The Ordway new era., 1922-03-17
SPANISH
DOUBLOONS
By
CAMILLA KENYON
Copyright, The Bobbs-Msrrill Company
(cHAPTER xI.-Continued.)

mOvtng the golu- tlrSt ol Ill must
get the chest itself aboard the Island
Queen. This means that l shall have
to empty it and leave the gold in the
cave, while l get the chest out by
sen. When the chest is safely in the
cabin of the sloop-where It won't
Aeaye much room for Benny and his
master, I'm afrald-I will take the
bags of coin out by the land entrance.
1 can't think of risklng my precious
doubloons in the voyage around the
point
@Of course I should have liked to
get TO the task today, but after the
first mad thrill of the great event was
over, 1 found myself as weak and un-
aeryed as woman. So by great
effort l came away and left my glori-
ous golden hoard. Now l dream and
gioat. playing with the idea that to-
morrow 1 shall find it all fantasy.
The pleasure of this is, of course, that
al, the while l know this widest of
all Arabian fairy tales to be as real
as the most drab and sober fact of my
hitherto colorless life.
After all. on the way back from the
cave Benny brought down a pig. So he
is as well pleased with the day as l
am Now 1 am sitting in the doorway
of my cabin, writing up my journal,
and trying to calm down enough TO go
to bed. If it were not for the swift
fading of daylight, I would go back
to the cave for another peep into the
chest. But all round the island the
sea is moaning with that peculiarly
melancholy note that comes with the
falling of night. The sea-blrds have
risen from the cove and gone wheel
ing of in troops to their nests on the
cliffs. Somehow a curious dislike,
almost fear, of this wild, sea-girt. soil
tary place has come over me. I long
for the sound of human voices. the
touch of human hands. think Of the
dead man lying there at the door of
the cave, its silent guardian for so
long. / suppose he brooded once on
the thought of the gold as do-per-
haps he has been brooding so these
ninety years. l wonder If he is
pleased that I. stranger, have come
into possession of his secret hoard at
last7
"Oh. Helen, turn your heavenly face
on me-be my refuge from these shud-
dering unwholesome thoughts The
gold is for you-for you! Surely that
must cleanse it of its stains, must
loose the clutch of the dead hands
that strive to hold 1T
February II. This morning l was
early at the cave. Yes, there it was,
the same wonder-chest that 1 had
dreamed of all night long. 1t was ab-
surd how the tighness in my breast
relaxed.
Y began at once the work of re-
moving the bags from the chest and
stacking them in the corner of the
cave. 1t was q fatiguing job, had
to stoop so.
Il spent so much time unloading the
chest that before l was ready to go
for my boat the tide was up and
pounding on the rocks below the cave.
I find that only at certain stages of
the tide is the cave approachable by
sea At the turn after high water,
for instance, there IS such a terrific
undertow that it sets up a small mael-
strom among the reefs lying off the
island. AT low tide is the time to
come.
February u. Got the chest out of
the cave, though It was a difficult job.
Luckily there was no sea, and l had
Il smooth passage around the point. I
laughed rather ruefully as 1 passed
the Cave of the Two Arches. To
fpl- Of hn 7
wish Benny had encountered the fate
t'll pig little sooner.
Got the chest aboard the Island
Queen and slowed in the cabin. Not
room left to swing a kitten.
"In the afternoon began moving the
gold It's the deuce of a job.
February 10. Been hard at it for
three days. Most of the gold moved
Have to think, too, Of provisions and
water for the trip.
February 16. On board the Island
Queen. Have moved my traps from
the hut and am sleeping on the sloop
Want to be near the gold. Tomorrow
i have only to bring the last of the
gold aboard-a trifling matter-and
then go out with the ebb. l would
have got all the bags on board today,
but / noticed worn stretch in the
cable holding the sloop and stopped
to repair It. l can't have the sloop GO
ing on the rocks In case blow comes
up tonight. There are only about
load and q half of bags left in the
cave.
"A queer notion seized me today
about the crucifix. when I was bring
ing 1t from the cave. 1t seemed to
noat into my brain-I can't say from
what quarter-that 1 had better leave
the crucifix for Bill. 1t wasn't more
than he had right to, really-and
there is no virtue in a cross-bones to
make man sleep well.
-Of course I put the absurd idea