The evening world., 1915-03-12
A Scrap Of Bunting? .sszHss,a. By Hehsz! Mne %

they fairly tore the wood asunder.
Through the considerable opening
! thus nlsds there burst q torrent OF log.
Ing the light and sending " sturn-
bling backward to the ladder. up
which We swarmed almost In panic.
Anything unexpected In that ghost
ship made towards Of ~ all and We
fought our way forth Into the daylight
| In suddenness Of terror almost iudi-
kcrous. swearing and ciawing at each
other like madmen.
! Il required another hour for the DEL
use Of water 70 drain away through
the deok. after which we ventured
bslow AGAIN, The relIehtsd candle re-
veaiing siush- Ice svsrywhsrs with .
conBiderAbls trtckle btill kurgling
through ,tha hole In the door. How
evef. We had an opening to work at,
and soon succeeded Ia tearing most
Of the obstruction away pieoemeA1.
only 70 be confrohted by solid bar
ries of ksitterins Ice FULLY Ave fest
tha dsSr bars,y suhicient for . mans
BODY to pass through. DE Nova. ours.
Ing ~ e he had gone Grassy. hoisted
me TO the top OF Il where I ciun9
prscariously. holding the sputterin9
candle aloft. anu pssriAs sbout over
the cleaning surface and through into
the black. 6nAdows. 80 . ..I.. ~
II was cold. repsliept, .frishtfuii
The beams supportinG the deck. huss.
Of my hand. and. forward the spectral
glow Of daylight streamed In through
the rift In the deck planks above. but
from one bulging side to the other
extended this solid mass Of ioe. the
concealed draining of-a century Of
waves that had ydAthed ,theirI salt
spray down the opepinE ripped ~
No wonder the old hunk hung sod
Den wtth al that load bslowf No
wonder she rode like Q rock with
thoss tons upon tons Of ice Weighing
and draGRinG her remorselessly downi
craw,ed forward a. far - the
siivery butt Of the mainmast whewce
could look up,throush the spiintered
deck TO the narrow strip OF sty over
head. There 'was 4 bulkhead forward,
wood. I could hear the ceaseless
|. swell Of the ssa pounding against the
sides, the 9roaning OF timbers. the
Tapping Of the jib's canvas. yand real
ICED more than ever before the sick
enins. sodden roll Of the laden hull
The level surface of thet Ice told
plainly enough its story. OF formation;
when ail that water came throush
the weasel had been upon an sven keel.
imbsdded firmly. no doubt. IN the Ice.
pack. erept back - caueious!y -
wreck rendering the slfbpefy surface
; DANGEROUS 70 trave, over. The msn
!, watched me anxtously ~ I slid Gown
: into the iaxarette.
what did you and. SIR -.
= sNothinIr except Ice, solid clear -
! the forward buikhsad.. u looks -
, though We had reached tho end Of
our treature-hunt. my lads"
= There was . sullen growi OF pro-
family. Mcknight vciously slashinl
{ at the ice-front with his cIeaver
except the venting Of his unIovern.
> able anger. his forehead beaded. the
| great muscles Of his arms standing
, out like whip corfA a considerable
. chutk scaled of, falling humping ia
the deck, and causing him to spring
backward to escape injury. A. II
maddened by this. he drove IN the
} against metail We all heard 1t; We
, ali witnessed the rebound.
Mates, there's ono Of EN-. any.
howl" roared O voice. hoarse from
. exploding excitement. But i va Al
ready upon my knsea. feeling blindly
into the Ice cavity.
. They came bowling about me nns
20 many wolves; S eager r-cdsH 20 - ,rsm n
, bWck, snatchin9 the candle from De
Nova's nngers and throwing Qe
N,ckerins light down level with the
, .Tt.s a brass bound chest. men," ]
, cried. strai9hteninG up and facing
! thsm. "But Il II going to REQUIRE some
} hard diRRing to ret out. ABOUT al
! ! can see 10 the handle OF IT,
never comprehend before nov the
passion and lust Tor gold csn exprssP
. tioniess breathing heavily, their
features drawn. their, eyes cleaning
feverishiy In the yellow flams. they
stared at me and then At that Ice
front. demented and speschlesA No
!, one thought Of where We were-cast.
awayA our lives tho sport Of winds
! and waves. Q sodden wreck under us.
away across . stormy sea: all We real
, ised at that moment was that there,
Just before us. under that mantle OF
Ice, lay buried three million pesos
The collar of my Jacket seemed
choking me; breathed ~ n . mans
fingers clutched my throat, and I saw
Meknights nuriy form shaking z. u
pesosl The hot blood rushed to my
head. Q lava stream. and De Nova's
face. white a. chalk behind his little
black mustaches. seemed dancing be-
fore mo ghostlike. The fellow male
/ me think Of Salvatore. the man who,
Just above. frozen and dead, had
i guarded this treasure for one hundrNd
and twenty-six yearA
j cast the suggestion aside with a
|, curse and a laugh. grasping Kelly By
the shoulder to steady myself--to
, realize those were real men. this task
) before us real work II was like COM
. Ing forth from under an anaesth thetic,
leaving me weak a. a child. yet with
brain clsav and faculties aroused to
} action. Johnson thrust forward the
cleaver.
Let me get In there. sir: I'm the
man for 4 cuttin' tOb."
) ! stepped aside. and the broad blade
fell slashing against the front Of the
? Ice. '"
. Only two Of you men can work
/, , here at once." I put In hastily. Hold
, on, Johnson. until we get this ship
, shape. An axeman. with a helper to
, haul back the ice out Of the way. 10
oil we need. Any more would only