The Ordway new era., 1922-01-20
tcHAPTER v-continued.)

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 10 10 no one. Everybody. In
coming along, had been buying a pig
In a 7oEc-th0ush TO he sure Aunt
lane had paid for 1T. The Scotman,
Culhberr Vaae had told me- Incidental
~, had Insured himself against loss
by demanding Il retaining fee before
hand. Somehow my opinion. both of
tbs honesty and Of his intelligence,
had risen since [ knew this. As to
Cuthbert yane, 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 1t comes.
will here set down the treasure
story of Leeward island, as l gathered
it later a little here and there, and
pleced it together into a coherent
whole through many dreaming hours
In 1920, the city of Lima, in Peru,
being threatened by the revO'ut on
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 afoat on the Pacific than at any
time since the sailing of the great
plate -galleons of the Seventeenth CEN
tury. Captain Sampson, of the brig
Bonny Lass, found himself with
passenger for nowhere in particular
In 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-a great iron-bound chest
-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
cr 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
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-
500 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
out that he, too, was bent on treasure
seeking? Be that as 1t 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 refreshment in tropic fruits
after diet of salt horse and hard
tack. So all hands had a holiday
ashore, where the captain did not dis
uHln 10 JOIN lnein only ne went
apart, and had other occupation than
swarming up the palms for coco
nuts.
One fancies, then, a moonless night
crew sleeping off double grog, gem
erously allowed them by the captain !;
boat putting off from the Bonny
Lass, in which were captain, mate,
and one Bill Halliwell, able seaman, a
man 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 word and blow with the cap
tain Of the Bonny Lass, and Bill is
conveniently disposed of. Dead, as
we'll as living, he serves the purpose
sf the captain, but Of that later.