse, looking also. followed with his
eyes the coral ships fishiike form
and the trend OF the bulged- out bull
warks. At the sight OF her and tho
thought OF the diving apparatus ana
all the tackle for salving. the treasure
fever was on him again. hot ana
strong. Mordieu when she was
broken open, what might they not
find?
lie turned from her to Sagesse. ex-
pecting TO read his own eagerness In
the CAPTAINS face. but the face OF Sa-
gesse showed nothing.
Well" said Gaspard, what do you
think Of herr"
what do ! think? Ma fol- think
she was sunk at her moorings.'
you think she was not wreckedr
"She's lying on too even keel;
she's lying by that reef Just as snip
would lie II scuttled at her moor
ings."
But. see here. II she was moored
in that basin. she must have entered
II, and there Is no opening to admit
a ship"
Not now-but eighty or so years
ago there was likely an opening, ana
that place was a kind OF harbor. Ser
pente would have used that harbor.
But" said Gaspard. why should
he have Scuttled his ship"
"Ah, why?--who knows? We know
ne was chased: we know he had n
cargo Of slaves, and n crew each man
OF whom was a witness against him.
He may have kept "A boat provisioned
and mOored to the ships side; then,
at night, with a confederate. battened
the matches, main and fo'cs'le, scut-
tied her and made for the American
coast in the boat-see?"
'But,' SAID tasparu' now Hn'u'
those bones we found. that skull
"Oh. the skull He may have beer
k'lIcd in turn. and robbed ~ his treas
ure by his confederate--who knows
there are hundreds Of ways ~ making
skulls in a job like that, Only ! say
this: lay hundred TO one, ~ h'
scuttled his ship. he didn't scuttlo hei
with The money on board"
Then us a hundred to one W" vii
md nothing"
81 said " was a hundred 10 one u
he scuttled her IN" money wasn't ~
board don't know whether IN
scuttled her or not; I'm only suppos
Ing that he did II No, tn" chances
are not so bad AZ that, but they aren
as good as | thought, BIT"
Yes"
IT don't smell money there N may
be stupidity, II may he | don't know
what. but when there's money In {
thing seem 10 know It. don't seen
to feel there IL money on that ship"
They were returning not by tn
path through the bushes, but by tn
eastern beach, From their left CAM
the crying OF tho gulls. from sthei
Ia. ,rta nd oh ~ h.