Okolona messenger. (Okolona, Miss.) 1900-current, 1921-12-29
CHAPTER Ix-contlnued.)
p

udIheu ID. II. OH TIE SFOuHu ABOVE ii
but l fear that a search after BiIIi
tombstone would be hopeless. Under
circumstances such as those of thu
mates story, 1t seems to me that al
the probabilities point to their con
cealing the chest in the cave witt
an opening on the bay. To get the
boat. laden with the heavy chest
through the surf to any of the other
caves-if the various cracks and fis-
sures / have seen are indeed properly
to be called caves-wOuld be stiff
work for three men. Yes, everything
indicates the cavern under the point.
The only question is, isn't 1t indicated
TOO clearly? Would q smooth old
scoundrel such as this Captain Samp-
son must have been have. hidden his
treasure In the very place certain to
he ransacked If the secret ever got
out? Unless 1t was deeply buried
which it could have been only ut GER
tain stages of the tide, even old Heintz
would have been apt to run across 1t
in the course Of his deSultOry re-
searches for the riches of the buc-
cancers. And | am certain placid old
Heintz did not mislead me. Besides,
at Panama, he was making arrange
mentS to go with some other Germans
on small business venture to Samoa,
which he would not have been likely
to do If he had just unearthed vast
fortune in buried treasure. Still, l
shall explore the cave thoroughly,
though with little hope.
/ "Oh, Helen, if l could watch these
trOpic stars with you tonight!
January 6. l think / am through
with the cave under the point-the
Cavern of the Two Arches, l have
named it. peered into every crevice
In the walls, and sounded the sands
with drill. l suppose l would have
made a more thorough job of it If
had not been convinced from the first
that the chest was not there. Shall
! ever forget the feeling that stirred
my grandfather's diary and saw there,
in his faded writing, the story Of the
mate Of the Benny Lass, who died in
Havana in my grandfather's arms?
My grandfather had gone as supercar-
go in his own ship, and while he did
a good stroke of business in Havana
trust his shrewd Yankee instincts for
that-he managed to combine the
service Of God with that of Mammon
Many poor drunken sailor, taking
his fling ashore in the bright, treach-
erOus plague-ridden city, found in
him friend, as did the mate of the |
Benny Lass in his dying hour. Oh,
II my good grandfather had but made |
sure from the mans own lips exact |
ly where the treasure lay 1t is |
enough to make one fancy that the |
unknown Bill, who paid for too much
with his life, has his own
fashion Of guarding the hoard. But |
ramble. was going to say, that |
from the moment when learned from |
ny grandfather's diary of the exist |
ence of the treasure, l have been driv- |
IN by an impulse more Overmaster-
ng than anything have ever expert
enced in my life. It was, / believe,
what Old-fashloned piOus folk would |
'all leading. All my life had been
rresOlute, the sport Of circumstances,
rifing with this and that, unable to
yet my face steadfastly toward any
goal. Yet never, since have trodden
his path, have looked to right or
eft. / have defled both human opin-
on and the obstacles which an un-
friendly fate has thrown in my way.
al alone, /, sailor hitherto Of pleas
lre-craft among the bays and islands |
Il the New England coast, put forth |
n my little slOop for a voyage Of |
hree hundred miles on the lOneliest
wastes Of the Pacific. All alone, did |
say3 No, there was Benny the faith
al. His head Is at my knee as l
write. He knows, think, that his
masters mood is sad tonight. Oh,
Helen, If you ever see these lines will
'Ou realize how / have longed for you
how II sometimes seems that my soul
must tear itself loose from my body
md speed to you across half a worldl
February 1. Since my last record
ny time has been well filed. In the
sland Queen ! have been surveying
he coasts Of my domain, sailing as
lose IN as dared. and taking note
4 every crevlce that might be the
Mouth OF q cave. Then. either in the
Owboat or by scranbllng down the
liffs. visit the indicated point. 1t Is
Utterly hard labor. but 1t has its COM
ensntlOns. l am growing hale and
lrong. brown and muscular.
$50 fer ! have discovered half q
Dzen caves. post Of them quite SMALL
~ 6ne of them seemed such likely
ere fiial ~ arst was quite hopeful.
81 hare found nothing. Usually
: nnnr 81 the cHve beneath few
chez 81 sind y rock Only IN the
,af tncf under tie point have 4
10 -ahd q snv depfh 80 siwavs