Arizona state miner., 1926-05-22


cruel as the wildcat the Indians
showed us in the hills up behind Porto
Bello."
"It must seem so to you," I an
swered. "But the truth Is that I am
as much the sport Of Fate as your
self"
"Do you tell me so?" she replied
politely.
"Do but let me tell you my story"
I pleaded, "and you will think better
Of some things"
SO began at the beginning and told
her all from the moment Darby Nc
Graw had run into the counting-room
in Pearl street-and how remote in
time and place that seemed as we
stared out upon the blue-green rollers
of the Caribbean and the tropic sun
warmed toward it's noon intensity
She listened with mounting interest,
never interrupting save for an occa-
sional "Glory!" ooh, blessed saints !"
"Holy Virgin, can such things bel"
But when l came to the escape from
the Walrus she broke in upon me.
"And you did that to be handy by
If had need Of you'll Oh, sir, forget
the wicked suspicious I owned 'Tis
a true friend you will be-and the
large gentleman, too. What is he
called? Master Corlaer? Alas, 1 am
heavy in your debt, and always shall
be-"
She was wholly trustful with Peter
and me from then on and spent most
of her time with us.
On the seventh morning after the
action with the Santissima Trinidad
we raised slow, sandy islet, densely
choked with low trees and bush
growth, bare Of any characteristic
that invited human habitation. Muir
ray approached it with caution, a man
in the chains dipping the lead con-
tinually,. and we came to anchor under
its lee and a mile or more offshore.
In the meantime Martin and a party
of some fifty men had been passing
up treasure from the wine-cellar or
lazaret; the anchor cable ran out and
Murray issued an order to lower all
the small boats
He took snuff, staring contempIa-
lively at the sand-hillocks of the Dead
Mans chest.
Here is my plan," he pursued. 81
will have eight hundred thousand
pounds set ashore in the boats-my
own share of one hundred thousand,
chevalier, as well as the seven hun
dred thousand pounds guaranteed to
your friends. l will then land you
four, with sufficient provisions, and
bear away in the James to the
so'th'ard, returning in five days to
pick you up. In the intervening pc
riod you should be able to transport
the treasure to safe spot and bury
it. In that way, chevalier, it's safety
can be assured until we are able to
return for it with the James or some
other craft dispatched by your
friends"
"Your plan is maybe the best in the
circumstances" answered O'Donnell
There was more talk back and forth,
but the end of it all was that O'Don-
nell accepted by great-uncle's plan
and Moira was won over likewise by
the argument that so long as the treas
ure was stolen it had best be assured
to worthy purpose. Peter and I
agreed for a complex of reasons-be-
cause of the little maid for one thing,
and for another, because there was an
excitement in the burial of treasure
which neither of us had tasted before,
and also, of course, because, when
all was said and done, we were pris
oners and we must. But I'd never
seek to deny that we had pleasure
from the thrill that came to us late
In the afternoon Of that day as we
stood on the narrow beach of the
islet beside a great stack of kegs and
chests, axes, pickaXes and shovels, a
barrel of water and boxes of food
from Ben Gums larder, watching the
boat that had landed us pull back to
the James.
The first afternoon and evening we
spent in selecting hiding-place in a
shallow valley protected from the ter
rible storms which sweep those seas.
Colonel O'Donnell and Moira were de-
tailed to do the digging, as neither
was as capable as Peter and l of man
aging the weighty bulk of the casks
and chests. And after that we worked
unremittingly, except for q couple Of
hours at midday and short snatch
of sleep about dawn; for the starlit
piobtc with their hr0 cling SpA-WindS
were the most comfortable times we
had. Yet the tops'ls of the James
were within sight before we had dis
posed of the last spadeful Of sand
from the hiding place and replanted
! it's area with the trees and bushes we
had removed with every care to pre-
serve their roots.