Evening star., 1925-12-06

without moving il and if by any man
ner of chance l come on the location
by my own instincts-well. there's no
saying.
with that he sent a quartermaster
for Mccall. who comes along and gives
news that the repairs were all but fin
ished and we could put out at sun up
next morning.
Il didn't sleep much that night. I'd
got the gold fever and got it bad.
When | did get off | was shovelling
gold by the barrelful into baskets
without any bottoms to them. and
frigate birds were coming all the time
with messages to hurry up, as the
Spaniards were in sight. Then when
l got on deck | found Burt there
before me. 1t wanted half an hour to
sun up. and Mccall had nearly got
steam on her.
"H ALE an hour after sun up we
were beyond the reef and max
ing for South Island. taking it easy
at 10 knots, the current being against
us. and reckoning to reach there
under five hours.
I'VE had breakfast, and coming up
after. there she was ID miles off and
chewing well. though not near so high
as Naumoo.
AS we closed up Burt handed me
the glasses he'd been using and /
picked out beyond the north reef the
Spars of a schooner against the trees.
The reefs here are pretty tricky, the
only safe break being a bit to the
east: we made that. and coming round.
found big stretch of water running
west where YOU might have anchored
the Atlantic fleet. Along there and
close to the shore lay the schooner.
swinging to the tide as innocent look
ing as pie. and with nothing to show
of treasure hunting or hustle about
her more than chap who was fish
ing over the afterrail. He was a
Chink. There were several more
Chinks about. and, as we dropped our
hook. a cable length away from her.
white man came on deck and had a
look at us.
"'WeU.' says Burt. what do you
think OF that. Cap? Looks as if l
were wrong. don't it: Chaps don't go
treasure hunting with Chow crew
unless they've got a big after guard,
and there's no sign of that unless
they're ashore. Well. We'll see
Look. the chaps coming Off
The white man got into a boat that
was lying alongside the schooner and
two of the Chinks rowed him off to us.
He was a big red -bea rded chap, and,
as he came aboard. light as a cat. for
all his size. | took liking to him
right away: he'd got the plea Sa ntest
face on him I'd seen in years. and
when he spoke his voice didn't hit
his face any.
Capt. Knott of the Tennessee.
says he. Introducing himself. and I
gave our names. and pretty soon we
were all under the awning with iced
drinks in our fists talking United
States politics and the price of stock.
Knott said he'd put in for water, and
it famed up in my intelligence that
he'd had plenty of time to water his
ship. seeing her size. if he was the
man that sent that message by the
frigate bird: then he went on TO say
that he was owner of the Tennessee
and that she was in ballast making
somewhere for Il cargo of copra. Then
Burt, fresh from his clack with Car
stairs and pretending ignorance, asked
him how copra prices were ranging,
and without the wink of an eye he
gives the prices, all wrong-dollars
out. That gave me a turn. the way
he told that lie as ready as if he were
quoting from price list. Then l re-
membered the treasure business and
the fact that he naturally would lie
to strangers over it. .
''Then Burt asked him plump out
if il was true that the natives of
South Island had trained frigate birds
same as the natives of Naumoo, and
he said yes, that was 50; that only last
week he'd seen several birds arrive
and put off. and that the natives there
were always sending messages to their
friends and relations over at North.
was thinking of asking him whether
he was watering his ship last week as
well, but didn't. Then giving us a
good day, off he put. and Burt said
to me that if he had II guns on board
he'd have given that chap salute as
the king of all liars.
"'Well. l said to him, what are
you going to do?'
Nothing he says. If he's col
Jared the stuff and got it on board the
Tennessee, it's no business of mine,
but I'm going ashore to have a look.
ThereIl be evidence of digging, may
be; anyhow, l feel interested enough
to get ashore and poke round
4 X x X
HHALF an hour after he ordered
boat out and we went on
shore. We weren't afraid of Knott
suspecting us, for the Brunhilde-
that was the name of the yacht-isn't
the sort of craft Knott would bother
about.
There were half a dozen Kanakas
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