Palisadian. [volume] (Cliffside Park, N.J.) 1906-current, 1921-12-31

land kept very stin. Before he had
said a dozen words I knew that all
honest men aboard were in great dan
ger.
Well, made the discovery that Long
John and most of the crew We're old
shipmates of Bill Bones and John
Flint; they knew the object of our
voyage, and were planning to do away
with our party and get the treasure for
themselves.
A moment more and the lookout
shouted "Land Ho!' and we anchored
at Captain Kidd's anchorage" ac-
cording to the chart. told the doc
tor and the squire what 1 had heard,
and they had the captain send the
crew ashore, so that we might have an
opportunity to talk matters over.
1t was decided that we must go on.
and we counted those we could trust.
only to find that we were but six
against nineteen.
| The next morning it was plain that
mutiny hung over us like thunder
cloud. Captain Smollet thought it best
| to give the crew shore leave, and a
party was made up including Silver.
Some of the men, however, remained
aboard. I suddenly took it into my
head to go ashore, too, and slipped
unseen over the side and into the for
ward sheets of the nearest boat; as
soon as the bow struck among the
shore-side trees, I caught a branch
and swung ashore, making off into
the nearby thicket.
I cannot give all the details of the
voyage; they were many and exciting.
but one or two happenings I must tell.
While wandering about in the thick
ct l came upon Withholding man,
who said he was seaman, Ben Gum,
marooned on the island three years
before. I got his story, and he ours
he was great help to us, as you shall
| see.
In the meantime our party had
abandoned the ship and taken up the
+, fight ashore. I had a notion to get
out to the ship, cut her adrift and let
her go ashore where she would, and so
| prevent the mutineers from sailing
away in her; and remembering Ben
Gums mention of a coracle which he
had made and put in hiding, I set
out to find 1t; being successful, made
my way to the ship, and laying hold
Of her hawser, was about to finish cut
| ting her loose when I heard voices
from the cabin; one l recognized as
that of the coxswain, Israel Hands,
did not know. Both were drunk, and
when I got look at them through the
cabin window, saw that they were
in deaths grip.
The strong current had by this part
ed the last strand of the hawser which
were adrift; with leap 1 caught at
the lib boom. and chung painting, left
without retreat on the Hispaniola.
When I got aft I found the sailor
dead, and Hands in sad condition.
He was friendly enough while help
| less, but as he grew stronger he as
serted himself and issued orders,
which 1 obeyed until the ship was
round in the low wooded north inlet.
The excitement of the last maneuv.
ers had interfered with my watch
upon the coxswain, but something
saw the fellow halfway towards me,
his dirk in his hand; he chased me
around the deck, trying to corner me;
quick as thought I sprang into the
mizzen shrouds and ratified up hand
over hand into the cross-trees; none
foot below me as / climbed.
Now I primed my pistols and re-
loaded, and Hands seeing this, knew
the dice were against him; in spite of
this he started up after me. "One
more step, Mr.. Hands," said I, "and I'll
blow your brains out! !" saw his
right hand go up over his shoulder,
something sang like an arrow through
the air, and was pinned to the mast
both my pistols went off and es-
capped from my hands, but they did
not fall alone; with choking cry
the coxswain loosed his grasp and
plunged down head first and l saw
him through the clear water, lying on
the sand beneath.
I found that I was held simply by
the skin of my arm. and pulling my
self free, I finally got ashore, and with
difficulty reached my friends. They
had had some fierce battling with the
mutineers, but in the end flag of
truce appeared and Silver came for
ward to bargain. The doctor, much to
the surprise of all, gave him the chart;
but this was explained later, for when
they dug for the treasure and reached
the. bottom of the cache, nothing was
found but broken pick and board
with the word "Walrus' burnt into 1t
the name of Flint's ship!
Ben Gum was the real hero. Early
in his stay on the island he had come
upon the treasure, and with great diff
ficulty transported 1t to cave and
b;d5o, a. cayop hundred Thousand