The Chesterfield advertiser. [volume] (Chesterfield C.H., S.C.) 1884-1978, 1919-08-14

western shore Of the big -monotonous
asiand: We had some fifty miles to
make before We reached its northern
extremity-and. all the way, we GEL
dom had more than two fathoms Of
water. and the coast was the same in
termnable line Of mangroves and
tnatch palms. with occasional clumps
OF pine. trees. and here and there the
mouth or creek, leading into duck.
haunted swamps.
AT last we came to q little foam.
iringed cay, where It was conceivable
that the shyest and rarest shell
would choose to make its hOme-a tiny
arlstocrat, driven out of the broad
tloeways by the coarser ambitions and
the ruder strength Of great molluscs
that feed and grow fat and bouse
themselves In crude convolutions of
uncouthly striving horn.
1t was impossible to imagine a cav
better answering to my conchologist's
description of Short Shrift island. Its
situation and general character. too
pore out the surmise. On landing, also.
we round that 1t answered In two i'm
portant particulars to Tobias narra-
i've. We found, as he had declared,
that there was good water there for
passing ships. Also, we found. in ad-
dition to the usual scrub, that cab
page-wood trees grew there very plen-
uIuily, particularly, as he said, on the
highest part Of the island. So, having
talked 1t all over with Tom, decided
that here we would stay for u time
and try our luck.
But. first, having heard from the
sponging captain that he was en- route
Tor Nassau, 1 gave him letter to
charlie Webster, telling him of our
whereabouts, In case he should have
sudden need Of me with regard to To-
bias.
The reader may recall that Tobias
narrative In reference to his second
pod" OF one million dollars had run !:
ION the highest point Of this Short
Shrtft island is a large cabbage-wood
stump. and twenty feet south of that
stump Is the treasure buried five feet
deep and can be found without diff
Guilty" But which was the highest
point? There were several hillocks
that might claim to be that-all about
equal in height.
However, as the high points Of the
Island were only seven in all, 1t was
no difficult matter to try them all out,
one by one. ns we had plenty Of time
and plenty of hands for the work. For,
Of course, 1t would have been idle to
attempt any concealment Of my object
from the crew. Therefore, took them
from their shell-gathering and, having
duly measured out twenty feet south
from each promising cabbage-wood
stump, set them to work. They worked
with will, for I promised them a
generous share of whatever we found.
Alas! 1T was an inexpensive prom
ise, for, when we had duly turned up
the ground, not only twenty feet, but
thirty, forty and fifty feet, not only
south but north, east and west of the
various cabbage-wOod stumps on the
seven various emnences, we were
none of us the richer bJNs single piece
Of eight. Then we tried the other cab
bage-wOod stumps on lower ground.
and any other likely-looking spots, till,
after working for nearly fortnight,
we must have dug up most Of the
island.
And then Tom came to me with the
news that our provisions were begin
ming to give out. AS 1t was, he said,
before we returned to Nassau, we
should have to put In at Flying Fish
COve-a small settlement on the lar
ger island some five miles to the nor
barI--fnr fhn vN,trrho ,f ny-in
cessities.
"All right, Tom," said, II guess the
game is up! Let's start out tomorrow
morning. You may as we'll have your
sucking fish back, Tom" 1 said,
laughing In self-disgust. II shall have
no more need Of 1t. I am through
with treasure hunting"
''Pd keep 1t little longer, sar," an.
swered Tom; "you never know"
had made up my mind to start on
the homeward trip early the following
morning, but something happened
that very evening to change my plans
I had dropped into the little settle.
ment's one store, to buy some tObac
co, the only kind that Charlie Webster
declared fit to smoke.
I stayed chatting with the store
keeDer--a lean. astute-looking English
man, with the un-ERglish name OF
Sweeney-whO made pretty gooC
thing OF selling his motley merhandist
to the poor natives, on the good ole
business principle Of supplying goods
OF the poorest possible quality at the
highest possible prices.
While he was attending littl,
group of customers had wandered to
ward the back of the store, curiousl.
examining the thousand and one com
modities which supplied the strang
needs of humanity here In this los
corner OF the. world; and, thus occu
pied, was diverted by voice lik,
sudden music, voice oddly rich ant
laughing and confident for such grin
and sinister surroundings. 1t was one
nh II T.