The Little Glass Bottle

The Little Glass Bottle (1917)by H. P. Lovecraft
Story copied from the The H.P. Lovecraft Archive.
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“Heave to, there’s something floating to the leeward.” The speaker was a short stockily built man whose name was William Jones. He was the captain of a small cat boat in which he & a party of men were sailing at the time the story opens.
“Aye aye sir,” answered John Towers & the boat was brought to a standstill. Captain Jones reached out his hand for the object which he now discerned to be a glass bottle. “Nothing but a rum flask that the men on a passing boat threw over,” he said, but from an impulse of curiosity he reached out for it. It was a rum flask & he was about to throw it away when he noticed a piece of paper in it. He pulled it out & on it read the following:
Jan 1 1864I am John Jones who writes this letter. My ship is fast sinking with a treasure on board. I am where it is marked * on the enclosed chart.
Captain Jones turned the sheet over & the other side was a chart.
On the edge were written these words:
"dotted lines represent course we took"
“Towers,” said Capt. Jones excitedly. “read this.” Towers did as he was directed. “I think it would pay to go,” said Capt. Jones, “do you”?
“Just as you say,” replied Towers.
“We’ll charter a schooner this very day,” said the excited captain.
“All right,” said Towers so they hired a boat and started off, governed by the dotted lines of their chart. In 4 weeks they reached the place where
directed & the divers went down and came up with an iron bottle. They found in it the following lines scribbled on a piece of brown paper.
Dec 3 1880Dear Searcher excuse me for the practical joke I have played on you, but it serves you right to find nothing for your foolish act—
“Well it does,” said Capt Jones, “go on.”
However I will defray your expenses to & from the place you found your bottle I think it will be $25.0.00 so that amount you will find in an Iron box I know where you found the bottle because I put this bottle here & the iron box & then found a good place to put the second bottle hoping the enclosed money will defray your expenses some I close—Anonymous”
“I’d like to kick his head off,” said Capt Jones. “Here, diver, go & get the $25.0.00."
In a minute the diver came up bearing an iron box. Inside it was found $25.0.00. It defrayed their expenses, but I hardly think that they will ever go to a mysterious place as directed by a mysterious bottle.
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