A POT OF GOLD. BEING AN ACCOUNT OF THE STARTLING ADVENTURES THAT BEFEL Benjamin Manley in the Year Our Lord, 1880.

Auckland Star, Volume XXIII, Issue 270, 12 November 1892, Page 6

A POT OF GOLD. BEING AN ACCOUNT OF THE STARTLING ADVENTURES THAT BEFEL Benjamin Manley in the Year Our Lord, 1880.

[all eights reserved].

&YFREDERICK R, BURf?N.

CHAPTER XIII. CRUISE OF THE 'KAI'IE>'T-

After s=ome minutes thus I hetfl a confused murmur of voices below th* showed the search had been concluded. &V standing against Che chimney 1 could hear nearly all that was said. It was belief that I had escaped through the kitchen, and was even thon wondering about th&rovo or along the shore of tho island. •Taint likely he'll turn up to-nigjib,1 said Billy, ' but ho's got a yun nth him. and we'd bettor look out. Big theme of the cap'n's to sot sentries wfcre they couldn't do any good ! We'll post em right here, for Wanloy's tho only thin^o vo got to fear. In the morning we'll skip tho place and leave him to dio as sliw na no pleases!' . , The othera assented to this plan, and then I heard Billy arrango tltf he and Leary should constitute tho I* watch, ono at each door of the house. M one in the morning tr-e others were to Wo a turn. When this course had been dtterrained upon the men fell to drinking, jnd for an hour their carouse increased HJioiaraess. Then I heard three of them trajpinf^ up stairs with vociferous ' eood ifahts to Leary and Billy. A few minute* later tho little house was as still as a country street From all sides I could hear Bio husky murmurs of the waves beating>u;on the ehoros of the island, and bcyondllus there was only the faint rustle of the pT'o foliago around about me, as ie was sttt'od by a gentle bub steady breeze blowing from iho r,orthenst. At no timo in all »>' oxpenence with these robbers hud of situation seemed wore hopelcsss. j There I was at tho top of theft!house, an enemy whom any ono of tb|n would kill ab sight ; such superstitious fear as they had of mo had been oveCome, and not one of r.hem could be relied tjpon to bofriend me even in the horribß way the captain had chosen. And whenjl thought of Captain Danny I felt a keen rteret. In spite of his wickedness hajhad saved mo, and perhaps I had no righbp euspect him of any but the best intentions of mo ; and yet, with all his apparent pyalty, ho had never questioned for a nonsuit his right to a greaft share of that jold which was mine and Tom flartt's. j I Ah ! that gold ! lying thereiptho trunk, | covered by" tho captain's bojy ! How fervently I wished that it had e«er (icon discovered in tho unknown miaf's hidingplace. Gloomy reflection? like the* pursued each other through my brain fo, it might be, two hours. The time jras intolerably long, and I had occasionally > o restrain myself forcibly from jumping otttho roof to | certain death at the weaponsjf tho sentinels. Id was in a moment of (jiackest despair .that I heard a movement blow. I stood up and listened ab;jtho chimney. Somebody was &tirring|ibout the fireplace. It was impossible |en to distinguish what was being done, fjr no words ■were uttered, but from what 1 4w know it is apparent that Billy and Ifeary wore moving the captain's body from; he trunk. I listoned with euch inten.tnts that my head seemed like to burst. j Presently there were sounds of cautiouu jut Btumbling footstep 3 away from the fiieplaco. I crept to the ridsjpole of the hohse and co along to the peak of tho Iron gable. I could just make out two ma% emerging from the house with the tall c between them. In an instant I saw all of what vaa underway. Leary was a sailor. Wit i him Billy had conspired to steal thi troasuro and make off with it before]she othorß should nwako, and I had no do bt that tho three sleeping men had been ado drunk designedly. 'Friende it shall divide!' My own course was by no; means instantly determined, except tha as soon aa Billy and Leary wore oub of hearing, .1 dropped from the roof to the ground, a short fall, accomplished withou discomfort or alarming the inmates of thejouse. I lay still for a moment, to: make anre that no ono had heard me, and hon set oub through the grove in the dirjjtionof the schooner. When I had arrived at the 1 mits of the grove I proceeded more cautioa ly and in a roundabout path. Ah soon as tic schooner was in view, and to make ib 80 '. had to approach very near on account c' the darkness, I lay down and watched, «ith my ears strained, to catch any eignificatj sound. Not a minute paßsed before; hoard the creaking of ropea, and presently I saw that tho largest two eaile on tie boat had been raised. I have since bee i informed that these were the mainsail aid foresail. AVhen those had been aeb I distinguished footsteps on tho deck, anc then all was silence again for jusb n instant, after which I saw tie two me hurry up the slope. They passed quite nar me, and as they went, I made out one lrord in tho conversation. It was ' provision.' In that instant I was eeizdi by a wild desperate impulse, and no hotheaded boy ever plunged into folly with njjre abandon and lo*s precaution than I did.J From what I hove confessedin this narration ib will be plain to youjbhat I must have felt myself in bho exbretlesb peril on the island to consider oven fjr a momont the idea of embarking on thejkapienb and sailing ib unaided out into b)o unknown sea. And, indeed, ao it was, but \ hen I arose in the darkness and ran eWftly to bho dock thoro waa no thought of Anything in my mind save tho putting oj impasHablo distance botwoon me and myiidvortarioß. My one anxiety was to cut tin boat looae lrom her moorings beforo Bill and Leary Hhould have timo to returr with provisions. Ah I reached the odgo of tlj> dock and lot myself down upon bhe schonor's rail, I could boar tho rippling watei againsb tho vwnol'u Bides, and v. faint) crea ing of cordago a» tho Hails strained ab the ■ faatoningH Under tho influonco of tho win( J hurried along bho deck U, tbo forward end nod found bho rope tbatjeecured tho KfjlicviJior to tbo dock. KnowiOy nothing of k(jot«, and fearing to lose tlmin trying to loosen the line, I whipped otri ray pocket t-.nifi; and cub it. With an ox lbation that mountod to furious excitemg ti, I u&w tho boat Bwing immediately awi t from tho dock, slowly, but surely. It will be » hopeless task j j me to explain to landsmen as if/noran| gjf crafb as I 4vo how it wan that tho Rap D t took the courM «he did from tJw Urae B e(j foot on board. 'jPlio greater part of her fc j«yjour was Btrangt' »'>d unseemly, thouj^ a gftjlorraan t>) /.-!. .in J hftvfl explained it J )as assured ~ ..... wW -/jucli luugl'ter, tha it was perj !y il' '^'t'vl'J, wwaMerinj ij >c mm1,. <!.i i. ■■>■'■, !■■'<!< to Wt of.tho kui |,

If ib please you to strnpglo with the problem, you may know that tljo wind blew almost directly from off the shore; that tho tide, which was running powerfully, though whether on the flood or the ebb I know not, set in around the shore of the little bay, making a separate current near the land from east to woat; that the two sails up were so lashod that they swung a considerable distatico out over tho rail; and there you have all tho data that I can give.

(To be Continued, t