The Ordway new era., 1922-03-17
: ground. outlined at intervals with


smoothly rounded stone. l knelt ana
brushed away some obstinate vine
tendrils, and the letters ID. H.
yealed themselves. cut deeply ana IT.
regularly into the sloping face or the
stone. Below was the half-inteiiiS''
BILE symbol of the crossed bones.
There was something in the utter
loneliness of the place that caught
my breath sharply. At once hau tie
feeling of a marauder. Here slept lhe
guardian OF the treasure-anu yer III
defiance of him l meant to nave II
So. too. had Peter-and l didn't know
vet what he had managed to do 10
Peter.
With an impatient shiver l got up
cuIckly from my knees. l whistled to
Crusoe, who was trotting busily ABOUT
on mysterious intelligence conveyed TO
him by his nose. He ran to me Joy
fully, and I stopped and patted his
warm vigorous body.
LET Bill walk, Crusoe," I remarked,
'let him. He needn't be dog IN the
manger about the treasure, anyhow
NOW CdlDt lllc 4IltlliSAl
been trying not to think about had
TO find the entrance to the cave, and
then go into 1t or part with my own
esteem forever. l went and peered
over the cliff. The ledge was there
not an inviting ledge, nor one on
which the unacrobatlcally inclined
would have any impulse to saunter,
but a perfectly good ledge, on which
l had not the slightest excuse for de-
clining to venture.
There was truly nothing dangerous
about the ledge. 1t was nearly three
feet wide. and had an easy downward
trend. Yet you heard the hungry roar
of the surf below, and try as you
would not to, caught glimpses Of the
white swirl of II. l moved cautious
ly, keeping close to the face of the
cliff. Crusoe, to my annoyance, sprang
down upon the ledge after me. l had
feeling that he must certainly trip
me as picked my way gingerly along.
An angle in the rock-a low dark
entrance-way-it was all as Peter had
described it l peered in-nothing but
impenetrable blackness. l took hes
itating step. The passage veered
sharply, as the diary had recorded.
Once around the corner, there would
be nothing but darkness anywhere.
Suddenly portentous and overwhelm-
ing, there rose before me the unan-
swered question of what had become
of Peter on that last visit TO the cave.
Unanswered-and unanswerable ex-
cept in one way: by going in to see.
Whereas I had so far thought prin-
cipally of the treasure, I now began
to think with intensity Of Peter, What
ironic stroke of fate had cut him down
in the very moment of his triumph =?
Had he ever reached the cave TO bring
away the last of the doubloons? We're
they still waiting there unclaimed?
Had a storm come up on that last
night, and the weakened cable parted,
and the Island Queen gone on the
rocks, drowning Peter in the cabin
with his gold. Then how had Crusoe
got away, Crusoe, who feared the
waves so, and would bark at them
and then turn tail and run?
Speaking of Crusoe, where was he7
l realized that a moment ago he had
plunged into the passage. l heard the
patter of his feet-a pause. A queer,
dismal little whine echoed along the
passage. 1 heard Crusoe returning
but before his nose appeared around
the angle of the tunnel his mistress
had reached the top of the cliff at a
bound and was vanishing at brisk
pace into the woods.
With bitterness, as l pursued my
way to camp. 1 realized that l was
not heroine. Here was mystery
it was the business of a heroine to
solve it. Now that l was safely away
from the cave. l began to feel the itch
of a torturing curiosity. How, with
out going into the terrifying place
alone, should l find out what was
there? Should l pretend to have ac-
cidentally discovered the grave, lead
the party to 1t, and then-again acci.
dentally-discover the tunnel? This
plan had its merits-but l discarded it.
for fear that something would be
found in the cave to direct attention
to the Island Queen. Then I reflect,
ed that very likely the explorers
would work round the island far
enough to find the sea-mouth of the
cave. This would take matters en-,
tirely out Of my hands. l should per.
| haps be enlightened as to the fate OF
Peter and the last remaining bags OF
doubloons, but might also have to
share the secret Of the derelict with
the rest. And then all my dreams OF
playing fairy godmother and shower.
ing down on certain heads-like Goals
of fire-torrents of beautiful golden
| doubloons, would be over.
on the whole 1 could not tell wheth.
er 1 burned with impatience to have
the cave discovered, or was cold with
the fear Of it.
And then. so vigorous is the instinc,