Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-03-21

tho .,,., OH 'he camp table, where
mouth and eyes fS"e"
l., -, wonder you didn't convert It into
H. casn long ago, capn" Mr. Howe
90, n.s, mate of the schooner Three Moons
n r,a NY solueh image reverently. II know
| fron, ponoay who stole a similar article
| him" ' MS 0"'p""'es ioun"
hr, >a"eu teet and ears to the temple door"
] ]ohe IN captain Hayes gruniy And
,on,n,a veu n,tn @ right, too I've no patience with
| temple thieves"
The mates glance u,,,,,os ,., ,,.
small golden image on tho can,, tahlc ,o
| ''n ,pertufbed face of Captain HAYES
, puccaneer flushed slightly Never
! uenu s now | got the idol Bill 1t doesn't
"lect the business i'm hand"
| What business?" asked tho other s;p,niv
! >, me mine-sel!ing business DO Won think
| , We peeh boring into the earth for the last
| uai year without sizing up the show
- W. We struck rock at last, and there isn't
Inouen gold In it to buy dog license
! III solhg 10 salt the show, Bill. and sell 1t
| 10 that Hindu crowd at White Marble
| Their coolie agents have been spvine around
| here lately"
.ybut but that image" gasped the mate
| You amt going to"
break II up into small pieces and ham,
| nler IL INTO the blamed roof Salt the show
| win seVen-ounce god, that's what I'm
| going to do !"
Captain Hayes had cast anchor some
| months before at the inets mouth, in his
schooner, the Three Moons, hoping to obtain
some OF the rich wash dirt that was being
| pucKeted from the gullies and creek beds
| py gangs of alien adventurers.
Hayes had no capital to support his ven
'ure MS crew was unpaid. and each week
. saw him sinking into the heart of the hill
! where there was neither gold no payable
| hn Of colt .la ai,,,
had come as a desperate alternative.
The local Hindoos desired his claim day
| and night they watched his entry into the
| tunnel, fully believing that he had struck
! the northern limit of the great Aladdin
reef. which had returned over 100000 in
dividends to its shareholders only few
| months before. Bully Hayes was hardly
the man to disappoint party of Hindu
| mining spectators
Two days after the sailing operations a
| party of Hindoos, headed by Gauem Singh
| a wealthy mining speculator. strolled leis-
urely from the township and scrambled
| down the hillside
zone thousand dollars for your stone
heap, Capateen Hayes he drawled lazily
"Eh what you thnk?'
Hayes shrugged, while his eyes grew
| hard at the points. Make it $1,000, faneh
Singh and I'll hand you the certificate
The buccaneer went aboard the schooner
six hours later and deposited parcel ol
English and American money inside the
iron safe that stood in his cabin.
"The Uindoo god-scouters have bough
me out Bill" he confided to the mate. "Anc
the point that troubles me is that we cam
put to sea without stores and a new rig
out"
While Hayes was at Emu Creek. orderins
stores to be taken aboard the schooner
Ganem Singh had collected a gang o.
coolies and was soon pushing on wofi
within the god-salted mine under the hill.
| Late in the afternoon the serang in charg'
of the tunnel loosened with a pick severa
small pieces of gold that shone between thu
crannies Of an overhanging reef. Ganen
was beside him like panther on the hloot
scent Other tiny pellets were dug ou
from the face of the reef and placed il
Ganem's trembling palm.
Scraps. scraps" he cried fiercely
There is nothing behind them. Still, W.
must work on, the wall of the rock ma.
conceal undreamt of riches. Let us"
coolie rushed forward from the ent
| of the workings exhibiting several small
sugs of hammered gold One piece, large
than the others, bore a partially efface'
Hindu inscription that brought cry o
rage from the coolie gang. Another pellet
taken from water-worn chnk in the root
proved to be one of the finely chiseled fea
lures of the god.
BY Ganesh. it is the nose of Brahma .
coughed the serang. What magic is this? :?
Other portions of the god were swift
unearthed. until it lay in fifty pieces befor
the scowling mob within the tunnel
When Captain Hays boarded the schoone
and was about to descend to the cabin h
saw a half empty paint pot that had bee
| left the Stairhead,
STOPPING. he raised it curiousy. and the
uttered a cry of surprise. Inside the pc
sat a small brass image or Brahma Wit
an oath he cast it overheard in time to Sc
a sheet of flame burst from the pot, 70
lowed by muffled roar as it sank in tn
water.
By degrees it dawned on the buccanee
that Ganem Singh was responsible for tn
attempts on his life. He felt certain, to-
that the Hindoos had unearthed portions {
the gold from the mine, and he was no.
experiencing the first symptoms of the
anger.
Drawing the cash box from the cabi
safe he glanced at the tightly packed row
) of English and American gold coins he ha
received from Ganem Singh. In all his Iii
Hayes had never felt his limbs tremble s
violently: the cash box ratified in his hand
as though a score of fingers were rappin
, it's sides and bottom. The rows of coir
broke from the bottom of the box sea
Z tering over his hand in a chinking wave.
{ The buccaneer drew away astounded,
touch Of fear in his eyes. His brain wa
3 perfectly free from alcohol, his senses kee
as a new blade. yet before him, inside II
| safe stood his old familiar cash box,
jangling pandemonium of dancing coins:
: Up and over his bare feet they role
, | and spun, 1000 strong, ringing. hoatin
, around his body until each gold piece al
, | peared to be invested with the vitality OF
| swallow.
Tbe mellow chink of the money cease
: | suddenly: the sound took on new note
, | a thudding bullet-like whang as the hyln
= | coins struck the josts and sides or II
|, cabin. The mass of displaced money b