Meade County news., 1918-01-24
these dead men could have turned the

these dead men could have turned the
trick"
Perhaps It was that cuss dangling
over the side, captain" said Whites
voice, from back behind the others.
"What is that"
"There's a fellow got jammed in n
small boat alongside, sir. l just hap
pened to look over, and saw him a.
hangln' there"
We were glad enough to escape that
cabin Of horror, and I slid the COM
panion door to, and bolted 1t, before
following White across the deck to
the starboard rail. Excited as 1 Was,
obSessed by this awful tragedy, my
mind yet grasped every detail-the
shining brasswork, the spotless Gecks.
the white boats in their davits, the
snowy canvas alOft. The very i'm
maculateness of the vessel seemed to
add to the horror, and 1t was shock
to even read the schooner's name,
painted on lifebuoy-Rose of Gaspe.
A glance below revealed the whole
story Of the accident. 1t was clear
enough to be read instantly by a sail
or's eyes. The man in his efforts at
escape had chosen one Of the smaller
boats, but one staunch and we'll
equipped. No doubt it had beeppsecret-
ly prepared In advance, for the lock-
ers contained food, and a beaker of
fresh water was securely lashed to
front thwart. There was also spar
and sail aboard, safely secured, to-
gether with pair Of serviceable oars.
What had happened, as seemed clear
to us, was this: heavy brass-bound
chest, Of odd workmanship and dlngy
appearance, had been slowed away in
the bows. 1t must have been placed
there with rope and pulley, for no
single pair of arms could ever have
lifted 1t over the rail. Then the fellow
had clambered in, eager to be of, no
doubt, and undertaken to lower the
boat, standing probably amidships,
where he could manipulate both ropes.
But the forward rope must have
jammed in the pulley, permitting the
stern Of the suspended boat to sag
suddenly enough to send the heavy
chest sliding aft. Before he could
check the fall, or save himself by leap
Ing overheard, It had pinned his legs
against the stern sheets; and there he
dangled still, his face buried in the
green water alongside. his knees
crushed helplessly beneath the weight
Of the chest-an inert dead body.
"The fellow got his, sir" said Lea
yord solemnly. Likely enough killed
by the very thing he was tryin' to
git away with. What shall we do with
the boat and what's In It, sirr
"Untangle that pulley slowly, and
hoist up even. with the rail-" I an
swered. "We'll have look at the man,
and find out what's in the chest; it's
an odd-looking affair.""
I helped balance 1t, and with White
using his uninjured arm, we drew the
dead mans body in over the rail. The
two mates released his limbs from the
grip of the chest, and we laid him out
on the deck. He was an Unlocking
fellow, deeply tanned, with a livid scar
across one cheek, and an anchor tat
tooed on his forearm. Leayord drew
paper out Of the inner pocket of his
shirt, and passed 1t over to me. 1t
was letter with no datellne or sig
nature, and had been so soaked in salt
water as to be almost illegible. The
only connecting words I could study
out were: "De Lys has all his men but
a cook; try to get onl He'll never
know you after these years."
"Does it tell you anything, sir2"
asked Olson anxiously.
"Not much; only this fellow sailed
as cook, and got the job for n purpose.
He had known De Lys years before"
"De Lys"
"Yes; that was the name Of the big
fellow in the cabin; he must have
been at the head of the party; the one
Liverpool knew as CASTOR de Lys. Get
that chest onto the deck; no doubt
the secret is there"