The Pulaskian., 1919-11-07

uncouthly striving horn.
 It was impossible to imagine cay better answering to my conchologist's description of Short Shrift island. Its situation and general character, too, bore out the surmise. On landing, also, we found that it answered in two im- portant particulars to Tobias narra- tive. 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 bage-wood trees grew there very plen- tifully, particularly, as he said, on the highest part of the island So, having talked it all over with Tom, l decided that here we would stay for a time and try our luck.
 But, first, having heard from the sponging captain that he was en route for Nassau, 1 gave him a 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
 
 pod" of one million dollars had run: "On the highest point of this Short Shrift island is a large eabbage-wood stump, and twenty feet south of that stump is the treasure, buried five feet deep and can be found without diffi- culty." 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, it was no difficult matter to try them all out, one ny one as we had plenty of time and plenty of hands for the work For, of course, it 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! it 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 eminenees, we were none of us the richer by single piece of eight. Then we tried the other cab bage-wood stumps on lower ground, and any other likely-leoking spots, till, after working for nearly a 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 it 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 'ard-for the purchase of various ne- cessities.
 "All right, Tom," said, q guess the game is up! Let's start out tomorrow morning. You may as well have your sucking fish back, Tom," I said, laughing in self-disgust. q shall have no more need of it. I am through with treasure hunting"
 'Td keep it 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 l 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 keeper-a lean, astute-looking English man, with the un-English name of Sweeney-Who made a pretty good thing of selling his motley merchandise to the poor natives, on the good old business principle of supplying goods of the poorest possible quality at the highest possible prices.
 While he was attending a little group of customers I had wandered to- ward the back of the store, curiously examining the thousand and one com modities which supplied the strange needs of humanity here in this lost corner of the world; and, thus Occu- pied, l was diverted by a voice like sudden music, a voice oddly rich and laughing and confident for such grim and sinister surroundings. It was one, too, which seemed to have heard be- fore, and not so very long ago. When l turned in it's direction l was immedi- ately arrested, as one always is by any splendor of vitality; for startling contrast indeed-to the spiritless, fur tive figures that had been coming and going hitherto-was this superb young creature, tall and 1.-the, with proudly carried head on glorious shoulders. Her skin was a golden olive, and it had been hard to say which was the more intensely blaek--her hair, or the proud eyes which, turning presently in