, 1924-09-10

helped. That was a mighty Inherent
ing packet. 1t held a map. a descrIp
ton Of a route. and a good big pack.
age or guess you know what, and a
statement that there was about forty
million dollars more where IL came
from. That Interested me still more.
See! / wanted that forty million dol.
lars. The map was of an Island, but
II didn't say where the island was.
but guessed your mother knew. SO
l SEM her a copy of the map. with
er-some changes, anG watched. Sure
nun she piked straight down to the
JOCKS and interviewed our friend the
captain here and took passage for the
whole family and an extra lot Of as
sorted freaks"
My mother? Is she here?' Nell
lies eyes grew big.
Wen! Here or h~ereabouts. mol
She amt aboard. bur she amt far Off.
She and her friends all came down
here with the ship. And and nv
friends came along. too This morn
ing your mothers friends all went
ashore, following the map | sent 'em.
l sent a lot of grub along, SOS they
wouldn't suffer while they was waitin'
for a ship. Then just rs l thought I
mad everything lovely, | found out
somebody'd swiped my map-my own
map. y understand. Course losing IL
don't do me any real harm, because |
reckon could draw 1t over again just
from memory. but | hate to be stung
that way. Besides. It's just possible
that | might need it. So l starts to
ask the cap'n what he knows about II,
when all of a sudden somebody with
your crowd begins TO wigwag from the
mountain top; and the mate starts 10
answer him and sO-not knowing
what he's saying-I tells the boys to
take possession and I m in here
and-er-takes possession. too. The
captain says he don't know nothing
about any map of mine"
Il don't!' Captain Bunker cut in
sharply.
well. who in thunder does. then?
Those people that went ashore didn't
have 1t. or they'd have gone TO the
right place instead of the wrong one.
II you amt got 1t, who has?' Very
evidently Price was trying to make
his auditors think that he set very lit
tie store by the map. But he was not
succeeding.
Captain Bunker shrugged his Shout
ders. IF I'd had II you'd have been
in irons now. and my passengers
would be safe on board. And while
I'm talking, III just warn Miss Arch
man that you're a treacherous hound,
and not 10 be believed on oath. |
don't know what your game Is. but
you're not fooling me one ounce. You
haven't told more than half the truth.
You haven't told Of robbing my safe
and opening my sealed orders or of
throwing bottles over the side with
messages for your consort, or of burn
ing that flare on the taffrail last
night"
Price was listening curiously. mot
me-" he said finally, entirely disregard
ing the captains excoriation. mot
me. l didn't know your papers has
been swiped, and I never heard about
any bottles. AS for the farewell,
'twa'n't me or mine that burned 1t.
That's straight. But I'll give you n
tip. II l was guessin'. I'd charge all
those things up to n or two of those
passengers OF yours. A steward gets
lots Of chances to hear things. and I've
been hearing of EN-. Maybe me and
my friends have double-crossed you.
but unless l miss My guess. the al
legged Britisher mt that governess
have been getting ready to triple-cross
you. However, that's all over now.
The map never was of much impor-
lance. and I don't give a whoop for
1t now, except to make a clean job.
I've got Miss Archman instead, and
she's better than n dozen maps
I'll" Nellie had finished with the
sponge n was binding up the cap
tain's head.
"Sure! I've explained things SOS
you'd understand-that all | want Is
the money. that l don't want to hurt
you. seer Nobody's going to hurt you.
IL you act proper. and l know you're
a-golng to-"
ITO BE CONTINUED