Pittston Gazette

              -«r ■atabllahed 1850. I TOL. XLIX No. 41. f Oldest Newspaper in the Wvomlne Vallev P1TTST0N, LUZERNE COUNTY, PA., FRIDAY, JUNE 16, 1899. A Weekly Local and Family Journal. ) »1 00 a Tear ; in Advanee. Chapter XL I tor. picking out tbe sp..t Wiih a teg «I Just nip forward and make the staysail sheet fast to wind'ard—to I T.a«fi the h«lm as she likes it, Henrietta I No, a bit more over. Ye* about there) Now she'll lie to like * mooring buoy till we're ready to pick a way through the raefk" Hans. woo nea on um lurecaaue. ami the kedg&overboard again with a splash. The boat'dropped back alongside, and her crew clambered out of her, panting As soon aa the Eureka had swung round to her kedge anchor the boat was hauled up to the gangway, and every one tumbled down into her. greatest activity, for charts were, in those rough and ready times, far from being the complete maps of the seas that they are now, and the buccaneer was not a person to enlighten the bydrographer'a ignorance gratuitously. The longer the cays remained unknown, the longer would be the sea robber's reign. It was only when bis lairs were discovered that it became poseible to chase him off the seas. lief in our luck than that, Dolly," said he. "Anyway it's a bargain. And now we'd better start, hadn't wet" steadfastly put away. "Whoever heard of people coming out of so romantic a situation as this empty handed T" demanded Dolly, when her companion suggested that their case had affinities with that of the late Mrs. Hubbard. there were veins of the wood ntiJl sound as ever they had been, but the dry rot had worked all round these sound portions, and after 20 minutes of hard finger work the young man at last got a hole clean through to the other sida To enlarge that was an easier task, and in a very few minutes a space gaped widely enough to admit of their bodies squeezing through. They tumbled into the boat, which had been left lying in the water alongside since the night before. Tom Jelly rowed them ashore, and then returned with the boat to the Eureka. The doctor waa in the highest of spirits and kept up a three cornered fire of chaff with Dolly and Guthrie; Hana, laughing and jigging hia feet about like a monkey, pointed to a patch of greenery thdt looked almost "Bafarianeverybody. In fact, waa in high glee except Cain. Lavemha, whose large, plain face expressed nothing bat stolid indifference. Under four eager oars the boat sped rapidly over the smooth lagoon until Dolly, who had got the tiller, aang out, "Way enough I" and ran bar skillfully up alongside a natural jetty of coral And then oat they all acrambled upon the hard ground and proceeded straightway to make fools of themselves, always—that is, with the exception of Cain Laversha. ■So on they went, penetrating farther and farther under the surface of the island, and always lighted by the shafts which at intervals gapped the roof above. CHAPTER XII tbs passage or the um "Where do you want to go?" aaked Guthrie. At daybreak "All hands I" waa called. They got the ketch nnder weigh and beat her to within a quarter of a mile of the entrance through the ontermoat reefs. Then, heaving to again, they took the mainsail off her altogether and started afreab nnder nnmber three jib and cringle headed miaaen trysail. The fore staysail waa on deck, hanked, with the halyards booked and moaeed. ready for instant hoisting, so that, if it should be required, the sail could be aloft in five seconds. But Captain Colepepper admitted that he did not expect to need it, unless, perhaps, for some sudden canting off by the bead. ''Not having the guidebook of Piper's cay. can't say precisely," laughed the girl "Where would you suggest?" "What's on the other side 1" asked Dolly. "The deeds of the old time sea rover," remarked the doctor, "were deeds of darkness, of which small authentic rec- At last, after wandering fully threequarters of a mile from the entrance, they came upon an obstruction which, though it barred their farther progress, sent op the bD pea of a find almost to fever beat The undergraduate lit a match and examined the country ahead of them. "Let's walk straight ahead and see where it leads us." "The bush up yonder is terribly thick. I shall be torn to ribbons I" "A boarded passage," he reported, "leading to another door." "Open?" the compasses. "D'you know the place, then ?" "Been in there once, Colepepper." "Jove, yes, so you would. I might perhaps manage to clear it a bit for you if I went first. But there's no need for us to go that way at all unless you like. We may just as well keep along the shore. If we go on long enough, we shall come round again at the other side, and if we get tired of it, we can always take a bee line across country for the Eureka. What d'you say to that ?" It was • door of- hard wood, heavily clamped with corroded metal, aet in doorposts that were cleated and mortised into the aides of the cave itself. "Yes. I can see the end of a ladder peeping through it" PIPKB'S CAT. Per three days the storm raged unceasingly, and then the weather mod- "We're getting there at last," cried the girl excitedly. "See if you can get through that hole yoa've made." erated. The ketch behaved in this fear- "But could yon serve as pilot, doctort" aaked the other anxiously. "The pilot book says, 'Entrance dangers for The nearest light shaft was 80 yards astern, and so the door was in deep shadow. It was with their handa, therefore, that the eager searchers examined it chiefly, fumbling about it and giving every square inch of it the moet curious attention. There was'no latch. The door did possess a keyhole, though, anr- ful turmoil of the ocean like the splendid sea boat which Captain Colepepper had declared her to be. But the inter- Guthrie squeezed through the aperture with some small difficulty and then turned to help his companion. She was of slighter build, and so shQ managed it more eaMly. Then, giving themselves a shake to knock off the thick of the oak dust, the pair set off down the passage toward the other door which lay so invitingly open before them. They never reached it. He, worthy man, disembarked from this bis first sea trip without demonstration and, going up to a patch of sea moss, slowly settled himself down thereon and directed hia gaae heavily toward the toes of bis boot*. He did not look aa if hia mind, waa particularly busy, bat perhaps we wrong him; perhaps he was thinking of "Zusan Pierce." val for preparation had been too short. Between the time when the two leaders The slower, within reasonable limits, that the ketch forged along, the greater would be her safety, and therefore the captain bad taken the extra precaution of getting the topaall and its yard best on to a warp, ready to lower away aaterndby way of a floating drag, if the pace had to be still further retarded. Whairtttese various preparations had been got on the Eureka again. She bobbing la ally over the swells and turned in toward the reef*. of the enterprise bad decided that they must give up for the present all hope of being able to take the Eureka down to the bottom for another dafk load of the Spanish gold fori tiscnwftftwbenrfW first blast of the tornado had struck her there bad been a breathing space of "Mim Col&qppir, mam I have the pleasure of a walk vtA you ashore f' and exhausted, and threw themselves down «pon the warm deck planks, where they lay in a atate of limp, trickling moisture till they had recovered a little. "All right, that'll do nicely. Betides, we shall stand the best chance that way of finding the place where the fresh water runs into the sea, and then we can track it np to the spring. Let's set off at once before it gets hotter." They started along the white, blinding beach. The little wavelets swished and whispered at their feet, throwing np and drawing back again their handfnls of coral shingle in a rhythm of never ceasing effort. The aand flies, which the doctor had predicted, were there in swarms, though his estimate of their sice proved to be, fortunately, a little bit exaggerated. There were mosquitoes, too, booming away like a regiment of drummers, but the larger insects were quieter and so more insidious in their attack, and, as in addition to all this, the sun's heat was like the draft from a blast furnace, the walk was not quite the picnic ramble which they had expected it to be. As for the rest of the Eureka's people. they shouted and larked about without ceasing until the land era be scuttled away to their boles and the gray sea fowl flapped off to shelter with angry screams Of protest. Suddenly they felt the wooden flooring yield under their feet, and, with a startled scream, Dolly clntched instinctively at her companion. Qnthrie tried to jerk bis body backward, and bis bands shot out wildly in search of a hold Bnt with a squeak of triumph— as it seemed—the floor swung bodily from beneath them, and they fell like ■tones through space barely two hours. And this had not been enough. "Ton aeem pretty well used up." said the doctor, who had come up and was regarding them anxiously. "We must try another crew." The damage to the Imperfectly secured spars and rigging had in consequence been very great The whole of the gearing of the minenmast had gone by the board, and at every roll the Presently Guthrie, whose eyea never seemed to stray far away from Miss Colepepper. burst into a roar of laughter.Captain Cole pepper was at tbe tiller, Henrietta stood in tbe port channels reedy with the hand lead, Tom Jelly wae perched on tbe crosstreea, Cain Laveraba waa on the miaaen sheet, Hana, Dolly and the undergraduate were all stationed ready for emergency duty on tbe forecastle. Dr. Tring aa pilot bad taken np hia position on the heel of tbe bowsprit and stood with eye* glaases screwed firmly into their puckered leathery framework, peering anxiously at the water ahead. "No oes." gasped the captain. "If you'd that lubber Cain and the Dutchman in the boat, they wouldn't get the warp taut No; we'll goon again aa before when we've got our winda back a bit" / \ broken bulwarka let in the big green "Colepepper, you ought to be proud of your daughter." "We must run in somewhere to refit," declared Captain Colepepper, regretfully, for tbe necessity of abandoning tbe Santa Catarina just when she was becoming profitable bad been a great disappointment to him.' "Nouse to think of anything else till we've seen to our repairs." A council waa being held in the after cabin, consisting of tbe two leaders, Dolly and tbe undergraduate. Miss Colepepper was unwontedly silent and seemed to find a difficulty in meeting Guthrie's eye. This was tbe first time they had seen one another since the episode daring tbe storm, so, perhaps, the young lady's baahfnlness waa natural.aeas through half a dozen gaping rents. "Oh. Dolly t" be gasped, holding hia sides weakly. "Don't I" But they did not drop far. In about ten feet they came into contact with a ■hoot of boards and went off sliding down that at a slightly lessened pace. "Why, what am I doing that'a so very fanny T" aaked the girL ord has come down to no. We know where and bow be fonnd his fresh beef; we are shown the spots where he careened his broad beamed schooner to clear away tbe long trailing plants which clung to ber and deadened her speed; we have legends of chases, of furions battles, of barbarous executions where a pivoted grating was rigged out from a gangway and captives were cajoled into marching along it till their weight made it tip them overboard to the sharks; bat of tbe men themselves no clear picture has survived. They lived on the sea deserts in red obscurity. If they grew rich and returned to civilisation, they dived into the crowd, and no man knew them." Dr. Tring went aloft, peered keenly around him for awhile and returned. "Fes, here they art," said the doctor. strangers impossible during hard blow from E.' There's good anchorage inside and water and turtle, to that we should be all right if we got there. But that same getting there ia tbe rub. I don't want to pile the ketch up on one of thoae blessed reefs, and that's easy enough done." "It ia," replied tbe doctor. "Ton're out of soundings with the band lead. Yon think you're in deep water, and"— "Tbe sea suddenly gets pale green bang under your bowsprit end," put in tbe captain, "and then a comber breaks. "Tbe channel soon widens," he reported. "Another half mile and we shall be out of tbe worst of this infernal bottle neck. I think we can get canvas on ber again then and beat out" "You're rolling in your gait like a portly duck I And look at Or. Tring! He's swaying like an inverted pendulum I" Then their involuntary slide ceased almost as suddenly as it had began. Tbey reached a term inns and fetched up with a jerk. Billows of blinding dnst sprang ont on all sides, and for some ten minutes tbey seemed to be in danger of suffocation. But as soon as they ceased to flounder about the stuff gradually subebided, and they were able to cough their throats clear and look around them to see what sort of a pit it was into which tbey had fallen. "Am IT" said tbe doctor with an amused smile. "Well, I guess, young msn, thst if we'd got a pier glass for you to see yourself in you'd find that you are doing much tbe same yourself, only maybe a trifle worse. We've all got our sea roll on, you see. Mow, If Cain there were to condescend to get up and walk I shouldn't be surprised to see him lurch over bodily at the first attempt" The foreshore was, for the most part, wide enough to form a pathway, but occasionally some outcrop of rock rose across it and ran sheer down into the river. These barriers necessitated scrambles which, under such a sun aa now biased down upon them, proved somewhat trying. Indeed, as the obstacles increased in frequency, the two explorers began to consider that the shore route was not worth following after alL So they decided that if after crossing one more rocky wall tbe path did not seem -to improve they would strike inland at once and try their lack among the palm scrub and scattered cocoa nut trees. Tbe breeze was from tbe southward, and aa their coune lay mostly toward north, they expected to hare it fair for moat at tbe time. Tbe entrance to tbe channel which Dr. Tring was making for was about a couple of milea in width. Tbe clear water within its boundaries stood out darkly against tbe crumbling lines of surf on either hand. This was encouraging. 80 they got back to their boat work again with fresh spirits and breath. Both were seeded, for tbe wind presently freshened somewhat, raking tbe ketch dead on end. Their muscles were tired; the son aa be rose higher in tbe heavens beat down upon them even more heavily, and when at last tbe jib squeaked up and the Eureka's bow fell off to begin tbe beat tbe undergraduate for one, Oxford oarsman as he was, was feeling that if they bad had to go 00 for 8C more strokes he must have collapsed. Tbey were not out of tbe wood even then, for tbe channel was still perilously narrow and the shoals were more often than not but a few feet from tbs counter when she went about. It was ticklish work, therefore, but tbey managed it without touching tbe gronnd once, although tbe margin of safety between tbe ketch's bottom and tbe sharp, jagged coral teeth most more than onoe have been a mere matter of a foot or two. But at last tbey opened out a good troad lagoon, and. running across to its farther boundary, rose tbe Islet which they had gone la.40 much "Writing!" cried Mist Colepepper. rounded by a heavy plate of iron, which shed wafers of mat when it waa touched. but there waa no key. They did not expect, of course, that there would be a key. Indeed they would probably have been disappointed if there had been a key, for an unlocked door usually guards nothing. Stilt without some means of opening the lock, whether by a magic "Open sesame I" or by a commonplace iron key, the way through that massive portal waa not apparent. The pivoted trapdoor in the floor above had snapped to again, and, although the shoot of planks below it showed certain new made scorings, everything else was much the same as it must have been befofe. Neither of the pair had fortunately been hurt, for beneath their feet was a stack of mouldering rushes, which had broken their fall, and as it had been placed exactly at the foot of the slide they decided that it had obviously been meant to serve just that purpose. Before them was a small door ajar, through which came the light which showed them these details of their prison. With eager cariosity they went on through this door and found themselves in a snog, square room, with a low wooden roof, in the center of which was a ship's skylight Through this the sun was streaming in shafts of radiating light, which focused themselves with an accuracy that seemed almost purposeful upon another tar letter inscription scrawled over the door which had admitted them. This waa the legend wnicb it bore: "Ye Bobo, Hys Trappe. Kick Colepepper Fecit, Anno Dom: 1588. Sept; XXliij." "Lookl" cried Dolly, "there's more writing a bobo, Alan V "Spanish for fool, I believe," said the young man. " 'Ye bobo, hys trappe modern English, 'booby trap.' Your pirate ancestor was a bit of a humorist, it seems." Tbe captain, who while tbe canvas remained unbent and tbe ketch was transformed into a diving bell had seldom ventured on an opinion, bad now resumed bis authority. He was in mand again now that his ship hai turned to ber proper fnnctions, ai understood what was due to b and then before yon know what von're doing yoa're jammed hard and fast with the honeycombed rock grinding and tearing your bottom ont. That's what haa happened time* without number.""Exactly." assented tbe.. doctor gloomily. They crept slowly into thia paas and worked their way carefully along, jibing frequently. Tbe lead wm kepi going constantly, bnt it was in reality of lea* use than the sharp lookout which waa kept by tbe young eyea forward. At thia work tbe depth of water can be plumbed quickly, and with a good deal of accuracy by merely watching tbe color indications. The different depths are shown by different surface tints, and with a little experience it in aa easy to read these aa it would be to prick oat • coarse on a shaded chart With a quick sign to the others Dolly called to tbe farmer. He got up slowly, snd then tbe doctor's prophecy was verified to the letter. The whole party broke oat into shrieks of laughter, and Who the original Piper was the doctor could not tell, but be opined that it was ressonable to judge him a man of some discernment, for the small islet named after him was sn ideal place for tbe purpose for which be no doubt used it reheelf. illy «ven tbe subject of tbeir mirth allowed a thin smile to flicker over his bam colored face. Then ha sat down again stolidly and gave up the attempt at locomotion."Look here, Dolly," said Guthrie, af tbey reached tbe foot of a new; obstruction, a projecting ridge of black, shiny rock, from whose baked surface tbs heat rose visibly through tbe air in shimmering, tremulous waves, "I tell you that if tbe road's no better fsrther on there's no need for you to claw up this beastly wall I'll go first and prospect and let you know." On tbe sea aide it was effectually defended by tbe reef fortresses sgsinst which old Neptune's artillery was always cannonading, and from any attack of heavy drafted veeeels, manned by king's men who did not know tbe channel, it was sbsolutely safe. But for tbe pirate vessels themselves, when once tbey bad been brought by their pilots through the maies of the reefs, the sncborage inside was perfect Dr. Tring, therefore, reverted D»1 to fail sea position of mate. "H'ml" aaid tfaa doctor, shorii bia wig over bia brow* and robbing bia ear perplexedly. "I don't altogether admire the idea." "Of what?" inquired Captain Colepepper."Of ronning Into any of tbeae West India ialapda. As I've told yon before, I know 'em rattier well—Spanish, English, Republican, all the lot. I waa oat here naturalising, if yon remember. Can't we manage some sort of makeshift to repair onr damages and rub •long somehow without calling anywhere T" "Yea," went on Captain Colepepper, "there's many a good ahip been loat in jnat that way. That's bow the brigan- Bcarlet Rnnner was cast away in and all on board drowned except f;khanda and the captain's dog. ly she was knocked into staves than ten minntea. Pass me the jco jar, Dolly. I most have a amcke this. Doctor, help yourself. Your ratta papers the drawer." "hrtbis Piper's cay inhabitedT" asked Dolly as die passed the tobacco "Inhabited! Bless the girl, not" returned the doctor. "It isn't a spot one would care to reside in for long. It is scarcely ever visited now. I'd the troo- Guthrie lit a match. The flame spluttered and went out He lit another and guarding it from the drafts in the hollow of his bands he held it out toward the door. But Captain Oolepepper was a bit of a martinet in his way, and aa there was work to be done on the morrow he preeently called all hands to return to tbe ketch. A good night's real was sorely needed by every one after tbe heavy toil of the day. and tbe captain declared that there bad been enough of skylarking for the present. In this he was right for by tbe time tbey bad go* the Eureka snugged down and had had tbeir supper all bands found themselves too deadly tired to move a limb under tbe impulse of necessity. \ "What stout an anchor watch. Colepepper T" inquired tbe doctor, aa be leaned back from tbe table against the bank behind him and produced tobacco box and cigarette papers. "As regards weather," replied tbe captain, "I'd guarantee the ketch to ride snugly where she is till ber plating tumbled to bits from sheer old age. Ton know best whether we're likely to be disturbed from shore," 187* two c They in led "Writing 1" cried Miss Colepepper. "But what doea it meant" Had It not been for theee chromatic indications tbej could mtw bare picked their way along, for many times, wbea Henrietta's shrill voice waa celling oat "No bottom I" the doctor was singing oat for "Down helm and hard in sheets I" to avoid soma covered rock that rose sheer op from the deep directly ahead of her. Dolly nodded and sat down with a sigh of relief upon a bowlder. Tbe young msn set off aloft using hands snd knees indiscriminately and sometimes pretty hard pot to it to get along with both. After five minutes' climbing, he gained the sharp, overhanging ridge and atraddled it He waa glad enough to ait there for a apace, to regain hie wind, for the aacent had been pretty •tiff work. Scrawled upon the heavy woodwork was the following legend in five inch letters of tar: And there were many other obvious advantagea in tbe place, too; a eloping beach for heaving down upon, a spring of good water where the casks oould be filled, dry caves where balky plunder eould be stowed and sea washed caves in whose bidden recesses specie could be anngly cached until tbe time came for a return to Europe and reepeotability. for, though tbe cult of treasure hunters aay otherwise, tbe probability la that these ill got gains were not accumulated only to be forgotten. But though Dr. Tring knew of tbe existence of sll these various charms in tbe island, be did not remember the exact positions where tbey were to be found, and of the whereabouts of the epring, which tbe state of their water casks rendered the most Important treasure of all to the crew of tbe Eureka be had no recollection. And so on tbe morning after tbeir arrival Captain Colepepper announced that he would give Dolly and the undergraduate a roving commission to explore, while the others busied themselves in repairing the breaches which tbe tornado had made in tbeir craft. "Nick Colepepper Fecit Anno Domini 1687, Michaelmas Day." trouble to seek. It waa ■till * good Ave miles oCn| tbe intervening navigation was by The undergraduate gave a low whistle of astonishment "It's your piratical ancestor's private sanctum, I fane/, Miss Colepepper!" he opined. They happened to be close to ose at these hidden shoals when a sea broke, and as the ketch slipped away close hauled from along its edge Dolly looked over to leeward and saw a wonderful sight—lovely, yet slmost fearsome in its irresistible grandeur. means plain. But tbe ketch waa in sheltered water now, for tbe outer line of reefs broke all tbe heavier eeaa, and the waves of these inside channels, not having eo far to run, never attained any great height In one way this waa an added danger, for heavy surf is a warning easily understood; but on tbe other hand, there was little chance now of piling tbe ketcb up badly. She was «areepiug ajoug at a very sieauj |»w, pnd if she did chance to take tbe ground tbey could probably heave her off without damage or trouble. "No," said the captain decidedly, "we can't I wouldn't undertake to sail the Eureka through another blow in her present trim. Besidee, our supply of fresh water is running short, and by the time we had found the Santa Cata- ble of the world to find any one who knew enough about the place to take me there." "Aye." observed the captain, "it's a lonely enough spot now. But the island has seen some strsnge things done CHAPTER XIV. nuFPBD. "The match which Qatbrie was bold-' ing went out, and the gloom closed suddenly round them again. Dolly gave a little gasp. From hla vantage point he could trace the sea brink ahead of them. It lapped the edge of honeycombed as far round as be conld follow it There was no more foreshore. The land ended abruptly in a chaos of tumbled rocks. "Watch it, Alanl" ih« cried, going to break!" "It'» rioa again and got the reet of the dollars oat of her the barrel* would be in bygone times, though." "Yon're right Coiepepper," to- A bag® green roller bad risen m It g' magic from tbe smoother water of e channel Driven along in a grand, solemn rash by some unseen force, it swept over tbe outermost barriers of tbe shoal till it reached tbe shallowest part Then its crest bowed slowly over. It was a majestic movement. The bending was done aa quietly and evenly as though the water had been a sheet pf metal, and the sun was mirrored oil from it in a flashing blase of emerald light. The bead of tbe wave seemed to grow thinner pn4 Mime* MW ft feecame as tranalocent as fine bottle gjaap, and at last,.when the towering weight of waters grew too great to be supported on its curving base, the whole mass fell with a roar, a shriek, a sob on to tbe honeycombed coral beneath. And the spume flakes rising into tbe air fled like light winged sea fowl far away ovef the leeward waters. "Frightened t" asked Gutbrie, and he linked his arm in hers. •boat empty. We shall have to ran in somewhere in any case to get them filled before we can point our bows to tbe Bristol river again. What have yoa •gainst the islands T" "They aren't a healthy neighborhood (or folk in our position, Colepepper; that's alL Our enterprise has been pretty well talked about, and if it got round, aa it most assuredly would, that the ketch had got any of tbe Spanish dollars under her hatches we should stand about an even chance of getting oar throats cut. They're awful rapscallions hereabout—English and all tbe lot of them. Tbe islands need to be tbe bead- iwered Dr. Tring. "Bat its popularity lias declined sadly of late. In the goot M times, when the ocean wasn't tbC well policed highway that it ia now, Piper's cay was a very farorite resort foi gentlemen in the buccaneering interest They used to go there to fill up tbeii water caaka, careen and repair shot holes, or even simply to stretch their legs ashore without any fear of being disturbed at the exercise. Tea, Piper's cay has certain nnboly memories attached to it which I may yarn to you about some day when you catch me in a good humor, but at the present time its glory has departed, and you'll find "No use going on, Dolly," he sang out "and no use your scrambling up here. Walk up tbe rise to that palm tree with the twisted stem, and I'll climb along tbe ridge and join you there." "No," she replied, bat shivered none the lew. "I'm not frightened. I was a little startled at reading the name of Colepepper on the door; that's all." "A booby trap!" exclaimed Miss Colepepper. "We're the boobies, I suppose, as we've fallen into it." •♦There are turtle on the island." said the doctor, "and I should say a tolerably large company of ghosts if its character hasn't been sadly maligned. Bat, barring these and land crabs and some sea galls, I don't think there's any one else to guard against. With regard to the ghosts, Dolly there might like —hello, the young woman's gooe to sleep, and she'll be nodding over into the mustard directly. Guthrie, just pudge MissColepepper'i elbow altgbttj- Thanks. I aay, Dolly, as your medical adviser, I should recommend bed or Guthrie will be earning • pair of gloves." But. for all that, there was no diminution of the caution with which she was navigated. Whether or no there are danger and damage to be feared from such a thing, your true sailor baa the utmost honor of getting his craft unintentionally aabora. It is an indelible shir upoa his seamanship, and no amount of after ■kill can wash out the stain. "It was enongh to startle an; one," •aid the undergraduate. "Quite sot I don't see how we can logically refute that argument," was the reply. , For another hour they scrambled slowly along, and the sun grew hotter and hotter. They were making for a peculiarly shaped rock, which showed out boldly st wbst seemed to be one of the highest points of tbe island, for they hoped that from it they might perhaps be able to mark down the position of the spring by noting the brighter green of the herbage which would probably surround it, or even, it might be, by catching the glint of the sun on its anrfaceTheir eyes were beginning to accustom themselves once more to the gloom, which the suddenly extinguished match had for the time exaggerated into darkness. They could see one another's face again. "How very rude of Nicholas the Fintl" said that worthy's descendant indignantly. "But what d'you suppose is the meaning of it all, Alan?" "Well. I can only guess, of course; but from the evidence I should faacy it was something like this: Nicholas the First obviously put this snuggery together in September, 1587, which is the date on the front door in the cave up above, you remember. Then he went away on a cruise and in the meanwhile some evil minded, person picked the lock uf Dolly drew her arm away gently. It was work that required nerve too. A timid pilot might well have blanched at tbe creaming, bellowing surf which was often but a few fathoms away from his lee, and had Dr. Tring lost bis bead for a moment it might bare meant death to every ppe po board- Bat the doctor's coolness pever deserted him. He rolled and smoked bis cigarettes through all that exciting day and, as Captain Oolepepper remarked, pD)ghf have been skippering a brick barge on the Oxford PftP") for si) the nervousness he showed. To which tbe doctor replied that he much regretted bis constitutional defects, but that nerves, in the feminine sense of the word, bad been forgotten when bis othsr attributes were dealt out to him. Tbe young man made no secret of the satisfaction with which be heard this decision, but Dolly did not seem to be quite so sure of tbe sdvantages of the plan. She remembered the episode which had occurred during the storm of a day or two ago, and as she had not yet made up her mind upon the problem which that incident bad set ber to solve she was doubtful about tbe wisdom of spending a whole day just now in Guthrie's company. "Yes," said she; "one doesn't expect to be confronted with one's own name in a place like this. Of course I had heard of Nicholas the First, as the doctor oalls him, before, and the finding of the Santa Catarina showed that be was not quite a legendary person. But, tor all that, I don't think that I had altogether had it brought home to me that he must once actually have existed in the flesh till you scraped that match a minute ago, and then you must own that a notice like that tarry scroll was rather a rude reminder of my questionable ancestry. It isn't so forcibly impressed upon one every day that one has had a pirate in the family, and a pirate, too, who seems to have been in full and active practice in this very island." quarters of western piracy only a century back, and tb«re are blackish tales banging in the air about the thing being done pretty freely even now. Yon it a dismal enough paradise, from which I venture to prophesy that you will be most uncommonly thankful to get away." Dolly apparently was spflciefttly aroused to understand this remark- She gave the undergraduate a sidelong glance and Mushed a little, and then, demurely thanking tbe doctor for hif hint, slipped away to the little stateroom beside the eompapiou, where at* (tad ber quarters•♦She's earped ber calk." observed ber father. see. there are liberated slaves everywhere, and a semiciviliced nigger is the greatest savage in creation. A black "Any sport to be had on it T*' naked Outbrie. "No, I shouldn't say that there waa," But tbey were not fated to reach that objective without a halt and as it turned out a very long halt Tbey came upon a cave suddenly—so suddenly, indeed, that they were almost startled at seeing it; for the mouth did not show till they were straight in front of it and as a apine of rock rose up directly before it the caTe could not be seen at all from the water. Nature, ita aole architect bad hidden it with a cunning which seemed almost intentionalLittle by little the Eureka's pilot felt his way along through the mazes of the reefs, twice grazing the ground, though without fortunately doing *aJ harm to her fabric, and once getting hopelessly embayed in a channel which grew narrower and narrower as she progressed along it bu in hia native Ai'rican wilds is bad, replied the doctor dryly. "The chief ' bat a nigger who has been exported and trained turns into the very warmest kind of demon if be gets the least chance. And that's not hearsay evidence, mind yon. I've seen it for myself.""Aye," said the captain, "tbedarklea and the tinted folk hereabouts have a pretty nasty reputation, I know. But there's Jamaiea. We should be anng enough In Port BoyaL" "Revenue mulcta on treasure trove; difficulties with a colonial admiralty eoart; yellow fever? which la uaually pretty virulent, and about aa good a chance at a raid from niggers and 'mean' whitee as we should have at Havana itaelf. That's all that occurs to me at present, Colepepper. I think I •onId guarantee that little aeleotion at Port Royal." The captain tugg»l aome ends of beard from under his chin and fixed them between his teeth. The others _ knew the sign. He-Was thinking and did not intend to speak for a minute or aa living things you'll find are moaquitoea —moaquitoea in swarms—and sand flies as big aa your thumb nail by way of variety. The moaquitoea are bad. but the other monsters bite knobs off you aud then flyaway to a neighboring tree to eat tbem. Oh, yea, you may laugh. Miss Colepepper I You don't believe me, 1 see. But I advise yoo to get a veil rigged in front of that hat of youra in readiness." The captain waa tugging at hia fringe of beard. It waa obvioua that he considered the conversation frivolous. The doctor turned to him: "Pardon, Colepepper, for the digreesion. I'm enlarging these young people's ideaa of natural history. Where were we when I maundered off T" "Diaouaaing what harbor we should run to, doctor. Is it to be this Piper's cay or not? It would do well enough if we could make the anchorage, but I tell you candidly I'm not going to riak picking up one of these infernal reefs by taking the ketch in myaelf. If you think you remember enough about the "I wonder what we shall find," said tbe young man to ber as they stood on the deck together after breakfast. "I'm prepared for anything, so long ss it's romantic. Piper's cay looks as if it ought to bristle with romance, doesn't HT" t . "If ever girt did." assented Dr. Tring. "She's worked like a Briton today and never shown tbe white feather once, though she might well have done so. for we've come through soq)9 pretty tight places, I may remind yw. Oolepepper, yoq ought to be proud of your daughter. Pere'p her health I" The two aipped their grog to the toaat. apd then the doctor, ft Guthrie's request became anecdotal on the subject of the island at which tbey bad ar rived. The water waa deep under ber keel, but the lines of surf on either band were cloaing in. The doctor bailed the masthead. Tom Jelly'a keen eye could see no way out. Aa far aa be could aee the channel filled up ahead and in a mile became impaaaabie. There might be a chance of getting throng! but tp fail would be fatal. So the doctor determined to retrace hia atepa while aha had yet room to turn. "It's a great nuisance," said be. laughingly. "I feel desperately slighted that I'm not at times jumpy and jerky like other people, gpd pever experience coW thrills along the vertebra, or sudden perspirations, or, in fsct, sny single one of tbe various luxuries which tbe possession of nerves gives to most people. But the fact remains, I am debarred from all these pleasures. You needn't laugh. Miai Oolepepper. I assure you I do regret it. though for work like today's it perhaps has its compensations."Tbe girl kept silence for a moment and then, without raising her eyes, answered quietly. "I don't think I shall «o. It was evidently one of the caves for which Dr. Tring bad said that Piper'a cay was celebrated, and the explorers' interest—"archaeological interest" Dolly called it—waa promptly relighted. Visions of hidden treasure, guarded perhaps by a grim skeleton sentinel, occurred to them both aa they pressed forward, She paused. "He's-been dead a long time, though," remarked Guthrie apologetically. "Yes. I suppose that does make a difference," she agreed. "I hope it does, anyway." "Dolly I" cried her companion in astonish meet. "Why ever not T" "Well, you see." began Miss Colepepper hesitatingly, "there are—reasons!""It does," asserted the other with judicial finality. The helm waa put down, therefore, and with bead sbeeta slackened the ketch came round into tbe wind. The channel waa too narrow for her to beat out. Ho a kedge. which lay on deck ready ahackled, was tumbled over tbe bows and the crew were piped below for a rest and dinner. "I wonder who Piper was," the girl went on. "Perhaps he's a relation too." Tbey bad come here aa to the one safest place in tbe whole of tbeee seaa for their purpose, but they were in the event not fated to go away without passing through a great peril, in which their enterprise itself would come Within a little of being wrecked, and. in tbe case of some at least of the party, even life would have to be fought for agsinst foes whom they as yet little expected to meet "Do you mean you'd rather not spend a whole day with met" be asked bluntly. yCome along, Alant" cried Dolly eagerly. "It's most deliriously exciting!" And she waved him aside with her hand snd led tbe way into the cave. Guthrie laughed. "A crowd of ancestors is a great thing, Dolly," said he, "but I shouldn't claim too many of theae all at once, if I were you. Besides, as Piper stood godfather to the cay. perhaps he was here before Nicholas the First Anyway, we can't settle the question standing out here. What d'you say to going inside to see if he has left a will among other things t You may certainly consider yourself the old gentleman's heiress if he has stored any property here." WUh a startled scream Dolly clutched instinctively at her companion. tHe aforesaid front door, came in and raided the room. Nick I retnrned, saw and considered. His absences from the cay were long. However strong a front door be put up, a determined m-n would always have plenty of time to smash it down undisturbed if he wanted to. So your worthy ancestor devised, and on Sept. 34, 1S88, completed this booby trap, which resets itoelf and is evidentfy capable of holding just as "D«, Alan; not that But"— "Well. wnatT" persisteo untune, ss she did not seam to be inclined to finish her sentence. Tbe entrance waa wedge shaped and narrow at first But the sides very soon began to retreat from one another, though tbe roof still remained lew. Stalactites had evidently bung from above at one time, for tbe stumps of them still remained, but they had been broken off and carted outside ; perhaps, suggested Dolly, because tbey obstruct ed tbe treasure hiders' road. Underfoot the rocky path, though not altogether smooth, was still pasaable, and the pair got along without much trouble. So the doctor continued to smoke quietly at his poet amid all the dangers of that passage. During the whole afternoon tbey threaded their way through tortuous channels and narrow lagoons, and at last, just aa night waa beginning to close in, they opened out a deep bay. whose waters lapped the shore tbey had gone to such palps to seek. Dr. Tring poipted to a small strip of pebbly beach, which shelved sharply down into the deep water. "There, I should imagine, is the exact spot which the Mr- Piper who gave his name to the islsnd probably chose for a careening dock." said be. "We pan't do better than follow the excellent pirate's example, so far as to make use 0C tbe same place; eh. Oolepepper I Over with the sncbor, Banal" Id another hour they turned to worfc •gain. Tom Jelly, Henrietta, the captain and Guthrie tumbled into the boat and went ahead to tow with Dolly to Steer them, and then the hardest work of the day began. "Oh. can't you ssef I mean of course tun* we were stay toe oiner mgut in the storm and"— When the accustomed interval bad *P°' to P**y pilot, then we'll chance it; elapsed, be got tip and pulled a cylin- bnt if not- NWholaa Colepepper's not drical tin case from a locker. Be select- 8°lng. to venture hia own band tbia ad one iheet from the content* and deal.' spread it out on the table. "Colepepper, you're patting a big re"Section 82 of Detailed Wert India ■ponaibility on my abonlderal" Jalanda Chart; British Admiralty, '08," "l know it. doctor. Bnt I bold no be announced. "The latest I could get, certificate for pilotage hereabout*, and doctor; not altogether accurate, per- I'm j*D»t aa capable of taking the ketch haps, but the moat reliable information thronKh thale reefa as that lubber Cain obtainable, except from local know)- L«veraba would be. If a shipmaster edge. Here's where we are now." The h,ila ■ plk* anywhere, be bands over captain marked the spot with a stumpy the whole responsibility of sailing hia fed forefinger. ''And there, you aee, tq teasel ao long as the man ia aboard and leeward of us. are half a score of cays. charge. For which, ass board of ranging in sise from few hundred trade regulations. Section, pilotaga" yards across to a doaen miles. Guthrie, The doctor took a turn round the jny lad. reach me over that blue backed Cabin. ''There's no help for it," be said pilot book. No. not bim, the next—yes. at last. "I must attempt it I think, I that. Thanks. Now, doctor, we'Ujee trust I shall succeed." what the sailing directions say. lTm! He paused and inhaled • deep breath 'Beefs bare at ba)f ebb-' H'm! H'm! P* amoks. 'SboaJ; sea breaks, with winds N. E to | wiU semember that ft B."' H'm I 'Turtle cay.' This looks ****** through!" better- Ah I 'No water. Approach must captain, depot be attempted by strangers.' " Notedly "Jf you've made up your The captain turned over some dozen *D '»"• ***D£• 1 ■*»■" haTe *D pages of the book, reading the fine print hesitation in handing her over to your carefully and giving others scrappy ex- charge when the time cornea. And now, tracts and comments, but be found no . y°® U go on deck and aee about Betplace that was suitable for tbeir pur- *ln* M hand» *D ™Vir damages. 111 pose. The sea to the westward was cov- i™* 00* » tb« ered with these small sandy islets, with ch"rt here and follow you in a couple of tbeir encircling reefs and shoals, which mnat,^e®- have ®nder w,y by tmar th« name "rmwm." hnt D11 nightfall for Piper S Cay. new tbe name cays, but aU were wind was blowing fresniy rrom , m"Ch®XITd,?r the west northwest. The ketch took a taohanlofwcMSi to provide theEureka , , and a short one. and by tbe refitting dock. However. late%fteKrnooDof the ne,tday tbe white at )ast the captain read out tbe name r__ raafm T , . .,, "Sundown in another hour," remarkrVlC ed tbe captain, after consulting hi. rfJi! tk watch, "and tbe weather's likely to Udrone There.should be three fln& j thi&k we-d teuer heave her tl* doe- tlU morning. Lull her up in the "You think I might be tempted to be what you call Billy again f" Piper's cay was a long narrow islet of horseshoe shape, nowhere attaining a height of more than #0 or 60 feet above sea level. Its surface was green for tbe most part, covered with coarse grass, sea moss or scrub, and here and there bearing a few wind distorted cocoa nut trees. In the windings of its shore there were many caves, some shallow and others stretching for unknown distances Dn coward toe centers at toe Islsnd. In one of these it was that Cain laaversba met with an adventure. But of that more later- The girl nodded and bluahed. "And if. I were you would be angry T" "Yes, Alan, I think I should. You see. we're both very young." The Eureka seemed to the crew In the boat to bs as loath to move as g quayside wonld have been- Aa soon as the strain oq the hawser slackened they were drawn mockingly back stern first. They dipped the oars again, and tbe rope grew tauter; they aet tbeir feet bard against the thwarts and thrust for all they were worth with tbeir bodies (ying nearly borisonta). But all that they appeared to gchieve was to send tbeir par blades swirlipg uselessly through tbe watejr. The boat strained |ind tugged to leap on, but the warp field her back as a chain doea a kenneled dog, and as for the Eureka ahe appeared to tbe toilers if) the boat to be aa stationary aa a Bristol dock wall. They could pot detect tbe slightest swirl round her bluff forefoot- Indeed, for apything they pouid tell to the contrary, ahe was •lowly sagging astern. "Oh. perhaps be bast V will yon kindly act as execi t. Guthrie, Continued on page four. *ort" — [RHEUMATISM,! 1 KEUSAIGIA and similar Complaint* I m. and prepared under the stringent ixperiment . ■lbermak medical laws J| a shoulder Km^w^^WMaeatphyrioian^pp* with a pro- MM DR. RICHTER'S (Km ' ' inquired W " ANCHOR t opened fPAIN EXPELLERI ■ World renowned! Remarkably sncceMful! ■ ■Only genuine with Trade Mark" Anchor,"® «■*.. Id. liettM 'CO., 215PearlSU, New York. ■ and the J 3( HIGHEST AWARDS. ow saccea- ■ 13 Braacli Houses. Own Glassworks ■ iny of ev- B «■C■■■■C moi—mw DD Wh ptm ,lu" » r*ci, se Um imm, XMI1 vym «.C.SL,CC, M S.rth Bate StrMt, J. H. HOCCK, 4 S«r(k a«lD St. / strong," mttstoi, ra. in its early uade short r.chtcr-s 1 HJWCHOB" BTOMAeRtt yifor | •nongh to ' "Umpht I'm 21 and you're 17—both old enough to know our own minds, I should think!" "Most certainly, madam, yonng man with a bow. "Please on one aide and leave the tor the engine of the law)' The light from the entrance behind grew dimmer as thej advanced. Bnt here and there were gaps In the atone ceiling, shafts reaching to the open air, whose npper edges they could see were garlanded with a thick growth of ferns and creepers. Through these shafts there came « gentle twilight glow, and as the rock walls of the cave were almost white the reflection from them gave light enough for the explorers to see the grotto's outlines. "Now, Alan, you .know we're not! At least other people would say we're pot" she corrected herself. "And in any case I don't choose that there should be sny more of tbst sort of thing just ae now. He went back a couple of then charged the door ▼ weight. It remained exactly as it only tangible remit of the wu that the experiment®' came into violent contact jecting iron stad. Into most of these caves the sea washed freely. Bat some of them were dry, and if their echoes had been phonographic the tale* which they could tell would sorely be tales of fascination, and at any rate they would not lack the weird thrill which POTTO? gives ttD stories of bloodshed and treachery. Owing to the intricacy of the channel which led np to the snug anchorage before the cay. the old sea robbers of the days gone by knew that the heavier government craft conld no more reach them there than they conld have navigated the gorge to Caracas or the swamps which led to Panama. Boats might have worked their way In, certainly. but a boat expedition is ft perilous thing, and n maq qf war capteln would pot baye sent his boats to sttack a heavily armed schooner or brig, which could warp her broadside in any direction and blow them out of the water from whichever point they oaine, So, ip p)l the historv Of iniquity—in which massive tome, if It ever came to be written. Piper's cay wonld occupy many pages— there is no record of invasion by vessels or men who represented the laws of nations. The very existsace of the place was little known to the nowese ol oides i» day* et tt» "All right, Dolly; we'll let it stand at that—for the present," said Guthrie. And then with some hesitation he added: "I wouldn't have said anything the other night if I hadn't thought we were lp really great danger and that I mightn't ever have another chance of —of telling yon—well, of telling you that I loved you, you know! You believe that, Dolly, don't t" The heavy kedge was beared over the side and fell-with a splash into the blue Water. About six fathoms of the oable ran out after it. and the Eureka swung round to the anchor- "Have yon hart yourself T' Dolly anxiously. There were plenty of evidences of human agency. Every here and there a footmark could be seen in some dried, muddy patch of the floor, and it was an eerie thought that the foot which had made it might well have been dead a century or even more. And everywhere there were the broken stalactites, which of a surety could not have tumbled down and then marched off by themselves from the floor on which they had fallen. "Only a trifle. Bat I haven' the door." •'Miss Cole pepper, may I have the pleasure pC a walk with J®U #shoreV asked the doctor witto a courtly bow. ••An unknown island to explore! Who knows f Perhaps I shall be able to give ▼on «n adventure." "Give me the matches." Be handed the box across, girl lit seven matches in sir eion and made a careful scrr ery part of the barricade witL and knuckles. "Yes," said the gii . "Yon said so at the time, and, of course, I believed you." But, though the inches gained were not apparent from tbs boat, for tbe long surf barriers on either hand offered no sufficiently striking landmarks from which to take a departure, still from tbe higher level of the ketch's deck the doctor could see that she was making progress, sure if slow, in tbe right direction, snd from time to time he encouraged tbe hot. panting rowers with words to that effect CHAPTER XIIL MICK'S S1IUOGEHT. "Then you'll trust yourself with me todayT" "The door is not really ver she said at last, "and even days a crowbar would have work of it" Ask any snilorman what be feels like when be takes his first run ashore after being cooped up for long mooths withiq the narrow bounds of shipboard- Art him U he feels a fojury pr not tq M the firm ground upder bis feet again and to kpow that h* ciM1 walk, if be should chance to want to, rUfbt ahead in a straight lips for miles and pever be polled up by a fbip's encircling bulwark. And provided be baa not been long enough ashore tor the sea hunger to bsve got into his blood again you will find that on such a theme the veriest tar seaked shell baek can beooms a "Thank you, Dolly," said the young man, and then be added earnestly: "I'll Stick to our bargain for the present, of course) but. mind. I don't mean to give you up for all that. When we've got all the Spanish dollars on board from the Santa Catarlna. I shall speak to Captain Colepepper if you will let me. "Yea," But of any more valuable relics there was not a trace. There were none of thoee kegs and barrels, those iron bound cheets and pilee of rusty armor, those lavish heaps of plunder with which, by all the canons of romance, such a place ought to have been Btored. And, as Qutbrie remarked, the cave was bone dry and had long been undisturbed, and therefore they were clearly within their rights in expecting to find such relics. "Bat we haven't the crow "No. and bo it in strong atop ns now, for it'a still in good preservation, and so's the poet which holds the lock mortise. But the ontsideof the between the hinges—has got dry rot Look 1" And she split off a crumbling splinter to prove her words. ACTIVE SOLICITORS WANTED EVERY*■ where for "The Story of the Philippines," by Marat Halstead, commissioned by the Government as Official Historian to the War Department. The book was written in army campsat San Francisco, on the Pacific with Gen. Merritt, in the hospitals at Honolnia, in Hong Kong, in the American trenches at Manila, in tne insurgent camps with Aguinaldo, on the deck of tb« Olympia with Dewey, and in the roar of batu tat the fall of.Manila. Bonanza for agents. Brintfolof original pictures .ken by gorenment photographers on the tot. Large book. )xDw prioea. Bis: profit®. Freight paid. Credit given. Drop all trashy unofficial war booka. Outfit frea. Aidr*m,T. T. Bar. har, SaoT, Star Imroranr* Bnlldina. Ohktaan. Tbe sun blaaed overhead witb true West Indiaq relentlessnese, and, though there was a slight breese blowing, was not enough to temper tbe remorseless raya, and as the day went on the air aeemed to grow hot, even to suffocation. At last they could stand it no longer. "When we have got the Spanish dollars on board I" said the girl mischievously. "Very well; I'll agree to that We may both of us be a good deal older wbam that day cornea." Guthrie laughed "I've a Miw ke- "All right. Dolly I" said the undergraduate. "I see the trick. Stand oat there, on one side, awfy from the dost, and I'll Boon have a hole through." The work did sot, however, prove ao easy as it at first sight promised, for The persistent thought that perhaps the pirates had themselves carried off all they bad left tbereor that aome other folk had since rifled the hoard was "Spell-Ot" bawled the captain* and