The Coolidge examiner., 1932-03-18
The Men on the
Dead Mans Chest
by
Clifford Raymond
wNU Servica)
Copyright. The Bobbs-Merrill Co.
CHAPTER XIII-Continued

guess. l had to put him little on
his guard. Even if it won't do him
any good. A sucker never gets
break, but Acton thinks he's on to
me now. You'd not be surprised,
would you, Lieutenant, If he got me
tonight? He won't, but he thinks
he'll do it some time, and he thinks
I've given him reason and cause. SO
you see I'm playing square, but you
can't play square with a fellow who
never has a chance"
Come clear, Ashley. That was a
promise"
what do you want details for?
Honestly, l was using you and
Maisie a bit tonight. l knew Blair
would be here. You would know,
wouldn't you, Stanton, that Blair
and l would have to finish what
Trembly began when he met Dunn
Clayton in the Dutch Mill? You
wouldn't have any illusion that
Blair and l could live in sweetness
and light? You can start a panic
easier than you can stop it. What
call have l to trust Blair and what
call has .e to trust me? You can't
live always wondering when your
old pals going to stick a knife in
you if you don't stick a knife in
him. As matter of fact, Lieuten-
nthnr NJ nf fhn
six might have come to a trust
worthy agreement better than Blair
and l could. He's a simple sort of
brute 1t might take him six months
to realize that he was going to kill
me. That's taking too much time
in the case Of me, because as soon
as Roberts went out of the window
backward I knew that had to kill
Blair. Now I've clear con-
science"
''What did you do to Turner
down in the jungle?" the lieutenant
asked
"DOuble-crossed him." said Ashley.
"What do you want details for?
Double-crossed him. What else
makes a man mad for ever? We
were all crazy. What do you think
we were doing? Keep on guessing.
We were hunting for Inca gold. Beat
thatl | don't want even TO think
of it. You've got a general idea of
the story. Guess at the rest of it.
1--WE didn't do much to him, con-
sidering who we were and where we
were. Just stole his maple had
a map-all these things start with
maps-and left him to die. He didn't
have a chance: fever. The trouble
was the tough old devil didn't die.
I'll say for Blair that be did want
TO shoot Turner or knock him on
the head. but that would have been
murder, and, Lieutenant, you know
how we feel about murder.
I'VE restrained Blair. He always
was too downright. We said we'd go
to get help for Turner His map was
no good. No map ever is. We just
barely got out alive. And we couldn't
have found our way back TO him
if we had wanted to. We didn't
want to. | don't know how Turner
ever found his way out. l never
asked him, and he never men,
toned it. All in a lifetime, both
ways. You can always laugh it off
or fight it out"
"You say you stole the map? What
map?
THE Inca-gold map; where it
was buried. There's always a map
with buried gold. That's the whole
story. Turner was a man to do ex-
traOrdinary things, crazy things. He
liked them. He wanted his money
hard. and he didn't object to maxi
ing il hard. Generous-fsted devil.
but he liked gold. | guess he liked
the look and feel of it. He liked to
hear the ring of one of his own
double eagles on a bar. He liked
to feel the weight of a money belt
around his waist, and if he was car
rying it in a tough gambling house
or oil field or mining camp he was
happier. A great guy. He was the
fellow who was born to hunt the
pot of gold at the end of the rain
bow and probably find it. Free-hand.
ed fellow, and square,
The square fellow you double
crossed" the lieutenant said. You
make murder seem like public
duty"
Isn't it the truth? Too bad you
can't always pick the fellow for
your dirt. You have to take them
as they come. Spanish gold. that
was what Turner was headed for
Some fellow had sold him a map. He
wasn't the only one who ever went
for buried treasure. They're at il
yet. There are some fools hunting
for that Inca gold right now
They'll keep at it. Couldn't you Get
a little excited by a map showing
Spanish gold Inca gold? Turner
picked up a gang and went for it
Most of us were broke He got
Blair and me off cattle boat al
New Orleans. Roberts had been try
inc to stake himself for another