The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1926-10-01

stream, red SayageS, and wild beasts,
were far less formidable than those
of the sea, and MORA and Darby
thrived upon the experiences much
so that when at last, brier-torn and
footsore, we entered Charleston
sedate streets and found awaiting us
an ample choice of packet ships to the
north we four were unanimous for
continuing our journey by land.
Men," said Peter. 81 don't ever
go to der sea again, Bob"
"Ah, who would be fool enough in
his ignorance to be wandherin' wet
and bedraggled on the salt waves OF
the sea when he might venture the
forests and be shootin' at the red deer
and the bears and the catamounts
and 1t may be an Injun, If he was in
the full tide o. his luck?" snorted
Darby.
81 seem to remember one who was
all for the sea, and would wave the
skull and crossbones In anybody's
face" l jeered.
'Troth, and 1 knew less then than
1 do now" he replied unblushingly.
Then pirates was enough to break
the heart of Pontius Plate. Barrin
Flint, there wasn't a one of them
would be able to hold his own against
such as u.s."
"Silver might"
"He was a clever one, Long John
but he'll be in throuble, you see If
he's not" insisted Darby. "Too grasp
in he is by half"
81 care not how much trouble he
is In" l said. 81 want never to see
him or any of his crew again"
Mora, sitting beside me on the set.
tie of the tavern-porch, twined her
arm in mine with slight shudder.
"Never again!" she cried. "And II
it will be the same to you, Bob, Wei
stay off of the sea. / like fine the
clutch of the earth on my feet and
the whispering of the trees. Men
may be cruel on the land, but faith
they're never so cruel as the cruelest
of the seafarers. And all my days
when l hear the rumble of the surf
and the suck of the tide running out
I'll be thinking of himself that lies
so far and lone under the Spyglass-
and of Master Murray, God rest his
poor bones, and many another. The
sea had them all All, Holy Virgin,
what hunger 1t has for menu
But Peter shook his head solemnly
"Neen," he said der sea did not
take them all. They died from del
greed dot cankered In their hearts
l do not like der sea, but der sea is
der same as der landt. 1t works
Colts will"
We were silent for space, looking
out upon the busy life about us, the
negroes in their bright bandanna
headdresses, the planters passing on
half-thoroughbreds, the decent towns
folk in hodden-gray.
"And you, Ben Gunn?'' I said to
the steward who sat across the porch
from US. "Will you come north with
us? My father"
He jumped up, writing and twist.
ing In an excess of embarrassment
aye, and with something of fear in his
face
"'Twas yourself was promisin' me
I'd not ha' to wear a livery-shuit," he
protested "And before that We said
as how ye'd find me berth as a real
tarry sailor-man, a-pullin' on ropes
and standin' tricks at the wheel. Yes
We did, Master Ormerod; and I be
lived We, 1 did-though there's a many
think naught O. foolin' poor Ben
Gunn."
"Tll not fool you, Ben," I answered
eff you would go to sea, to sea shall
you 60"
And on the morrow I found him 9
berth upon Barbados packet, eau
tioning him to employ discretion in
discussing his past life, lest he be
handed over to the admiralty officials
as former pirate. He was our last
link with the infamous company that
had owned the joint rule of my great
uncle and John Flint, and what be-
came of him or of the remnants OF
F1int's crew aboard the Walrus / do
not know to this day. But from the
fact that the Walrus was never re-
ported again I have suspected that
she must either have been wrecked
or voluntarily abandoned by her
people. She left Savannah with
In twenty-four hours Of our landing
theresa much / discovered by cor
respondence with merchant of that
town.
Did she put back to the Rendezvous
and ransack the islands surface for
the treasure Flint had buried? Or
did she try for the gold we concealed
on the Dead Mans Chest? Hopeless
ventures, either of the two! As well
search for certain grain of corn In a
heaping bin.
And what happened to Bill Bones
Did he elude the pursuit of his desert
ed comrades and seek an opportunity
to lift Flint's treasure for himself?
I'll swear that was his intent from the
first-precisely as I'll take oath that
had Silver been first to get his hands
upon Flint's map he would have plot
ted so that only he and a small circle
Of his immediate familiars should
have shared In the prize. Ruthless
scoundrels. one and all But perhaps
Bones never won clear. Perhaps Sill
yer fastened upon his trail and pur-
sued him with that fantastic venge-
ance they called the Black Spot. ]
have often wondered what it might be.
AS to the treasure, they are well
come to 1t or any part of it If they
can find 1t. MORA and / talked over
the desirability Of notifying her
Jacobite friends of the hoard that
was buried on the Dead Mans Chest,
and for time she leaned toward this
course; but after she had dwelt a
while in the HanOyerian prosperity of