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diff --git a/old/55597-0.txt b/old/55597-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 0b21d17..0000000 --- a/old/55597-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,5810 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Sam Steele's Adventures on Land and Sea, by -Capt. Hugh Fitzgerald - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: Sam Steele's Adventures on Land and Sea - -Author: Capt. Hugh Fitzgerald - -Illustrator: Howard Heath - -Release Date: September 21, 2017 [EBook #55597] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SAM STEELE'S ADVENTURES ON LAND *** - - - - -Produced by Mary Glenn Krause, MFR, Stephen Hutcheson, and -the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at -http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images -generously made available by the Library of Congress) - - - - - - -[Illustration: “Now, my lad, keep quiet an’ you won’t get hurt.”] - - - - - SAM STEELE’S - ADVENTURES - On Land - and Sea - - - By - CAPT. HUGH FITZGERALD - - [Illustration: Publisher logo] - - CHICAGO - THE REILLY & BRITTON CO. - PUBLISHERS - - Copyright, 1906, - BY - THE REILLY & BRITTON CO. - - - - - LIST OF CHAPTERS - - - CHAPTER PAGE - I I Hear Bad News 9 - II I Find a Relative 24 - III My Fortunes Improve 40 - IV I Ship Aboard the “Flipper” 54 - V “Nux” and “Bryonia” 66 - VI The Land of Mystery 83 - VII The Major 91 - VIII The Sands of Gold 110 - IX The Outlaws 124 - X The Rocking Stone 137 - XI The Cavern 153 - XII We Recover the Gold 169 - XIII The Catastrophe 184 - XIV Buried Alive! 193 - XV The Major Gives Chase 206 - XVI The Grave Captain Gay 219 - XVII We Give up the Ship 235 - XVIII Uncle Naboth’s Revenge 247 - XIX The Conquest of Mrs. Ranck 257 - XX Steele, Perkins & Steele 270 - - - - - LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS - FROM ORIGINAL PAINTINGS BY - HOWARD HEATH - - - “Now, my lad, Keep Quiet an’ You Won’t get Hurt” _Frontispiece_ - Captured by the Gold-Hunters 97 - A Hazardous Climb 177 - “Leave the Room, Sir!” 231 - “Here’s the Treasure House, Sir!” 265 - - - - - CHAPTER I. - I HEAR BAD NEWS. - - -“Sam—come here!” - -It was Mrs. Ranck’s voice, and sounded more bitter and stringent than -usual. - -I can easily recall the little room in which I sat, poring over my next -day’s lessons. It was in one end of the attic of our modest cottage, and -the only room “done off” upstairs. The sloping side walls, that followed -the lines of the roof, were bare except for the numerous pictures of -yachts and other sailing craft with which I had plastered them from time -to time. There was a bed at one side and a small deal table at the -other, and over the little window was a shelf whereon I kept my meager -collection of books. - -“Sam! Are you coming, or not?” - -With a sigh I laid down my book, opened the door, and descended the -steep uncarpeted stairs to the lower room. This was Mrs. Ranck’s -living-room, where she cooked our meals, laid the table, and sat in her -high-backed wooden rocker to darn and mend. It was a big, square room, -which took up most of the space in the lower part of the house, leaving -only a place for a small store-room at one end and the Captain’s room at -the other. At one side was the low, broad porch, with a door and two -windows opening onto it, and at the other side, which was properly the -back of the cottage, a small wing had been built which was occupied by -the housekeeper as her sleeping chamber. - -As I entered the living-room in response to Mrs. Ranck’s summons I was -surprised to find a stranger there, seated stiffly upon the edge of one -of the straight chairs and holding his hat in his lap, where he grasped -it tightly with two big, red fists, as if afraid that it would get away. -He wore an old flannel shirt, open at the neck, and a weather-beaten -pea-jacket, and aside from these trade-marks of his profession it was -easy enough to determine from his air and manner that he was a -sea-faring man. - -There was nothing remarkable about that, for every one in our little -sea-coast village of Batteraft got a living from old ocean, in one way -or another; but what startled me was to find Mrs. Ranck confronting the -sailor with a white face and a look of mingled terror and anxiety in her -small gray eyes. - -“What is it, Aunt?” I asked, a sudden fear striking to my heart as I -looked from one to the other in my perplexity. - -The woman did not reply, at first, but continued to stare wildly at the -bowed head of the sailor—bowed because he was embarrassed and ill at -ease. But when he chanced to raise a rather appealing pair of eyes to -her face she nodded, and said briefly: - -“Tell him.” - -“Yes, marm,” answered the man; but he shifted uneasily in his seat, and -seemed disinclined to proceed further. - -All this began to make me very nervous. Perhaps the man was a -messenger—a bearer of news. And if so his tale must have an evil -complexion, to judge by his manner and Mrs. Ranck’s stern face. I felt -like shrinking back, like running away from some calamity that was about -to overtake me. But I did not run. Boy though I was, and very -inexperienced in the ways of life, with its troubles and tribulations, I -knew that I must stay and hear all; and I braced myself for the ordeal. - -“Tell me, please,” I said, and my voice was so husky and low that I -could scarce hear it myself. “Tell me; is—is it about—my father?” - -The man nodded. - -“It’s about the Cap’n,” he said, looking stolidly into Mrs. Ranck’s cold -features, as if striving to find in them some assistance. “I was one as -sailed with him las’ May aboard the ‘Saracen.’” - -“Then why are you here?” I cried, desperately, although even as I spoke -there flashed across my mind a first realization of the horror the -answer was bound to convey. - -“’Cause the ‘Saracen’ foundered off Lucayas,” said the sailor, with -blunt deliberation, “an’ went to the bottom, ’th all hands—all but me, -that is. I caught a spar an’ floated three days an’ four nights, makin’ -at last Andros Isle, where a fisherman pulled me ashore more dead’n -alive. That’s nigh three months agone, sir. I’ve had fever sence—brain -fever, they called it—so I couldn’t bring the news afore.” - -I felt my body swaying slightly, and wondered if it would fall. Then I -caught at a ray of hope. - -“But my father, Captain Steele? Perhaps he, also, floated ashore!” I -gasped. - -The sailor shook his head, regretfully. - -“None but me was saved alive, sir,” he answered, in a solemn voice. “The -tide cast up a many o’ the ‘Saracen’ corpses, while I lay in the fever; -an’ the fisher folks give ’em a decent burial. But they saved the -trinkets as was found on the dead men, an’ among ’em was Cap’n Steele’s -watch an’ ring. I kep’ ’em to bring to you. Here they be,” he continued, -simply, as he rose from his chair to place a small chamois bag -reverently upon the table. - -Mrs. Ranck pounced upon it and with trembling fingers untied the string. -Then she drew forth my father’s well-known round silver watch and the -carbuncle ring he had worn upon his little finger ever since I could -remember. - -For a time no one spoke. I stared stupidly at the sailor, noticing that -the buttons on his pea-jacket did not match and wondering if he always -sewed them on himself. Mrs. Ranck had fallen back into her tall -rocking-chair, where she gyrated nervously back and forth, the left -rocker creaking as if it needed greasing. Why was it that I could not -burst into a flood of tears, or wail, or shriek, or do anything to prove -that I realized myself suddenly bereft of the only friend I had in all -the world? There was an iron band around my forehead, and another around -my chest. My brain was throbbing under one, and my heart trying -desperately to beat under the other. Yet outwardly I must have appeared -calm enough, and the fact filled me with shame and disgust. - -An orphan, now, and alone in the world. This father whom the angry seas -had engulfed was the only relative I had known since my sweet little -mother wearied of the world and sought refuge in Heaven, years and years -ago. And while father sailed away on his stout ship the “Saracen” I was -left to the care of the hard working but crabbed and cross old woman -whom I had come to call, through courtesy and convenience, “Aunt,” -although she was no relation whatever to me. Now I was alone in the -world. Father, bluff and rugged, so strong and resourceful that I had -seldom entertained a fear for his safety, was lying dead in the far away -island of Andros, and his boy must hereafter learn to live without him. - -The sailor, obviously uneasy at the effect of his ill tidings, now rose -to go; but at his motion Mrs. Ranck seemed suddenly to recover the use -of her tongue, and sternly bade him resume his seat. Then she plied him -with questions concerning the storm and the catastrophe that followed -it, and the man answered to the best of his ability. - -Captain Steele was universally acknowledged one of the best and most -successful seamen Batteraft had ever known. Through many years of -trading in foreign parts he had not only become sole owner of the -“Saracen,” but had amassed a fortune which, it was freely stated in the -town, was enough to satisfy the desires of any man. But this was merely -guess-work on the part of his neighbors, for when ashore the old sailor -confided his affairs to no one, unless it might have been to Mrs. Ranck. -For the housekeeper was a different person when the Captain was ashore, -recounting her own virtues so persistently, and seeming so solicitous -for my comfort, that poor father stood somewhat in awe of her -exceptional nobility of character. As soon as he had sailed she dropped -the mask, and was often unkind; but I never minded this enough to worry -him with complaints, so he was unconscious of her true nature. - -Indeed, my dear father had been so seldom at home that I dreaded to -cause him one moment’s uneasiness. He was a reserved man, too, as is the -case with so many sailors, and since the death of his dearly loved wife -had passed but little of his time ashore. I am sure he loved me, for he -always treated me with a rare tenderness; but he never would listen to -my entreaties to sail with him. - -“The sea’s no place for a lad that has a comfortable home,” he used to -reply, in his slow, thoughtful way. “Keep to your studies, Sam, my boy, -and you’ll be a bigger man some day than any seaman of us all.” - -The Captain’s brief visits home were the only bright spots in my -existence, and because I had no one else to love I lavished upon my one -parent all the affection of which I was capable. Therefore my present -sudden bereavement was so colossal and far reaching in its effects upon -my young life that it is no wonder the news staggered me and curiously -dulled my senses. - -Almost as if in a dream I heard Mrs. Ranck’s fierce questions and the -sailor’s reluctant answers. And when he had told everything that he knew -about the matter he got upon his feet and took my hands gently in both -his big, calloused ones. - -“I’m right sorry, lad, as ye’ve had this blow,” he muttered, feelingly. -“The Cap’n were a good man an’ a kind master, an’ many’s a time I’ve -heard him tell of his boy Sam. I s’pose he’s left ye provided with -plenty o’ this world’s goods, for he were a thrifty man and mostly in -luck. But if ye ever run aground, lad, or find ye need a friend to cast -a bowline, don’t ye forget that Ned Britton’ll stand by ye through thick -an’ thin!” - -With this he wrung my hands until I winced under the pressure, and then -he nodded briefly to Mrs. Ranck and hurried from the room. - -The twilight had faded during the interview, and the housekeeper had lit -a tallow candle. As Ned Britton’s footsteps died away the woman bent -forward to snuff the wick, and I noted a grim and determined look upon -her features that was new to them. But her hands trembled somewhat, in -spite of her assumed calmness, and the fact gave me a certain -satisfaction. Her loss could not be compared with mine, but the -Captain’s death was sure to bring about a change in her fortunes, as -well as my own. - -She resumed her regular rocking back and forth, riveting her eyes the -while upon my face. I did not sit, but leaned against the table, trying -hard to think. And thus for a long time we regarded each other in -silence. - -Finally she cried out, sharply: - -“Well, what are you a-goin’ to do now?” - -“In what way?” I asked, drearily. - -“In every way. How are you goin’ to live, fer one thing?” - -“Why, much the same as I am doing now, I suppose,” said I, trying to -rouse myself to attend to what she was saying. “Father owned this house, -which is now mine; and I’m sure there is considerable property besides, -although the ship is lost.” - -“Fiddlesticks!” exclaimed Mrs. Ranck, scornfully. - -I wondered what she meant by that, and looked my question. - -“Your father didn’t own a stick o’ this house,” she cried, in a tone -that was almost a scream. “It’s mine, an’ the deed’s in my own name!” - -“I know,” I replied, “but father has often explained that you merely -held the deed in trust for me, until I became of age. He turned it over -to you as a protection to me in case some accident should happen to him. -Many times he has told me that this plan insured my having a home, no -matter what happened.” - -“I guess you didn’t understand him,” she answered, an evil flash in her -eye. “The facts is, this house were put into my name because the Cap’n -owed me money.” - -“What for?” I asked. - -“I’ve kep’ ye in food an’ clothes ever sence ye was a baby. Do ye s’pose -that don’t cost money?” - -I stared at her bewildered. - -“Didn’t father furnish the money?” - -“Not a cent. He jest let it run on, as he did any wages. An’ it counts -up big, that a-way.” - -“Then the house isn’t mine, after all?” - -“Not an inch of it. Not a stick ner a stone.” - -I tried to think what this would mean to me, and what reason the woman -could have for claiming a right to my inheritance. - -“Once,” said I, musingly, “father told me how he had brought you here to -save you from the poor-house, or starvation. He was sorry for you, and -gave you a home. That was while mother was living. Afterwards, he said, -he trusted to your gratitude to take good care of me, and to stand my -friend in place of my dead mother.” - -“Fiddlesticks” she snapped, again. It was the word she usually used to -express contempt, and it sounded very disagreeable coming from her lips. - -“The Cap’n must ’a’ been a-dreamin’ when he told you that stuff an’ -nonsense,” she went on. “I’ve treated ye like my own son; there’s no -mistake about that. But I did it for wages, accordin’ to agreement -atween me an’ the Cap’n. An’ the wages wasn’t never paid. When they got -to be a big lump, he put the house in my name, to secure me. An’ it’s -mine—ev’ry stick of it!” - -My head was aching, and I had to press my hand to it to ease the pain. -In the light of the one flickering candle Mrs. Ranck’s hard face assumed -the expression of a triumphant demon, and I drew back from it, shocked -and repelled. - -“If what you say is true,” I said, listlessly, “I would rather you take -the old home to wipe out the debt. Yet father surely told me it was mine -and it isn’t like him to deceive me, or to owe any one money. However, -take it, Aunt, if you like.” - -“I’ve got it,” she answered; “an’ I mean to keep it.” - -“I shall get along very well,” said I, thinking, indeed, that nothing -mattered much, now father was gone. - -“How will you live?” she enquired. - -“Why, there’s plenty besides the house,” I replied. “In father’s room,” -and I nodded my head toward the door that was always kept locked in the -Captain’s absence, “there must be a great many valuable things stored. -The very last time he was home he said that in case anything ever -happened to him I would find a little fortune in his old sea-chest, -alone.” - -“May be,” rejoined the old woman, uneasily. “I hope _that_ story o’ -his’n, at least, is true, for your sake, Sam. I hain’t anything agin -you; but right is right. An’ the house don’t cover all that’s comin’ to -me, either. The Cap’n owed me four hundred dollars, besides the house, -for your keep durin’ all these years; an’ that’ll have to be paid afore -you can honestly lay claim to a cent o’ his property.” - -“Of course,” I agreed, meekly enough, for all this talk of money wearied -me. “But there should be much more than that in the chest, alone, -according to what father said.” - -“Let’s hope there is,” said she. “You go to bed, now, for you’re clean -done up, an’ no wonder. In the mornin’ we’ll both look into the Cap’n’s -room, an’ see what’s there. I ain’t a-goin’ to take no mean advantage o’ -you, Sam, you can depend on’t. So go to bed. Sleep’s the best cure-all -fer troubles like yours.” - -This last was said in a more kindly tone, and I was glad to take her at -her word and creep away to my little room in the attic. - - - - - CHAPTER II. - I FIND A RELATIVE. - - -It may have been hours that I sat at my little table, overcome by the -bitterness of my loss. And for more hours I tossed restlessly upon my -hard bed, striving in vain for comfort. But suddenly, as I recalled a -little affectionate gesture of my father’s, I burst into a flood of -tears, and oh, what a relief it was to be able to cry—to sob away the -load that had well-nigh overburdened my young heart! - -After that last paroxysm of grief I fell asleep, worn out by my own -emotions, and it was long past my usual hour for rising that I finally -awoke. - -In a moment, as I lay staring at the bright morning sunshine, the sorrow -that had been forgotten in sleep swept over me like a flood, and I wept -again at the thought of my utter loneliness and the dreadful fate that -had overtaken my dear father. But presently, with the elasticity of -youth, I was enabled to control myself, and turn my thoughts toward the -future. Then I remembered that Mrs. Ranck and I were to enter the -Captain’s locked room, and take an inventory of his possessions, and I -began hurriedly to dress myself, that this sad duty might be -accomplished as soon as possible. The recollection of the woman’s -preposterous claims moved me to sullen anger. It seemed like a -reflection on father’s honesty to claim that he had been in her debt all -these years, and I resolved that she should be paid every penny she -demanded, that the Captain’s honor might remain untarnished in death, -even as it had ever been during his lifetime. - -As soon as I was ready I descended the stairs to the living room, where -Mrs. Ranck sat rocking in her chair, just as I had left her the night -before. She was always an early riser, and I noticed that she had eaten -her own breakfast and left a piece of bacon and corn-bread for me upon -the hearth. - -She made no reply to my “good morning, Aunt,” so I took the plate from -the hearth and ate my breakfast in silence. I was not at all hungry; but -I was young, and felt the need of food. Not until I had finished did -Mrs. Ranck speak. - -“We may as well look into the Cap’n’s room, an’ get it done with,” she -said. “It’s only nat’ral as I should want to know if I’m goin’ to get -the money back I’ve spent on your keepin’.” - -“Very well,” said I. - -She went to a drawer of a tall bureau and drew out a small ivory box. -Within this I knew were the keys belonging to my father. Never before -had Mrs. Ranck dared to meddle with them, for the Captain had always -forbidden her and everyone else to enter his room during his absence. -Even now, when he was dead, it seemed like disobedience of his wishes -for the woman to seize the keys and march over to the door of the sacred -room. In a moment she had turned the lock and thrown open the door. - -Shy and half startled at our presumption, I approached and peered over -her shoulder. Occasionally, indeed, I had had a glimpse of the interior -of this little place, half chamber and half office; and, once or twice, -when a little child, I had entered it to seek my father. Now, as I -glanced within, it seemed to be in perfect order; but it struck me as -more bare and unfurnished than I had ever seen it before. Father must -have secretly removed many of the boxes that used to line the walls, for -they were all gone except his big sea-chest. - -The sight of the chest, however, reassured me, for it was in this that -he had told me to look for my fortune, in case anything should happen to -him. - -The old woman at once walked over to the chest, and taking a smaller key -from the ivory box, fitted it to the lock and threw back the lid with a -bang. - -“There’s your fortune!” she said, with a sneer; “see if you can find -it.” - -I bent over the chest, gazing eagerly into its depths. There was an old -Bible in one end, and a broken compass in the other. But that was all. - -Standing at one side, the woman looked into my astonished face and -laughed mockingly. - -“This was another o’ the Cap’n’s lies,” she said. “He lied to you about -ownin’ the house; he lied to you about takin’ me out o’ charity; an’ he -lied to you about the fortune in this chest. An easy liar was Cap’n -Steele, I must say!” - -I shrank back, looking into her exultant eyes with horror in my own. - -“How dare you say such things about my father?” I cried, in anger. - -“How dare I?” she retorted; “why, because they’re true, as you can see -for yourself. Your father’s deceived you, an’ he’s deceived me. I’ve -paid out over four hundred dollars for your keep, thinkin’ there was -enough in this room to pay me back. An’ now I stand to lose every penny -of it, jest because I trusted to a lyin’ sea-captain.” - -“You won’t lose a dollar!” I cried, indignantly, while I struggled to -keep back the tears of disappointment and shame that rushed to my eyes. -“I’ll pay you every cent of the money, if I live.” - -She looked at me curiously, with a half smile upon her thin lips. - -“How?” she asked. - -“I’ll work and earn it.” - -“Pish! what can a boy like you earn? An’ what’s goin’ to happen while -you’re earnin’ it? One thing’s certain, Sam Steele; you can’t stay here -an’ live off’n a poor lone woman that’s lost four hundred dollars by you -already. You’ll have to find another place.” - -“I’ll do that,” I said, promptly. - -“You can have three days to git out,” she continued, pushing me out of -the room and relocking the door, although there was little reason for -that. “And you can take whatever clothes you’ve got along with you. -Nobody can say that Jane Ranck ain’t acted like a Christian to ye, even -if she’s beat an’ defrauded out’n her just rights. But if ye should -happen to earn any money, Sam, I hope you’ll remember what ye owe me.” - -“I will,” said I, coldly; and I meant it. - -To my surprise Mrs. Ranck gave a strange chuckle, which was doubtless -meant for a laugh—the first I had ever known her to indulge in. It fired -my indignation to such a point that I cried out: “Shame!” and seizing my -cap I rushed from the house. - -The cottage was built upon a small hill facing the bay, and was fully a -quarter of a mile distant from the edge of the village of Batteraft. -From our gate the path led down hill through a little group of trees and -then split in twain, one branch running down to the beach, where the -shipping lay, and the other crossing the meadows to the village. Among -the trees my father had built a board bench, overlooking the bay, and -here I have known him to sit for hours, enjoying the beauty of the view, -while the leafy trees overhead shaded him from the hot sun. - -It was toward this bench, a favorite resort of mine because my father -loved it, that I directed my steps on leaving Mrs. Ranck. At the moment -I was dazed by the amazing discovery of my impoverished condition, and -this, following so suddenly upon the loss of my father, nearly -overwhelmed me with despair. But I knew that prompt action on my part -was necessary, for the woman had only given me three days grace, and my -pride would not suffer me to remain that long in a home where my -presence was declared a burden. So I would sit beneath the trees and try -to decide where to go and what to do. - -But as I approached the place I found, to my astonishment, that a man -was already seated upon the bench. He was doubtless a stranger in -Batteraft, for I had never seen him before, so that I moderated my pace -and approached him slowly, thinking he might discover he was on private -grounds and take his leave. - -He paid no attention to me, being engaged in whittling a stick with a -big jack-knife. In appearance he was short, thick-set, and of middle -age. His round face was lined in every direction by deep wrinkles, and -the scant hair that showed upon his temples was thin and grey. He wore a -blue flannel shirt, with a black kerchief knotted at the throat; but, -aside from this, his dress was that of an ordinary civilian; so that at -first I was unable to decide whether he was a sailor or a landsman. - -The chief attraction in the stranger was the expression of his face, -which was remarkably humorous. Although I was close by him, now, he paid -no attention to my presence, but as he whittled away industriously he -gave vent to several half audible chuckles that seemed to indicate that -his thoughts were very amusing. - -I was about to pass him and go down to the beach, where I might find a -solitary spot for my musings, when the man turned his eyes up to mine -and gave a wink that seemed both mysterious and confidential. - -“It’s Sam, ain’t it?” he asked, with another silent chuckle. - -“Yes, sir,” I replied, resenting his familiarity while I wondered how he -should know me. - -“Cap’n Steele’s son, I’m guessin’?” he continued. - -“The same, sir,” and I made a movement to pass on. - -“Sit down, Sam; there’s no hurry,” and he pointed to the bench beside -him. - -I obeyed, wondering what he could want with me. Half turning toward me, -he gave another of those curious winks and then suddenly turned grave -and resumed his whittling. - -“May I ask who you are, sir?” I enquired. - -“No harm in that,” he replied, with a smile that lighted his wrinkled -face most comically. “No harm in the world. I’m Naboth Perkins.” - -“Oh,” said I, without much interest. - -“Never heard that name before, I take it?” - -“No, sir.” - -“Do you remember your mother?” - -“Not very well, sir,” I answered, wondering more and more. “I was little -more than a baby when she died, you know.” - -“I know,” and he nodded, and gave an odd sort of grunt. “Did you ever -hear what her name was, afore she married the Cap’n?” - -“Oh, yes!” I cried, suddenly enlightened. “It was Mary Perkins.” - -Then, my heart fluttering wildly, I turned an intent and appealing gaze -upon the little man beside me. - -Naboth Perkins was seized with another of those queer fits of silent -merriment, and his shoulders bobbed up and down until a cough caught -him, and for a time I feared he would choke to death before he could -control the convulsions. But at last he recovered and wiped the tears -from his eyes with a brilliant red handkerchief. - -“I’m your uncle, lad,” he said, as soon as he could speak. - -This was news, indeed, but news that puzzled me exceedingly. - -“Why have I never heard of you before?” I asked, soberly. - -“Haven’t ye?” he returned, with evident surprise. - -“Never.” - -He looked the stick over carefully, and cut another notch in it. - -“Well, for one thing,” he remarked, “I’ve never been in these parts -afore sence the day I was born. Fer another thing, it stands to reason -you was too young to remember, even if Mary had talked to ye about her -only brother afore she died an’ quit this ’ere sublunatic spear. An’, -fer a third an’ last reason, Cap’n Steele were a man that had little to -say about most things, so it’s fair to s’pose he had less to say about -his relations. Eh?” - -“Perhaps it is as you say, sir.” - -“Quite likely. Yet it’s mighty funny the Cap’n never let drop a word -about me, good or bad.” - -“Were you my father’s friend?” I asked, anxiously. - -“That’s as may be,” said Mr. Perkins, evasively. “Friends is all kinds, -from acquaintances to lovers. But the Cap’n an me wasn’t enemies, by a -long shot, an’ I’ve been his partner these ten year back.” - -“His partner!” I echoed, astonished. - -The little man nodded. - -“His partner,” he repeated, with much complacency. “But our dealin’s -together was all on a strict business basis. We didn’t hobnob, ner -gossip, ner slap each other on the back. So as fer saying we was exactly -friends—w’y, I can’t honestly do it, Sam.” - -“I understand,” said I, accepting his explanation in good faith. - -“I came here at this time,” continued Mr. Perkins, addressing his speech -to the jack-knife, which he held upon the palm of his hand, “to see -Cap’n Steele on an important business matter. He had agreed to meet me. -But I saw Ned Britton at the tavern, las’ night, an’ heerd fer the first -time that the ‘Saracen’ had gone to Davy Jones an’ took the Cap’n with -her. So I come up here to have a little talk with you, which is his son -and my own nevvy.” - -“Why didn’t you come up to the house?” I enquired. - -Mr. Perkins turned upon me his peculiar wink, and his shoulders began to -shake again, till I feared more convulsions. But he suddenly stopped -short, and with abrupt gravity nodded his head at me several times. - -“The woman!” he said, in a low voice. “I jest can’t abide women. -’Specially when they’s old an’ given to argument, as Ned Britton says -this one is.” - -I sympathized with him, and said so. Whereat my uncle gave me a look -gentle and kindly, and said in a friendly tone: - -“Sam, my boy, I want to tell you all about myself, that’s your blood -uncle an’ no mistake; but first I want you to tell me all about -yourself. You’re an orphan, now, an’ my dead sister’s child, an’ I take -it I’m the only real friend you’ve got in the world. So now, fire away!” - -There was something about the personality of Naboth Perkins that invited -confidence; or perhaps it was my loneliness and need of a friend that -led me to accept this astonishing uncle in good faith. Anyway, I did not -hesitate to tell him my whole story, including my recent grief at the -news of my dear father’s death and the startling discovery I had just -made that I was penniless and in debt for my living to Mrs. Ranck. - -“Father has often told me,” I concluded, “that the house was mine, and -had been put in Mrs. Ranck’s name because he felt she was honest, and -would guard my interests in his absence. And he told me there was a -store of valuable articles in his room, which he had been accumulating -for years, and that the old sea-chest alone contained enough to make me -independent. But when we examined the room this morning everything was -gone, and the chest was empty. I don’t know what to think about it, I’m -sure; for father never lied, in spite of what Mrs. Ranck says.” - -Uncle Naboth whistled a sailor’s hornpipe in a slow, jerky, and -altogether dismal fashion. When it was quite finished, even to the last -quavering bar, he said: - -“Sam, who kept the keys to the room, an’ the chest?” - -“Mrs. Ranck.” - -“M—m. Was the room dark, an’ all covered over with dust, when you went -in there this mornin’?” - -“I——I don’t think it was,” I answered, trying to recollect. “No! I -remember, now. The blind was wide open, and the room looked clean and in -good order.” - -“Sailors,” remarked Mr. Perkins, impressively, “never is known to keep -their rooms in good order. The Cap’n been gone five months an’ more. If -all was straight the dust would be thick on everything.” - -“To be sure,” said I, very gravely. - -“Then, Sam, it stands to reason the ol’ woman went inter the room while -you was asleep, an’ took out everything she could lay her hands on. -Cap’n Steele didn’t lie to you, my boy. But he made the mistake of -thinkin’ the woman honest. She took advantage of the fact that the Cap’n -was dead, an’ couldn’t prove nothin’. And so she robbed you.” - -The suspicion had crossed my mind before, and I was not greatly -surprised to hear my uncle voice it. - -“Then, can’t we make her give it up?” I asked. “If she has done such a -wicked thing, it seems as though we ought to accuse her of it, and make -her give me all that belongs to me.” - -Uncle Naboth rose slowly from the bench, settled his felt hat firmly -upon his head, pulled down his checkered vest, and assumed a most -determined bearing. - -“You wait here,” he said, “an’ I’ll beard the she-tiger in her den, an’ -see what can be done.” - -Then he gave a great sigh, and turning square around, marched stiffly up -the path that led to the house. - - - - - CHAPTER III. - MY FORTUNES IMPROVE. - - -I awaited with as much patience as I could muster the result of the -venture. I was proud of Uncle Naboth’s bravery, and hoped he would be -successful. Surely the brief interview with my newly acquired relative -had caused a great change in my future prospects, for it was not likely -that my mother’s brother would desert me in my extremity. I had left the -house that was now no longer my home without a single friend to whom I -could turn, and behold, here was a champion waiting to espouse my cause! -Mr. Perkins was somewhat peculiar in his actions, it is true, but he was -my uncle and my dead father’s partner, and already I was beginning to -have faith in him. - -It was a full half hour before I saw him coming back along the path; but -now he no longer strutted with proud determination. Instead, his whole -stout little body drooped despondently; his hat was thrust back from his -forehead, and upon his deeply wrinkled face stood big drops of -perspiration. - -“Sam,” said he, standing before me with a rather sheepish air, “I were -wrong, an’ I beg your pardon. That woman ain’t no she-tiger. I -mis-stated the case. She’s a she-devil!” - -The words were laden with disgust and indignation. Uncle Naboth drew out -his gorgeous handkerchief and wiped his face with it. Then he dropped -upon the bench and pushed his big hands deep into his capacious pockets, -with the air of a man crushed and defeated. - -I sighed. - -“Then she refused to give up the property?” - -“Give up? She’d die first. Why, Sam, the critter tried to brain me with -a gridiron! Almost, my boy, you was an orphan agin. He who fights an’ -runs away may n’t get much credit for it, but he’s a durned sight safer -ner a dead man. The Perkinses was allus a reckless crew; but sooner ’n -face that female agin I’d tackle a mad bull!” - -“Won’t the law help us?” I asked. - -“The law!” cried Mr. Perkins, in a voice of intense horror. “W’y, Sam, -the law’s more to be dreaded than a woman. It’s an invention of the -devil to keep poor mortals from becomin’ too happy in this ’ere vale o’ -tears. My boy, if ye ever has to choose between the law an’ a woman, my -advice is to commit suicide at once. It’s quicker an’ less painful.” - -“But the law stands for justice,” I protested. - -“That’s the bluff it puts up,” said Uncle Naboth, “but it ain’t so. An’ -where’s your proof agin Mrs. Ranck, anyhow? Cap’n Steele foolishly put -the house in her name. If she ain’t honest enough to give it up, no one -can take it from her. An’ he kep’ secret about the fortune that was left -in his room, so we can’t describe the things you’ve been robbed of. -Altogether, it’s jest a hopeless case. The she-devil has made up her -mind to inherit your fortune, an’ you can’t help yourself.” - -As I stared into the little man’s face the tears came into my eyes and -blurred my sight. He thrust the red handkerchief into my hand, and I -quickly wiped away the traces of unmanly weakness. And when I could see -plainly again my uncle was deeply involved in one of his fits of silent -merriment, and his shoulders were shaking spasmodically. I waited for -him to cough and choke, which he proceeded to do before regaining his -gravity. The attack seemed to have done him good, for he smiled at my -disturbed expression and laid a kindly hand on my shoulder. - -“Run up to the house, my lad, an’ get your bundle of clothes,” he said. -“I’ll be here when you get back. Don’t worry over what’s gone. I’ll take -care o’ you, hereafter.” - -I gave him a grateful glance and clasped his big, horny hands in both my -own. - -“Thank you, uncle,” said I; “I don’t know what would have become of me -if you had not turned up just as you did.” - -“Lucky; wasn’t it, Sam? But run along and get your traps.” - -I obeyed, walking slowly and thoughtfully back to the house. When I -tried to raise the latch I found the door locked. - -“Mrs. Ranck!” I called. “Mrs. Ranck, let me in, please. I’ve come for my -clothes.” - -There was no answer. I rattled the latch, but all in vain. So I sat down -upon the steps of the porch, wondering what I should do. It was a -strange and unpleasant sensation, to find myself suddenly barred from -the home in which I had been born and wherein I had lived all my boyhood -days. It was only my indignation against this selfish and hard old woman -that prevented me from bursting into another flood of tears, for my -nerves were all unstrung by the events of the past few hours. However, -anger held all other passion in check for the moment, and I was about to -force an entrance through the side window, as I had done on several -occasions before, when the sash of the window in my own attic room was -pushed up and a bundle was projected from it with such good aim that it -would have struck my head, had I not instinctively dodged it. - -Mrs. Ranck’s head followed the bundle far enough to cast a cruel and -triumphant glance into my upturned face. - -“There’s your duds. Take ’em an’ go, you ongrateful wretch!” she yelled. -“An’ don’t ye let me see your face again until you come to pay me the -money you owes for your keepin’.” - -“Please, Mrs. Ranck,” I asked, meekly, “can I have my father’s watch and -ring?” - -“No, no, no!” she screamed, in a fury. “Do ye want to rob me of -everything? Ain’t you satisfied to owe me four hundred dollars a’ready?” - -“I——I’d like some keepsake of father’s,” I persisted, well knowing this -would be my last chance to procure it. “You may keep the watch, if -you’ll give me the ring.” - -“I’ll keep’m both,” she retorted. “You’ll get nothin’ more out’n me, now -or never!” - -Then she slammed down the window, and refused to answer by a word my -further pleadings. So finally I picked up the bundle and, feeling -miserable and sick at heart, followed the path back to the little grove. - -“It didn’t take you very long, but that’s all the better,” said my -uncle, shutting his clasp-knife with a click and then standing up to -brush the chips from his lap. “We two’ll go to the tavern, an’ talk over -our future plans.” - -Silently I walked by the side of Naboth Perkins until we came to the -village. I knew everyone in the little town, and several of the -fishermen and sailors met me with words of honest sympathy for my loss. -Captain Steele had been the big man of Batteraft, beloved by all who -knew him despite his reserved nature, and these simple villagers, rude -and uneducated but kindly hearted, felt that in his death they had lost -a good friend and a neighbor of whom they had always been proud. Not one -of them would have refused assistance to Captain Steele’s only son; but -they were all very poor, and it was lucky for me that Uncle Naboth had -arrived so opportunely to befriend me. - -Having ordered a substantial dinner of the landlord of “The Rudder,” Mr. -Perkins gravely invited me to his private room for a conference, and I -climbed the rickety stairs in his wake. - -The chamber was very luxurious in my eyes, with its rag carpet and -high-posted bed, its wash-stand and rocking-chair. I could not easily -withhold my deference to the man who was able to hire it, and removing -my cap I sat upon the edge of the bed while Uncle Naboth took possession -of the rocking-chair and lighted a big briar pipe. - -Having settled himself comfortably by putting his feet upon the sill of -the open window, he remarked: - -“Now, Sam, my lad, we’ll talk it all over.” - -“Very well, sir,” I replied, much impressed. - -“In the first place, I’m your father’s partner, as I said afore. Some -years ago the Cap’n found he had more money’n he could use in his own -business, an’ I’d saved up a bit myself, to match it. So we put both -together an’ bought a schooner called the ‘Flipper’, w’ich I’m free to -say is the best boat, fer its size an’ kind, that ever sailed the -Pacific.” - -“The Pacific!” - -“Naterally. Cap’n Steele on the Atlantic, an’ Cap’n Perkins on the -Pacific. In that way we divided up the world between us.” He stopped to -wink, here, and began his silent chuckle; but fortunately he remembered -the importance of the occasion and refrained from carrying it to the -choking stage. “I s’pose your father never said naught to you about this -deal o’ ours, any more’n he did to that she-bandit up at the house. An’ -it’s lucky he didn’t, or the critter’d be claimin’ the ‘Flipper’, too, -an’ then you an’ I’d be out of a job!” - -He winked again; solemnly, this time; and I sat still and stared at him. - -“Howsomever, the ‘Flipper’ is still in statute loo, an’ thank heaven fer -that! I made sev’ral voyages in her to Australy, that turned out fairly -profitably, an’ brought the Cap’n an’ me some good bits o’ money. So -last year we thought we’d tackle the Japan trade, that seemed to be -lookin’ up. It looked down agin as soon as I struck the pesky shores, -an’ a month ago I returned to ’Frisco a sadder an’ a wiser man. Not that -the losses was so great, Sam, you understand; but the earnin’s wasn’t -enough to buy a shoe-string. - -“So I sailed cross-lots to Batteraft to consult with my partner, which -is Cap’n Steele, as to our next voyage, an’ the rest o’ the story you -know as well as I do. Your father bein’ out o’ the firm, from no fault -o’ his’n, his son is his nateral successor. So I take it that hereafter -we’ll have to consult together.” - -My amazed expression amused him exceedingly, but I found it impossible -just then to utter a single word. Uncle Naboth did not seem to expect me -to speak, for after lighting his pipe again he continued, with an air of -great complacency: - -“It mought be said that, as you’re a minor, I stands as your rightful -guardeen, an’ have a right to act for you ’til you come of age. On the -other hand, you mought claim that, bein’ a partner, your size an’ age -don’t count, an’ you’ve a right to be heard. Howsomever, we won’t go to -law about it, Sam. The law’s onreliable. Sometimes it’s right, an’ -mostly it’s wrong; but it ain’t never to be trusted by an honest man. If -you insist on dictatin’ what this partnership’s goin’ to do, you’ll -probably run it on a rock in two jerks of a lamb’s tail, for you haven’t -got the experience old Cap’n Steele had; but if you’re satisfied to let -me take the tiller, an’ steer you into harbor, why, I’ll accept the job -an’ do the best I can at it.” - -“Uncle Naboth,” I replied, earnestly, “had you not been an honest man I -would never have known you were my father’s partner, or that he had any -interest in your business. But you’ve been more than honest. You’ve been -kind to me; and I am only too glad to trust you in every way.” - -“Well spoke, lad!” cried Mr. Perkins, slapping his knee delightedly. -“It’s what I had a right to expect in poor Mary’s boy. We’re sure to get -along, Sam, and even if I don’t make you rich, you’ll never need a stout -friend while your Uncle Nabe is alive an’ kickin’!” - -Then we both stood up, and shook hands with great solemnity, to seal the -bargain. After which my friend and protector returned to his rocker and -once more stretched his feet across the window sill. - -“How much property belongs to me, Uncle?” I asked. - -“We never drew up any papers. Cap’n Steele knew as he could trust me, -an’ so papers wa’n’t necessary. He owned one-third interest in the -‘Flipper’, an’ supplied one half the money to carry on the trade. That -made it mighty hard to figure out the profits, so we gen’ly lumped it, -to save brain-work. Of course your father’s been paid all his earnin’s -after each voyage was over, so accounts is settled up to the Japan trip. -Probably the money I gave him was in the sea-chest, an’ that old -she-pirate up to the house grabbed it with the other things. The Japan -voyage was a failure, as I told you; but there’s about a thousand -dollars still comin’ to the Cap’n—which means it’s comin’ to you, -Sam—an’ the ship’s worth a good ten thousand besides.” - -I tried to think what that meant to me. - -“It isn’t a very big sum of money, is it, Uncle?” I asked, diffidently. - -“That depends on how you look at it,” he answered. “Big oaks from little -acorns grow, you know. If you leave the matter to me, I’ll try to make -that thousand sprout considerable, before you come of age.” - -“Of course I’ll leave it to you,” said I. “And I am very grateful for -your kindness, sir.” - -“Don’t you turn your gratitude loose too soon, Sam. I may land your -fortunes high an’ dry on the rocks, afore I’ve got through with ’em. But -if I do it won’t be on purpose, an’ we’ll sink or swim together. An’ -now, that bein’ as good as settled, the next thing to argy is what -you’re a-goin’ to do while I’m sailin’ the seas an’ makin’ money for -you.” - -“What would you suggest?” I asked. - -“Well, some folks might think you ought to have more schoolin’. How old -are you?” - -“Sixteen, sir.” - -“Can you read an’ write, an’ do figgers?” - -“Oh, yes; I’ve finished the public school course,” I replied, smiling at -the simple question. - -“Then I guess you’ve had study enough, my lad, and are ready to go to -work. I never had much schoolin’ myself, but I’ve managed to hold my own -in the world, in spite of the way letters an’ figgers mix up when I look -at ’em. Not but what eddication is a good thing; but all eddication -don’t lay in schools. Rubbin’ against the world is what polishes up a -man, an’ the feller that keeps his eyes open can learn somethin’ new -every day. To be open with you, Sam, I need you pretty bad on the -‘Flipper’, to keep the books an’ look after the accounts, an’ do writin’ -an’ spellin’ when letters has to be writ. On the last trip I put in four -days hard work, writin’ a letter that was only three lines long. An’ I’m -blamed if the landsman I sent it to didn’t telegraph me for a -translation. So, if you’re willin’ to ship with the firm of Perkins & -Steele, I’ll make you purser an’ chief clerk.” - -“I should like that!” I answered, eagerly. - -“Then the second p’int’s settled. There’s only one more. The ‘Flipper’ -is lyin’ in the harbor at ’Frisco. When shall we join her, lad?” - -“I’m ready now, sir.” - -“Good. I’ve ordered a wagon to carry us over to the railroad station at -four o’clock, so ye see I had a pretty good idea beforehand what sort o’ -stuff Mary’s boy was made of. Now let’s go to dinner.” - - - - - CHAPTER IV. - I SHIP ABOARD THE “FLIPPER.” - - -When the two-seated spring wagon drew up before the tavern door quite a -crowd of idle villagers assembled to see us off, and among them I -noticed my father’s old sailor, Ned Britton. Uncle Naboth climbed aboard -at once, but I stayed to shake the hands held out to me and to thank the -Batteraft people for their hearty wishes for my future prosperity. I -think they were sorry to see me go, and I know I felt a sudden pang of -regret at parting from the place where I had lived so long and the -simple villagers who had been my friends. - -When at last I mounted to the rear seat of the wagon and sat beside my -uncle, I was astonished to find Ned Britton established beside the -driver. - -“Are you going with us?” I asked. - -The sailor nodded. - -“It’s like this,” remarked Mr. Perkins, as we rolled away from the -tavern, “this man belonged to my old partner, Cap’n Steele, an’ stuck to -his ship ’til she went down. Also he’s put himself out to come here an’ -tell us the news, and it ain’t every sailor as’ll take the trouble to do -such a job. Therefore, Ned Britton bein’ at present without a ship, I’ve -asked him to take a berth aboard the ‘Flipper.’” - -“That was kind of you, Uncle,” I said, pleased at this evidence of my -relative’s kindly nature. - -“An honest sailor ain’t to be sneezed at,” continued Uncle Naboth, with -one of his quaint winks. “If Ned Britton were faithful to the ‘Saracen’ -he’ll be faithful to the ‘Flipper.’ An’ that’s the sort o’ man we want.” - -Britton doubtless overheard every word of this eulogy, but he gazed -stolidly ahead and paid no attention to my uncle’s words of praise. - -We reached the railway station in ample time for the train, and soon -were whirling away on our long journey into the golden West. - -No incident worthy of note occurred on our way across the continent, -although I might record a bit of diplomacy on the part of Uncle Naboth -that illustrates the peculiar shrewdness I have always found coupled -with his native simplicity. - -Just before our train drew into Chicago, where we were to change cars -and spend the best part of a day, my uncle slipped into my hand a long, -fat pocket-book, saying: - -“Hide that in your pocket, Sam, and button it up tight.” - -“What’s your idea, Uncle Nabe?” I asked. - -“Why, we’re comin’ to the wickedest city in all the world, accordin’ to -the preachers; an’ if it ain’t that, it’s bad enough, in all conscience. -There’s robbers an’ hold-up men by the thousands, an’ if one of ’em got -hold of me I’d be busted in half a second. But none of ’em would think -of holdin’ up a boy like you; so the money’s safe in your pocket, if you -don’t go an’ lose it.” - -“I’ll try not to do that, sir,” I returned; but all during the day the -possession of the big pocket-book made me nervous and uneasy. I -constantly felt of my breast to see that the money was still safe, and -it is a wonder my actions did not betray to some sly thief the fact that -I was concealing the combined wealth of our little party. - -No attempt was made to rob us, however, either at Chicago or during the -remainder of the journey to the Pacific coast, and we arrived at our -destination safely and in good spirits. - -Uncle Naboth seemed especially pleased to reach San Francisco again. - -“This car travellin’,” he said, “is good enough for landsmen that don’t -know of anything better; but I’d rather spend a month at sea than a -night in one of them stuffy, dangerous cars, that are likely to run -off’n the track any minute.” - -Ned Britton and I accompanied Mr. Perkins to a modest but respectable -lodging-house near the bay, where we secured rooms and partook of a -hearty breakfast. Then we took a long walk, and I got my first sight of -the famous “Golden Gate.” I was surprised at the great quantity of -shipping in the bay, and as I looked over the hundreds of craft at -anchor I wondered curiously which was the “Flipper,” of which I was part -owner—the gallant ship whose praises Uncle Naboth had sung so -persistently ever since we left Batteraft. - -After luncheon we hired a small boat, and Ned Britton undertook to row -us aboard the “Flipper,” which had been hidden from our view by a point -of land. I own that after my uncle’s glowing descriptions of her I -expected to see a most beautiful schooner, with lines even nobler than -those of the grand old “Saracen,” which had been my father’s pride for -so many years. So my disappointment may be imagined when we drew up to a -grimy looking vessel of some six hundred tons, with discolored sails, -weather-worn rigging and a glaring need of fresh paint. - -Ned Britton, however, rested on his oars, studied the ship carefully, -and then slowly nodded his head in approval. - -“Well, what d’ye think o’ her?” asked Uncle Naboth, relapsing into one -of his silent chuckles at the expression of my face. - -“She looks rather dirty, sir,” I answered, honestly. - -“The ‘Flipper’ ain’t quite as fresh as a lily in bloom, that’s a fact,” -returned my uncle, in no ways discomfited by my remark. “She wasn’t no -deebutantee when I bought her, an’ her clothes has got old, and darned -and patched, bein’ as we haven’t been near to a Paris dressmaker. But -I’ve sailed in her these ten years past, Sam, an’ we’re both as sound as -a dollar.” - -“She ought to be fast, sir,” remarked Britton, critically. - -Mr. Perkins laughed—not aloud, but in his silent, distinctly humorous -way. - -“She _is_ fast, my lad, w’ich is a virtue in a ship if it ain’t in a -woman. And in some other ways, besides, the ‘Flipper’ ain’t to be -sneezed at. As for her age, she’s too shy to tell it, but I guess it -entitles her to full respect.” - -We now drew alongside, and climbed upon the deck, where my uncle was -greeted by a tall, lank man who appeared to my curious eyes to be a good -example of a living skeleton. His clothes covered his bones like bags, -and so thin and drawn was his face that his expression was one of -constant pain. - -“Morn’n’, Cap’n,” said Uncle Naboth, although it was afternoon. - -“Morn’n’, Mr. Perkins,” returned the other, in a sad voice. “Glad to see -you back.” - -“Here’s my nevvy, Sam Steele, whose father were part owner but got lost -in a storm awhile ago.” - -“Glad to see you, sir,” said the Captain, giving my hand a melancholy -shake. - -“An’ here’s Ned Britton, who once sailed with Cap’n Steele,” continued -my uncle. “He’ll sign with us, Cap’n Gay, and I guess you’ll find him A -No. 1.” - -“Glad to see you, Britton,” repeated the Captain, in his dismal voice. -If the lanky Captain was as glad to see us all as his words indicated, -his expression fully contradicted the fact. - -Britton saluted and walked aft, where I noticed several sailors -squatting upon the deck in careless attitudes. To my glance these seemed -as solemn and joyless as their Captain; but I acknowledge that on this -first visit everything about the ship was a disappointment to me, -perhaps because I had had little experience with trading vessels and my -mind was stored with recollections of the trim “Saracen.” - -Below, however, was a comfortable cabin, well fitted up, and Uncle -Naboth showed me a berth next to his own private room which was to be my -future home. The place was little more than a closet, but I decided it -would do very well. - -“I thought _you_ were the captain of the ‘Flipper,’ Uncle Naboth,” said -I, when we were alone. - -“No; I’m jest super-cargo,” he replied, with his usual wink. “You see, I -wasn’t eddicated as a sailor, Sam, an’ never cared to learn the trade. -Cap’n Gay is one o’ the best seamen that ever laid a course, so I hire -him to take the ship wherever I want to go. As fer the cargo, that’s my -’special look-out, an’ it keeps me busy enough, I can tell you. I’m a -nat’ral born trader, and except fer that blamed Japan trip, I ain’t much -ashamed of my record.” - -“Will you go to Australia again?” I asked. - -“Not jest now, Sam. My next venture’s goin’ to be a bit irregular—what -you might call speculative, an’ extry-hazardous. But we’ll talk that -over tonight, after supper.” - -After making a cursory examination of the ship Uncle Naboth received the -Captain’s report of what had transpired in his absence, and then we -rowed back to town again. - -We strolled through the city streets for an hour, had supper, and then -my uncle took me to his room, carefully closed and locked the door, and -announced that he was ready to “talk business.” - -“Bein’ partners,” he said, “we’ve got to consult together; but I take it -you won’t feel bad, Sam, if I do most of the consultin’. I went down -East to Batteraft to talk my plans with your father, but he slipped his -cable an’ I’ve got to talk ’em to you. If you see I’m wrong, anywhere, -jest chip in an’ stop me; but otherwise the less you say the more good -we’ll get out’n this ’ere conference.” - -“Very well, sir.” - -“To start in with, we’ve got a ship, an’ a crew, an’ plenty o’ loose -money. So what’ll we do with ’em? Our business is to trade, an’ to -invest our money so we’ll make more with it. What’s the best way to do -that?” - -He seemed to pause for an answer, so I said: “I don’t know sir.” - -“Nobody _knows_, of course. But we can guess, and then find out -afterward if we’ve guessed right. All business is a gamble; and, if it -wasn’t, most men would quit an’ go fishin’. After I got back from Japan -I met a lot o’ fellows that had been to Alaska huntin’ gold. Seems like -Alaska’s full of gold, an’ before long the whole country’ll be flockin’ -there like sheep. All ’Frisco’s gettin’ excited about the thing, so they -tell me, and if fortunes is goin’ to be made in Alaska, we may as well -speak for one ourselves.” - -“But we are not miners, Uncle; and it’s bitter cold up there, they say.” - -“Well put. We’ll let the crowds mine the gold, and then hand it over to -us.” - -“I’m afraid I don’t understand,” said I, weakly. - -“No call for you to try, Sam. I’m your guardeen, an’ so I’ll do the -understandin’ for us both. Folks has to eat, my lad, an’ gold hunters is -usually too excited to make proper provisions fer their stomachs. -They’re goin’ to be mighty hungry out in Alaska, before long, an’ when a -man’s hungry he’ll pay liberal fer a square meal. Let’s give it to him, -Sam, an’ take the consequences—which is gold dust an’ nuggets.” - -“How will you do it, Uncle Nabe?” - -“Load the ‘Flipper’ with grub an’ carry it to Kipnac, or up the Yukon as -far as Fort Weare, or wherever the gold fields open up. Then, when the -miners get hungry, they’ll come to us and trade their gold for our -groceries. We’re sure to make big profits, Sam.” - -“It looks like a reasonable proposition, sir,” I said. “But it seems to -me rather dangerous. Suppose our ship gets frozen in the ice, and we -can’t get away? And suppose about that time we’ve sold out our -provisions. We can’t eat gold. And suppose——” - -“S’pose the moon falls out’n the sky,” interrupted Uncle Naboth, -“wouldn’t it be dark at night, though!” - -“Well, sir?” - -“If the gold-diggers can live in the ice fields, we can live in a good -warm ship. And we’ll keep enough grub for ourselves, you may be sure of -that.” - -“When do we start?” I asked, feeling sure that no arguments would move -my uncle to abandon the trip, once he had made up his mind to undertake -it. - -“As soon as we can get the cargo aboard. It’s coming on warmer weather, -now, and this is the best time to make the voyage. A steamer left today -with three hundred prospectors, an’ they’ll be goin’ in bunches every -day, now. Already I estimate there’s over a thousand in the fields, so -we won’t get there any too soon to do business. What do you say, Sam?” - -“I’ve nothing to say, sir. Being my guardian, you’ve decided the matter -for both the partners, as is right and proper. As your clerk and -assistant, I’ll obey whatever orders you give me.” - -“That’s the proper spirit, lad!” he cried, with enthusiasm. “We’ll go to -work tomorrow morning; and if all goes well we’ll be afloat in ten days, -with a full cargo!” - - - - - CHAPTER V. - “NUX” AND “BRYONIA.” - - -On the seventh day of May, 1897, the “Flipper” weighed anchor and sailed -before a light breeze through the Golden Gate and away on her voyage -toward Alaska and its gold fields. Stored within her hold was a vast -quantity of provisions of the sort that could be kept indefinitely -without danger of spoiling. Flour, hams, bacon, sugar and coffee were -represented; but canned meats and vegetables, tobacco and cheap cigars -comprised by far the greater part of the cargo. Uncle Naboth had been -seriously advised to carry a good supply of liquors, but refused -positively to traffic in such merchandise. - -Indeed, my uncle rose many degrees in my respect after I had watched for -a time his preparations for our voyage. Simple, rough and uneducated he -might be, but a shrewder man at a bargain I have never met in all my -experience. And his reputation for honesty was so well established that -his credit was practically unlimited among the wholesale grocers and -notion jobbers of San Francisco. Everyone seemed ready and anxious to -assist him, and the amount of consideration he met with on every hand -was really wonderful. - -“We’ve bought the right stuff, Sam,” he said to me, as we stood on the -deck and watched the shore gradually recede, “and now we’ve got to sell -it right. That’s the secret of good tradin’.” - -I was glad enough to find myself at sea, where I could rest from my -labors of the past two weeks. I had been upon the docks night and day, -it seemed, checking off packages of goods as fast as they were loaded on -the lighters, and being unaccustomed to work I tired very easily. But my -books were all accurate and “ship-shape,” and I had found opportunity to -fit up my little state-room with many comforts. In this I had been aided -by Uncle Naboth, who was exceedingly liberal in allowing me money for -whatever I required. At one time I said I would like to buy a few books, -and the next day, to my surprise, he sent to my room a box containing -the complete works of Walter Scott and Robert Louis Stevenson, with a -miscellaneous collection of volumes by standard authors. - -“I don’t know much about books myself, Sam,” he said; “so I got a feller -that _does_ know to pick ’em out for me, an’ I guess you’ll find ’em the -right sort.” - -I did not tell him that I would have preferred to make my own selection, -and afterward I frankly admitted to myself that the collection was an -admirable one. - -By this time I had come to know all the officers and crew, and found -them a pretty good lot, taken altogether. The principle “characters” -aboard were the dismal Captain Gay, who was really as contented a man as -I ever knew, Acker, the ship’s doctor, and two queer black men called by -everybody Nux and Bryonia. Acker was a big, burly Englishman, who, -besides being doctor, served as mate. He was jolly and good natured as -the day was long, and had a few good stories which he told over and over -again, invariably laughing at them more heartily than his auditors did. -Singularly enough, Captain Gay and “Doc” Acker were close friends and -cronies, and lived together in perfect harmony. - -The black men interested me greatly from the moment I first saw them. -Bryonia, or “Bry,” as he was more frequently called, was the cook, and -gave perfect satisfaction in that capacity. “Nux” was man-of-all-work, -serving the cabin mess, assisting the cook, and acting as “able seaman” -whenever required. He proved competent in nearly all ways, and was a -prime favorite with officers and men. - -They were natives of some small island of the Sulu archipelago, and -their history was a strange one. In answer to my question as to why the -blacks were so queerly named, Uncle Naboth related the following: - -“It were six years ago, or thereabout, as we were homeward bound from -our third Australy trip, that we sighted a native canoe in the -neighborhood of the Caroline Islands. It was early in the mornin’, and -at first the lookout thought the canoe was empty; but it happened to lay -in our course, and as we overtook it we saw two niggers lyin’ bound in -the bottom of the boat. So we lay to, an’ picked ’em up, an’ when they -was histed aboard they were considerable more dead ner alive. Bill Acker -was our mate then, as he is now, an’ in his early days he studied to be -a hoss doctor. So he always carries a box of medicines with him, to fix -up the men in case they gets the jaundice or the colic. Mostly they’s -pills, an’ sugar coated, for Doc hates to tackle drugs as is very -dangerous. An’ on account of a good deal of sickness among the crew that -trip, an’ consequently a good deal of experimentin’ by Doc on the -medicine chest, the pills an’ such like was nearly used up, though no -one seemed much the worse for it. - -“Well, after we’d cut the niggers’ bonds, an’ rubbed ’em good to restore -the circulation, we come near decidin’ they was dead an’ heavin’ of ’em -overboard agin. But Doc wouldn’t give up. He brought out the medicine -box, an’ found that all the stuff he had left was two bottles of pills, -one of ’em Nux Vomica, an’ the other Bryonia. I was workin’ over one of -the niggers, an’ Doc he hands me one o’ the bottles an says: ‘Nux.’ So I -emptied the bottle into the dead man’s mouth, an’ by Jinks, Sam, he come -around all right, and is alive an’ kickin’ today. Cap’n Gay dosed the -other one with the Bryonia, an’ it fetched him in no time. I won’t swear -it were the pills, you know; but the fact is the niggers lived. - -“Afterwards we found the critters couldn’t speak a word of English, ner -tell us even what their names were. So we called one Nux, and the other -Bryonia, accordin’ to the medicine that had saved their lives, an’ -they’ve answered to those names ever since.” - -The blacks were gentle and good natured, and being grateful for their -rescue they had refused to leave the ship at the end of the voyage, and -were now permanent fixtures of the “Flipper.” - -“They are not slaves, are they?” I asked, when I had listened to this -story. - -“Mercy, no!” exclaimed Uncle Naboth. “They’re as free as any of us, an’ -draw their wages reg’lar. Also they’re as faithful as the day is long, -an’ never get drunk or mutinous. So it were a lucky day when we picked -’em up.” - -Bryonia stood fully six feet in height, and was muscular and wonderfully -strong. He had a fine face, too, and large and intelligent eyes. Nux was -much shorter, and inclined to be fat. But he was not a bit lazy, for all -that, and accomplished an immense amount of work in so cheerful a manner -that never a complaint was laid at his door. Not a sailor could climb -aloft with more agility or a surer foot, and both Nux and Bryonia were -absolutely fearless in the face of danger. - -Although these men were black they were not negroes, but belonged to a -branch of the Malay race. Their hair was straight, their noses well -formed and their eyes very expressive and intelligent. The English they -had picked up from the crew, however, was spoken with an accent not -unlike that peculiar to the African negroes, but with a softer and more -sibilant tone. - -Before I had been on the ship a week both Nux and Bry were my faithful -friends and devoted followers, and in the days that were to come their -friendship and faithfulness stood me in good stead. - -A very interesting person to me was big Bill Acker, the mate, called by -courtesy “Doc.” He seemed far above his mates in the matter of -intelligence, and was evidently a well bred man in his youth. A shelf -above his bunk bore a well-thumbed row of volumes on the world’s great -religions, together with a Talmud, a Koran, a Bible, the works of -Confucius and Max Müller’s translation of the Vedas. One seemed to have -been as thoroughly read as the others, yet never have I heard Doc Acker -say one word, good or bad, about religion. Whatever the result of his -studies might be, he kept his opinions strictly to himself. - -A stiff breeze sprang up during the first night, and the second day at -sea found me miserably ill, and regretting that I had ever trusted -myself to the mercies of cruel old ocean. Indeed, I lay in a most -pitiable plight until the big Englishman came to me with doses of -medicines from his chest. He might have been merely “a hoss doctor,” as -Uncle Naboth had said; but certain it is that his remedies helped me, -and within twenty-four hours I was again able to walk the deck in -comfort. - -Perhaps I had inherited some of my father’s fondness for salt water, for -my new life soon became vastly interesting to me, and it was not long -before I felt entirely at home on the dingy old “Flipper.” - -One morning, after standing by the bulwarks for a time watching the -water slip by, I climbed upon the rail and sat with my heels dangling -over the side. Suddenly I felt a strong hand grasp my shoulder and draw -me to the deck, and I turned around indignantly to find black Nux beside -me. - -“Bad place to sit, Mars Sam,” he said, coolly; “might tum’le ov’bode.” - -Before I could reply, Uncle Naboth, who had witnessed the incident, -strolled up to us and said: - -“Nux is right, my lad. You never find a sailor sitting on the rail; they -know too well how onreliable the motion of a ship is. If anybody drops -overboard the chances o’ bein’ picked up alive is mighty slim, I tell -you. Only fools put ’emselves into unnecessary danger, Sam. Take it on -them orful railroad cars, for instance. Old travellers always wait ’till -the train stops afore they gets on or off the cars. Them as don’t know -the danger is the ones that gets hurt. Same way handlin’ a gun. An old -hunter once told me he never p’inted a gun at anything he didn’t want to -kill; but there’s a lot o’ folks killed ev’ry year that don’t know the -blamed thing is loaded. It ain’t cowardly to be keerful, lad; but only -fools an’ ignorant people is reckless enough to get careless.” - -I am glad to say I took this lecture with good humor, admitting frankly -that Uncle Naboth was right. At least once in the future a recollection -of this caution saved me from hopeless disaster. - -On the sixth day the breeze died away and the ship lay still. There was -not a breath of air, and the heat was so intense that the interior of -the ship was like a furnace. At night we slept upon the deck, and by day -we lay gasping beneath the shade of the tarpaulins. Bryonia let the -galley fire die out and served us cold lunches, but our appetites were -small. - -There being no occasion to work, the crew gathered in little bunches and -told a series of never-ending yarns that were very interesting to me, -because most of them were of hair-breadth adventures and escapes that -were positively wonderful—if one tried to believe them. One of the best -of these story-tellers was Ned Britton, who had been appointed our -boatswain and was already popular with his mates. As his yarns were all -of the Atlantic, and most of the “Flipper’s” crew had sailed only on the -Pacific, Britton opened to them a new field of adventures, which met -with universal approval. - -Nux and Bry, who bore the heat better than their white brethren, added -to the general amusement by giving exhibitions of the Moro war dances, -ending with desperate encounters, with sticks to represent spears, that -were sure to arouse the entire crew to enthusiasm. They sometimes sang -their native war songs, also—a series of monotonous, guttural chants. -And then Dan Donnegan, a little, red-whiskered Irishman, would wind up -with “Bryan O’Lynne” or some other comic ditty that set the forecastle -roaring with laughter. - -During this period of enforced idleness the dismal Captain Gay walked -the deck with solemn patience and watched for signs of a breeze. Bill -Acker, the mate, read his religious library all through—probably for the -hundredth time. Uncle Nabe taught me cribbage, and we played for hours -at a time, although I usually came out second best at the game. Also I -learned the ropes of the ship and received many lessons in navigation -from my friends the sailors, not one of whom knew anything about that -abstruse problem. - -“Thay ain’t a man o’ the lot as could take the ship back to ’Frisco, in -case of emergency,” said my uncle; and I believe he was right. Common -sailors are singularly ignorant of navigation, although they have a way -of deceiving themselves into thinking they know all about it. - -After being becalmed six days, the intense heat was at last relieved by -a thin breeze, which sprung up during the night. The sails were at once -trimmed, and within an hour the “Flipper” was skipping the little waves -to the satisfaction of all on board. - -But the wind steadily increased, and by morning all hands were called to -shorten sail. By noon we encountered a stiff gale, which blew from the -east, and soon lashed the waves into a mad frenzy. - -As the storm gradually increased Captain Gay began to look anxious. -There was a brief lull toward evening, during which a great hail-storm -descended upon us, the icy bullets pelting the sailors unmercifully and -driving all to shelter. Then the wind redoubled its fury, and the -Captain put the ship before it, allowing the gale to bear us -considerably out of our course. - -Uncle Naboth growled considerably at this necessity, but he did not -interfere in the least with Captain Gay’s management of the ship. Safety -was more important to us than time, and Gay was not a man to take -unnecessary chances. - -The three wild days that followed have always seemed to me since like a -horrible dream. I had no idea a ship could be so tossed and pounded and -battered about, and still live. It was a mere chip on the great, angry -ocean, and the water washed our decks almost continually. After one of -these deluges, when every man strove to save himself by clinging to the -life lines, two of our best sailors were missed, and we never saw them -again. Uncle Nabe began to whistle, and every time he saw me he gave one -of his humorous winks or fell to chuckling in his silent way; but my -white face could not have been much encouragement to gaiety, and I -believe he was not over merry himself, but merely trying to cheer me up. - -But, although the danger was so imminent, not a man flinched or gave way -to fear, and Nux and Bryonia performed their duties as calmly as if the -sea were smooth. The vessel was staunch enough, so far; but it pitched -and tossed so violently that even burly Doc Acker was obliged to crawl -into the cabin on his hands and knees to get his meals. - -We fled before the wind until the third night, when the rudder chain -broke and the helmsman was thrown, crushed and bleeding, against the lee -bulwarks. The “Flipper,” released from all control, swung quickly -around, and the big mainmast snapped like a pipe-stem and came tumbling -with its cordage to the decks, where our brave sailors rushed upon it -and cut it clear. I thought the ship would never right again, after the -careening given it by the fallen mast; but, somehow, it did, and morning -found us still afloat, although badly crippled and at the mercy of the -waves. - -As if satisfied with the havoc it had wrought, the gale now abated; but -the waves ran high for another forty-eight hours, and our crew could do -nothing but cling to the remaining rigging and await calmer weather. - -Fortunately our ballast and cargo held in place through all, and the -hull showed no sign of a leak. When the sea grew calmer we floated -upright upon the water and it was found our straits were not nearly so -desperate as we had feared. - -Yet our condition was serious enough to make me wonder what was to -become of us. The rudder had been entirely washed away; the mainmast was -gone; the mizzenmast had broken at the head and the foresail royals were -in splinters. All the deck was cumbered with rigging; the starboard -bulwarks had been stove in by the fallen mast, and our crew was lessened -by three able seamen. - -But Captain Gay, no less dismal than before, you may be sure, promptly -began to issue orders, and the men fell to with a will to repair the -damage as best they might. First they rigged up a temporary rudder and -swung it astern. It was a poor makeshift, however, and only with good -weather could we hope it would steer us to the nearest port. - -While the men cleared the decks and rigged up a jury mast under the -supervision of the mate, Captain Gay took our bearings and ascertained -that we had not departed so greatly from our course as we had feared. -Yet it was impossible to make the mouth of the Yukon in our present -condition, or even to reach a shelter in Bering Sea. It was found, -however, that the Alaska peninsula was not far away, so we decided to -draw as near to that as possible, in the hope of meeting a passing -vessel or finding a temporary refuge on some one of the numerous islands -that lie in this part of the North Pacific. - -For four days we labored along, in our crippled condition, without -sighting land; but then our fortunes changed. During the night a good -breeze from the southwest swept us merrily along, and when daylight came -we found ourselves close to a small, wooded island. It lay in the form -of a horse-shoe, with a broad, protected bay in the center, and Captain -Gay, anxious to examine his ship more closely, decided at once to enter -the harbor and cast anchor. - -This was by no means an easy task, for long lines of reefs extended from -each point of the shore, almost enclosing the bay with jagged rocks. But -the sea was calm and the position of the reefs clearly marked; so that -by skillful maneuvering the “Flipper” passed between them in safety, and -to the relief and satisfaction of all on board we dropped our anchor in -the clear waters of the bay. - - - - - CHAPTER VI. - THE LAND OF MYSTERY. - - -Captain Gay examined his chart with minute care, and solemnly shook his -head. - -The island was not there. Either the chart was imperfect, or we had -reached a hitherto undiscovered land. The latter conjecture was not at -all unreasonable, for so many islands lay in this neighborhood that even -when sighted by chance an outlying islet was little liable to tempt one -to land upon it. This was doubtless one of the numerous group lying to -the south-east of the Alaska peninsula, which are of volcanic origin and -as a rule barren and uninhabited. - -I have said this island was well wooded, but not until we were opposite -the mouth of the natural harbor did we observe this fact. From the sea -only a line of rugged headlands and peaks showed plainly, and had we not -been in distress we should never have thought to stop at this place. -Once within the harbor, however, the scene that met our view was not -unattractive. - -Bordering the bay was a sandy beach a full hundred yards in width, -broken only by an inlet toward the left, or south, which seemed to lead -into the interior of the island, winding between high and precipitous -banks and soon becoming lost to sight. Back of the beach was the -clean-cut edge of a forest, not following a straight line, but rising -and falling in hills and ravines until it seemed from the bay to have -been scalloped into shape by a pair of huge scissors. The woods were -thick and the trees of uniform size, and between them grew a mass of -vines and underbrush that made them almost impenetrable. How far the -forest extended we were unable to guess; nor did we know how wide the -island might be, for back of the hills rose a range of wooded mountains -nearly a thousand feet in height, and what might lie beyond these was of -course a matter of conjecture. Uncle Naboth, however, advanced the -opinion that the island ended at the mountain peaks, and dropped sheer -down to the sea beyond. He had seen many formations of that sort, and -supposed we had found the only possible harbor on the island. - -There was no apparent indication that the island had ever before been -visited by man. Even signs of native occupation were lacking. But -Captain Gay decided to send a small boat ashore to explore the inlet -before we could relax all vigilance and feel that we were not liable to -attack or interruption. - -So the gig was lowered, and four of the crew, accompanied by Bill Acker, -the mate, set off upon their voyage of discovery. They rowed straight to -the inlet, which proved to be navigable, and soon after entering it we -lost sight of the boat as it wound between the wooded cliffs. - -We waited patiently an hour; two hours; three hours; but the boat did -not return. Then patience gave way to anxiety, and finally the suspense -became unbearable. After the loss of our three sailors during the storm -we were reduced to eleven men, besides Uncle Naboth and myself, who were -not counted members of the crew. Thirteen on board was not an especially -lucky number, so that some of the men had been looking for disaster of -some sort ever since we sighted the island. Those now remaining on the -“Flipper” were the Captain, Ned Britton and two other sailors, Nux and -Bryonia, my Uncle and myself; eight, all told. To send more men after -the five who were absent would be to reduce our numbers more than was -wise; yet it was impossible for us to remain inactive. Finally, Ned -Britton offered to attempt to make his way through the woods, along the -edge of the inlet, and endeavor to find out what had become of Acker and -his men. He armed himself with two revolvers and a stout cutlass, and -then we rowed him to the shore and watched him start on his expedition. - -Not expecting that Ned would be long absent, we did not at once return -to the ship. Instead, the Captain backed the boat into deep water and -lay to, that we might pick up our messenger when he reappeared. - -It had been agreed that if Ned came upon the mate he was to fire two -shots in quick succession, to let us know that all was well. If he -encountered danger he was to fire a single shot. If he wished us to come -to his assistance he would fire three shots. But the afternoon passed -slowly and quietly, and no sound of any kind came from the interior to -relieve our anxiety. The boat returned to the ship, and Bryonia served -our supper amid an ominous and gloomy silence on the part of those few -who were left. - -There was something uncanny about this mysterious disappearance of our -comrades. Had they been able to return or to communicate with us there -was no doubt they would have done so; therefore their absence was -fraught with unknown but no less certain terror. Big Bill Acker was a -man of much resource, and absolutely to be depended upon; and Ned -Britton, who had been fully warned and would be on his guard against all -dangers, was shrewd and active and not liable to be caught napping. - -What, then, had they encountered? Wild beasts, savages, or some awful -natural phenomenon which had cruelly destroyed them? Our imaginations -ran riot, but it was all imagination, after all, and we were no nearer -the truth. - -An anxious night passed, and at daybreak Uncle Naboth called a council -of war, at which all on board were present. We faced a hard proposition, -you may be sure, for not one of us had any information to guide him, and -all were alike in the dark. - -To desert our absent friends and sail away from the island was -impossible, even had we desired to do so; for our numbers were too small -to permit us to work the disabled “Flipper” in safety, and the ship’s -carpenter, on whom we greatly depended, had gone with the mate. All -repairs must be postponed until the mystery of the men’s disappearance -was solved; and we firmly resolved that those of us remaining must not -separate, but stick together to the last, and stick to the ship, as -well. - -Good resolutions, indeed; but we failed to consider the demands of an -aroused curiosity. After two days had dragged their hours away without a -sign of our absent comrades human nature could bear the suspense no -longer. - -Uncle Naboth called another council, and said: - -“Boys, we’re actin’ like a pack o’ cowards. Let’s follow after our -friends, an’ find ’em, dead or alive. We oughtn’t to shrink from a -danger we sent ’em into; and if we can’t rescue ’em, let’s run the -chance of dyin’ with ’em.” - -This sentiment met with general approval. All felt that the time for -action had arrived, and if there was a reluctant man among us he made no -sign. - -Early next morning we partook of a hasty breakfast and then tumbled into -the long boat to begin our quest. Every one on the ship was to accompany -the expedition, for no one cared to be left behind. Uncle Naboth at -first proposed to leave me on board, in the care of Bry; but I pleaded -hard to go with the rest, and it was evident that I would be in as much -danger aboard as in the company of the exploring party. So it was -decided to take me along, and we practically deserted the ship, taking -with us a fair supply of provisions and plenty of ammunition. The men -were fully armed, and my uncle even intrusted me with a revolver, for I -had learned to shoot fairly well. - -It was a beautiful morning, cool and fresh and sunny, as we rowed away -from the ship and headed for the inlet. That unknown and perhaps -terrible dangers lay ahead of us we had good reason to expect; but every -man was alert and vigilant and eager to unravel the mystery of this -strange island. - - - - - CHAPTER VII. - THE MAJOR. - - -Presently we shot into the opening and passed swiftly up the smooth -waters of the inlet. The hills were gradually sloping, at first, and we -could look into the tangled mass of forest that lay on either hand. But -soon the sides of the channel became rocky and precipitous, rising -higher and higher until we found ourselves in a deep gorge that wound -between gigantic overhanging cliffs. The waters of the inlet were still -smooth, but it narrowed perceptibly, all the time curving sharply to the -right and then to the left in a series of zig-zags; so that every few -minutes we seemed to be approaching a solid rocky wall, which suddenly -disclosed a continuation of the channel to right angles with it, -allowing us to continue on our course. - -It was indeed necessary to watch out, in such a place as this, for we -were passing through the heart of the mountain, and could not tell from -one moment to another what lay before us. - -There was barely room on each side for the sweep of the oars, so that we -had to pull straight and carefully; but after a time the deep gloom in -which we were engulfed began to lighten, and we were aware that the -slope of the mountain was decreasing, and we were approaching its -further side. - -On and on we rowed, twisting abruptly this way and that, until suddenly, -as we turned a sharp corner and shot into open, shallow water, the -adventure culminated in a mighty surprise. - -We were surrounded by a band of men—big, brawny fellows who stood waist -deep in the water and threw coils of rope about us before we were quite -aware of their presence. At the same time they caught the boat and -arrested its progress, jerking the oars from the hands of our rowers and -making us fast prisoners. - -Only Bryonia was quicker than the men who sought to entrap him. Before -the noose could settle over his shoulders he leaped into the air and -dove headlong beneath the water. But the brave attempt to escape was all -in vain, for as he rose to the surface a dozen hands caught him and drew -him to the shore, where, despite his struggles, he was bound as securely -as the rest of us. - -So unexpected was the attack and so cleverly were we mastered that -scarcely a word was uttered by our little party as we stared in -astonishment into the rough and bearded faces of our captors. Only -Captain Gay muttered a string of naughty words under his breath; the -rest were silent, and Uncle Naboth, bound round and round with rope so -that he could not move, sat in his seat and looked across at me with one -of his quaintest winks, as if he would cheer me up in this unexpected -crisis. - -Nor had a word been spoken by the men who entrapped us. Wading slowly -through the water, they drew our boat to a sandy shore and beached it, -while we looked curiously around upon the scene that was now clearly -unfolded to our view. - -The cliffs had ended abruptly, and the center of the island, flat and -broad, lay stretched before us. The waters of the inlet from here became -shallow, and a wide beach of strangely bright sands extended for two -hundred feet on either side of it. Then came the jungle, thick and -seemingly impenetrable, beyond which all was unknown. Straight and -without a ripple the water lay before as a full quarter of a mile, -disappearing thence into the forest. - -On the thick sands of the east shore, where we now were, a number of -rude huts had been erected, shaped something like Indian tepees and made -of intertwined branches covered with leaves from the forest. These stood -in a row near to the edge of the jungle, so as to take advantage of its -shade. - -But more strange than all this was the appearance of the men who had -bound us. They were evidently our own countrymen, and from their dress -and manners seemed to be miners. But nearly all were in rags and -tatters, as if they had been long away from civilization, and their -faces were fierce and brutal, bearing the expression of wild beasts in -search of prey. - -One of them, however, who stood upon the beach regarding us silently and -with folded arms, was a personage so remarkable that he instantly -riveted our attention. His height was enormous—at least six feet and -three inches—and his chest was broad and deep as that of ancient -Hercules. He was bearded like a gorilla with fiery red hair, which -extended even to his great chest, disclosed through the open grey -flannel shirt. There was no hat upon his head, and he wore no coat; but -high boots were upon his feet and around his waist a leathern belt stuck -full of knives and revolvers. - -No stage pirate, no bandit of Southern Europe, was ever half so -formidable in appearance as this terrible personage. He stood motionless -as a pillar of stone, but his little red eyes, quick and shrewd, roved -from one to another of our faces, as if he were making a mental estimate -of each one of us—like the ogre who selected his fattest prisoner to -grace his pot-pie. - -I own that I shuddered as his glance fell upon me; and we were all more -or less disquieted by our rough seizure and the uncertainty of the fate -that awaited us. - -This man—the red giant—was undoubtedly the leader of the outlaw band, -for having pulled our boat upon the beach and dragged Bryonia to a -position beside it, all eyes were turned enquiringly upon him. - -He strode forward a few steps, fixed his eyes firmly upon Uncle Naboth, -and said: - -“Did you leave anyone aboard the ship?” - -I gave a start of surprise. The voice of the huge bandit was as gentle -and soft as that of a woman. - -“No,” said my uncle. - -“I guess, Major, we’ve got ’em all now,” remarked one of the men. - -The giant nodded and turned again to Uncle Naboth. - -“You must pardon us, sir, for our seeming rudeness,” said he, with a -politeness that seemed absolutely incongruous, coming from his coarse, -hairy lips. “My men and I are in desperate straights, and only desperate -remedies will avail to save us. I beg you all to believe that we have no -personal enmity toward you whatever.” Then he turned to his men, and -with a wave of his hand added: “Bring them along.” - -[Illustration: Captured by the gold-hunters.] - -Thereat we were jerked from our seats in the boat and led away over the -sands toward the edge of the jungle. I noticed that our arms and -provisions, being confiscated, were carried into one of the huts, but we -ourselves were dragged past these and through an opening in the trees -just large enough to admit us single file. - -A few steps from the edge we entered a circular clearing, perhaps a -dozen paces in diameter, hemmed in on all sides by a perfect network of -tangled brushwood and vines. Here, to our great joy, we came upon our -lost comrades, all seated at the base of slender trees, to which they -were bound by stout ropes. - -“Hurrah!” cried Bill Acker, a smile lighting his careworn face. “It’s a -joy to see you again, my boys, although you seem to have fallen into the -same trap we did.” - -“Beg parding, Cap’n, for getting myself caught,” said Net Britton, quite -seriously. “The brutes jumped me so quick I hadn’t time to fire a shot.” - -“All right, Ned; you’re not to blame,” said Captain Gay, and while we -were interchanging greetings our captors were busily engaged in securing -us to trees, in the same manner the others were bound. We protested, -very naturally, at such treatment, but the men, surly and rough, -answered us not a word, and after making sure we could not get away they -withdrew and left us alone. - -As the trees to which we were fastened were at the edge of the clearing -we were seated in a sort of circle, facing one another. - -“Well, boys,” said Uncle Naboth, “here’s a pretty kettle o’ fish, I must -say! The whole crew o’ the ‘Flipper,’ officers an’ men an’ supercargo, -has been caught like so many turtles, an’ turned on their backs; an’ all -we can do is to kick and wish we had our legs agin.” - -We all seemed rather ashamed of ourselves. Captain Gay heaved a most -dismal sigh, and turning to Acker asked: - -“Who are these people, Bill?” - -“Can’t say, I’m sure, Tom. We rowed up the inlet, not expecting any -danger, when suddenly the whole lot jumped us and made us prisoners in -the wink of an eye. They brought us before a red devil called the Major, -who pumped us to find out how many men were aboard ship. When we refused -to give them any information they brought us to this place, and here -we’ve been ever since, fast bound and half starved, for I guess the -fellows haven’t much to eat themselves.” - -“How did they come here?” asked my uncle. - -“Really, sir,” replied Acker, “they haven’t told us one word about -themselves.” - -“Fer my part,” said Ned Britton, speaking in his deliberate manner, “I -think these pirates has been spyin’ on us ever since we anchored in the -bay. They must have a path over the mountains that we don’t know of, for -when the mate come up the inlet in the gig they was ready an’ waitin’ -for him, and he didn’t have a chance to resist. ’Twere the same with me, -sir. I crep’ along the edge o’ the channel, goin’ slow an’ swingin’ -myself from tree to tree over the gulch—for the trees was too thick to -get between ’em—until I come to this here place, where two men grabbed -me an knocked me down an’ tied me up like a pig sent to market. The -Major were with ’em, and swore he’d murder me if I didn’t tell him how -many more were aboard the ship, an’ what her cargo was, an’ where we are -bound for, an’ a dozen other things. But I kep’ mum, sir, as were my -duty, an’ finally they brung me to this place, where I was mighty glad -to find the mate and his men safe and sound.” - -We then related our own anxiety over the fate of those who had so -mysteriously disappeared, and our final expedition in search of them. - -“We’ve found you, all right,” said Uncle Naboth, in conclusion; “but now -the question is, what’s goin’ to become of us, an’ what shall we do to -escape from these blamed pirates that’s captured us?” - -“Before you answer that question,” said a quiet voice, “it may be as -well for you to listen to what I have to say.” - -We looked up and saw the great form of the Major standing in the -clearing. How much of our conversation he had overheard we did not know; -but after a lowering glance into our startled faces he calmly seated -himself in the midst of the circle. - -“Thirteen, all told,” he said. “You seem shorthanded, for so big a -schooner.” - -“We lost three men in the storm,” said Uncle Naboth. - -“What are you, the owner?” asked the Major. - -“Part owner.” - -“What is your cargo?” - -“Mixed,” replied Uncle Naboth, non-committally. - -The Major reflected a moment. - -“We shall soon find out all we wish to know,” he said. “We have both -your boats, and we can examine the ship for ourselves.” - -“I s’pose you know this is a hangin’ matter?” suggested my uncle. - -“It may be,” was the calm reply. “At any rate, it is illegal, and I -regret that circumstances force us to act illegally with you. As a -matter of fact, I wish that I might have treated you with more courtesy. -But you had no business to come to this island, and having come here, -and surprised our great secret by penetrating into the center of the -land, you must take the consequences of your folly. We did not want you -here, and we kept out of your way as long as you would let us. When you -invaded our private domain we were forced to protect ourselves.” - -“I don’t understand,” said my uncle, much puzzled by this speech. “We’re -no robbers, ner pirates. We’re peaceful, citizens of the United States.” - -“So are we,” retorted the Major. “But we’re also the creatures of fate, -and our condition here forces us to wage warfare upon any who intrude -into our privacy.” - -“We put in here for repairs, an’ it was natural we should want to -explore the island,” returned my uncle, doggedly. - -The Major appeared lost in thought. For several minutes he sat staring -at the ground with a great frown wrinkling his brow. For our part, we -watched him curiously, wondering the while what would be the outcome of -the queer condition in which we found ourselves. Finally the man spoke: - -“Under the circumstances,” said he, “there are but two courses open to -us. One is to murder every man of you, and bury you underneath the -sands. I imagine you would be safe there, and not a soul on earth would -ever know what had become of you.” - -I shuddered. The soft tones could not disguise the horror of the words. - -“The alternative,” continued the Major, “is to swear you to secrecy, to -induce you to work for us for fair wages, and finally to sail back with -you in your ship to San Francisco, where we may part good friends.” - -The contrast between these propositions was so great that we stared at -the man in amazement. - -“If we are to take our choice,” said Uncle Naboth, “it won’t be the -grave under the sands, you may be sure.” - -“The choice does not lie with you, but with my men,” returned the Major, -coolly. “For my part, I am neither bloodthirsty nor inclined to become a -murderer; so I shall use my influence in your behalf.” - -With this he slowly rose to his feet and stalked from the clearing, -leaving us to reflections that were not entirely comfortable. - -The hours passed drearily enough. Toward evening some of the men brought -us a few moldy ship’s biscuits and a bucket of sweet drinking water, and -after partaking of this we were left to ourselves until the next -daybreak. - -As it grew dusk Nux suddenly rose from his seat, and we saw that he was -free. In some way he had managed to slip his bonds, and he passed -quickly from one to another of us until we were all released from the -dreadful ropes that had been chafing us. - -Then a council of war was held. Our captors numbered about thirty, and -all were fully armed. To attempt to oppose them openly would be madness; -but if we could manage to slip away and regain our boats we should be -able to reach our ship and so escape. Bryonia agreed to spy out our -surroundings and see where the boats lay, so he fell upon all fours and -silently crept from the clearing. - -We awaited his return with impatience, but he was not gone long. He -re-entered the clearing walking upright and indifferent to crackling -twigs, and then we knew our case was hopeless. - -“Dere’s men sleepin’ in de boats, an’ men on watch,” said he; “an’ dey -all has swords an’ pistols. Can’t get away anyhow, Mars Perkins.” - -“How about the woods?” asked my uncle. “Can’t we escape through them?” - -Bry shook his head, decisively. He was an expert woodsman, and declared -no man could penetrate the thick jungle that hemmed us in. Ned Britton -also bore testimony to this fact; so we were obliged to sadly abandon -any hope of escape, and stretched ourselves as comfortably as we might -upon the ground to await the approach of morning. - -With the first streaks of day the Major and a dozen of his men arrived, -and without appearing to notice that we had slipped our bonds they drove -us in a pack from the clearing and out upon the sands that bordered the -inlet. - -Here we saw others of our captors busy preparing breakfast before the -entrances to the rude huts, and it was evident that they were using the -provisions they had captured from us, for I scented the aroma of the -coffee that Uncle Naboth was so proud of, and carried with him wherever -he went. - -We gathered before the hut of the Major, which was somewhat larger than -the others, and then the leader said, in a tone of stern command: “Take -off your clothes.” - -We hesitated, not quite understanding the purpose of the order. - -“Strip, my boys,” said another of the pirates, with a grin. “We want -your togs. We drew cuts for ’em last night, and now we’ll trade you our -rags for ’em.” - -So we stripped and tossed our clothes upon the ground, where they were -eagerly seized by the outlaws and donned with great satisfaction. The -Major did not participate in this robbery; but, indeed, no garment that -we wore could possibly have fitted his huge frame. - -When we had put on the rags discarded by the others we were a curious -looking lot, you may be sure. Uncle Naboth had a fit of silent merriment -at my expense, but if he could have seen himself I am sure he would have -choked and sputtered dangerously. A more disreputable appearance than -that we now presented would be hard to imagine; but our enemies did not -profit so greatly by the exchange, after all, for the garments fitted -them as badly as theirs did us. However, they seemed very proud of their -acquisition, and strutted around like so many vain peacocks. - - - - - CHAPTER VIII. - THE SANDS OF GOLD. - - -The sun had now arisen and flooded the scene with its glorious rays. We -were given some of the coffee and a scant allowance of food for our -breakfast, the care with which the latter was doled out being evidence -that our captors did not know that the “Flipper” was loaded down with -provisions. - -As soon as the meal was concluded we all gathered around the Major’s hut -again, and he began to make us an address. - -“At the conference held last evening,” he began, in his smooth tone, “we -decided to allow you to choose your own fate. It is death on the one -hand, and life as our paid employees on the other. What do you say?” - -“We’d like to know, sir,” said Uncle Naboth, “what you are doing on this -island?” - -“Washing gold.” - -“Gold!” - -“To be sure,” said the Major. “Are you so ignorant that you cannot see -that these sands upon which you are standing are wonderfully rich in -gold?” - -“Why, I hadn’t noticed,” said my uncle, and then we all curiously stared -at the bright billows of sand that filled the beach on both sides of the -inlet. - -“It will do no harm to explain to you how we came here, and what we are -doing,” said the Major. “It will help you to make your decision.” - -“Seems like a queer place to look for gold,” said Uncle Naboth, -reflectively. “But even then I can’t see why you’ve treated us like you -have, or why you’re so blamed secret about the thing.” - -“Can’t you?” was the reply. “Then I must jog your reason with a few -sensible suggestions. Every gold field yet discovered has been a magnet -to draw men from every part of the civilized world. The result has been -that the first discoverers seldom profit to any extent, while the horde -they draw around them get the lion’s share. That has been our experience -time and time again, for every member of our band is an experienced -miner. We’ve been crowded from Colorado to Idaho, from Idaho to -California, from California to the Black Hills, and back again. Finally -we got word of a rich find of gold in Alaska; so, banding together, we -chartered an old ship and started for the Yukon. On the way we -encountered a gale that blew us to this island. We don’t know what -island it is, and we don’t care. While our vessel was undergoing repairs -we rowed up the inlet, as you did, and discovered these sands, which are -marvelously rich with grains of pure gold. Before your eyes, gentlemen, -lies the greatest natural accumulation of gold the world has ever -known.” - -He paused, after this impressive statement, and again we looked around -wonderingly. - -“We can’t get it all, that’s true,” resumed the Major; “but we have -decided to stay here and defend our secret until each one of us has -secured an independent fortune. Then the swarms of gold-hunters can -settle here as thickly as they please. Of course we had our tools with -us, and a good supply of provisions; so we were glad to let Alaska take -care of itself and go to work washing out the wealth that lay at our -feet. We knew the food wouldn’t last till we were ready to leave here, -so we decided to send the ship home for more provisions. The captain was -bound to secrecy by promise of a big share for himself, but soon after -he sailed away a great storm arose, and probably the old, leaky craft -never weathered it, for that was over a year ago, and no ship has -reached this harbor until yours appeared.” - -We listened to this recital with eager interest, for it explained much -that had puzzled us. And Uncle Naboth remarked: - -“It’s a strange story, sir. But I don’t see why you treated us as -enemies when we came here.” - -“Suppose you had been prospectors, like ourselves. What would become of -our secret then?” - -“But we’re not,” was the reply. - -“It was even possible our captain might have reached shore and betrayed -us. In that case you might be the forerunners of an army of invaders. We -couldn’t take the chances, sir. We’ve been disappointed too many times. -But it appears that you were merely the victims of the elements, and -like ourselves were driven to this shore in a gale. So the only danger -to be feared from you is your getting away before we’re ready to go with -you. That was why we hesitated between murdering you and using your -services to enable us to accomplish our task sooner than we otherwise -could. We are not cut-throats, believe me, nor do we care to be -responsible for the death of so many decent men. But the lust for gold -has made my fellows desperate, and with immense fortunes within their -grasp they will stick at nothing to protect themselves and their -treasure.” - -“That’s only natural,” growled Uncle Naboth. - -“I’m glad to find you so reasonable,” said the Major. “Having discovered -this field ourselves, we do not intend to share the gold with anyone; -but we will make you a reasonable proposition. We will pay each one of -you two dollars a day, in grains of gold, for your labor, and you must -buckle to and help us to get out the gold. We will also pay you, in -gold, for whatever provisions you have on your ship, or other supplies -we may need. And when we have enough to satisfy ourselves, and are ready -to sail back to civilization, we will pay you a reasonable price for -passage in your ship. That seems to me to be fair and square. What do -you say?” - -“Why,” answered Uncle Naboth, with a gasp, “that’s all we could look for -if we got to Alaska. We’re traders, sir, an’ expect to make our money in -trade. The only thing we object to is workin’ like dogs to wash gold for -somebody else.” - -“You’ll have to put up with that objection,” returned the man, dryly. -“Your labor will shorten our stay here a full year, and it’s the penalty -you must suffer for being in our power.” - -My uncle turned to his crew. - -“What do you say, boys?” he asked. - -Some grumbled, and all looked grave; but a glance at the lowering faces -of the miners assured them that discretion was the better part of valor, -so they yielded a reluctant consent to the arrangement. - -“There’s one p’int, howsomever, as I should like to argufy,” said Uncle -Naboth. “This here lad’s too small an’ delicate to work at the washin’, -an’ somebody’s got to give out the provisions an’ collect the pay for -’em. Let him out o’ the deal, sir, an’ make him clerk o’ the supplies.” - -“I will agree to that,” said the Major, promptly. “When we get back to -the States we don’t want to have anything against our record; so this -bargain shall be kept faithfully on our side. I’ll prepare a paper, -which every man here must sign, stating that you accept the agreement -freely and without compulsion, and will be satisfied with your wages and -the payment for your groceries and supplies. Also you must each one take -an oath not to betray to anyone the whereabouts of this island after you -leave it, for it will be a valuable possession to us even after we’ve -taken enough gold from it to make us rich. Meantime you’ll be well -treated, but carefully watched. To some extent you’ll be, morally, our -prisoners; but the only hardship you will suffer is to labor hard for a -few months at a small salary.” - -“That’s agreeable, sir,” said my uncle; and the men accepted the -arrangement with more or less grace. - -Then the conference broke up. Our sailors, as well as Captain Gay, the -mate and my uncle, were at once set to work washing gold on the banks of -the inlet, their numbers being distributed among the miners, who showed -them what to do and supervised the work. It appeared that all the gold -gathered by our people was to go into a common pot, to be distributed -equally among our captors; but each miner worked for himself alone, and -was entitled to whatever he secured. In this way a premium was set upon -individual industry, and they worked eagerly and persistently, at the -same time insisting that the “Flipper’s” crew did not loiter. - -The Major, whose influence over his rough comrades was undoubted, -retired within his tent to draft the paper we were to sign, and I, left -to my own devices, wandered here and there, watching the men and -wondering what would be the outcome of this singular adventure. - -At noon the paper was ready, and it set forth clearly and fairly the -terms of the agreement. We were all required to sign it, as well as -every miner in the camp, and then the Major took possession of it, there -being no duplicate. - -After the midday meal six of our sailors were selected to man the long -boat, and then accompanied by the Major, who was fully armed, and by -myself, they rowed down the inlet to the harbor, and we boarded the -ship. - -I selected such of the provisions as were most needed by the half -starved miners, and also carried away a number of blankets, as the -nights were chill and the blankets would prevent much suffering. - -Two trips we made that afternoon, and when the miners stopped work for -the day I had quite a heap of groceries piled upon the sands. Instantly -they surrounded me, clamoring for supplies, which I served to each man -as he demanded them. - -They paid me in grains of pure gold, which they drew from sacks, old -stockings tied with a string, and even pockets cut from their clothing. -How much to demand I did not know, and some paid me too much, I suppose, -and some too little. One of them, a low browed, black bearded fellow -called Larkin, obtained a quantity of goods and then said he would pay -me some other time; but the Major insisted that I be paid then and -there. So the man laid down a pinch of gold, saying it was enough, and I -was about to accept it when the Major drew his revolver and said, -quietly: - -“This is a fair deal, Larkin. Shell out!” - -The fellow uttered a string of angry oaths, but he added to his first -offering until his leader was satisfied, and then went away vowing “to -get even with the robbers.” - -To avoid further trouble, I brought a small pair of scales from the ship -next day. They were not very accurate, I fear, but they were much better -than guesswork. The Major and I figured out exactly what weight of gold -should stand for a dollar, and I was allowed to put my own price on our -supplies; but I took care not to be exorbitant in my demands, and most -of the men expressed themselves as well satisfied with the arrangement. - -As a good share of the provisions would suffer by being left out in the -night air, it was decided to build a warehouse for my use: “a reg’lar -grocery store,” Uncle Naboth described it; so the men all set to work, -and under the direction of our ship’s carpenter soon constructed a roomy -and comfortable hut for this purpose. By repeated trips to the ship in -the long boat, I soon accumulated a good stock of everything our cargo -represented, and by taking off the covers of the boxes and then piling -them on their edges, in rows, I soon made my hut look like a prosperous -mercantile establishment. Surplus and unopened boxes were utilized to -form a counter in front of my stock, and here I placed my scales and -weighed the gold that was offered in payment. - -The men were as prodigal as all miners are, and denied themselves -nothing so long as they had gold to pay for it. So my stock gradually -increased in gold and diminished in merchandise, and the men were well -fed and comfortable. - -But the sands upon which we so carelessly trod were wonderfully rich in -the precious metal, and any sort of industry was sure to be repaid -enormously by the glittering grains scattered about. It was not dust, -you understand, but tiny grains resembling those of granulated sugar. -The richest yield was derived from the sands at the bottom of the -shallow inlet, and the practice of the miners was to wade a little way -into the stream, scoop up a basin off the sandy bottom and wash it until -only the specks of sparkling metal remained. As it was difficult to care -for this properly, I brought from the ship a quantity of sail-cloth, -which I made, during my leisure moments, into stout bags, about the size -of salt-sacks, sewing the seams firmly. These bags I sold readily to the -miners, who, when they filled one, would usually bury it beneath the -sand in their hut, so that it would be safe. I did not do this with my -supply, however, but piled my sacks into an empty box in one corner of -my grocery store, feeling sure there would be no theft of them in the -confines of our little camp. Neither did the Major secrete his hoard, -which lay plainly in sight of anyone who entered his hut; and the -Major’s store of gold was enormous because he took charge of all that -our men washed out, until the time for final division should arrive. - -There was no game of any sort, that we knew of, upon the island; but the -men caught plenty of fish in the upper part of the inlet and in the bay -upon the ocean frontage. The thickets surrounding our camp were -considered absolutely impenetrable, on account of the underbrush and -creeping vines that formed such a thick network at the foot of the -trees. Yet there was a man named Daggett who, it was rumored, had found -a way to traverse the forest with comparative ease. - -This Daggett was quite a remarkable person, and enters now into my -story. - -He was a thin, withered little man, about fifty years of age who had -been an unsuccessful miner all his life until now. So eager was he, at -first, to take advantage of the great opportunities here afforded to -secure a fortune, that he would work by moonlight washing gold, while -his companions slept and rested from their labors. But soon he conceived -an idea that these golden sands were deposited from some point in the -mountains of the interior of the island, where solid gold abounded in -enormous quantities. So he quit washing, and began a search for the -imaginary “mountain of gold,” cutting a secret path through the thicket -to the more open interior, and passing day after day in his eager quest. -At first he urged some of his comrades to join him, but they only -laughed at his idea, being well content to obtain the coveted gold in an -easy way, where it lay plainly before their eyes. - -But Daggett did not desist, spending day after day in roaming through -the wild hills in his fruitless search. During the time he lost in this -way his mates were accumulating a vast store of golden grains, while -Daggett was as yet only in possession of the result of his first eager -labors; and after I opened my grocery store he was obliged to exchange -pinches of his small substance for supplies, so that it gradually -dwindled away to a mere nothing. He haggled so over the price of every -article he secured that his fellows jeered him unmercifully, calling him -“the miser” and berating him for neglecting his opportunities. Indeed, -the poor fellow was well-nigh desperate, at the last, for he alone of -all the camp was still poor, and his only salvation, he considered, was -to find the hills of solid gold before the time came for all to abandon -the island. So he was gone for days, returning to camp to secure -provisions; and no one knew where he wandered or seem to care. - - - - - CHAPTER IX. - THE OUTLAWS. - - -There were many curious characters at the camp, as I suppose there are -everywhere that a number of men are gathered together. I used to amuse -myself studying the various phases of human nature that came under my -observation, with the result that some men attracted me and some -repelled me. - -Aside from the miserly Daggett the man who caused me the most trouble -was the surly, scowling Larkin, whom the Major had threatened to shoot -on sight if he did not pay me for everything he obtained at my shop. He -was a lazy fellow, and did not seem to get ahead as fast as his -companions, for that reason. Sometimes, in the heat of the afternoon, he -would strike work and come into my hut, where he threatened and bullied -me and cast longing glances at the sacks of gold I had accumulated. -Uncle Naboth, who, by the way, labored doggedly day after day, as he was -commanded, often warned me against Larkin, but I had no fears, being -assured the Major would protect me from the villain’s hatred. - -One or two others—Hayes and Judson, for instance—were evidently -disreputable characters, and affected the society of Larkin when they -were not at work. But in the main the miners were decent enough fellows, -and seemed to have no thought above securing a fortune from the wealth -of the golden sands. They paid me liberally, were just in their -dealings, and labored industriously day by day so as to lessen the time -of their captivity upon the island. - -In the evenings the officers and crew of the “Flipper” were wont to -gather in my hut, where they smoked their pipes and conversed more or -less gloomily together. None of them, however, was greatly distressed at -his fate, and it was wonderful how cheerful Uncle Naboth remained -through it all. His silent merriment and sly winks were by no means -lacking in these days of tribulations and hard work, and he found many -opportunities to exercise his keen sense of humor. In one way his -fortunes were really prospering, and each evening he weighed out the -day’s receipts, in golden grains, and calculated the profits to us on -the sales. I suppose these must have been satisfactory, for he never -complained. - -I always slept in my hut, surrounded by the store of merchandise and my -sacks of gold; but the rest of the crew of the ship had huts of their -own, Nux and Bryonia occupying one together. - -One night, after I had been asleep for some hours, I was suddenly -awakened by the muzzle of a pistol pressed close to my forehead. I -opened my eyes, and saw Larkin standing beside me. A tallow candle had -been lighted in the hut, and I could see his evil features distinctly. - -“Now, my lad,” said he, “keep quiet an’ you won’t get hurt. But if you -raise any rumpus or make a sound, I’ll blow your brains out.” - -So I lay quiet but I kept my eyes open and eagerly watched what was -taking place in the room. Besides Larkin, there were present Daggett, -Judson and Hayes—the worst characters in the camp. While Larkin remained -beside me to threaten me with his pistol, the others spread out a -blanket and dumped into it every sack of gold I possessed. This they -secured by tying the corners of the blanket together. Next they spread -another blanket and threw into it a quantity of canned meats and other -provisions, afterwards tying them up as they had the gold. Then Hayes -took the pistol and stood guard over me while the others crept from the -hut. They were back in a few minutes, however, bearing another blanket -heavily loaded. And now Larkin resumed his place beside me and the -others caught up the three parcels and after extinguishing the candle -slipped out of the doorway. There was a moon outside, I knew, but it was -quite dark in the hut, and the consciousness of being at the mercy of -the scoundrel beside me sent cold shivers creeping up my spine. - -After waiting a few moments in silence Larkin spoke. - -“Look a-here, Sam,” he said gruffly, but in a low voice, “we’ve took -some gold and other stuff, as ye know; but we ain’t goin’ to do murder -unless we has to. If you’ve got sense enough to keep still for a solid -hour, an’ make no fuss, you’ll live to get as much gold, or more, as -we’ve just grabbed. But if you try to raise the camp, or foller us, I’ll -kill you before you know it. Now, I’m goin’ to stand outside the door -for a solid hour—you lay still an’ count sixty seconds to a minute an’ -sixty minutes to an hour. If you move before that, you’re a dead one; -after the hour ye can howl all ye please, and the louder the better. I -ought to stick a knife into you now; but I guess I’ll wait outside the -door, an’ see if you mind what I tell you.” - -Then with a threatening flourish of his pistol, he slunk away, and as -soon as he was outside the door I rose up and followed. - -I knew he was lying, well enough, and that his threats were merely meant -to terrify me into keeping silent until he escaped. He considered me a -mere boy, and believed I would be too frightened to cause him any -trouble. - -But where could he and his fellow thieves go? How could they penetrate -the wild thicket? That was the question that puzzled me. And then I -remembered that Daggett was with them, who was reputed to be able to -travel at will throughout the interior of the island. - -When I reached the door and looked around I could at first see no signs -of the man who had just left me. Then I discovered a dark form creeping -along the edge of the jungle, and at once I sprang into the shade myself -and crept after him. He was going slowly, and in my eagerness I closed -up most of the distance between us, until I was dangerously near. But he -did not look around, and while my eyes were fastened upon him he dropped -to his knees, pushed aside a thick bush, and disappeared into the -thicket. - -That was all the information I wanted, just then; so I hastily marked -the place by heaping a mound of sand before the bush, and then ran back -to my hut as fast as I could go. I was terribly humiliated at being -robbed so coolly of the gold that had been placed in my care, and rashly -resolved that I would recover it by my own efforts, without disturbing -the slumbers of my uncle or the Major. So, entering the hut, I secured -three revolvers, of the Colt type, and several boxes of cartridges for -them, all of which I had secretly smuggled from the ship and hidden -among the groceries, for the Major had forbidden any of our crew having -fire-arms. I had thought that an emergency might arise, some time, when -these revolvers would be useful to us, and now I blessed my foresight in -secreting them. - -Having secured the weapons I ran quickly to the hut of Nux and Bryonia, -and cautiously awakened them. At my first touch Bry sprang into the air -and alighted on his feet. - -“What’s matter, Mars Sam?” he demanded. - -“I’ve been robbed, Bry!” I panted. - -“Robbed!” echoed Nux, who was now beside us. - -“Yes; Larkin and his gang have taken every bag of our dust.” - -Through the dim light I could see their white eyeballs glaring at me in -amazement. - -“What you goin’ do, Mars Sam?” asked Bry. - -“I’m going to give chase, and make the rascals give it back. That is, if -you will be my friends, and stand by me,” I said. “By daybreak every bag -must be in my hut again.” - -“Sure ’nough,” murmured Nux. - -“We ready, Mars Sam,” announced Bry, quickly. - -“Then take these revolvers, and follow me.” - -I gave a weapon to each, having hastily loaded them; and then I turned -away, followed by the dark forms of the two Sulus. - -“They’re thieves, you know; burglars and outlaws,” I said. “So if we -have to shoot them down, no one can blame us.” - -They made no answer to this remark, and soon we had left the camp behind -and reached the bush underneath which Larkin had disappeared. In a low -voice I related what I had seen, and Bryonia, who was a master of -woodcraft, at once dropped to his knees and vanished into the thicket. I -followed closely after him, and Nux brought up the rear. After creeping -a few paces through the underbrush Bry grasped my hand and raised me to -my feet, and I discovered that we were now in a well-defined but narrow -path which allowed us to stand upright. - -It was dark as pitch in the grim forest, and we could only feel our way -along; but it was not possible for us to get off the path, which had -doubtless been cut by Daggett to afford his entrance into the interior -of the island, and if our progress was slow those whom we pursued could -not proceed at much greater speed themselves; so we crept along, -stumbling over roots and tearing our clothes by brushing against the -briars on either side, for a period of nearly an hour. Bryonia glided -before us as stealthily as a panther, and often I was not certain but -that he had left us far behind; but Nux made as much noise as I did, and -puffed much harder to get his breath, so I did not fear being abandoned -in the black wilderness. - -The ground seemed to rise gradually as we penetrated into the wild -interior, but the path remained as narrow as at first. Now that my first -excitement and indignation had cooled, this midnight pursuit began to -look doubtful of result. The robbers knew the way much better than we -did, and they were so far ahead of us that we heard no sound of any sort -to guide us. More than once I was tempted to abandon the chase, for my -folly in undertaking it grew more and more evident; but the two blacks -had no thought of turning back, and I was ashamed to call a halt. - -Suddenly I ran plump into Bryonia, who grasped my arm as firmly as if it -were in a vice, and held me rigid. Nux immediately ran into me, but -stopped short at the moment of contact. - -“What is it, Bry?” I asked, in a whisper. - -“Look!” he answered, and swung me around in front of him. Then, as I -peered into the darkness, a faint ray of light became visible. In a -moment I perceived that it was growing bigger and brighter, and then I -knew what it meant. - -“They’ve gone into camp, and lit a fire!” said I, pleased to have -overtaken them. - -“Dey do’n’ know we’s coming,” chuckled Nux, from behind. - -But Bry stood like a statue, holding fast to my shoulders and peering -over my head at the enemy. We could now see that the forest was much -thinner here than at the point we had entered, and just beyond, in a -little hollow where Larkin and his men were encamped, the trees grew -quite scattered. - -“Our best plan,” said I, after a moment’s thought, “will be to creep up -to them and make a sudden attack.” - -“One, two, free, fou’,” counted Bry, in his deep voice. “No use to -’tack, Mars Sam. Dey got guns, an’ kill us all quick.” - -“We have our revolvers,” I suggested, rather disappointed at his -prediction. - -“Nux an’ I _might_ hit somefin’, an’ we might not,” said Bry. “If we hit -somefin’ it might be a man, an’ it might not.” - -This was discouraging, and it called to mind the fact that I was not -much used to fire-arms myself. - -“Still, I don’t mean to go back without doing something to recover our -gold,” said I. - -“Wait!” whispered the black, and swung me around back of him again. How -he managed this I do not know, for the path was very narrow. Next moment -he disappeared, as if the earth had swallowed him up. - -Nux gave a laugh, and sat down upon the ground. After a few moments I -followed suit, squatting in the place I had been standing, for even from -that distance I could see by the flickering firelight the dim forms of -the robbers gathered around it. - -And now I perceived that Bry’s decision was wise. We were too far from -camp to expect assistance in case of an emergency, even if our friends -succeeded in finding the entrance to the jungle that was so cleverly -concealed under the bush. So whatever was to be done must be done by -ourselves—a boy and two black men against four desperate and well-armed -villains, who would stop at no crime to retain the gold they had stolen. - -Evidently they did not fear pursuit now, for we could hear the murmur of -their voices as they laughed and shouted at one another. - -We waited in silence for a long time, and as the gloom of the silent -forest became intensified by the distant light I began to feel for the -first time a thrill that was akin to fear. - -Finally I noticed a black body wriggling its way toward us through the -brush like some huge snake, and a moment later Bryonia stood before me. - -“I creep close an’ hear what dey say, Mars Sam,” he reported. “Dey goin’ -watch all night. I watch, too. Tomorrow maybe we catch ’em. You an’ Nux -go sleep.” - -I protested at once that I was not sleepy; but Bry led us away from the -path to a quiet place where he had found a bank of moss, and here he -cautioned us to remain quietly. He himself crept once again toward the -camp fire, and a moment later was wholly invisible. Nux whispered to me -tales of Bryonia’s skill as a woodsman, wherein it seemed he had -excelled in his native land; but they grew monotonous, in time, and -before I knew it I had fallen fast asleep on the mossy bank. - - - - - CHAPTER X. - THE ROCKING STONE. - - -When I opened my eyes it was broad daylight, and at first I could not -remember where I was. But as I sat up I saw before me Nux and Bryonia, -seated calmly side by side, with the wilderness all around me and the -distant voices of the robbers echoing faintly in my ears. The sun was -up, for I could see it glinting through the trees; so, as a recollection -of my surroundings came back to me, I asked Bry what was going on. - -He said the men were breaking camp, having slept late, and that -presently they were going to travel still further into the interior. I -could not imagine what they had in view, or where they expected to hide -from the vengeance of the men they had plundered; but Bry declared we -could follow them without ourselves being seen, so I decided not to give -up until we had tracked them to their hiding place—if, indeed, they had -one. - -Presently we could see them tramping away to the southward, carrying the -gold and provisions they had tied up in the blankets. There must have -been two or three hundredweight of the gold, so the packages were heavy, -and they had to take turns carrying them. But men seldom feel -overburdened by the weight of gold, so we heard no complaints from the -bearers. - -Bry went on alone, hiding behind rocks and trees but keeping the men -well in sight. After him trailed Nux, keeping Bry in sight; and then, as -far away as I dared, I followed Nux, trying to imitate the example of -the blacks and to hide myself as well as possible. - -Before noon I grew hungry, for we had brought no provisions of any sort -with us. The robbers paused to lunch, and then went on; but although I -searched carefully, I could not find a morsel of food that they had cast -aside. Of water there was plenty, for we crossed several small streams; -but food began to be more precious than gold to me, and I vaguely -wondered if I should die of starvation before I got back to camp. - -At evening the men made camp again, this time in a little clearing -strewn with fallen logs; and when Bry rejoined me in a clump of trees -where Nux and I had halted, I told him frankly that I was faint with -hunger, and that unless I could find something to eat I could not go on. -I have no doubt the blacks were hungry, too; but they were more inured -to hardship, and could bear it better. - -But Bry volunteered to try to secure some food, and as soon as darkness -had fallen he crept toward the camp, managing to approach to within five -yards of the camp fire, around which the robbers sat smoking and -talking. He was concealed by a huge log, behind which he hid, listening -carefully to the conversation, which he afterward retailed to me. - -“So far,” Larkin was saying, “we couldn’t have done better. By this time -I guess we’re pretty safe from pursuit.” - -“No one could find their way here in a year,” boasted Daggett, his lean -face grinning with delight. “I’m the only man on the island as knows the -trails.” - -“Are you sure you can lead us to that queer rock you tell of?” asked -Judson, a little uneasily. - -“Sure. And once there, we could defy an army,” returned Daggett. “Then -we can make our raft, row out to where the ship is, and sail away home.” - -Larkin gave a rude laugh, ending it with an oath. - -“There’ll be some tall cussin’ in the camp,” he said. - -“Major’ll be crazy,” assented Daggett. - -“I swiped every grain o’ gold he had, while he lay a-snorin’,” chuckled -Hayes, a big ruffian who was called “Dandy Pete,” in derision, because -he was so rough and unkempt. “Pity we couldn’t ’a’ got all there was in -camp.” - -“There’s enough to make us all rich, my boys, anyhow,” remarked Larkin. -“It’s nearly broke my back, luggin’ of it, an’ there’s only four of us -to divide.” - -At this they seemed to grow thoughtful, and all sat silently smoking for -several minutes. - -“What bothers me,” said Judson, breaking the silence, “is how we’re to -get that blasted ship into some civilized port. There ain’t a man here -as knows anything about sailin’.” - -“That’s all right,” said Larkin, confidently. “The sun rises in the -east, don’t it? Well, all we’ve got to do is h’ist the sails and let the -wind blow us towards the east. Some time or other we’ll get to the -American continent, and then we can run down the coast to ’Frisco. It’s -no trouble to sail a ship.” - -“We’ve got to get away, somehow,” grumbled Judson, “or our gold won’t be -of any use to us. When are we going to divide?” - -“When we get on the ship,” said Daggett, promptly. - -“When we’re at sea will be better,” added Larkin. - -They looked at one another suspiciously. - -“It’s got to be a fair divvy,” said Dandy Pete, with an oath, “or else -there won’t be so many to divide up with.” - -“What do you mean by that?” demanded Larkin, angrily. - -“I mean I’ll stick a knife in your ribs, if you try any trickery with -me,” replied Pete, scowling. “You made the terms yourself, and you’ve -got to live up to ’em. It’s a quarter each, all around.” - -“That’s wrong!” yelled Daggett, springing to his feet. “I’m to have a -third, for guiding you. If it hadn’t been for me, you couldn’t get away -with the gold at all.” - -“Who promised you a third?” asked Hayes. - -“Larkin.” - -“Well, let Larkin make it up to you, out of his own share. I’m going to -have a quarter.” - -“And so am I,” said Judson, fingering his revolver. - -Larkin glared at them with a white face. - -“We won’t quarrel about it, boys,” he said, after a time. “There’s -plenty for all, and we must hang together till we’re out of danger. I’ll -take what you think is right, for my share.” - -“I’ll take my third, an’ no less,” growled Daggett. - -No one looked at him. Each seemed to be busy with his own thoughts. - -Bryonia had chosen this especial log to hide behind, because the robbers -had placed their sack of provisions upon it. While listening to the -conversation I have recorded, the black had stealthily reached up his -hand and managed to extract from the bundle a tin of corned beef and a -handful of ship’s biscuits. Then he wriggled carefully away, and in a -few minutes had rejoined Nux and me, where we hid among the trees. - -I think no food has ever tasted quite so delicious to me as did that -tinned beef and stale biscuit. When divided amongst three there was -little enough in each share, but it sufficed to allay our hunger and -give us fresh strength and courage. - -After we had eaten, Bry decided to go back again for more, since another -opportunity to purloin from the bundle of provisions might not be -offered us. - -As it was very dark by this time, Nux and I crept nearer, to where a big -rock lay; and here, hidden by the deep shadows, we were able to -distinguish clearly all that transpired around the camp fire. - -Bry being between us and the light, we could follow his creeping form -with our eyes until we saw him lying safely hidden behind the log, with -the bundle of food just over him. By this time all the robbers had lain -down to sleep except Larkin, who had taken the watch and sat moodily -smoking beside the fire, on which he tossed now and then a handful of -fuel. - -Suddenly, as he looked toward the sack that rested upon the log, he saw -it move. In an instant a pistol shot rang out, and the robbers sprang to -their feet with cries of alarm. - -“Somebody’s behind that log!” shouted Larkin, who was himself trembling -with fear. - -At once Bryonia arose to his feet, stepped over the log, and calmly -advanced into the light of the fire, holding out his hand in greeting -and smiling broadly into the angry faces confronting him. - -“Don’ shoot poor Bry,” he said, pleadingly. “I’se run ’way to j’ine -you.” - -“Run away!” exclaimed Larkin, while the others looked at the black -suspiciously. “Why did you do that?” - -“So’s I won’ haf to work any mo’,” answered Bry. “Dey’s jest killin’ me -in dat camp, luggin’ bags o’ sand an’ washin’ gold all day.” - -“Who came with you?” asked Daggett. - -“Nobody ’t all,” declared Bry. “I seen yo’ all leave de camp, an’ so I -crep’ along after yo’. Wouldn’t have let yo’ know I was here, sure -’nough, but I got so hungry. I couldn’t stand it no longer, so I tried -to steal somefin’ to eat, an’ Mars Larkin he shot de gun at me.” - -“How did you know we had quit the camp for good?” enquired Pete, in a -surly tone. - -“Saw you take de gold, suh. So I ’pects you ain’t comin’ back agin’, an’ -thought I’d j’ine yo’. If you’ll take me ’long an’ feed me, Mars Hayes, -I’ll help tote de gold.” - -Bryonia’s statement was so simple that the miners were inclined to -believe him. Nux and I, who had crawled nearer to the fire when the -pistol shot rang out, could hear distinctly every word, and for a moment -I was horrified that Bry should prove false and desert to the enemy. But -Nux was chuckling gleefully, and whispered: “Dat Bry, he mighty clever -boy, Mars Sam!” So I began to comprehend that Bry was acting a part, -with the idea of saving Nux and me from discovery and ultimately -recovering the gold. Therefore I kept silent and listened eagerly. - -Evidently the miners were not of one opinion concerning the new arrival. - -“Let’s kill the nigger,” said Daggett. “Then we won’t run any chances.” - -“Don’t be a fool,” retorted Larkin. “Bry can be useful to us. He’s the -cook of the ‘Flipper’, I’m told, and besides helping to carry the gold, -he can cook our meals when we get to sea, and help sail the ship.” - -“If he’s run away from camp, why, he’s one of us,” said Judson, yawning -and sitting down again. “And if it comes to a fight, he counts for one -more on our side.” - -“But he don’t get any gold,” added Dandy Pete. - -“Not an ounce!” declared Daggett. - -“Don’t want any gold,” said Bry, composedly. “Only want to get away.” - -“All right,” decided Larkin. “You can come along. But you’ve got to obey -orders, and the first time I catch you at any tricks, I’ll put a bullet -into you.” - -Bry grinned from ear to ear, as if he considered this a good joke, and -then he warmed his hands over the fire while Judson brought him -something to eat from the bundle. - -Afterward all lay down to sleep again except Larkin, who resumed his -watch. It was too soon to put any trust in Bry, so the black, having -eaten his fill, lay down beside the others. - -Nux and I cautiously retreated to the rock, and consulted as to what we -should do under these circumstances. The black man had perfect -confidence in his comrade, and proposed that we should still follow the -band of robbers and wait for Bry to find a way to communicate with us -and assist us. This seemed reasonable to me, also. - -As we were chilled to the bones in the cold night air, Nux suggested -that we go into camp until morning, and led me a long distance back into -the woods, where we finally came to a deep hollow. Here there would be -little danger that a fire could be seen by the robbers; so we gathered -together some twigs, and as I had matches in my pocket a fire was soon -started that proved very grateful to us both. We then agreed to take -turns watching until daylight, and while Nux lay down to sleep I took -the first watch. But in some way—perhaps because the fire was so cosy -and agreeable,—I gradually lost consciousness, and when morning came -both Nux and I awoke with a start to find the fire out and the sun -glinting brightly through the trees. - -We made all haste toward the camp of the robbers, but when we arrived at -the place we found it deserted. They could not have been gone long, -however, for the embers of the fire were still aglow; and Nux, who was -keen as a bloodhound on a trail, declared he would have no trouble in -following the band. - -Before we left, however, we made a search for food, and to our joy -discovered behind the log a can of beans and some more biscuits, which -Bry had evidently found an opportunity to hide there for our benefit. We -began the chase even while we ate, for Nux picked out the trail with -ease and threaded his way between the trees with absolute confidence. - -It was nearly noon when he halted suddenly. - -We had come to the edge of the forest. Before us lay a broad table-land, -barren of any trees or brush whatever, and beyond this strip of rock the -blue sea stretched away to the horizon. - -“Why, we’ve crossed the island!” I exclaimed. - -“Only one end of de island,” corrected Nux. “De bay where our ship lays -ain’t half a mile away.” - -It surprised me that the shrewd black should know this, but I did not -question his statement. Just now my attention was drawn to the robbers, -who had halted upon the further edge of the table-land, which even from -where we stood, could be seen to form a high bluff above the ocean. At -this place it ran out into a little point, and just beyond this point, -but separated from the mainland by a wide gulf, stood an island-like -peak of rock, its flat surface on a level with the bluff. It must at one -time have formed a part of the mainland, but some convulsion of nature -had broken it away, and now a deep fissure isolated it from the bluff. - -Nature was responsible for two other curious freaks. One was a group of -tall pines, three in number, which grew on the separate peak where there -seemed scarcely enough soil covering the rock to hold the roots of the -trees. Yet on the main bluff there were no trees at all. - -The other phenomenon was a great rock, that must have weighed thousands -of tons, which lay upon the edge of the bluff so nicely balanced that it -almost seemed as if a good push would precipitate it into the gulf -below. It was triangular in shape, and the base rested on the bluff -while its outer point projected far over the gulf till it towered almost -above the isolated point of rock I have described. - -The robbers, when we first saw them, were engaged in earnest -consultation. It appeared that Daggett was explaining something about -the great rock, for he pointed toward it several times, and then at the -islet. The others leaned over the edge of the gulf, looked into the -chasm below, at the triangular rock, at the barren islet, and then drew -back and shook their heads. - -Then Daggett, whom I had always considered a coward, did what struck me -as being a very brave act. He climbed upon the sloping rock, and -gradually crept upward on his hands and knees. When he reached a point -above the center the huge rock began to tremble. Daggett crept a little -further along, and now the entire mass of rock, which was poised to a -nicety, raised its vast bulk and tipped slowly outward. Daggett slid -forward; the point of rock under him touched the islet and came to rest, -and then he leaped off and stood safely upon the peak, while the -rocking-stone, relieved of his weight, slowly returned to its former -position. - -A cheer went up from the men, and they hesitated no longer. Bry crept up -the stone next, and was tipped gracefully upon the islet. One after -another Hayes, Judson and Larkin mounted the rocking-stone and were -deposited upon the rocky point, together with their bundles of gold and -provisions. - -We could not see very well what became of them, after this, for the big -rock hid them from our view; but as it was evident they could not get -back again—at least by the same means they had employed to reach the -islet,—Nux and I made bold to creep out of our shelter and approach the -point that jutted outward into the sea. - -Then, to our surprise, we saw that the flat top of the rock was -deserted. The robbers, together with Bry and the treasure, seemed to -have vanished into thin air! - - - - - CHAPTER XI. - THE CAVERN. - - -From our better position we could now see the sides of the great rock -which reared itself nearly a hundred feet from the shore and stood like -some gigantic, flat topped obelisk, keeping guard by the lonely sea. -Some ancient convulsion of nature, such as an earthquake or a lightning -bolt, had evidently split it from the main precipice of rock near which -it stood; for the huge crevice that separated it, and which extended -entirely down to the beach, almost followed its outlines in every -particular. But what had cast up that great rocking-stone, and placed it -in so finely balanced a position that it could be made a curious but -effective bridge to the isolated peak? No one can tell. Another freak of -nature, doubtless, for no mortal hands could ever have moved so great a -weight of solid rock. - -And now was solved the problem of the mysterious disappearance of the -robbers; for, looking over the edge, we saw them creeping slowly down -the side of the cliff. A natural ledge, varying from one to three feet -in breadth, led from the top down to the bottom, circling entirely -around the crag with a sort of corkscrew regularity. It was a dizzy -path, most certainly, and I did not wonder to see the men cling fast to -the inner side of the rock as they crept down the tortuous ledge; but -Daggett, who evidently knew the place well, led them fearlessly, and the -others followed, dragging their burdens and the sacks of gold dust as -best they could. I certainly expected to see one or more of them tumble -headlong at any moment; but no accident happened and presently, as they -descended, the path wound around the opposite side of the rock, and they -were lost to view. - -I wondered if I would see them again, and if it were wise to stick to my -exposed post of observation; but while I pondered the matter Daggett -came into view again, having passed around the rock. He was now two -thirds of the way to the sands, and as he followed the ledge on the -inner side, that lay next the face of the main cliff, I saw him suddenly -pause upon a broader part of the path than the rest, and then disappear -into the rock itself—or so it seemed to my gaze from where I watched. -One by one the men came after him, and one by one the rock swallowed -them up with their burdens; and now passed a period of tedious waiting. - -Both Nux and I had counted the fugitives and saw that all had safely -descended to this point, including Bry. But what had become of them now -was a mystery. - -“What shall we do, Nux?” I asked in indecision. “There’s nothing more to -be seen from here.” - -The black, whose eyes held a startled expression, made no reply; but he -crept with me to a nearer and better position at the edge of the cliff -beside the rocking-stone, and together we peered over into the abyss. -Now, indeed, the strange disappearance of the robbers was explained, for -from our present point of vantage we could see a black spot far down on -the inner face of the column of rock, where the ledge passed, and this -spot was evidently a cavity into which the men had penetrated. - -“All we can do now,” I said, with a sigh of regret, “is to wait until -they come out. It would be foolish to follow them into that place.” - -Nux nodded an emphatic approval, and we proceeded to lie down upon our -faces, so that our eyes just projected over the edge of the cliff, and -in this position we watched as patiently as we could for something to -happen. - -It was fully an hour before the men reappeared. A distant sound of -voices, raised high in angry dispute, was the first token that the -desperadoes were quitting the interior of the rock. Then Larkin and -Daggett came out and stood upon the ledge; the others crowding behind -them on the narrow footing, while their guide pointed along the ledge -that still continued to lead downward. - -They were without burdens now, either of provisions or gold dust; but -the two axes were carried over Bry’s shoulder, and another man bore a -coil of rope. - -They seemed to be disputing together about something, and a few of the -words reached our ears. Daggett was urging them to follow a plan he had -proposed, while some of the others demurred. - -“It’s too hot to work,” we heard one of the men declare. - -“It’s not too hot to hang,” shouted Daggett, in reply, “and you’ll hang, -every mother’s son of you, if we don’t get to the ship!” - -That seemed to be an effective argument, for after a few more words of -protest the men followed Daggett along the ledge, Bry coming last of -all. - -The path was broader from there on, and they made rapid progress, soon -being again lost to our view around the rock. Just as Bry disappeared he -looked up and saw Nux and me eagerly watching from above. For an instant -he paused to wave his hand and grin at us reassuringly; then he passed -around the edge and vanished after the others. - -“Dat Bry don’ ’pear to be much scared,” said Nux, in an encouraged tone. - -“No,” I answered, thoughtfully. “He’s got some plan in his head, I’m -sure, to help us. But where have the men gone now?” - -Nux could not answer this problem, but after a few moments it solved -itself, for the robbers and Bry appeared upon the sandy shore, close to -the water, and walked briskly along the narrow strip of beach between -the lapping waves and the grim precipice of the mainland. It was not -long before a bend in the coast hid them completely, and then we sat up -and looked at one another inquiringly. - -“What we do now?” asked the black. - -“Let’s go down the rock,” I suggested, assuming to be braver than I -really was. “They’ve left the gold behind them, that’s sure; and the -gold is what we’re after, Nux. Once we have recovered that, it doesn’t -matter so much what becomes of the thieves.” - -“Won’ dey come back?” enquired Nux, hesitatingly. - -“I hope not,” said I, truthfully. “At least not until after we’ve got -back the gold. But there’s no time to lose. Follow me.” - -Having thus assumed the leadership, I strove to banish all unmanly fear -and boldly sprang on to the end of the rocking-stone that rested on the -mainland. Slowly and with caution I crept up its incline until I was -directly over the gulf. It was now that the stone should tip, but it -seemed that my weight, being less than that of any of the men who had -passed over, was not sufficient to balance the rock, so it began to look -like a risky thing for me to climb further up the tapering point. - -“But it’s got to be done,” I muttered to myself, setting my teeth firmly -together; and then, summoning what courage I possessed, I lay close to -the rock and crawled steadily upward, digging my toes desperately into -the irregular hollows of the surface, to keep from sliding into the gulf -that yawned below. Higher and higher I climbed, and at last the huge -rock trembled and then gently sank beneath me. For a moment I was -exultant; but I had crept so near to the slippery point of the wedge -that I could find no rough projection to grasp with my fingers, and -therefore as soon as my head became lower than my feet I slid -headforemost to the point and tumbled off before the rocking-stone had -reached a point of rest upon the peak. - -Fortunately, however, I had been carried over the gulf, and although I -lay, half-stunned, upon the very edge of the great precipice, I was not -much hurt. In another moment I managed to drag myself to a position of -greater safety, while the rocking-stone, relieved of my weight, reared -its nearest point into the air again and fell slowly back into its -original position. - -Nux, who had watched breathlessly my adventure and hair-breadth escape, -was trembling violently when he in turn mounted the stone. But I called -out to reassure him, and his greater weight caused the wedge to tip more -quickly, so that he effected the passage to the rocky peak with -comparative ease. - -Once beside me the faithful fellow began rubbing my limbs briskly to -renew their circulation and ease the bruises, and it was not long before -I felt sufficiently restored to announce my resolve to continue the -adventure. - -“Come on, Nux,” said I, scrambling to my feet, “we must get that gold -before Daggett and his gang come back.” - -The black was staring at the rocking-stone, now removed from our -table-like refuge by a good twenty feet. - -“How we get back again?” he asked, in perplexity. - -“I don’t know,” said I. “That’s a question we’ll have to face afterward. -The main thing is to get the gold, and it’s certain that if we can find -no way to escape the robbers will be as badly off themselves.” - -Nux shook his head. - -“Dat won’ help us, Mars Sam,” he said, gravely. - -But already I was engaged in eagerly peering over the edge of the peak -to find the ledge by which the men had descended, and in an instant I -discovered it. It started with a projection scarcely six inches wide, -which lay nearly four feet from the top, and it is small wonder that I -looked at it dubiously, at first. For if I let myself over, and missed -my footing, I would be tumbled sheer down the face of the cliff. - -“I go first,” decided Nux, who had also glanced over the cliff. - -There was a crack in the rock, near the edge, which afforded him a hold -for his hands, and clutching this the black let his body slide over -until his feet touched the projection. - -“Now, Mars Sam,” he said. “You hold on me, an’ come down.” - -This I quickly did, and found the feat much less difficult than I had -feared. Just at the top where my companion’s feet rested, there was -sufficient incline to enable me to lean against the rock, and a few -steps further on the ledge widened until the path was quite easy to -follow. - -I went first, followed closely by the black, and although it was not a -descent one would have chosen for a pleasure excursion there was little -of danger to be encountered by those with cool heads and determined -hearts, such as we strove to maintain. - -Round and round the great pillar of rock we crept, nearing the foot -gradually until we came at last to the side facing the main cliff and -found the opening of a large cavern beside us. - -Filled with eager curiosity I took a step or two inside, and found the -cavern to be fully ten feet in height and about fifteen feet in depth. -There was no light except that which came through the round entrance, -and as this faced the side of the cliff it was so shadowed that it -required a few moments for me to accustom my eyes to the gloom, so that -I could see plainly the interior of the cave. - -Its floor was strewn deeply with sand, an evidence that when the waves -rolled high they rebounded from the face of the cliff and deposited -their sand in the cavern. The marks of numerous footprints, however, -were all that could be seen in the cave, and it did not take me a moment -to guess what had occupied the robbers so long. - -“They’ve buried the sacks of gold and the provisions under the sand!” I -exclaimed. - -“Sure ’nough,” agreed Nux. - -“It will take us some time to dig for them, for we don’t know exactly -where to look,” I continued, reflectively, “so our best plan will be to -go down to the beach and discover what has become of Daggett and his -crew, and whether they’re liable to come back here before night.” - -The black readily agreed to this, so we at once left the cave and -continued along the ledge until we reached the sand. - -The path became quite broad in this part, and our descent was therefore -concluded very rapidly. - -Once on the shore we walked briskly along until we had turned the bend -in the beach, which curved to follow the lines of a little bay. Here we -paused, for a long stretch of the beach was now opened to our gaze. - -From this point the shore widened out, for the precipitous mainland -shrank backward and decreased gradually in height until, a half mile or -so further on, it reached the level plain and merged into a deep forest -which grew almost down to the edge of the sea. - -No human being was in sight, so we naturally concluded that the robbers -had entered the forest. - -Being curious to discover what they were doing, without hesitation we -decided to follow them, and their path was easily traced by the -footprints in the sand. These led straight to the forest, and although -somewhat fearful that the enemy would discover our presence, we -proceeded to walk boldly around the shore of the little bay until we -came to the edge of the trees. - -A sound of voices, mingled with the strokes of the axes, now guided us, -and stealthily creeping among the thick underbrush we soon discovered -the robbers busily at work. - -Judson and Dandy Pete were trimming the branches from a fallen -tree-trunk, while the others were rolling and dragging another big log -toward the sea, the glistening waters being perceptible but a few yards -away. Evidently the men were intending to build a raft, and after -listening for a few minutes to their disjointed conversation we learned -that the raft was designed to convey them and their stolen wealth to the -ship. - -While Daggett, Larkin and Bry tugged and dragged at the log, Nux and I -crept away to the shore, where we found two big logs already lying upon -the sands. Also we could now plainly see, sheltered in another bay, the -“Flipper” lying quietly at her anchorage, as Nux had wisely predicted. - -The schemes of the robbers were now fully explained. Under cover of the -forest by day, and hidden in their cave by night, they intended to -complete the raft, and when it was ready it would not be difficult to -steal away to the ship with the treasure, under cover of darkness, hoist -the sails, and creep out to sea, bidding defiance to the Major and his -comrades and leaving the miners and the “Flipper’s” crew to perish on -the lonely island. - -But the construction of the raft would require time—several days, at -least—for after getting the logs to the shore they must be fastened -together by cross-strips secured with wooden pegs, since there was not -enough rope in their possession to bind the tree-trunks together. - -Once more returning to a part of the underbrush near which the men were -employed, Nux and I settled ourselves to listen attentively to their -conversation. - -Presently we heard Daggett say: - -“This rate we’ll have the raft ready by Saturday, and Saturday night -we’ll take the ship.” - -“It’s beastly hard work!” growled Dandy Pete, brushing with his sleeve -the sweat from his brow. - -“Yes; but it means liberty and riches to every one of us,” said Daggett, -and that was an argument none cared to deny. - -Just then I was startled at hearing low voices just beside me and -instinctively I touched the black’s shoulder and we crouched lower in -the bushes. Nux, indeed, with a woodsman’s instinct, was quite flat upon -the ground, lifeless and invisible, and I strove to imitate him. - -“It’s as easy as can be,” said the voice, which I recognized as that of -Larkin. “We’ll let the fools work until the raft is finished, and then -we’ll put our knives in their hearts, and have the gold for ourselves.” - -“How about Bry?” asked Judson, hoarsely whispering to his murderous -comrade. - -“Oh, he won’t interfere any,” was the reply. “And we need the nigger to -help us work the ship.” - -“Can three of us manage the vessel?” - -“Of course, with good weather. We’ll have to take our chances of a -storm, but the fewer there are to divide up, the bigger our fortunes -will be. We won’t give the nigger a cent, but go halves on the whole -thing. Perhaps we can sell the ship, too, for a good sum.” - -“All right; I’m with you!” declared Judson, with an oath; and then the -two conspirators crept away and rejoined the others, unconscious that -their diabolical plot had been overheard. - - - - - CHAPTER XII. - WE RECOVER THE GOLD. - - -Thinking over the matter, I decided to return at once to the cave. The -thieves would doubtless be occupied in the forest until sundown, and -such a chance as this to secure possession of the gold might never occur -again. For if Daggett or his men chanced to see our footprints in the -sand, or suspected they were being spied upon, they would be liable to -leave a guard in the cave thereafter. - -So we softly crept from the forest and made our way back by the same -route we had come, taking care to tread in the trail made by the -robbers, so that our footprints could be less easily distinguished. We -did not feel entirely safe from observation until we had regained the -column of rock which towered into the air beside the precipitous cliff; -but once our feet were on the narrow ledge both I and my faithful Sulu -breathed easier, and with more deliberation accomplished the ascent to -the cave. - -“Now,” said I, “we must work carefully, so that no spot of sand can -escape us; for the thieves have taken care to disturb the surface -everywhere, in order to throw any chance visitor to this hiding-place -off the track. But we know the gold is buried in this cave, Nux, so it -ought not to be a very hard job to find it.” - -Nux nodded, with his usual complaisance. - -“We begin in back,” he suggested, “and work front.” - -This seemed sensible, so I followed the black to the far end of the -cavern, and falling upon our knees we immediately began digging with our -hands into the soft sand. - -For nearly an hour we steadily worked, finding nothing at all. Then, as -I stopped to rest, I cast a careless glance along the rocky sides of the -cave and thought that I saw a white mark upon the wall, a few feet -toward the front. Springing to my feet I approached this point and -discovered that a small cross had been made with a piece of chalk or a -bit of white limestone. - -“Here we are, Nux!” I cried, joyfully and at once began digging in the -sand beneath the mark. A few minutes work proved that my sudden -suspicion was correct; for Nux, who had straightway joined me, dragged -one of the sacks to light, while I discovered another just beside it. - -It was part of the stolen gold, sure enough, and my heart beat fast with -excitement as I realized that the precious hoard was once more in my -possession. - -Only a part had been hidden in this place, we found; but now we had an -unmistakeable clew to guide us, so that we had little difficulty in -finding a second secret mark that resulted in the discovery of the -balance of the treasure, as well as the sacks of provisions. - -When all had been unearthed Nux asked: - -“What we do now, Mars Sam?” - -“Why, carry it away, of course,” I answered, joyous and elate. - -“Where?” enquired the black, simply. - -I looked at him in surprise, and then realizing the meaning of the -question, grew thoughtful again. - -“You’re right, Nux,” said I. “It’s going to be a harder task than I -thought. We can’t pass by the forest with it, that’s certain; for -Daggett and his followers would be sure to see us. On the other side, -the cliff rises straight out of the sea, and there’s no way to escape -around it. All we can do, then, is to carry the gold to the top of this -rock.” - -“Hm!” granted the Sulu. “Dat no good, Mars Sam.” - -“Why not?” - -“No way to get off top of rock.” - -“True; but we can hide there, ’till the thieves go away to the ship. It -isn’t likely they’ll climb up there again, for this cave is a better -place to sleep in.” - -Nux seemed unconvinced, and I had none too much confidence in my own -assertion. - -“Tonight,” said the black, in a dismal tone, “dey hunt for de gold. All -gone. Robber very mad. Dey look ev’rywhere; den dey find us on rock. Den -dey kill us.” - -“That’s a pretty tough prophecy, Nux,” I returned, as cheerfully as I -could. “And it sounds likely enough, I confess. We’ve got the gold -again, to be sure; but the robbers have got us; so we’re worse off than -we were before.” - -Nux took a lump of bread from a provision sack and begun to munch it -leisurely. Noticing the action, and remembering that I also was hungry, -I proceeded to follow the black’s example. - -While we ate, however, my Sulu was busily thinking, and so was I. As a -result I presently gave my leg a delighted slap and began to laugh. - -Nux looked at me with a grin of sympathy upon his black features. - -“What’s matter, Mars Sam?” - -“Nux,” said I, checking my amusement and trying to look grave and -impressive, “there’s an old saying that ‘there’s never a lock so strong -but there’s a key to fit it’. In other words, while there’s life there’s -hope; never give up the ship; every sky has a silver lining!” - -Nux looked puzzled. - -“That’s a lovely pair of trousers you’re wearing, Nux,” I continued, in -a jocular strain. “They’re made of the stoutest cloth Uncle Naboth could -find in San Francisco, and I gave them to you out of the ship’s stores -only three or four days ago, because your old ones were so ragged.” - -Nux glanced at his wide-legged blue trousers and nodded. - -“Now, old man,” said I, “you’ve often told me you used to go bare-legged -and bare-backed in your own island, so I’m going to ask you to go -bare-legged a little while now, and lend me those trousers.” - -“Wha’ for, Mars Sam?” - -“To put the gold grains in, of course. The robbers may look for the -sacks of gold, when they come back, but they’re pretty sure not to open -them. Therefore, my friend we’ll fix it so that they’ll think their gold -is all safe.” - -“How, Mars Sam?” - -“By filling the sacks with sand, and burying them again where we found -them.” - -Nux looked at me admiringly, and grinned until his mouth stretched from -ear to ear and displayed every one of his white teeth. - -“Good, Mars Sam!” he cried, and at once stripped the trousers from his -legs. - -I now hunted in the pockets of my jacket and brought out several small -bits of cord, which I knotted firmly together. Then I tied the legs of -Nux’s trousers tightly at the bottoms, thus transforming them into a -double sack of great capacity. - -It did not take us long to transfer the gold dust from the canvas bags -to the trouser-legs, and as soon as this task was accomplished we -refilled the bags with sand and tied up as before. I was obliged to tear -away a part of my own shirt to get material with which to tie the upper -part of the trousers, for I did not wish to deprive poor Nux of his -entire apparel. The Sulu looked funny enough, dressed only in his shoes -and shirt, with his black legs between them, and more than once I was -obliged to pause and laugh heartily at my comrade’s appearance. But Nux -didn’t seem to mind, and soon the seriousness of our position and the -necessity to hasten caused me to forget the queer costume of my -follower. - -We abstracted but a slender supply of provisions from the sacks, for we -did not wish to arouse suspicion by taking too much. The next task was -to bury the sacks of sand and the provisions exactly as they had been -before, and to smooth over the surface of the sand and trample it down -just as we had found it when we first entered the cave. - -This being accomplished to our complete satisfaction, Nux lifted the -heavy gold over his shoulder, one leg hanging behind his back and one in -front, and started to mount the narrow ledge of rock with his burden, -while I followed close behind to render any assistance I could. - -The Sulu was a wonderfully strong man; but his task was a difficult one; -although I tried to relieve him in the worst places by lifting a part of -the heavy load. - -Our progress was slow, for poor Nux had to stop frequently to put down -his load and rest, and it was while we were on the outer surface of the -rock, which faced the sea, that we were suddenly startled by hearing -sounds that assured us the robbers were returning from the forest. Much -time had been consumed in the cave, searching for the treasure and -securing it, and now I began to fear we had delayed too long. - -[Illustration: A hazardous climb.] - -Just at this time the men could not see us; but as soon as they mounted -the ledge and began to wind around the tower of rock, they would be sure -to catch sight of our forms, and then our fate would be sealed. - -“Nux,” I whispered, “pick up the gold and be ready to start. As soon as -the thieves get back to the ledge we must go on, and keep the rock -always between us and them, or we shall be lost.” - -Nux nodded, and obeyed without a word. It was often hard to tell, by the -sound of their voices, just how far up the ledge the men had progressed; -but fortune favored us, and only once did we lag behind enough for the -first of the robber band to espy us. But that first person, by good -luck, proved to be Bryonia, and the clever black at once pretended to -stumble and fall, and so held the men that followed him in check until -Nux and I had escaped around the crag. - -Soon after this the robbers reached the cave, which they entered, thus -enabling us to reach the top of the crag at our leisure. - -Nux was nearly spent when at last he threw the laden trousers upon the -flat top and tried to draw his tired body after them; but I gave him a -hearty boost from behind, and then scrambled to the top unaided, nerved -by the excitement of the moment. - -For several minutes neither of us spoke. The black man lay panting for -breath, with the perspiration streaming from every pore of his body, and -I, filled with gratitude at our escape and the successful accomplishment -of our plan, sat beside my faithful friend and fanned him with my straw -hat. - -The sun was sinking fast, by this time, and the shadows of the three -tall pine trees that grew upon this isolated peak fell upon the spot -where we rested, and cooled our sun-parched bodies. - -Although at times a rough laugh or a shouted curse reached our ears from -the cavern below, there was no indication that Daggett or his band had -yet made the discovery that the place had been visited in their absence, -and the treasure for which they had risked so much abstracted from its -sandy grave. - -When twilight fell I arose and with some difficulty rolled the trousers -to a place nearer the center of the rock, where there was a small -natural hollow; and then Nux and I sat beside it and ate again sparingly -of the food we had brought. - -It was while we were thus occupied that an incident occurred that filled -us with sudden panic. For before our faces a man’s head appeared above -the edge of rock, and two dark eyes glared fixedly into our own. - -At the moment I almost screamed with fright, so unnerved had my recent -adventures rendered me; but Nux laid his broad hand across my mouth and -arrested the outcry. - -“It’s Bry,” he whispered, and even as he spoke the newcomer drew himself -over the edge and crept on all fours to our side. I had no trouble in -recognizing the friendly features then. - -“Oh, Bry!” I said—softly, so as not to be heard by the robbers below—and -clasped the black hands fervently in both my own. - -Bry squatted beside us, his kindly face wreathed in smiles. - -“Dey send me up here to see if anyone ’round,” he whispered. “In a -minute I go back and say ‘no.’” - -“Can’t you stay with us, Bry?” I asked, pleadingly. - -“Not yet, Mars Sam. Dey very bad mans, down dere. Dey kill you quick if -dey find you.” - -“We’ve got the gold, Bry!” - -“I know. I see you in de wood; I follow your footprints all way home; I -see you climbin’ up rock. Den I see de sand been dig up, so I knew you -got gold.” - -“Did they suspect us at all, Bry?” - -“No, Mars Sam. Dey too busy tryin’ to kill each other. All want to have -gold for himself, so all try to kill everyone else. Very bad mans, Mars -Sam.” - -“They’re going to take you on the ship, and make you sail it,” said I. - -Bry laughed, silently. - -“I stay with them now, so they not find you,” he said. “But when right -time come I steal away an’ come back to you. Did you fill sack with -sand, Mars Sam?” glancing enquiringly at the stuffed trousers. - -“Yes.” - -“That good,” said Bry, approvingly. “They dig up one, when they come -back, to see if all safe. Then they hide it again. Very good way to fool -bad mans.” - -“But we can’t leave here until they go away,” I remarked. - -“No. Must be careful. Tomorrow they finish raft. Tomorrow night they go -to ship. You stay here and hide till then. After de bad mans go, I come -back to you, and we go to camp again.” - -“All right, Bry,” said I, as cheerfully as possible. - -Then the black bade us good-bye and returned to the cave to report to -Daggett that no one was to be seen anywhere about. And now Nux and I, -wearied by the adventures of the day, but buoyed by the hope that we -might finally escape with the recovered gold, lay down upon the rocky -eminence and, bathed by the moon’s silver rays, slept peacefully until -morning. - - - - - CHAPTER XIII. - THE CATASTROPHE. - - -I was awakened by the voices of the robbers, who were leaving the cave -early in order to complete their raft by nightfall. It was evident that -they had not suspected our intrusion into their retreat, or the fact -that their stolen treasure had been taken from them. Indeed, they seemed -in high spirits, especially Larkin and Judson, who were doubtless eager -to carry out their nefarious plan of murdering their comrades as soon as -the work on the raft was finished. Daggett might also harbor a -conspiracy to secure the bulk of the treasure and probably all the -members of the evil band were looking forward to this coming night to -end their suspense and give them an advantage one over the other. “Honor -among thieves” has often been quoted; but in this instance, as in many -others that could be mentioned, the thieves were as lacking in honor as -they were in honesty. - -From my elevated perch I watched them file along the ledge to the sands, -and upon reaching the level set off toward the forest. Not till they -were well out of sight did Nux or I venture to rise upright and stretch -our limbs. - -The morning was warm and sultry. The sun gleamed hot in a cloudless sky -and not a breath of air stirred the leaves of the three tall trees that -stood at the edge of our towering rock. - -“It’s going to be a roasting day,” I said to Nux, “and we won’t get any -shade from those trees until afternoon. Do you suppose we dare go down -to the cave for a while.” - -Nux shook his head. - -“We all safe now, Mars Sam,” he replied. “Better not run no risk wid dis -yeah gold dust.” - -Thoughtfully I gazed toward the forest. - -“Those fellows will be cool and comfortable enough in the shade,” I -remarked, rebelliously, “and I don’t believe they’ll come back through -the hot sun until it’s time to get the treasure. Let’s go down to the -sea and take a swim.” - -Nux was unable to resist the temptation; so, leaving the trousers full -of golden grains resting on top of the rock, we made our way cautiously -along the narrow, winding ledge until we reached the shore. - -There was not a ripple on the sea. It lay as still and inert as a sheet -of glass; but the water was cool, nevertheless, when compared with the -stifling atmosphere, and so I and my black companion paddled in it for -more than an hour, feeling much refreshed by our luxurious bath. - -Afterward we ate our simple breakfast and then climbed the ledge as far -as the mouth of the cave, where we sat down in the shade. Even that -slight exertion quite exhausted us. - -“We will be sure to hear them if they should by chance return,” said I, -“and we’ll certainly be roasted if we get on top of this rock, where the -sun can strike us. I believe it’s the hottest day I ever knew.” - -Meantime the men in the forest were finding their work far from -pleasant, as Bryonia afterward told us. They were shaded from the sun, -it is true; but the air they breathed was as hot as if it came fresh -from an oven, and the least exertion caused the perspiration to stream -from their pores. So there was considerable grumbling among them and a -general shirking of work that made their progress slow. Even Bryonia, -who was fairly heat-proof, found he had little energy to swing his axe, -although he made a pretense of working as industriously as ever. - -“Never mind, boys,” said Daggett, when noon had arrived and they were -eating the luncheon they had brought in their pockets. “The raft will be -big enough to carry us and the gold to the ship, I’m sure, for the sea -is as still as a mill-pond. We’ll just get these two logs to the shore, -and fasten them to the others, and call the thing a go. What do you -say?” - -They agreed with him readily enough. As a matter of fact the raft might -suffice to carry them all, but none of them believed that all five would -embark upon it, so many murderous schemes were lurking in their minds. - -Wearily they dragged the two logs toward the sea, but much time was -consumed in this operation, and the day was far spent before the raft -was complete and ready to launch. - -Most of the men had stripped themselves naked, to work more comfortably, -for the heat was well-nigh unbearable; but now, as they stood ready to -push the raft into the water, the sun suddenly disappeared and a cold -chill swept over them. - -“We’re going to have a storm,” cried Daggett, looking curiously into the -sky. “Better leave the raft where it is, my lads, and make for the -cave.” - -The warning was unquestionable. Already a low, moaning sound came to -their ears across the sea, and the sky grew darker each moment. - -With one accord the men seized their clothing in their arms and ran -along the beach toward the cave, while tiny points of lightning darted -here and there about them, casting weird if momentary gleams upon their -naked forms. - -Nux and I sitting half asleep by the mouth of the cave, were warned by -the first chill blast that swept over us that the weather had changed -and a storm was imminent. Springing to my feet I looked fearfully at the -darkening sky. - -“What’ll we do, Nux?” I asked. “This will bring our enemies back here in -double-quick time.” - -“Better climb on top de rock, Mars Sam,” advised the Sulu. - -“But it’ll rain—floods and torrents, probably—and thunder and lightning -besides.” - -“’Spect it will, Mars Sam. But rain wont hurt us much.” - -“And Daggett’s gang will, if they catch us. I guess you’re right, Nux. -Come along.” - -As we started along the ledge the wind came upon us in sudden gusts, and -the sky grew so dark that we almost had to feel our way. It was -necessary to exercise great care, both to find a secure footing and to -cling fast to the face of the rock, to prevent our being blown into the -abyss below; but we struggled manfully on, and presently reached the -top, where Nux hoisted me over the edge and then scrambled after me. - -By this time the lightning was playing all around us, and we were -obliged to crawl carefully on hands and knees to the little hollow in -the center of the rock, where we were to an extent shielded from the -fierce gusts of wind. Even then I feared we would be blown away; but Nux -shouted in my ear to hold fast to the gold, which served as a sort of -anchor, and enabled us both, as we lay flat in the hollow, to maintain -our positions securely. - -And now the lightning began to be accompanied by sharp peals of thunder, -while the wind suddenly subsided to give place to wild floods of rain. -At intervals could be heard the shouts of the robbers, who had reached -the rocks and were creeping along the ledge to their cave. All the -elements seemed engaged in a confused turmoil, until I was nearly -deafened by the uproar. I tried to ask a question of Nux, but could not -hear my own voice, and gave up the attempt. The thought crossed my mind -that we had been very foolish to climb to this peak of rock, where we -were exposed to the full fury of the storm, and I wondered vaguely, as I -clung to the sack of gold we had risked so much to secure, how long it -would be before the wind swept us away, or we would be annihilated by a -bolt of lightning. - -Presently an arm was laid across my back, as if to protect me, and -raising my head I saw by the light of a vivid flash that Bryonia had -joined us and was lying in the hollow at my side. - -I wondered how the daring Sulu had ever managed to reach us; but the -strong arm gave me a new sense of security, and impulsively I seized the -black man’s hand and pressed it to express my gratitude and welcome. - -An instant later a terrible crash sounded in my ears, while at the same -time a blast of fire swept over the rock and seemed to bathe our three -prostrate figures in its withering flame. Again came a crash; and -another—and still another, while the crisp lightning darted through the -air and made each nerve of our bodies tingle as if pricked by myriads of -needle points. - -Half bewildered, I raised my head, and saw the great rocking-stone sway -from side to side and then plunge headlong into the gulf that lay -between the precipice and the solitary rock whereon we reclined. And I -felt the mighty column of rock shake and lean outward, as if about to -topple into the sea, while the impact of the fallen mass reverberated -above the shriek of the wind and the thunder’s loudest roar. - -Instinctively I braced myself for the end—the seemingly inevitable -outcome of this terrible catastrophe; but to my surprise no violent -calamity overwhelmed us. Instead, the lightning, as if satisfied with -its work of destruction, gradually abated. The blinding flashes no -longer pained my closed eyes with their vivid recurrence, and even the -wind and rain moderated and grew less violent. - - - - - CHAPTER XIV. - BURIED ALIVE. - - -Terrified beyond measure by the awfulness of the storm, I gave little -heed to the fact that the rocky hollow in which I lay with the two -faithful blacks had filled with water, so that our bodies were nearly -covered by the pool that had formed. My head still rested on the -trousers packed with gold, and one arm was closely clasped around a leg -containing the treasured metal grains. So I lay, half dazed and scarcely -daring to move, while the rain pattered down upon us and the storm -sobbed itself out by degrees. - -I must have lost consciousness, after a time, for my first distinct -recollection is of Bryonia drawing my body from the pool to lay it on a -dryer portion of the rock, where the overhanging trees slightly -sheltered me. The sky had grown lighter by now, and while black streaks -of cloud still drifted swiftly across the face of the moon, there were -times when the great disc was clear, and shed its light brilliantly over -the bleak and desolate landscape. - -Within an hour the rain had ceased altogether, and stars came out to -join the moon; but still we lay motionless atop the peak of rock, worn -out by our struggles with the elements and fitfully dozing in spite of -the horrors we had passed through. - -Bry was first to arouse, and found the sun shining overhead. There was -no wind and the temperature of the morning air was warm and genial. The -black’s legs pained him, for in his terrible climb up the rock during -the storm a jagged piece of rock had cut his thigh and torn the flesh -badly. He had not noticed it until now, but after examining the wound he -bathed it in the water of the pool and bound it up with a rag torn from -his shirt. - -While he was thus occupied Nux sat up and watched him, yawning. They -spoke together in low tones, using the expressive Sulu language, and had -soon acquainted each other with the events that had occurred since they -separated. Their murmured words aroused me to a realization of the -present, and having partially collected my thoughts I began to rub my -eyes and look wonderingly around me. - -The top of the rock was no longer flat, but inclined toward the sea. The -three tall trees also inclined that way, instead of growing upright, and -the neighboring cliff of the mainland seemed further removed from us -than before. Something appeared to be missing in the landscape, and then -I suddenly remembered how the rocking-stone had leaped into the gulf -during the storm. - -“All safe?” I asked, looking at my black friends gratefully. - -“All safe,” answered Bry, smiling. - -“It was a dreadful night,” I continued, with a shudder. “Have you heard -anything from the robbers yet?” - -“No, Mars Sam.” - -“They’re probably sleeping late. Anyhow, they can’t have gone away on -the raft yet.” - -Bry shook his head. - -“All very wicked mans, Mars Sam,” he said. “Even in big storm, while we -climb up to cave, Mars Daggett tell me to go behind Pete an’ push him -off rock.” - -“The villain!” I exclaimed, indignantly. - -“He tell me if I not push Pete off, he kill me,” continued Bry, with a -grin. - -“What did you do?” - -“When they run into cave, I run by it, an’ come here. That’s all, Mars -Sam.” - -“You did well, Bry. If they climb up here after you, we’ll fight them to -the death.” - -“No climb rock any more, Mars Sam,” said Bry, soberly. - -“Why not?” - -“See how rock tip? Only fly can climb rock now.” - -“I believe you’re right, Bry!” I cried, startled at this dreadful -assertion; “and, if so, we’re prisoners here. Let us see what it looks -like.” - -I crawled rather stiffly down the inclined surface to the edge -overlooking the sea, and one glance showed me that it would now be -impossible for anyone to walk along the narrow ledge. - -While I looked a sharp cry of horror from Nux reached my ears, and -swiftly turning I hastened with Bry toward the place where the black was -leaning over the gulf that separated the peak from the mainland. - -“What is it, Nux?” I asked, anxiously. - -But the Sulu only stood motionless, pointing with one finger into the -abyss, while his eyes stared downward with an expression of abject fear. - -We both followed his gaze, and one glance was sufficient to fully -acquaint us with the awful catastrophe the vengeance of the storm had -wrought. - -The huge rocking-stone, weighing thousands of tons, which for ages had -remained delicately balanced upon the edge of the chasm, had been struck -by a bolt of lightning and torn from its base. Crashing into the gulf, a -point of the great, wedge-shaped boulder had entered the mouth of the -cave where the desperadoes sought shelter, and, crowded forward by its -own weight, it had sealed up the robbers in a living grave, from whence -no power of man could ever rescue them. - -It was this mighty wedge, crowded into the space between the slender -peak and the main cliff, that had caused the former to lean outward; and -in one comprehensive look we were able to read the whole story of the -night’s tragedy—a tragedy we had instinctively felt in the crash of the -storm, but could only realize now. - -“Poor fellows!” I whispered, softly, forgetting in my awe that they had -been our relentless enemies. “It was a terrible fate. Perhaps they’re -even now sitting in that dark hole, shut off from all the world and -waiting for death to overtake them. Isn’t it dreadful.” - -The blacks glanced at one another without reply; but I noticed that they -exchanged a secret sign which their pagan priests had taught them when -they were boys, and which was supposed to propitiate the demon of -retribution. To their simple minds Daggett and his gang of cut-throats -had been properly punished for their wickedness. - -But for my part I am glad to remember that at the moment I ignored the -fact that these men were wicked, and grieved that four human beings had -suddenly been cut off in the prime of their manhood. The recollection of -their crimes might temper my regret afterward, but just now my thoughts -were all of sorrow and commiseration. - -Nux roused me from my reflections by asking: - -“What we do now, Mars Sam?” - -“I don’t know,” I answered, despairingly. “If we can’t escape from this -rock we are little better off than those poor fellows below us. See! the -stone, as it fell, tore away the ledge completely.” - -“No climb down, any way at all,” said Bry, squatting upon the rock and -clasping his knees with his hands. - -“We haven’t any rope, or enough clothing to make one,” I continued, -striving to be calm and to force myself to think clearly. “But if we -remain up here it won’t take us long to die of thirst or starvation. The -aggravating thing about it is that the mainland is just too far away for -us to leap across to it. We’re in a bad fix, boys, and no mistake.” - -Bry gazed reflectively at the trees. - -“If we had axe,” said he, “we chop down tree, and make fall across the -gulf.” - -“Ah! that’s a clever idea,” I cried; but my elation quickly subsided, -and I added gloomily, in the next breath: “only we have no axe.” - -Bry made no answer, but sat thoughtfully gazing around him. Presently he -began to creep around the table of rock on his hands and knees, -examining every part of its surface with great care. - -At one place, where the edge of the rock was jagged and of a harder -character than the rest, he paused to make a more thorough examination, -and then he drew out his one-bladed jack-knife and began prying into the -rock with its point. - -Nux and I immediately crept to his side to see what he was doing, and -soon Bry had loosened a piece of rock that weighed about five pounds. It -was flat on the lower surface and of irregular circular form. This -fragment the Sulu examined with great care, and struck it sharply -against the rock without breaking it. It seemed to meet his approval, -for he laid it carefully aside and at once attempted to pry up another -portion of the hard rock. Then, when he had again succeeded, he sat down -and began cautiously chipping one piece of rock against the other, until -he had brought the first fragment to a wedge shape that resembled a rude -axe. - -“Ah! I understand now what you’re about, Bry,” I exclaimed, delightedly. -“Do you think you can make it work?” - -Bry nodded. - -“That way we make axe in Jolo-Jolo,” he said, proudly. - -He now handed the rude implement to Nux, who seemed to comprehend -without words what was required of him, for he at once began rubbing the -edge of the stone axe upon a rough portion of rock to smooth and sharpen -it more perfectly. - -Meanwhile Bry pried up more rock and formed a second axe-head, and so -for several hours the men labored patiently at their task, while I, -unable to be of assistance, sat watching them with breathless interest. - -When the second axe was ready for Nux to sharpen, Bry climbed up the -trunk of one of the tall pines and, selecting a branch of the size he -desired, with much effort cut it from the tree with his knife. - -Then he descended, trimmed the branch, and, began fashioning it into an -axe-handle. He made no attempt to render it graceful or beautiful, you -may be sure. The one requirement was service, and the wood was tough and -strong enough to answer the purpose required. - -By the time the handle was ready Nux had worn the edge of the first rude -stone axe to a fair degree of sharpness, and with it Bry split the end -of the handle far enough down to wedge the axe-head between the pieces. -Then he bound the top together with strips of bark cut from a young -limb, which was far stronger than any cord would have been. - -A clumsy instrument it seemed to be, when it was finished; but Bry -balanced it gravely in his hands, and swung it around his head, and -nodded his full approval and satisfaction. - -“Now we chop down tree,” he announced. - -Of the three trees that fortunately grew upon the column of rock, two -were evidently too short to reach across the gulf from where they stood. -But the third was close to the edge, and towered well above its fellows; -so this was the one Bry selected. A woodsman would probably have laughed -at the strokes dealt by the Sulu; but Bry knew what he was about, for he -had chopped trees in this way before. Too hard a blow would have crushed -the stone edge of the weapon, and a prying motion would have broken it -at once; so the black struck straight and true, and not with too much -force, and slowly but surely wore through the stalwart trunk of the -tree. - -When the axe got dull he unbound the bark thongs and exchanged it for -the other, while Nux re-sharpened it. This consumed a good deal of time, -and the day was far advanced before Bry decided that the chopping was -deep enough to allow them to fell the tree. This they did in a peculiar -way, for Nux climbed into the high branches and then, aided by Bry and -me, who pushed from below, he began swaying the tree back and forth, his -own weight adding to the strain, until suddenly it gave way at the stump -and—slowly at first, but with ever accelerating speed—fell with a crash -across the gulf. - -It looked like a trying and dangerous position for Nux; but the black -cleverly kept on the outer side of the branches, which broke his fall so -perfectly that even as the tree touched the cliff he sprang to the -ground safe and uninjured. - -“Hooray!” I shouted, in delight; for this bridge removed from my heart -all terrors of starvation and imprisonment, affording us a means of -leaving the islet of rock as soon as we pleased to go. - -But the sun was even now sinking below the horizon; so we decided not to -effect the crossing until morning. Nux climbed back over the swaying -trunk, and after he had rejoined us we ate the last crumbs of food we -possessed for our supper and then lay down to sleep. - -Having passed the day in idleness I found I was not very tired or -sleepy; but the blacks were thoroughly exhausted by their labors, and -they welcomed the rest as only weary men can. - -Long after they were snoring I sat in the moonlight thinking of our -strange adventures of the past twenty-four hours; the recovery of the -gold, the destruction of the robbers, and our present means of release -from the dangerous pinnacle that had threatened to hold us fast -prisoners. And I realized, with a grateful heart, that I owed all of my -good fortune and narrow escapes to the faithful black men, and made a -vow that I would never in the future forget the services they had -rendered. - - - - - CHAPTER XV. - THE MAJOR GIVES CHASE. - - -Meantime there had been much excitement and confusion in the camp when -it was discovered that several of the men, including Nux and Bry, and -even “the boy Sam,” had disappeared during the night with most of the -gold dust that had been accumulated. - -I can relate fairly well what occurred, for I heard the story often -enough afterward. - -The Major was furious with rage, at first, and sent at once for Uncle -Naboth, whom he accused of being at the bottom of the plot to rob him. - -Mr. Perkins was so full of his own anxieties that he paid little -attention to the red-bearded giant’s ravings. - -“I’m afraid Sam’s in trouble,” he said, nervously. - -“In trouble! You bet he is,” yelled the Major, “I’ll skin him alive when -I catch him.” - -“That’s the point,” answered Uncle Naboth. “How are we to find him -again? I’ll risk your hurting the boy, if we can only find out where -they’ve taken him.” - -“Your niggers are gone, too,” the Major reminded him. - -“That’s the only thing that gives me hope, sir,” retorted my Uncle. -“Those black men are as faithful and honest as any men on earth, and I’m -thinking they’re gone after Sam to try to rescue him.” - -“Then you think he’s been kidnapped, do you?” - -“Of course. The men that are missing are the worst of your lot—the ones -that have caused you the most trouble in every way. There’s not a man -from the ‘Flipper’s’ crew among them. The way I figure it out is that -Daggett, Larkin, Hayes and Judson have made a plot to steal all the -gold, and escape with it. They robbed you first, and then they robbed -Sam, and when the boy tried to make a fuss they just kidnapped him and -took him along with them.” - -“How about the niggers?” asked the Major, sarcastically. - -“That puzzles me, I’ll admit,” acknowledged my Uncle. “Bry and Nux may -have seen the thieves get away with Sam, and followed after them, to try -to rescue him. That’s the only way I can figure it out just now. But -we’re losing time, Major. What’s to be done?” - -“Two things. Get back the gold, and shoot down the robbers like dogs. -They can’t get away, you know. They’re somewhere on this Island, and I -mean to find them.” - -“There’s the ship.” - -“What of it?” - -“If they get aboard and sail away we’ll be in a bad box.” - -“How can they get aboard? We’ve got the small boats.” - -“They can make a raft, or even swim out to the ship,” returned Uncle -Naboth, shrewdly, “I tell you, Major, you’re wasting time. Why don’t you -do something?” - -The Major glanced at him as if undecided whether to be angry with him or -not. But Mr. Perkins was undoubtedly right, and the miners were -gathering outside the door with curses and threats against the men who -had robbed them, for the news had quickly spread throughout the camp. - -So their leader sent six men, heavily armed, in the ship’s long-boat to -board the “Flipper” and protect the vessel from being captured. These -were all his own men, for he still suspected that the “Flipper’s” crew -were in some way implicated in the theft. - -Then he picked four miners and four of the sailors to form a party to -search for the robbers, and decided to lead the band himself and to take -Uncle Naboth with him. The rest of the men were ordered to resume their -work of washing out gold. - -“I’m going to trust you, Perkins,” said the Major, “for your loss is as -great as ours, and you seem anxious over that boy of yours. But if I -meet with any treachery I’ll shoot you on the spot; and if I find that -Sam Steele is one of the thieves I’ll show him no mercy, I promise you.” - -“Quite satisfactory, sir,” answered Uncle Naboth, calmly. “Only let us -get started as soon as possible.” - -It was a puzzle at first to know in which direction to look for the -fugitives; but Ned Britton had been carefully inspecting the edge of the -forest, and came upon one of the paths Daggett had made in the course of -his various wanderings inland. It was not the one we had taken, but away -they started through the thicket, on a false scent, and the entire day -was consumed in a vain search. - -As they sat over their camp fire at evening Ned proposed that they try -the other side of the island the following day. - -“It’s there where the ship lies anchored, sir,” he told the Major; “and -it’s most likely the men are in that neighborhood. The paths we’ve been -following today are old trails that lead nowhere in particular, and -there’s no use going any further in this direction.” - -This proposition was so sensible that the Major at once agreed to it, -and daybreak saw them tramping through the tangled underbrush toward the -opposite side of the Island. Britton, who had a good sense of direction -and knew about where the ship lay, undertook to guide them, and was -fortunate enough to strike the trail of the robbers about the middle of -the afternoon. The tracks lay directly toward the beach, and they -pressed on with renewed vigor; but the heat was terribly oppressive in -the more open country they had now reached, and the men were all -exhausted by the long tramp. When, a little later, the sky grew black -and the storm burst upon them, they withdrew to a thick grove of trees -and rigged up a temporary shelter with their blankets, beneath which -they passed the night. - -The storm raged all around them, and occasionally the crash of a fallen -tree startled their nerves; but the high cliff broke the force of the -wind and the lightning was less severe than it was directly on the -coast. - -Uncle Naboth thought of me more than once during this rage of the -elements, and hoped I was safe from harm; indeed, his anxiety was so -great that he scarcely closed his eyes throughout the night. - -At daybreak they left their shelter and gazed wonderingly at the scene -of devastation around them. The storm had wrought fearful havoc -everywhere, and when they resumed their journey their progress was -necessarily slow and difficult. - -Still they labored on, and in the afternoon passed through the forest -and came upon the coast directly opposite the place where the “Flipper” -still rode at anchor under bare masts. She seemed to have escaped all -danger from the storm, and although the sea was still rolling high the -good ship nodded her prow to each wave with a grace that betokened she -was still in good condition. - -“Well, boys, the robbers haven’t got her yet!” cried Uncle Naboth, -delightedly. - -“No; but they’ve had a try for it already,” said the Major, -significantly, as he pointed to a half-finished raft that had been -lifted high by the waves of the previous night and wedged fast between -two great trees. “Evidently the scoundrels don’t know we have sent a -squad to guard the ship.” - -“We’re on their trail, all right,” remarked Ned Britton, after examining -the crudely constructed raft carefully. “But where do you suppose they -are?” - -“Somewhere on the coast, of course,” said Uncle Naboth. “Let’s walk up -the edge of the bay to the inlet, and see if they’re in that direction.” - -So they made for the inlet, failing, of course, to find any traces of -the thieves. They were seen from the deck of the “Flipper” by the men -who had been sent aboard in the long boat, and the Major signaled them -to remain where they were for the present. - -After a brief halt the little band retraced their steps to examine the -coast in the other direction, and another night overtook them within -hailing distance of the rocky peak where I and my two blacks were -resting beside our newly acquired bridge to await impatiently the -morning. But the Major’s party was, of course, unaware of this, and went -into camp in a hollow where the light of their fire was unobserved by -us. - -At daybreak, however, Uncle Naboth and Ned Britton were up and anxiously -exploring the coast; and presently they saw, a little distance away, the -tall form of Bryonia walking carefully across our tree trunk. The black -almost fell into the arms of Uncle Naboth, as he stepped off the tree -and the old man’s first anxious question was: - -“Where’s Sam?” - -“Here I am, Uncle!” I called from my rock. “I’ll be with you in a -minute, but we’ve got to get the gold over first.” - -“The gold!” cried Uncle Naboth, in amazement. “Have you got it, then, -after all?” - -“To be sure,” said I, with a touch of pride, “every grain of it!” - -Uncle Naboth groaned. - -“I didn’t think as you’d do it, Sam, my boy,” he said regretfully. - -“I couldn’t have done it, without Nux and Bry,” I answered, not -understanding that I had been accused of the theft. - -The old man turned reproachfully to Bry, who stood grinning beside him. - -“Did I ever teach you to steal, sir?” he demanded, sternly. - -“Takin’ gold from robbers ain’t stealin’,” replied the black, in a calm -tone. - -“What robbers?” - -“Daggett, an’ Pete, an’——” - -“Oh, I see!” exclaimed Uncle Naboth, a light breaking in upon his -confused mind. “They stole the gold from the camp, I suppose, and you -and Sam have followed them up, and got it back again?” - -“That’s it, exactly, Uncle!” I declared from my side of the precipice, -where I could hear every word spoken. “I’ll tell you the whole story bye -and bye.” - -Just then I was wondering if I dared cross the tree. It seemed very -frail, and the rounded trunk was difficult to walk upon. Should I lose -my balance there were only a few slender branches to cling to in order -to keep from toppling over into the gulf below. - -Bry saw my dilemma, however, and running lightly across the tree again -he caught me up bodily and perched me upon his broad shoulders. - -“Hold fast, Mars Sam,” he called, and the next moment stepped out -fearlessly and, while Uncle Naboth held his breath in grim suspense, the -black crossed the swaying tree and dropped me safely on the other side. - -The old man had barely time to grasp both my hands in a warm clasp when -the big Major came up, blowing and sputtering, with the balance of the -party. - -“Well, where’s the rest o’ the thieves?” he cried out, glaring fiercely -at me and then at Bry. - -“Under that rock, sir,” I answered gravely, with a shudder at the -recollection of their dreadful punishment; and then, in as few words as -possible, I told the story of our adventures, relating how we had -followed the robbers and recovered the gold, and of the great storm that -had sent the rocking-stone hurling into the chasm to seal up the evil -band in a living tomb. - -Even the Major was impressed by the weird tale, and Uncle Naboth wiped -the sweat from his brow as he leaned over the cliff and marked the -immense wedge of rock that had closed forever the mouth of the cavern. - -“It seems there’s no one left to punish,” growled the red-beard, in a -low voice; “and I’m glad the fate of those scoundrels was taken out of -my hands. As for you, young man,” turning suddenly to me, “you’ve acted -splendidly, an’ so have the niggers. Let’s shake hands all ’round!” - -I felt my face turn as red as the Major’s whiskers at this unexpected -praise. - -“Hooray!” yelled Ned Britton, and the others joined him in a mighty -shout of approval. - -Then Ned and Bry crossed the tree to where Nux was still standing on the -peak, and hoisted the loaded trousers to Bryonia’s back. Nux crossed -over in front and Ned Britton behind the bearer of the precious gold, to -save him if he made a misstep; but their caution was unnecessary. The -big Sulu was as sure-footed as a goat, and safely deposited his burden -at the Major’s feet. Then we all returned to the near-by camp for -breakfast, after which, the gold being taken from the trousers and -distributed into several small packages, that they might be more easily -carried, Nux was given his leg-coverings again, to his infinite -satisfaction. - -“And now,” said the Major, “we’ll make tracks for the camp. We’ve been -away a long time, but we’ve got the gold back, and got rid of the worst -characters among the lot of us; so there’s nothing much to grumble over, -after all.” - - - - - CHAPTER XVI. - THE GRAVE CAPTAIN GAY. - - -Perhaps it was only natural that I should become the hero of the miners -when the camp was at last reached and the men learned the strange story -of our recovery of the gold. Nux and Bry also came in for a good share -of praise, which they well deserved, and it seemed as if the adventure -had established a permanent good feeling between the gold seekers and -our crew of the “Flipper.” There was no more suspicion on either side, -and when the Major made a new division of the recovered gold he -generously insisted that I should receive even more than I had been -robbed of, for my share. Whatever the Major’s faults might be, he was -certainly liberal in his dealings with others, and Uncle Naboth was -greatly pleased with the profitable result of an adventure that had at -first threatened to ruin the fortunes of the firm of Perkins & Steele. - -No one mourned very much over the death of the men who had stolen the -gold; on the contrary, there was a feeling of general relief that the -four desperadoes were unable to cause any more trouble. Therefore the -camp resumed its former routine, and the miners set to work with renewed -vigor to wash out the golden grains from the rich sands of the inlet. - -It was about this time that the grave and reserved Captain Gay proved -himself to be a genius, and by an act of real cleverness that crowned -his name with glory materially shortened the stay of our entire -community on the island. - -The Captain had worked side by side with the common sailors, for the -Major showed no favoritism, and insisted that every able-bodied man -should perform his share of the work. Even Uncle Naboth had from the -first day of our capture toiled from morning till night; but he accepted -his tasks with rare good nature, and frequently confided to me, in his -droll way, that his enforced labor had added ten years to his life. - -“I was gettin’ altogether too chunked and fat,” he said one evening, -“and likely enough I’d ’a’ been troubled sooner or later with apoplexy -or dropsical. But now I’ve lost twenty or thirty pounds weight, an’ feel -as lively as a cricket in a hornet’s nest. Work’s a good thing, Sam. I’m -glad the Major made me do it. Probably he’s saved my life by his -cussedness.” - -Captain Gay had been working at the upper end of the inlet near to the -place where a slender mountain stream fell from a precipice above and -mingled its fresh water with that of the inlet. This stream fell upon a -rocky bottom, but in course of years it had worn a bowl-shaped hollow in -the rock, which could be distinctly observed through the transparent -water. - -“There ought to be a lot of gold in that hollow,” Ned Britton had -remarked to the Captain one day. “I’ve an idea all the gold we find in -the sands of the inlet has been brought here by the mountain streams.” - -“I’ve been thinking that, myself,” answered the Captain; but it was a -week later that he climbed the rock and followed the bent of the stream -for nearly a mile, marking carefully the lay of the land. - -The next morning he went to the Major with his plan, which was nothing -less than a proposal to turn the stream from its bed, several hundred -yards above, and let it follow a new course and reach the inlet a -hundred feet distant from its present fall. - -The Major stared thoughtfully at the Captain for a time, and then -followed him up the stream and made a careful examination of the -territory. The result was an order for all the seamen of the “Flipper” -to place themselves at the disposal of Captain Gay and obey his orders. - -In three days they had built a dam of rocks and brushwood nearly across -the stream, and pried away the banks in another place to allow the water -to escape by the new channel. - -The fourth day the opening was closed in the dam, and the stream plunged -away on its new course, leaving its former bed practically dry. - -Immediately the men ran down to the inlet, where the Major himself waded -to the hollow caused by the previous fall of water and dipped a pan of -sand from the cavity. Upon examination it proved richer in gold than any -of us had anticipated, the sands containing many small nuggets which, -being heavier than the grains of metal, had been accumulating for many -years in the basin. - -All hands were set to work in this locality, and inspired by the rich -harvest that rewarded their toil, they labored early and late, until the -bags of dust and nuggets had become so numerous that even the Major was -filled with amazement. - -But this was not all that was gained by turning the mountain stream from -its bed. In several hollows up above Captain Gay discovered rich -deposits of small nuggets that were secured with ease, and two weeks -later the Major called a meeting of all the members of the party on the -sands before his tent. - -“Boys,” said he, “we’ve got enough to make every one of us rich for -life. What’s the use of staying here longer? I’m getting homesick, for -one, and a good many of you are longing to get back to the States and -begin spending your piles. What do you say—shall we board the ship and -go home?” - -“Yes!” they yelled, without a dissenting voice. - -“Then,” said the Major, “tomorrow we’ll divide the spoils, so that every -man has his honest share; and then we’ll pay our passage money to Mr. -Perkins and sail away home.” - -The division was accomplished with very little dissatisfaction or -friction, for the worst elements in our assorted company had been -removed, and the Major was absolutely just in his decisions. One or two, -to be sure, grumbled that the provisions from the “Flipper” had been -purchased at too high a price, or that too much of the gold was set -aside to pay for the passage back to San Francisco; but not one objected -when the Major set aside three heavy bags of gold to reward Captain Gay -for his clever feat in turning the mountain stream. - -When Uncle Naboth and I, in the seclusion of my hut, had figured out our -share of the profits, the old man was hugely delighted. - -“My partner!” he exclaimed, slapping his thigh with enthusiasm, “it’s -paid us better than three trips to Alaska! We’ve nearly made our -fortunes, Sam, my boy, and if we get safe home again we can thank the -Major for making us his prisoners.” - -It did not take our party long to transfer all their possessions to the -decks of the “Flipper,” where the ship’s carpenter and part of the crew -had been sent beforehand to clear up the rigging, ship a new rudder, and -make some repairs that had been rendered necessary by the storm that had -driven us to this strange island. - -To my own inexperienced eyes the damage had been so great that it seemed -as if the sailors would require weeks in which to make the vessel fit to -put to sea again; so that I was astonished, when I went aboard, to note -how quickly the task had been accomplished. Indeed, the “Flipper” seemed -as trim and staunch as when she last sailed out of the Golden Gate, and -doubtless she was fully able to bear us all safely home again. - -All our party having been put aboard, together with their property, -Captain Gay ordered the anchors hoisted, and at eleven o’clock on the -morning of September 16th, the “Flipper” headed out to sea before a fair -breeze. - -The quarters aft had been given up to the miners, most of whom were -obliged to swing hammocks in the cabin. The mate offered his little room -to the Major and bunked with the sailors in the forecastle; but Captain -Gay and Mr. Perkins retained their own rooms, and so did I, in order to -watch over the firm’s gold, which was stowed carefully away in my -lockers. You may be sure I was glad to get back to my books and my -comfortable bed again, and overjoyed to find myself on the way to a more -civilized land. - -As the ship stood out to sea, the Major, who had been pacing the deck -with a thoughtful brow, noticed Captain Gay taking his bearings with the -aid of the sextant, while I stood by observing him. At once the big -man’s countenance cleared, and he strode over to us and anxiously -watched the Captain while the latter made notes of his observations. -Several of the miners likewise seemed interested, but it was evident -they did not understand in the least what the Captain was doing. - -No sooner, however, had Captain Gay returned to his cabin, where at his -request I followed him, than the Major knocked for admittance, and being -invited to enter he cautiously closed the door after him and said: - -“You’ve relieved me of a great worry, Captain. I was afraid we’d never -be able to find this island again. But the sextant gives you the -latitude and longitude, doesn’t it?” - -Captain Gay nodded, and looked thoughtfully out of his little window at -the fast receding island. - -“That island’s mine,” continued the Major, in a stern voice; “and I -shall claim it until some one else proves a better right to the place.” - -Still the Captain made no reply. - -The Major stared at him as though he had just discovered the man. - -“Does any one else aboard know how to use those instruments?” he finally -asked. - -“No one,” answered the Captain, briefly. - -“Then the secret is safe with us,” resumed the Major. “I’ll just trouble -you, my good fellow, to give me the exact latitude and longitude of the -island. I’ll mark them down in my note-book.” - -“Come to me tomorrow noon,” said Captain Gay. - -“Why tomorrow noon?” with a sudden frown. - -“Can’t you understand? Don’t you know it requires hours to figure out so -complicated a problem?” - -“Oh, does it?” - -A nod. - -“Well, I’ll come in tomorrow. But understand, not a word of the true -reckoning to a soul on board. Not even to Perkins or the boy here, who -has no business to be listening to this conversation, and had better -forget it. The island is mine!” - -Captain Gay sat silent; merely drumming with his fingers on the little -table before him. The Major gave him another curious look and stalked -away, whistling softly to himself, as if something had occurred to -puzzle him. Indeed, the Captain’s face was so set and stern that it made -me uncomfortable, and I soon left him and returned to my own room. - -The “Flipper” made good time during the afternoon, and before darkness -fell those on board saw the island where they had labored so hard and -endured so much, gradually sink into the sea and disappear. - -The breeze held all through the night, and daybreak found the sturdy -ship plowing steadily onward over the waste of gray waters. The sailors -had fallen into their usual routine and performed their labors with -mechanical precision, while the miners lay around the deck and watched -them with the interest landsmen usually show when on a sailing ship. - -At the stroke of twelve I saw the Major promptly approach the Captain’s -room, where I knew the seaman was busily engaged in writing. - -Wishing to learn the result of this second interview I crept forward and -without hesitation established myself beside the door, which the -red-beard had carelessly left ajar. I even ventured to peer curiously -through the opening; but neither of the men observed my intrusion. - -The Major for a moment stood staring with the same wondering gaze he had -bestowed on Captain Gay the day before; but suddenly his face brightened -and he said: - -“By Jupiter! I’ve struck it at last!” - -“Struck what?” asked the Captain, looking up. - -“The resemblance that bothered me. You’re the living image of that man -Daggett, who caused us that trouble on the island. It’s a wonder I never -noticed it before.” - -The Captain flushed, but said nothing. - -“No relation, I hope?” queried the Major, grinning. - -“To Daggett?” - -“Yes; the scoundrel who stole our gold.” - -Captain Gay had resumed his writing, but said, lightly, as if the matter -was too preposterous to be treated seriously: - -“Is it likely, sir?” - -But already the Major’s mind had turned to a more important subject. - -“I’ve come for that little memorandum, sir.” - -“What memorandum?” asked the Captain, quietly. - -“The location of the island.” - -“Oh; I can’t give it to you,” said the other. “When you left this room -yesterday the draft from the open door caught the paper I had made my -figures on, and carried it out of the window. So the record is lost.” - -[Illustration: “Leave this room, sir!”] - -“Lost!” The Major stared at him in amazement. - -“Absolutely lost, sir.” - -“Do you mean to tell me you don’t know where that island is?” demanded -the Major, fiercely. - -“I haven’t the slightest idea of its location. During the night the -helmsman altered our course several times, steering by the stars. I -think we’re going in the right direction, but I can tell better when -I’ve taken our observations for today. Unfortunately, however, that -won’t help us to locate the island.” - -The Major sat down heavily on a chest. The information he had received -fairly dazed him, but his gaze remained firmly fixed on the Captain’s -expressionless face. - -After a time he gave a laugh, and said: - -“I told you yesterday that island was mine. I’ll take that back. It’s -_yours_ and mine. You’ll share it with me, Captain Gay, I’m sure.” - -“It is still yours, Major, as far as I’m concerned. If I knew its -location, I would tell you willingly. But I don’t. You’ll have to find -your property yourself.” - -The Major sprang up with an oath. - -“You infernal scoundrel!” he cried, “do you think I’ll be played with -like this? Give me the location of that island, or by the nine great -gods, I’ll kill you where you sit!” - -“Leave this room, sir.” - -The Captain was angry too, by this time. He stood erect and pointed with -dignity to the doorway, from which I dodged with alacrity. - -“I command this ship, sir,” he said, “and here my will is law. I’ll -endure no browbeating, Major, or any insolence from you or any of my -passengers. On the island I obeyed you. Here you will obey me, or I’ll -lock you fast in your cabin. Leave this room!” - -The Major stood irresolute a moment. Then sullenly and slowly, he quit -the cabin and returned to the deck. - -Even to my wondering but immature intellect it was evident that Captain -Gay had won the battle. - - - - - CHAPTER XVII. - WE GIVE UP THE SHIP. - - -The “Flipper” made good time, and sighted the Oregon coast on the -morning of the fifth day. From there she followed the dim outlines of -the distant land down to the Golden Gate, and cast anchor safely and -without event in the bay of San Francisco. - -The Major had been sullen and ill-tempered during the entire voyage, but -although he made repeated efforts to see Captain Gay privately and renew -his request for the location of the golden island, that officer -positively refused to hold any further communication with him. - -Therefore the Major was helpless. After all, the Captain might be -speaking the entire truth; and if so all argument was useless. Threats -do not affect a man of his temperament, and beyond threats the Major did -not care to go, even to secure the information he wished. Bribery, in -such a case, was absurd. Therefore nothing could be done but bear the -disappointment with a good grace. The Major’s fortune was, for the -present, ample, and I wondered why he should ever care to visit the -island again. - -As soon as the anchors were dropped the miners clamored to be set -ashore, and by night they had all quitted the ship and established -themselves in lodgings in the town, from whence they at once flocked to -the bankers and began to turn their golden grains into cash. - -Uncle Naboth and I remained on board another day. There were settlements -to be made with the sailors and various other details that needed -attention at the close of the voyage; so that I was kept busy with my -books of accounts and Uncle Naboth stood constantly at my elbow to give -me the necessary instructions. - -We both longed to be on shore again, however; so as soon as the last -formalities were completed, we put our heavy sacks of gold into a boat -and carried them to the docks, from whence an escort of our trusty -sailors accompanied us to the bank wherein Mr. Perkins was accustomed to -keep his deposits. - -So many ships had lately returned from Alaska bearing gold from the -mines that Mr. Perkins’ heavy deposit aroused no wonder except as to its -extent, and the banker warmly congratulated him upon his good fortune in -making so successful a voyage. - -Both Uncle Naboth and I remained at the bank until every sack of gold -had been carefully weighed and sealed, and the proper receipt given. -Then, breathing freely for the first time since the gold had been in our -possession, we repaired to my Uncle’s former lodging house, where Mr. -Perkins was warmly welcomed. - -“We’ll have the best dinner tonight the establishment can set up, Sam, -my boy,” said the old man, rubbing his hands gleefully together; “for -we’ve got to celebrate the success of the new partnership. You must ’a -brought the firm luck, my lad, for this here is the biggest haul I’ve -heard of since I’ve been in the business. We’re rich, nevvy—rich as -punkins!” - -“How much do you suppose we’re worth, Uncle?” I enquired, rather -curiously. - -“I can’t tell exactly, o’ course, till after we’ve got the quality of -our gold properly graded, and put it on the market; but my opinion is, -we’re at least fifty thousand dollars to the good.” - -“As much as that!” I exclaimed, greatly elated. - -“Full as much, I judge.” - -“Then,” said I, drawing a sigh of relief, “I can pay Mrs. Ranck that -four hundred dollars I owe her for my board.” - -Uncle Naboth made a wry face. - -“It’s a shame to throw good money away on that old termagan’,” he -remarked, “and I’ve no doubt she’s been overpaid already, by stealin’ -the contents o’ Cap’n Steele’s chest. But if it’d make you feel easier -in your mind, Sam, I’ll fix it so you can send her the money as soon as -you like.” - -“Thank you, Uncle,” I replied, gratefully, “I’ll never be happy until -the debt is off my shoulders. Whether she’s entitled to the money or -not, I promised Mrs. Ranck I’d pay the debt, and I want to keep my -word.” - -“An’ so you shall,” said Uncle Naboth, with an approving nod. - -We feasted royally at dinner, and afterward Uncle Naboth took me to the -theatre, where we sat in the top gallery among the crowd of laborers and -sailors, but enjoyed the play very much indeed. - -“Some folks who had just banked fifty thousand,” remarked my Uncle, -reflectively, “would want to sit down there among them nabobs, in a seat -that costs a dollar apiece—or perhaps two dollars, for all I know. But -what’s the use, Sam? Do they hear or see any better than we do up here?” - -“Probably not,” I answered, with a smile. - -“Then we’re getting as much fun for our quarter as they get for a -dollar,” declared Uncle Naboth, chuckling, “an’ tomorrow mornin’ we’ll -be so much richer, an’ nothin’ lost by it. Sam, the secret o’ spendin’ -money ain’t in puttin’ on airs; it’s in gettin’ all the pleasure out of -a nickel that the nickel will buy. ‘Live high,’ is my motto; but do it -economical. That’s the true philosophy o’ life.” - -Next morning, as we were sitting in Uncle Naboth’s little room, we were -surprised by the entrance of Captain Gay. He was accompanied by two of -the sailors from the “Flipper,” bearing in their arms the easily -recognized canvas sacks of gold from the island. - -The Captain motioned his men to place the sacks upon the rickety table, -(which nearly collapsed beneath the weight), and then ordered them to -leave the room. When they were gone he carefully closed the door and -turning to my Uncle said, abruptly: - -“There, sir, is every grain of gold I got in that accursed island. The -most of it was given me for turning the bed of the mountain stream, as -you will remember.” - -“No more than you deserved, sir,” said Uncle Naboth, puffing his pipe -vigorously. - -“It ought to be worth a good deal of money,” continued the Captain, his -voice faltering slightly. - -“Twenty thousand at least, in my judgment,” said Uncle Naboth, eyeing -the sacks. - -“Well, sir,” announced Captain Gay, with decision, “I want to exchange -this gold for a bill of sale of the ship.” - -“What! The ‘Flipper?’” - -“Yes, sir.” - -Uncle Naboth winked at me gravely, as if to convey the suggestion that -the man had gone crazy. - -“Cap’n,” said he, after a pause, “I don’t mean to say as Sam and I won’t -sell the ship, if you’d like to buy her; but the tub is old, and has -seen her best days. She’s worth about six thousand dollars, all told, -and not a penny more.” - -“You must take all that gold or nothing, sir.” - -“What do you mean?” asked my Uncle, in amazement. - -Captain Gay sat down and looked thoughtfully out of the window. - -“Perhaps I must take you into my confidence,” he remarked, in his slow, -quiet tones, “although at first I had thought this action would be -unnecessary. I’ve an idea I’d like to own a ship myself, and to trade in -a small way between here and Portland.” - -“And the golden island, occasionally; eh, Cap’n?” returned Uncle Naboth, -shrewdly. “I’ve heard from Sam here how you lost the paper containing -your observations; but, I suppose you could find the place again, if you -wanted to.” - -Captain Gay flushed a deep red. - -“Sir,” he answered, “you wrong me with your suspicions. I shall never -revisit that island under any circumstances. Nor do I wish anyone else -to do so. That is the true explanation of why I lost that paper.” - -“Did you lose it?” - -“I threw it overboard.” - -Uncle Naboth whistled. - -“I’m free to confess, sir, that I’m all at sea,” he said. - -The Captain arose and paced the room with unusual agitation. - -“Mr. Perkins,” said he, “I once had an older brother, who, when a boy, -robbed my father and ran away from home. I never saw him again until we -reached that island, where I recognized my erring brother in the man who -called himself Daggett.” - -Uncle Naboth scratched a match, and relit his pipe. - -“I marked the resemblance between you,” he observed, “but I thought -nothing of it.” - -“To my grief I saw that he had not altered his course for the better,” -resumed the Captain. “Of his final theft of the gold and the awful -judgment that overtook him and his fellows you are well aware. I shall -never forget the horror of those days, sir. It seems to me that that -isolated unknown island is my brother’s tomb, where he must lie until -the call of the last judgment. I do not wish anyone ever to visit the -spot again, if I can help it.” - -“That’s nonsense,” declared Uncle Naboth, coldly. - -“Perhaps so; but it’s the way I feel. That’s why I don’t wish to touch -the gold. I’ll take the ship in exchange for it, but I won’t use the -stuff in any other way, or have anything more to do with it.” - -“You’re foolish,” said Uncle Naboth, with a sternness quite foreign to -his nature. “But if you really want to give away a matter of twenty -thousand for an old hulk that’s worth about six, I’ll let you have your -way.” - -“That’s my desire, sir,” announced our visitor, meekly. - -“Well, then, we’ll go to a lawyer and draw up the papers. Sam, you stay -here and look after the gold, till I get back.” - -“Very well, sir,” I replied, full of wonder at this queer business -transaction. - -Together they left the room, and it was an hour before Mr. Perkins -returned. - -“I signed for both of us, partner,” he said, briskly, “an’ the -‘Flipper’s’ now the sole property of Cap’n Gay. With the money this gold -will bring, we can buy a ship twice as good as the old one, in which, -with good luck to back us, we ought to make many a prosperous voyage.” - -“Why do you think he did it, sir,” I enquired musingly. - -“It’s just one of two things,” replied Mr. Perkins. “Either the man’s a -bit cracked, as I’ve sometimes suspected, and really feels sentimental -about his brother’s death, or else he’s got a sly scheme to make trips -to the island in an old ship that won’t attract attention, and bring -away many cargoes of gold. That ain’t so unlikely, Sam. No one will -remark on Cap’n Gay’s owning the old ship he’s commanded for years; but -if he bought a new one, and started out for the island, he might be -watched and his true business suspected. Either the feller’s mighty -deep, or mighty innocent; but it ain’t our business to decide which. -We’ve got the money, and now we’ll look for a newer and finer ship.” - -“New England’s the best place to buy a good ship, sir. I’ve often heard -my father say so,” I suggested. - -“Then let’s go to New England,” returned Uncle Naboth, promptly. “We’ll -travel together, and you can run up to Batteraft and pay the old hag -that money.” - -“I’d like to do that,” said I, greatly pleased. “It would do me good to -see her surprise when she finds I’ve earned so much money already.” - -“Then it’s all settled,” declared Uncle Naboth. “I’ll go up to the -village with you, and see fair play. ’Twould be a fine chance to give -that cankered Venus a piece of my mind, just as a parting shot.” - -“Would you dare, sir,” I asked, recollecting his former experience with -Mrs. Ranck. - -“Would I dare? Do you take me for a coward, then?” demanded the old man, -indignantly. - -“No, sir, but I remember——” - -“Never mind that, Sam. I was worried about other things that day, and -wasn’t quite myself. But _now_—well, just wait till I get the old -serpent face to face. That’s all!” - -“All right, Uncle. When shall we go?” - -“Just as soon as we’ve paid all the bills and settled our accounts for -the last voyage. A week’ll do that, I reckon. An’ now, partner, just run -out and hire a closed carriage, and we’ll get Cap’n Gay’s gold to the -bank as soon as possible. Sam, my boy, if this streak o’ luck holds good -we’ll be the envy of Rockyfeller in a few years!” - - - - - CHAPTER XVIII. - UNCLE NABOTH’S REVENGE. - - -Ten days later, having paid all our indebtedness and converted every -ounce of our gold into ready money that was deposited to the credit of -“Perkins & Steele,” at the bank, we started on what Uncle Naboth called -our “voyage” across the continent. - -We had both taken a strong liking for Ned Britton, who has stood by us -so faithfully at the island; so Mr. Perkins decided to make Ned the mate -of the new ship, when she had been purchased. For this reason, and -because the sailor wished to revisit some of his relatives in the East -and make them happy by sharing with them his prize money, Ned also -traveled on the same train with us. - -“Britton’s judgment will be useful in helping us to pick out a ship,” -said the old man. “I’m glad he’s going with us.” - -Nux and Bryonia had promptly deserted the “Flipper” as soon as they -found that Captain Gay had purchased her, and I think my hardest task -was to leave the simple black men behind me. They declared that they -belonged to “the firm” and must be given places on the new ship, and -this both Uncle Naboth and I were anxious to do, as we knew we could -never again find such loyal and unselfish servants. But it would be -folly to take them east until all arrangements had been made. So I found -them comfortable lodgings, and supplied them with all the money they -could possibly require until they were sent for. At the last moment they -were at the station to see the train move away, and were so fearful of -the iron monster that was to carry their friends on the journey that -they cautioned me again and again to be very careful in my actions. - -“’Fore all, Mars Sam,” said Nux, earnestly, “doan’ you go skeer dat -injine on no ’count. W’en it’s skeert it smashes ev’ything into mush.” - -“’Pears gentle ’nouf now, Sam,” added Bry; “but don’ you trust it, no -how. ’Tain’t safe, like a great sail an’ a stiff breeze.” - -“Right you are, lad,” cried Uncle Naboth, approvingly. “Injines is an -invention of the devil, Bry, but good Christians can use ’em if they -only watch out. An’ now, good bye, an’ take care o’ yourselves till we -get back or send for you.” - -On account of our great wealth, Mr. Perkins had decided to take a -tourist sleeping-car for the trip, rather than sit up in the seats of -the common cars all night. - -“Sleepin’ cars is a genuine luxury, Sam,” he said, “an’ only fit for the -very rich, who’ve got so much money they won’t miss it, or the very -poor, who’ve got so little there’s no use savin’ it. I guess we can -afford the treat and the bunks in this ’ere tourist car is jest as big -as the ones in the high-priced coaches ahead. So as soon as we get clear -of ’Frisco, let’s go to bed.” - -“But it isn’t dark yet, Uncle,” I protested. “It won’t be bedtime for -hours.” - -“Sam,” replied the old man, earnestly, “do you mean to say you’re goin’ -to pay for a bed and let it lay idle? That’s what I call rank -extravagance! I’ve seen it done, on my travels, o’ course. I’ve known a -man to pay three dollars for a bed, an’ then set up half the night in -the smokin’ cars before he turns in. But do you s’pose the railroad -company pays him back half the money? Never. They just laughs at him and -keeps the whole three dollars! To pay for a thing, and use it, ain’t -extravagance; but to buy a bed, and then set up half the night is. Why, -it’s like payin’ for a table-day-haughty dinner an’ then skippin’ half -the courses! Would a sensible man do that?” - -“Not if he’s hungry, Uncle,” said I, laughing at this philosophy. - -“If he ain’t hungry, he buys a sandwich, an’ not a table-day-haughty,” -cried Uncle Naboth, triumphantly. - -Nevertheless, being fully conscious of my newly acquired wealth, I -recklessly sat up until bedtime, while my thrifty Uncle occupied his -“bunk” and snored peacefully. The journey was accomplished in safety, -and from Boston we took the little railway to the seaport town of -Batteraft. - -During the last hours of the trip Uncle Naboth had become very -thoughtful, and I frequently noticed him making laborious memoranda with -his pencil on the backs of envelopes and scraps of paper which he took -from his wallet. Finally I asked: - -“What are you writing, Uncle?” - -“I’m jest jotting down the things I mean to say to that old female shark -at Batteraft,” was the reply. “I tell you, Sam, she’s goin’ to have the -talkin’-to of her life, when I get at her; and she’ll deserve every word -of it. I’ll let you pay her first, so’s the money account will be -square; an’ then I’ll try to square the moral account.” - -“Will she let you?” I enquired doubtfully, for I had a vivid remembrance -of Mrs. Ranck’s dislike of any opposition. - -“She can’t help herself,” replied Uncle Naboth, seriously. “If you knew -the things she up an’ said to me that day I tackled her before, Sam, an’ -the harsh an’ impident tones she used to say ’em with, you’d realize how -much my revenge means to me.” - -“Why didn’t you resent it then, Uncle?” - -“Why, she took me by surprise, an’ I didn’t have time to collect my -parrergraphs, and that’s the reason. Also it’s the reason I’m figgerin’ -out my speeches aforehand this time, so’s I won’t be backwards when the -time comes. You can’t thrash the cantankerous old termagen’ like you -would a man, but you can lash her with speeches that cuts like a -two-edged sword. At sarcasm and ironical I’m quite a professor, Sam; but -them talents would be wasted on Mrs. Ranck. With her I’ll open my vials -o’ wrath an’ empty ’em to the dregs. I’ll wither her with scorn, -an’—an’—an’ tell her just what I think o’ her,” he concluded, rather -lamely. - -I sighed, for the mention of Mrs. Ranck always recalled to me the fate -of my poor father. The landscape began to grow very familiar now, and -presently the train swung into the little station where I had so often -stood in my younger days to watch the passengers get on and off the -cars. - -Ned Britton at once walked on to the tavern, but as the afternoon was -only half gone Uncle Naboth and I decided to go on up to my father’s old -home without delay and have our carefully planned interview with Mrs. -Ranck. The banknotes I was to pay to her lay crisply in my new -pocket-book, and I was eager to be free of my debt to the cruel woman -who had aspersed my dead father’s character and driven me from my old -home. - -Uncle Naboth walked very fast at first, but while we ascended the little -hill his pace grew gradually slower, and as we reached the -well-remembered bench beneath the trees, from whence our first view of -the cottage was obtained, my uncle suddenly set himself down and wiped -the perspiration from his forehead with the well-remembered crimson -handkerchief. - -“We’ll rest a minute, Sam, so’s I can get my breath back,” he gasped. -“I’ll need it all, presently, and hill-climbin’ ain’t my ’special -accomplishment.” - -So I sat down beside him and waited patiently, eyeing the while rather -sadly the old home where I had once been so happy. - -It seemed not to have changed in any way since I left it. The blinds of -my little room in the attic were closed, but those of the lower floor -were thrown back, and a column of thin smoke ascended lazily from the -chimney, showing that the place was still inhabited. - -In spite of myself I shivered. The autumn air struck me as being chilly -for the first time, and the declining sun moved slowly behind a cloud, -throwing the same gloom over the landscape that was already in my heart. - -“Are you ready, Uncle?” I asked, unable to bear the suspense longer. - -“Jest a minute, Sam. Let’s see; the opening shot was this way: There’s -folks, ma’am, that can be more heartless than the brute beasts, more -slyer than a roarin’ tiger, more fiercer than a yellow fox, an’—” - -“That isn’t right, Uncle Naboth,” I interrupted. “The fox is sly and the -tiger—” - -“I know, I know. Them speeches is gettin’ sorter mixed in my mind; but -if that she-devil don’t quail when she hears ’em, my name ain’t Naboth -Perkins! Perhaps I ought to have committed ’em more to memory—eh, Sam? -What do you say to waitin’ till tomorrow?” - -“No, Uncle. Let’s go to her now. You can reserve your vials of wrath, if -you want to; but I shan’t sleep a wink unless I pay Mrs. Ranck that -money.” - -“All right,” said the old man, with assumed cheerfulness. “There’s no -time like the present. ‘Never put off ’til tomorrer,’ you know. Come -along, my lad!” - -He sprang up and led the way with alacrity for a few steps, and then -slackened his pace perceptibly. - -“If I’m goin’ to forget all them speeches,” he whispered, in a voice -that trembled slightly, “I might jest as well have saved my time -a-composin’ of ’em. Drat the old she-pirate! If she wasn’t a woman, I’d -pitch her into the sea.” - -By this time I was myself too much agitated to pay attention to my -uncle’s evident fright on the eve of battle. The house was very near -now; a few steps further and we were standing upon the little porch. - -“You knock, Uncle,” I said, in a whisper. - -Uncle Naboth glanced at me reproachfully, and then raised his knuckles. -But before they touched the panel of the door he paused, drew out his -handkerchief, and again wiped his brow. - -I felt that my nerves would hear no further strain. With the desperation -of despair or a sudden accession of courage—I never knew which—I rapped -loudly upon the door. - -A moment’s profound silence was followed by a peculiar sound. Thump, -thump, thump! echoed from the room inside, at regular intervals, and -then the door was suddenly opened and a man with a wooden leg stood -before us. He was clothed in sailor fashion and a bushy beard ornamented -his round, frank face. - -For an instant we three stood regarding one another in mute wonder. The -open door disclosed the long living-room, at the back end of which Mrs. -Ranck stood by the kitchen table with a plate in one hand and a towel in -the other, motionless as a marble statue and with a look of terror fixed -upon her white face. - -Singularly enough, I was the first to recover from my surprise. - -“Dad!” I cried, in a glad voice, and threw myself joyfully into the -sailor man’s arms. - -“Why—Cap’n Steele, sir—what does this mean?” faltered Uncle Naboth. “I -thought you was dead an’ gone long ago, an’ safe in Davy Jones’s -locker!” - - - - - CHAPTER XIX. - THE CONQUEST OF MRS. RANCK. - - -I regret to say that my father’s welcome was not especially cordial. -Nevertheless, he was for some reason evidently pleased by the sudden -appearance of his son and his brother-in-law. Releasing himself gently -from my clinging embrace, he said, in his deep, grave voice: - -“Come in and sit down. I never thought to see you again, Sam; and, much -less you, Naboth Perkins. But now that you’re here, we’ll have a few -mutual explanations.” - -Mrs. Ranck, a few paces behind him, was bristling like a frightened cat. - -“If them thieves an’ scoundrels enters this house, I’ll go out!” she -fairly screamed, in her shrill voice. - -“Be quiet!” commanded the Captain, sternly. “This is my house; and, -although it’s all that my friends have left to me,” he added, bitterly, -“I’m still the master under my own roof. Sit down, Perkins, sit down, -Sam, my lad.” - -A sudden tenderness that crept into the last words seemed to rouse the -woman to fury. - -“That’s the boy that robbed you!” she cried, pointing at me a trembling, -bony finger. “That’s the boy that skinned the house of all your -valeybles and treasures as soon as he thought you was dead, and couldn’t -come back to punish him! An’ stole all my savin’s too; and swore he’d be -a pirate and murder and steal all his life; an’ that the man,” turning -fiercely upon my horrified uncle, “as aided an’ abetted him in his -wickedness, an’ threatened to kill me if I interfered with Sam’s -carryin’ away of your property! Cap’n Steele, how dare you harbor sich -varmints? Drive ’em out, this instant, or I’ll go myself. This house -can’t hold Sam Steele, the robber, and me at the same time!” - -Captain Steele looked toward me gravely as I stood regarding the woman -with unmistakable amazement. Then he turned to Naboth Perkins, to find -the little man doubled up in his chair and shaking with silent laughter. -A moment later he began to gasp and choke and cough, until, just as he -appeared to be on the verge of convulsions, he suddenly straightened up -and wiped the tears from his eyes. - -“Cap’n Steele, sir,” he said, “this is the best show I ever had a -reserved seat at, an’ the admission’s free gratis for nothin’! Why, you -measly old she-tiger,” turning with stern abruptness to Mrs. Ranck, “did -you ever think, fer a minute, that such a lyin’ tale as you’ve trumped -up would deceive grown men?” - -Mrs. Ranck turned away and caught her shawl from a peg. - -“I’ll go,” she said, sullenly. - -“No, you don’t!” exclaimed Mr. Perkins, bounding between her and the -door of her room, toward which she was hastening; “you’ll stay right -here till this mystery is cleared up. For, if I understand Cap’n Steele -aright, he can’t find the property he left in this house, ner imagine -what’s become of it; an’ you’ve been stuffing him with lies about Sam’s -running away with it. Am I right Cap’n?” - -My father nodded, gazing with lowering brow upon the cowed and trembling -form of the housekeeper. - -“The Cap’n’s property an’ his savin’s didn’t walk away by themselves,” -continued Uncle Naboth, “and no one could’ a’ took ’em except Sam or -this woman. Very good. They’re both here, now, an’ you’re going to clear -up the mystery and get your money back, Cap’n, before you takes your eye -off’n either one. Just flop into that chair, Mrs. Ranck, an’ if you try -to wiggle away I’ll call the police!” - -The woman obeyed. A dull glaze had come over her eyes, and her features -were white and set. In all her cunning plotting she had never imagined -that I or my uncle would ever return to Batteraft to confound her. She -believed that the knowledge that I was in her debt would prevent my -coming back, in any event, and she fully expected me to be buffeted here -and there about the world, with never a chance of my being again heard -of in my old home. - -What a mistake she had made! But it was all owing to this little fat man -whom she had driven thoughtlessly from her door the day that I was sent -away into exile. She had never heard of Naboth Perkins before; nor did -she know, any more than I myself did at the time, of the partnership -formerly existing between the two men, or even the fact of their -relationship. She felt that she was caught in a trap, in some unexpected -way, and the disaster stunned her. - -Captain Steele filled and lighted his pipe before the silence of the -little group was again broken. Then, turning to me, he asked: - -“Why did you believe I was dead?” - -“One of your sailors brought the news, sir, and told us of the wreck. He -gave Mrs. Ranck your watch and ring, which he believed were taken from -your dead body.” - -“It’s a lie!” snapped the woman, desperately. “I never seen the watch -and ring; but he said the Cap’n was dead, all right, an’ that’s why Sam -run away with the property.” - -“Who was the sailor?” enquired my father, thoughtfully. - -“Ned Britton, sir.” - -“Aye, an honest, worthy lad, who sailed with me for years. And he had -the watch and ring?” - -“Yes, sir. Ned was taken with a fever when he escaped from the wreck, -and after he recovered they told him that several bodies had been washed -ashore and buried by the villagers. On one of the bodies they found the -watch and ring, so Ned naturally thought you had perished.” - -“When the ship broke up,” said Captain Steele, slowly, “and I knew the -end had come, I sent one of my lads to my cabin to get my trinkets while -I attended to lowering the boats. I never saw him again. For my part, my -leg was crushed by a falling mast, but I got entangled in the rigging -and the mast floated me to a little island where a dozen fisher-folks -lived. One was a bit of a doctor, and cut away my mangled leg and nursed -me back to life. While I waited for a ship to touch the island I -regained my strength and made myself a new leg out of cotton-wood. Then, -one day, a schooner carried me to Plymouth, and the Captain, who was a -kindly man, loaned me enough money to bring me to Batteraft where I -thought I’d find my savings; enough to buy a new ship and start business -again. But Mrs. Ranck met me with the news that my son had stripped the -house of all my valuables and run away with a man that was known to be a -pirate. My room was quite bare, I found, and Mrs. Ranck claimed she had -hardly enough left of her savings to buy food with. So here I was, a -cripple and condemned to poverty after a successful career; and it’s no -wonder my thoughts were bitter towards my son, whom I never would have -believed could act so ungratefully. My only comfort was that Sam had -believed me dead.” - -Uncle Naboth nodded approval. - -“Quite proper, sir,” he said, “an’ all quite right and shipshape. Sam -didn’t take a penny’s worth from this house; but I made him my partner, -in your place, and we’ve had a successful voyage and come back rich as -Croesuses. You’ll live in clover, from this time on, Cap’n Steele, even -if you never get back the property Mrs. Ranck has robbed you of. But why -not make her give it up? She can’t have squandered it on riotous living, -by the looks of her.” - -Captain Steele turned to the housekeeper. - -“What have you to say, Mrs. Ranck?” he asked. - -“It’s all a pack o’ lies,” she snarled, “but there’s no call for you to -believe me if you don’t want to. One thing’s certain, though. This is my -house, an’ the deed of it’s in my name. You’ll have to clear out o’ -here, all three of you, or I’ll have the law on you an’ put you out!” - -Captain Steele arose calmly and seized the woman by her arms. In spite -of her screams and struggles he carried her to his own little room and -thrust her in, locking the door safely upon her. - -“Now,” said he, “let’s explore the place and see what we can find. I’ve -never been in Mrs. Ranck’s room, for until today I had no suspicions of -her. Come with me. If she’s honest we shall find nothing, for she can’t -have disposed of the property.” - -“Right you are, sir,” cried Uncle Naboth, springing up; and we all three -at once proceeded to enter the room the housekeeper had for so many -years reserved for her own use. - -It was simply and plainly furnished, and a single glance served to -convince us that it contained no evidence whatever of the missing -property. - -[Illustration: “Here’s the treasure house, sir,” he exclaimed -triumphantly.] - -“Strange!” said my father, musingly. “There were nine cases and three -chests, besides the great sea-chest that I found still in my room, -although emptied of all its contents. Whatever could have become of them -all?” - -“Dad,” I exclaimed, suddenly, “I remember there used to be a sort of -cellar under this room, that could only be reached by a trap-door.” - -“True,” replied my father; “I remember that, too. But where is the -trap?” - -Uncle Naboth was already making a careful inspection of the old rag -carpet that covered the floor. In one corner the tacks seemed far apart -and scanty. He seized the carpet and jerked it away from the fastenings, -disclosing a small square trap with an iron ring in the center. - -“Here’s the treasure house, sir,” he announced triumphantly. - -“Get a candle, Sam,” said my father, gravely. - -When it was brought, all three of us descended the narrow stairs to the -underground room, where the cases and chests were speedily found, all -stored in orderly fashion against the walls. The contents of the great -sea chest, which she had doubtless removed before admitting me to the -Captain’s room, had been placed in boxes which Mrs. Ranck had secured -from the grocery store. In addition to Captain Steele’s property, there -was also a brass kettle almost full of gold and silver coins, which the -miserly old woman had saved from the money my father had given her to -clothe and care for me, as well as to defray the household expenses -while the sailor was away upon his voyages. - -Perhaps her own wages were added to this store, as well; anyway, Captain -Steele seemed to think so. For, after assuring himself that all his -missing property was safe, he carried the kettle up to the living room -and proceeded to liberate Mrs. Ranck. When, scowling but subdued, she -crept from the little room, my father offered to give to her the entire -contents of the kettle if she would freely transfer to him the deed to -the house, and quit Batteraft for good and all. - -“It’s more than you deserve,” said he, “but I don’t want to go to the -police in this matter unless you force me to. Take the money and go, and -never let me see your face in Batteraft again.” - -Of course she accepted the generous proposition. After gathering her few -clothes into a bundle, she took her treasure and left the house. The -first train that left Batteraft carried her with it, and I have never -seen her since. - -I acknowledge that I watched her go with a lighter and happier heart -than I had known for months. - -“It was in this way that she once drove me from my old home, father,” I -said. “But it can’t be such a bad world, after all. For, if the wicked -sometimes appear to triumph, they are usually punished in the end, and -now that Mrs. Ranck has passed out of our lives we ought to be very -happy again.” - -“We will be, Sam!” returned my father, earnestly, as he affectionately -pressed my hand. - -“Hooray!” yelled Uncle Naboth. - - - - - CHAPTER XX. - STEELE, PERKINS AND STEELE. - - -Captain Steele was extremely grateful to Uncle Naboth for his care of -me, and was delighted by the relation of our adventures on the golden -island, as well as pardonably proud of the financial success we had -attained. - -A new firm was created under the title of “Steele, Perkins and Steele,” -and a new ship was soon found that seemed to have been especially -constructed to meet our requirements. Captain Steele, declaring that his -wooden leg would in no way interfere with his usefulness, decided to -command the ship himself, and Ned Britton was made first mate. Uncle -Naboth and I were appointed to look after all the finances and attend to -the trading at the various ports, and Nux and Bryonia were brought from -San Francisco and given posts on the new ship, to their great delight. - -By the advice of his shrewder brother-in-law my father converted all his -accumulated treasures into money, which was safely invested in -Government bonds that were deposited in a Boston bank. - -“Whatever happens now,” observed Uncle Naboth, “nobody can’t rob you -again; and if our business ventures proves unsuccessful, and Sam and I -go bankrupt, you’ve always got something to fall back on in your old -age.” - -But success seemed to follow in the wake of the new firm, and the -“Cleopatra,” as our ship is named, has made voyage after voyage with -unvarying good fortune. - - - THE END. - - - - - Transcriber’s Notes - - ---Copyright notice provided as in the original—this e-text is public - domain in the country of publication. - ---Generated a cover image, based on graphic elements from the book, and - released for free unrestricted use with this eBook. - ---Silently corrected palpable typos; left non-standard spellings and - dialect unchanged. - ---In the text versions, delimited italics text in _underscores_ (the - HTML version reproduces the font form of the printed book.) - - - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Sam Steele's Adventures on Land and Sea, by -Capt. 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