The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1915-01-01
AN ISLAND
E
By M. QUAD
lcopyright 1914 by tho. Mcclure
Newspaper ;,sy9dicate.I

W. luOuU0OV tuAieo Uuc uOIIu VI bAc
island OF Mauritius, and almost be
tween that and the Seychelles group Is
the lone island. Of Agaiegas. It is an
island about six miles in circumfer-
ence, with its highest point about 100
feet above the sea. There YER no in
habitants up to 1882, though traders
and shell gatherers often called there
for wood and water.
1t was in the year. 1881 that the cap
tain Of u trading schooner entered the
port Of St. Louis in the Mauritius to
tell a wonderful story about this island
Of Agalegas. He had called there for
wood and water and to make repairs.
and while his crew was at work he ex-
plored the island. Amid the rocks be
discovered u great cave. and from that
ave he had taken and brought away
two elephants tusks. a box Of silver
bars and u jewel handled sword. He
was Y cunning chap. this trader, and
he had got the stun aboard without
his crew being the wiser and had said
nothing about the cave. He did not
report his find to any consul or other
official at st. Louis. but after hanging
about for awhile he decided to make Il
confidant of the 1rm Of Dayne & Co,
This was q French trading and export.
ing firm. and as ! was In its employ l
came to hear the story irst hand.
The plumber Barcas had brought
away was worth $4,000. but he US.
sured US that this was a mere nea bite
compared to what had been left be-
hind. He had counted $50 tusks. which
did not include all. He had counted
$50 boxes of silver bars. worth over
$1,000 per box. but there were others
behind them. There e bales. boxes
and barrels he had not attempted to
open. and be believed the contents OF
the cave would pun out $1,000 900 and
ballast q trading brig. 1t was a very
digniaed and respectable firm. that OF
Dayne & Co.. but 1t got down of its
high horse pretty fast to make a bar
gain with Barcas to bring that treas
ure away and dodge customs officials
and government authorities. What they
offered to do after a consultation was
to ut out q ship. bring the stuff of.
convert 1t into cash and give him a
quarter. 1t wasn't a liberal offer on
their part. but Barcas closed at once.
and the enterprise was turned over to
me to engineer.
The firm had a trading brig called
the Foam. and as soon as she arrived
in port she was cleared Of cargo and
her crew discharged then began to
pick up Madagascar sailors and soon
had ten Of them. with IN English A. b.
who had cut and run from Il merchant
Barcas was to act as captain.
and I was to go along as supercargo. 1t
was easy enough to deceive the NADIA.
%gascarites, while the sailor was satisfied
with an offer Of double wages and $5OD
extra. We left Mauritius with the o.
tensible object Of visiting the islands
to the east to establish trading stations.
but when we had made good our ofing
we headed for the north and the island
Of Agalegas. We were on u way to
OH our craft With plumber from "a
%storehouse Oiled hundreds Of years be
fore and worth hundreds Of thousands.
Of dollars. but the voyage vas pr0saic.
None Of u were excited over 1t until
the last day. and then It was through.
fear that the cave might have been
discovered by some other caller.
We RAT into u lay and dropped an
Choir at 10 O'Clock In the forenoon. aud
before midday Barcas had visited the
treasure house and reported all safe
Our nrst was to establish a
camp on the highest spot Of the island
aud divide u forces. I took charge
of the land party and Barcas of the
brig. My larty removed the plumber
from the cave and carried 1t halfway
down to the beach. and his me car.
:ted 1t alUard and slowed 1t away. On
II certain evening when We knocked
oil work ! figured the value of the
gems already taken out at Sl.iAO.OtO
and there was yet u weeks work to re.
move the rest. The day bad been hot
and sitting and the work harder than
usual. The cook was half Al, hour late
In rubbing his eyes open. aud ne had
hardly reached his feet when his shout
of surprise Alarmed the rest Of us. At
some hour during the night and So
quietly that not Il man Of us had been
disturbed the waters mad retreated tn
every direction from the shores Of the
island until there was only the bed of
the sen to look at. Here and there q
deep hole created a little lake. but one
could have walked for six or eight
miles without wettinR bis feet. AZ. the
waters retired our craft had gone too. =,
had lived In the east too long to
not know what was coming. We were
as high as we could get and. could only
wait for the peril. 1t came 40 the sun
rose. We heard a booming. roaring,
snd crashing. and next minute caught
sight Of a tidal wave sweeping In.
That wave was seventy feet high. and
as 1t rolled across the island from the
north to south its foamy crest was
only thirty feet below where we stood.
There were three waves. each moving
at a speed Of 100 miles an hour, and
then the sea settled down to it, usual
level and soon grew quiet A thousand
:lcrea NJ forest had heen sWent awav