The leader-enterprise. [volume] (Fitzgerald, Ga.) 1912-1915, 1915-01-01

aboard Well 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 T. agreed Steve. But his in
tentlons 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 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
undershlrts and dungarees, barefooted.
Or course the coming fight was the
main topic of conversation. 1t prom
1sed to- be rafting good scrap, for
both men were evenly matched, and
both had kick" in either hand. Even
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 land some
day Steve was going to buy it and
hang it over the entrance of the Gill
son house, slithered down into the
smiling waters Of the bay, Steve con-
cluded that discretion was the better
part Of valor. He would steal ashore
on the quarantine tug which lay along
side. He was willing to fight under
ordinary circumstances, but he must
get his treasure In safety first. They
could call him q weIcher il they
wanted to; devil bit did he care. So
he pried back the boards of his bunk
wall, took out the box, eyed itafondly,
and noted for the first time the let
tering on it:
STANLEY HARGREAVE.
He wrinkled his brow in the effort
to recall pirate by this name, but
was unsuccessful. No matter. He
Rugged the box under his coat and
made for the gangway, and inadver-
tently ran into his enemy.
Dunkeys caught a bit Of the box
peeping from under the coat.
What "a yuh got there?" he de-
manded trucuIently.
None O. your damn business! You
femme by; hear me?"
"Afn't none o. my business, huh?
Where'd yuh git box like that? Steal
it? By cripes, I'm goin' t. have a
look at that box, my hearty. It don't
smell like honest onions"
you femme BY" breathed Steve,
with murder in his heart
Suddenly the two men closed, surged
back and forth, one determined to
take and the other to hold this mys-
ferrous 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 if 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 an agonizing cry,
Blossom leaned far over. He saw the
box oscillate for moment, then sink
gracefully in 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; I'm goin' t. kill v for
that"
1t became 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. 1t was one of
those contests in which honor and
fair play have no part. But for the
timely arrival of the captain and some
OF the crew Dunkers would have been
badly injured, perhaps fatally. They
hauled back Blossom, roaring out his
oaths at the top Of his lungs. It took
half an hours arguing to calm him
down. Then the captain demanded to
know what It was all about. And
blubbering, Steve told him.
six hundred feet of water, If I've
got nay reckoning right. The anchor
lies In so feet, but the starboard side
drops sheer 900. You swab! Why
didn't you bring the box to M? A
man has a right to what he finds. I'd
have taken care Of 1t for you till we
got back to port. know; you were
greedy; you thought l might want to
stick my fist into your treasure. And
you'll never find it in 900 feet Of water
and tangled, porous coral That's what
you get for being a blamed hog. AS
for you" and the captain turned to
Dunkers, get your dunnage and your
pay and hunt for another boat back.
l won't have no murder on board Cap