Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1919-08-05


ad and disagreeable business before
s. >.
~ tell you what I've been thinking,
ar" said Tom, MS We rowed ashore.
nd l managed to pull down II turkey
uzzard that rose at our approach
sppily our coverings had proved fair
effective-"lve been thinning that
he only one Of the three that really
aatters is the captain, and we can
and sufficient soil for him In one Of
hose big holes"
"HOw about the 0thcrsf
swell, TO tell the truth, | was think.
ne that sharks are good enough Tor
hem"
"rhey deserve no better, Tom. and
think we may as we'll get rid Of them
arst"
SO II was done as we said, and car
lying them by the feet ana shoulders
70 the edge Of the bluff-George. and
Silly Theodore. and the nameess giant
who had knocked me down so oppor-
unely--we skillfuly flung them in,
hnd they glided off with scarce
splash.
Then we turned to the poor captain
Ind carried him as gently as we could
bver the rough ground to the biggest
bf the banana holes, as the natives
call them, and there we were able to
big him fairly respectable grave.
Tom and Sailor and I were now, to
the best of our belief alone on the
sland, and lonesomer spot it would
be hard to Imagine, or one touched AZ
certain hours with a fnirer 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 eoor dead mouths that
did not need to be reckoned with any
more, we had plenty Of everything tc
last US for at least Il month"; not to
speak of fishing, at which Tom was an
Expert
When. however, we turned to our
plans for tie treasure hunting we
soon came to dead stop. The indi-
cations given by Tobias seemed, in the
face of such Il terrain, naive to Il de-
gree Possibly the land had changed
Since his day. Some little, Of course,
i must have done. Tom and | went
bver Tobias directions again and
here was the compass carved on the
rock, and the cross There was some
Thing Notwithstanding which, If it
WAS ever there at ALL was there still
for In that climate the weather leaves
things impoverished almost as in Egypt.
Sitting on the highest bluff we could
lind, Tom and looked around.
THAT compass Is somewhere among
these internal rOcks--if it ever was
carved there at all--that's one thing
certain, Tom; but look at the rocks
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 his
graying wool.
81 go most by the ghost, sar," he
said "All these men had never been
killed If the ghost hadn't been some
where near. Mark me, if we find the
treasure it'll be by the ghost"
"Thats all very WE'LL" l laughed.
"But how are we going to get the
ghost to show his hand? He's got
such bloodthlrsty ways with him."
"They always lave, sar." said Tom.
mo doubt with some ancestral ShuddcT
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
1t like you and me drink coffee or
rum. It's terrible to hear them in the
night"
swell, Tom," l remarked, "yoll may
be right. but of one thing I'm certain;
If the ghosts going to get any one it
sham 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 a thousand pounds"
swell, all right, but let's forget the
damned cid ghosts for the present.
We decided to try plan that was
really no plan at all that is to say, to
seek more or less ut random, till we
consumed all our stores except Just
enough to take us home. Meanwhile
we would, each of us, every day, cut q
sort of radiating swathe, working sin.
gle-handed, from the cove entrance.
Thus we would prospect as much Of
the country as possible In Il sort Of
fan, both Of US keeping our eyes open
for a compass carved on u 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 Il semiclr-
Gle from the little harbOr where the
ships would have lain. 1t wasn't much
Of plan perhaps. but 1t seemed the
most possible among the impossibles.
Harder work than we had under
taken no men have ever set their hands
to. 1t would have broken the back Of
the most le.bOdled navy; and when