TREASURE ISLANDS.

Lake Wakatip Mail, Issue 3222, 9 January 1917, Page 7

TREASURE ISLANDS.

THERE ARE SOME FEW REAL ONES. There are quite a number of islands scattered about the globe wheron buried treasure exists. And people are always trying to find it. Quite a. score of attempts hare been miade. far instance, to unearth the treasure alleged to be buried on Cocos Island. Yet so far the adventurers have reaped no reward for their toil. Fully £50,000 has been wasted, again, in futile attempts to recove the "'pirates' hoard" reported to be hidden near the lip of the crater of an active—very active—volcano on Pagan Island, in the Lardone Group. Still, as a set-off against many failures, there have been eome few successes. Tliere is no doubt, for instance, that a Liverpool sailor named John Adams unearthed treasure to the value of between 1150,000 and £'200.000 on Auckland Island some years back; nor that William Watson, a -shepherd, recovered in 1868 nearly a ton of gold that had been hidden away on one of the Queen Charlotte Islands.

Likewise, two runaway seamen, named Handler and Cross, successfully located and dug up a valuable hoard on Oak Island, off the coast of Nova Scjrvtia, and this after many others had failed.

SPOILED THE RECITATION. -My lather never could or would recite. He had a sort of constitutional aversion to doing so, writes ! E. H. Sothern, the famous American actor. Perhaps lie fancied people looked funny when reciting; he certainly took a fiendish pleasure in disconcerting reciters. 1 remember once attending a benefit performance with him and Edwin Adams when John McCullough was to recite. He was billed to declaim a favourite poem of his, "Flynn of Virginia." They say be was quite wonderful at it. On tins occasion my father and Adams selected iwats in the middle of the front raw of the orchestra and quite upset the proceedings. The recitation begins with the words, "You knew Flynn, Flynn of Virginia:-"

Mr. M<Cllough cmae on and was greeted with great applause. He made an impressive pause and began: ''You knew Flynn, Flynn of Virginia?" Ned Adams and my father stood up and, looking steadily at McCullough, solemnly shook their heads, as though to say, "No, wo never heard of him ; then they solemnly sat down again. .McCullough was disconcerted, but wont to it aagin. "You knew Flynn, Flynn of Virginia?" said he. Again the two solemn figures arose, shook their neads sadly, and reseated themselves. This occurred three or four times, each time McCullough finding it more impossible to control his laughter, until at last lie could do so no longer, and went off the stage hysterical.

FERRYMAN'S FORETHOUGHI The old ferryboat was making hard work of her trip across tho loch, and the little group of "pleasure" seekers huddled miserably together as they watched the threatening waves. The storm seemed to gather fury the farther litey got from land, and everyone thought that a real calamity was near. A look of hope spread from one frightened face to the other as the ancient ferryman, after a short conver. sation with his mate, approached tho passengers, who waited breathlessly to learn his decision. When near enough for them to hear his voice above tie; howling storm, he shouted: — "We'll just tak' yer saxpences the noo, for we diiina ken what micht come ower us:" SUSPENSE.

Onco an American arniv nurse who had returned from Cuba ton declared that never again would she go to a country wliose language she could not understand. She was startled one day by tho unexpected visit of her Cuban laundress. Tho women was intensely excited. Anxiety sat on her brow, and sorrow dwelt in hor eyes. She gesticulated, and she talked. The nurse know not a word of what she said, but the pantomime iilk'd her with terror. The Cuban's baud seemed to speak of an attack on a hospital —of wounded men butchered and nurses cut to ribbons. The nurse was frantic. She must know the worst. In the hospital was an officer very ill of typhoid fever. "She knew he understood Spanish. Only on a matter of life or death would she disturb him, but this was obviously a matter of life and death. Slie led tho Cuban woman to the btdside, and there the story was repeated. The officer listened intently. Tho nurse held hor breath. Tho Cuban eeased. The sick man turned Irs head on the pillows. "She says,"" he whispered faintly, "she says the stripes tn your pink shirt-waist have run and sho doesn't know what to do with it."

SILVER BADGE. The gratifying announcement was made officially recently that bis Majesty had approved the issue of a Silver War Badge for men discharged from llie Army on account of ago or sickness. Th. 1 liadgc will go to officers and men of the British, Indian, and Oversea Forces who have MMTed at home or abroad since August 4. 1914, and wha on acocunt of age, or i>liyslbal infirmity arising from wounds, or sickness caused liy military service, have, in the cas. 1 of officers, retired or relinquished their commissions, or, in tfcu ease of men, boon discharged from the Army.