The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1915-10-31


make pins for the broken binder and
Tor fastening the rudder.
BE quick, the tide is now rising
and NE can reach Ferry Pass within
four hours
with my axe I sprang ashore and
hunted for an ash sapling to make
the pins. ! found the banks of the
river To be . levee Of about thirty
yards IN width, and then suddenly
to descend about four feet to a low
land which gave evidence of being
everncwed In freshets and high tides.
Caught and Held Fast.
Not finding a sapling near our
late camp, went up higher in my
search. Four or five times l had been
admonished that if I did not hurry
that / would be marooned. Just al
this juncture, / discovered an ash
Of the proper dimension down in the
lowlands. / jumped to little mound
which ] supposed to be decayed
stump. My feet penetrated the sur.
face and found my legs entangleC
IN q net work Of roots running il
every direction. But struggle as ]
might, I found it impossible to extri.
cate myself. All this time was com.
manded to hurry up or / would BIZ
left In my extremity / thrust my
arm through the roots, and my hane
came in contact with q ring some
four inches in diameter; 1t seemed tt
be firmly riveted to an iron box
which appeared to the touch, to be
about two feet square. This, with
all my united strength could not be
budged. In frantic endeavor,
succeeded in dislodging my feet, but
TO my horror found that the broth.
ers had united the hawser and By
the sound Of the voices were already
two hundred yards down the stream
Selling my axe I cut a few of the
intervening roots, again tried to lift
the box but found myself unable tC
do 90.
Found the Treasure.
Then with the rapidity of lightning
it flashed across my brain that hac
discovered a hidden or abandoned
treasure, and was prevented from
possessing it because of the thirst Of
two men for whiskey. With a fina
effort to pull it out, | ran to the banl
70 see the RATS some four hundred
yards distant, and realizing my fate
II / should be abandoned to thu
mercy of moccasins and mosquitoes
hastily resumed my position over thu
treasure and rapidly located it by the
following markers: Listen closely
Brother Tate, for these markers con
stitute the field notes from which yoy
are to make your chart" One wa.
q large magnolia tree growing on tn,
margin of the levee about twenty fee
distant to the north. About the sam,
distance to the south was tall cypress
towering fully fifty feet before j
put out q single branch; this cypress
was growing in the lowland. TIL
third tree was a huge short-leave,
oine, standing on the brink of tn
nver, with q limb about the size o
mans body and about twelve fee
fron the roots, projecting over tn
rive. With my axe cut three in
cisioAs in each about the heighth o
a mas shoulders, hurried down tn
banks of the river to overtake tn
disappearing raftsmen. In abou
thirty minutes / succeeded in gettinl
abreast q the RATS, but it took al
of twenty minutes more in gettinl
the raft close enough for me to jun
aboard, and just as we reached tina
point where the Escambia is divide
by Brosnaham's island. MINDED b,
my sprint, ! fell exhausted on tn
raft. In my vexation and disappoinr
ment ] was not suitable object TO
their gibes and sarcasm.
I thought You to be a more sen
sible man than to imagine a treasur
to be buried in a swamp said tn