The Raymer enterprise., 1919-10-09


II tell you what I've been thinking,
sar." said Tom. as We rowed ashore.
and ! managed to pull down a turkey
buzzard that rose at our approach
happily our coverings had proved fair
" effectlve-"I've been thinking that
the only one Of the three that really
matters is the captain. and we can
find sufficient soil for him In one Of
those big holes"
How about the others?"
swell, to tell the truth, was think.
Ing that sharks are good enough for
them"
'They deserve no better. Tom. and
l think we may rs well get rid Of them
first"
30 It was done as we said. and car
rying them BY the feet and shoulders
to the edge Of the bluf-George. and
Silly Theodore. and the nameless giant
who had knocked me down so oppor-
tunely-we skillfully flung them in.
and they glided OF with scarce a
splash.
Then we turned to the poor captain
and carried him as gently as we could
over the rough ground to the biggest
Of the banana holes, as the natives
call them, and there we were able to
dig him q fairly respectable grave.
Tom and Sailor and were now, to
the best Of our belief. alone on the
island, and q lonesomer spot It would
be hard to imagine. or one touched at
certain hours with a fairer beauty
beauty wraithlike and, like a sea
shell. haunted with the marvel Of the
sea
First we went over our stores. and.
thanks to those poor dead mouths that
did not need to be reckoned with any
more. we had plenty Of everything to
Inst US for at least month. not to
speak of fishing. at which Tom was an
expert.
When. however, we turned to our
plans for the treasure hunting we
soon came to q dead stop. The indi.
cations given by Tobias seemed. In the
face Of such terrain, naive to a de-
gree. Possibly the land had changed
since his day. Some little. Of course,
It must have done. Tom and ! went
over Tobias directions again and
there was the compass carved on the
rock, and the cross. There was some
thing definite-somethlng which. II It
was ever there at all, was there still
for In that climate the weather leaves
things unperished almost as in Egypt.
Sitting on the highest bluff we could
find. Tom and l looked around.
"That compass IL somewhere among
these Internal rocks-if II ever was
carved there at all-that's one thing
certain. Tom; but look at the rocks r.
Over twenty miles Of rocks north
and south. and from two to six from
east to west. A more hopeless Job the
mind of man could not conceive. Tom
shook his head, and scratched bis
graying wool.
II 60 most BY the ghost. sar." he
said. "All these men had never been
killed II the ghost hadn't been some
where near. Mark me. II we find the
treasure it'll be by the ghost"
that's all very well," / laughed.
"But how are we going to get the
ghost to show his handl He's got
such bloodthlrsty ways with him."
"They always have. sar." said Tom.
no doubt with some ancestral shudder
of voodoo worship In his blood. "Yes,
sar, they always cry out for blood. It's
all they've got to live on. They drink
II like you and me drink coffee or
rum. It's terrible to hear them In the
night"
swell. Tom," l remarked. you may
be right, but Of one thing I'm certain
II the ghosts going to get any one. It
sha'n't be you"
We've both got one good chance
against them" Tom was beginning.
Don't tell me again about that old
sucking fish,"
Mind you keep It safe. for all that" |"
said Tom gravely. Il wouldn't lose
mine for thousand pounds"
swell. all right, but let's forget the
damned old ghosts for the present"
We decided to try a plan that was
really no plan at all; that Ia to say, to
seek more or less at random. till we
consumed all our stores except Just
enough to take US home. Meanwhile
we would, each Of us. every day, cut a
sort Of radiating swathe. working sin.
gle-handed. from the cove entrance.
Thus we would prospect as much Of
the country as possible In sort Of
fan. both Of US keeping our eyes open
for a compass carved on rock. In
this way We might hope to cover no In.
considerable stretch Of the country In
the three weeks. and. moreover, the
country most likely to give some re-
suits, as being that lying In q semicir.
Gle from the little harbor where the
ships would have lain. It wasn't much
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