Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1919-11-25
CHAPTER VII.
In Which Tom and l Attend Several
Funerals.

When Tom and / came to look over
the ground with view to finding a
burial place for the dead I realized
with grim emphasis the truth of
Charlie Webster's remarks-in those
snuggery nights that seemed so re-
mote and far away-on the nature of
the soil which would have to be gone
over in quest of my treasure. No won
der he had spoken of dynamite.
why, Tom." / said, "there isn't a
wheelbarrow load of real soil in q
square mile. We couldn't dig a grave
for dog in stuff like this" and, as 1
spoke, the pewterlike rock under my
feet changed and echoed with a metal
lie sound.
Come along. Tom, can't stand any
more of this. Wen have to leave our
funerals till tomorrow. and get aboard
for the night"-for the Maggie Darling
was still floating there serenely, as
though men and their violence had no
existence on the planet
WED better cover them up, against
the turkey buzzards." said Tom, two
of those unsavory birds rising in the
air as we returned to the shore. We
did this as well as we were able with
rocks and the wreckage Of an old
boat strewn on the beach.
/ don't think two men were ever so
glad of the morning, driving before it
the haunted night. After breakfast
our first thought was naturally to the
sad and disagreeable business before
US.
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
ly effective-'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
I think we may as we'll get rid of them
first"
So It was done as we said, and car
rying them by the feet and shoulders
to the edge Of the bluff-George, and
Silly Theodore. and the nameless giant
who had knocked me down so oppor-
tunely-we skillfully flung them In,
and they glided off with scarce
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 a fairly respectable graz.
Tom and Sailor and l were now, 10
the best of our belief, alone on Ia
island, and a lnesomer spot 1t would
be hard to imagine, or one touched at
certain hours with fairer beauty
a 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
last 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 dead stop. The inoi-
cations given by Tobias seemed, IN the
face of such a terrain, naive to de-
gree. Possibly the land had changed
since his day. Some little, OF course,
it must have done. Tom and l went
over Tobias directions again and
there was the compass carved on the
rock. and the cross. There was some
thing Notwithstanding which, If II
was ever there at all, was there still
for in that climate the weather leaves
things unnerishe6 almost rs f%ypt-