Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1921-12-23
CHAPTER v-continued.>

D.
On this first day we gathered in the
cool of the afternoon about our table
of packing-boxes for an event which
even l, whose role was that of skep-
tic, found exciting. Miss Browne was
at last to produce her map and re-
veal the secret of the island. So far,
except in general terms, she had i'm
parted it to no one. Everybody, in
coming along, had been buying a pig
in a poke-though to be sure Aunt
Jane had paid for it. The Scotman,
Cuthbert Vane had told me incidental
". had insured himself against loss
by demanding a retaining fee before
hand. Somehow my opinion, both of
his honesty and of his intelligence,
had risen since 1 knew this. AS to-
Cuthbert Vane, he had come purely
in a spirit Of adventure, and had paid
his own expenses from the start.
However. now the great moment
was at hand. But before it comes,
1 will here set down the treasure
story Of Leeward island, as I gathered
it later, a little here and there, and
pieced it together into a coherent
whole through many dreaming hours.
In 1920, the city of Lima, in Peru,
being threatened by the revolution
aries under Bolivar and San Martin,
cautious folk began to take thought
for their possessions. To send them
out upon the high seas under for
eign flag seemed to offer the best hope
Of safety, and soon there was more
gold anoat on the Pacific than at any
time since the sailing of the great
pIate-galleons of the Seventeenth cen
fury. Captain Sampson, of the brig
Bonny Lass, found himself with a
passenger for nowhere in particular
i'm the shape of a certain Spanish mer-
chant of great wealth, reputed Gus
todian of the private funds of the
bishop of Lima. This gentleman
brought with him, besides some scanty
personal baggage-for he took ship
in haste--sl great iron-bound chess.
Four stout sailors of the Bonny Lass
staggered under the weight of it.
The Bonny Lass cruised north along
the coast, the passenger desiring to
put in at Panama in the hope that
word might reach him there of quiet
er times at home But somewhere off
Ecuador on a dark and starless night,
the merchant of Lima vanished over
board-'and what could you expect I"
asked Captain Sampson in effect,
"when a lubber like him would stay
on deck in a gale?" Strange to say,
the merchants body-servant met the
fate of the needless also.
Struggling his shoulders at the care
lessness of passengers, Captain Samp-
son bore away to Leeward island, per-
haps from curiosity to see this old
refuge of the buccaneers, where the
spoils of the sack of Guayaquil were
said to have been buried. Who knows
but that he, too, was bent ON treasure
seeking? Be that as it may, the little
brig found her way into the bay on the
northeast side of the island, where
she anchored. Water was needed, and
there is refreshmcnt in tropic fruits
after a diet Of salt horse and hard
tack. So all hands had holiday
ashore, where the captain did not dis
dain to join them. Only he went
apart, and had other occupation than
swarming up the palms for COCO
nuts.
One fancies, then, mOonleSs night,
crew sleeping off double grog, gen.
erously allowed them by the captain !;
a boat putting off from the Bonny
Lass. in which were captain, mate,
and one Bill Halliwell, able seaman, a
nan Of mighty muscle; and as freight
an object large, angular and ponder
Gus, so that the boat Jagged heavily
beneath the rowers' strokes.
Later, Bill, the able seaman, grows
presumptuous on the strength of
this excursion with his betters. 1t
IS q word and a blow with the cap
tain of the BOnny Lass, and Bill is
conveniently disposed of. Dead, as
well as living, he serves the purpose
OF the captain. but of that later.
Away sailed the Bonny Lass, sailing
once for all out of the story. AS for
Captain Sampson, there is a long gap
In his history, hazily filled by the
story Of his having been lieutenant to
Benito Bonito, and one of the two
survivors when Bonito's black flag
was brought down by the British frig-
ate Espiegle But sober history
knows nothing of him until he reap
pears years later, an aged and broken
man, In back street of Bristol.
Here was living certain Hopper,
down, who had been boatswain on the
Bonny Lass at the time that che so