TREASURE FOUND A BRIDE WON.

Pelorus Guardian and Miners' Advocate., Volume 29, Issue 41, 29 May 1917, Page 7

TREASURE FOUND A BRIDE WON.

, {ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

BY GEORGE E. GARDNER.

CHAPTER I. Late in the afternoon of a win! or day in the year .1885, I was sitting in my private office, lost in the reflections which a drizzly day and a. good cigar are apt to produce. 1 was running over in thought the past twelve years of my life, and on this particular day their consideration was not entirely agreeable. Aft r finishing my education at a neighbouring high-class school, I had applied myself assiduously to the study of law, and with equal assiduity, during the seven succeeding years, to its practice.

A patrimony from my father, whoso decease in my early years had Leon speedily followed by that of my dear mother, had sufficed for my general end professional education. Several li.c'.y accidents soon landed mu on my hot in the profession; and while t-iy success had been in no way remarkable, it had given mo abundant employment, and an income amply Kufficicnt for all my needs.

Until the clay prior to that of which I speak, I was generally re-j-»»c’ccl by others, and, in fact, re-jr«*-!ed myself, as an exceptionally h»ppy and prosperous man. But on the day in question I had, after iriitk, and with every prospect • f success, made an offer of marriage, which met with a refusal, kind but decisive. My rejection produced at least a temporary disgust with all things. Suddenly the door of the outer office opened, and and a voice, in which I recognised nothing familar, said : "Is Mr. Charles Tremaine in ?” Turning with little interest to meet the stranger, I saw, closely following the clerk, a strong and compactlybuilt man, whose face seemed to light up with pleasure as he advanced, and who greeted me with the hearty salutation : “Carl, old man, I am delighted to see you again. Don’t you know me?” “I must confess I do not,” was my reply, as I gazed searchingly into the grey eyes and bronzed countenance of my visitor, and wondered bow it was that he should address me by my old school nickname of Coil. .

He was of medium height, with the .-aim and alert air which especially characterises the seafaring man. and yet with eiwy feature stamped by r/?fin«ment and culture. Good-humour, resolution, and courtesy marked his whole bearing ; it, however, called to mind no one whom I had ever known. "If you clorarly were not acquainted with me, 1 could swear I had never scon you before,” I concluded, after carefully scrutinizing my visitor.

The latter laughed good-naturedly. “True, it is a long- time, twelve years, in fact, since we met, and tncy have changed me a good deal, I presume. I knew you the moment I saw you, though, for you

are the same old fellow that you were at school. Your characteristics bad shown themselves even then, but mine hadn’t dropped out yet. My dear Carl, put yourself back a dozen years or so, and I greatly mistake if Jack Harding did not leave some impression by which you can recall jim.”

“Jack Harding !'' I exclaimed, ogain looking hard at the strong (ace before me. "It can’t be. Yes, there y u are ! I see you now, old fellow, though, by Jove, I didn’t believe you at first when you said it. I never saw such a change in anybody. You know how glad I am to see you. Sit down, and tell me whither you so mysteriously disap, peared after leaving school.’’ ; Harding took the chair I offered, and, seating himself, said, quizzically :

“Carl, you don’t seem exactly overwhelmed with delight at seeing me. I felt like dancing a breakdown •when your solemn old face dawned; on me agaiji. What’s the matter ?”

“Nothing in particular,’’ I answered, evasively; for, much as I esteemed my old-time scnoolfellow, I could not bring myself to the point of confessing that I had mot with a refusal. “I am merely having one of my old turns —it has become a habit now —of feeling confoundedly blue; and out of sorts without any reason therefor. Now tel! me where in the world you have Jjcen, and what you have done with yourself these last twelve years.” j CHAPTER 11. I “It’s a rather queer story,” said my f; Lncl, as ho arranged himself romfortably in an oasy-chair ; "but J may as well say, to begin with, that I au rather glad to find that you arc a lb Me out of sorts with yourself and the world. So far as I am core erned, 1 think I can see the guiding hand of Providence in it. You will agree wi(h mo when you hear my story Wo left school, you know, in 18/J, and I had expected, after enjoying myself a while, to study some profession though I could never quite make up my mind jwhat—marry, and settle down to a comfortably luxurious life in my na-

live city. u "It was also commonly supposed it. supposition shared by myself along nvith others that I was very rich. rOno person knew the contrary, however, to wit, as you lawyers say, the ■guardian of my sister and myself. (When I arranged to have a scttle-

no'iii. with that, gent lonian, soon after our .separation, 1 found that he had suddenly left for paj'ts unknown, as had also Urn fortune accumulated by my fatiHT. Something like four thousand pounds was left of the wreck", j,!y sister, who was considerably older than 1, had married a wealthy man, and so I didn’t hesitate to take my share of the money, and thus I found myself facing the world with a couple of thousand instead of a hundred thousand.

"As you can imagine, this change in my fortune produced even a more startling change in the world and my relations to it. I had looked forward to a life of pleasure and ease, varied by an occasipnal, and limited amount of work. The conditions weie now exactly reversed. However, I did not care to have everybody know the truth of the defalcation. My father was a merchant and shipowner, but my grandfather had been a sailor from his earliest youth, until, in old ago, he had been brought homo to die of the hardships incuired after a. shipwreck. I must have inherited my grandfather s disposition, for I bad always been crazy to follow the sea, although, of course, as a prospective wealthy man, I never seriously entertained the idea. But now, with my money gone and no ties to keep mo at home, there was nothing to prevent. So, telling my friends that I was going to tra,vel for a time, and taking the remnant of my property, I went to Liverpool, and there shipped before the mast in a ship called the ‘Tigris, bound for Calcutta.

“That voyage ought to have cured mo, for the vessel was a wretched old hulk, her officers a set of tyrants and the crew as vicious a band of scoundrels as ever entered a forecastle. A hundred times I cursed my folly, but' as I was physically well-fitted for the life, and many of its features charmed me, I have ever since knocked about the world as a sailor 4 I understood the theory of navigation very well before leaving school, and, of course, I had now ample opportunity to see its practical application. As I kept sober and ■didn’t make a fool of myself in general, as most sailors «o, I soon got a chance to leave the forecastle, and for the past five years I have been chief officer of various crafts, and it was only a fortnight ago that I returned home from Melbourne.”

“Well,” said I, at last, " I hope you have come home at last to let your friends show you that you are as dear to them as ever, and to resume the comforts and conveniences of civilised lile. The land can offer a man like you more than the sea.”

The old inimitable, affectionate smile, that had made Harding beloved by all who knew him. wreathed his pleasant face a.s he said :

“I like the sea, and should never want to be out of hailing distance from it ; but, to tell the truth, I am going to return to civilisation that is, if you will help rao in the struggle. I decided to do so some six months ago. You haven’t heard the end of my yarn yet. The really curious part is yet to come. “About a year ago I sailed from San Francisco as first mate of a craft called the ‘Uncle John.’ bound for Melbourne. We ran into a hurricane, which drove us out of our course, and our reckoning as well. A heavy sea finally boarded us, sweeping the decks and straining the vessel, causing her to leak badly, and we were compelled to abandon her. Wo left in two boats, one in command of the skipper, who had all the nautical instruments, while I was in charge of the other. We became separated in the night, and I have heard nothing from the captain’s boat since. My own boat at last reached' a small island, where we remained some weeks, hoping to be taken off by a passing vessel. None appeared, however ; and as the products and climate of the island indicated an extremely southern latitude, out of the ordinary route of vessels, we repaired our boat, and, with a fresh supply of food and water, put to sea again.

“After sailing north for over a week, we foil in with a Dutch trader, bound for Melbourne, to which port we were carried. As you may imagine, we explored the island very thoroughly before leaving It, and then I made a discovery at which you are in duty bound to laugh, but of the truth of which I hope to convince you by personal observation. Don’t interrupt, old fellow. Just hear me out. On the northern side of the island was a large hollow tree. Near by flowed the only spring of fresh water to be found. We had been compelled to land on the southern shore, on account of breakers, and the camp was there.

“Going to the spring one day, a shower of unusual violence came up, and thinking that the hollow in the tree was large enough to afford me shelter, I stepped in. Suddenly the ground gave way beneath me, and I fell some distance, striking heavily in the wet ooze below. I recovered my feet in confusion and alarm.

“Above was a glimmer of light from the hole through which I had fallen. I felt about me, and my hands encountered damp walls of earth. I was standing in mud some inches deep, and concluding that the cavity had been made by the action of the water, I struck a match to see how I could best get ont. But the light revealed a spectacle which banished all thoughts of extricating myself.

"In one corner of the cavity stood a strongly-built bin. The boards on the outside had rotted away, and there, poured out of the compartment, lay a huge pile of golden coins. They were tarnished with age and covered with damp mould, but the stamp of the Government of Spain clearly showed them to be old Spanish doubloons. The match went out

as I gazed. Hastily f lighted o. o after another until I had examined the whole place and formed some notion of the value of the wealth before me. The place had evidently been undisturbed for many years.

"A musket of antique fashion, the woodwork of which had completely fallen away, stood in one corner ; near it lay several rusty cutlasses, I judged that the cave had been the hiding-place of buccaneers, long since sent to their last account by some British man-of-war. Here they had stored their imfamous gain, gathered from many ill-fated merchantmen, And here, for two centuries perhaps, the golden spoil had lain, and my eyes were the first to behold it. The love of money seldom dies in a man, and I, who had been indifferent to the loss of my fortune, was now overjoyed at this discovery. "With a good deal of difficulty, I managed to pull myself up the steep embankment of the cave, aided by the projecting roots of the tree, and rejoined rny companions. My plan was to escape from the island, and, returning at the earliest opportunity to remove my newly-found treasure. It is needless to say that I did not mention my adventure to the sailors. You know the rest up to the lime of my arrival in Melbourne. I had decided to return to England at once, buy a small vessel, and set out for the island. As I was standing on one of the quays, a day or two after landing, on the look-out for a chance to ship for home, a gentleman who had boon closely scrutinizing me for some time stepped up and said, ‘Pardon me, sir. but is not your name Harding ?’ “ ‘lt is,’ I answered. " ‘ You are the son of Henry Harding, of Woodleigh, I cannot doubt.’

" ‘Henry Harding was my father. Did you know him ?’ was my reply. " ‘He was my friend for years, and I saw you a long time ago, when you were a little boy at Woodleigh, where I was your father’s guest. My name is Winter.'

“I at once recalled the name of the man, who had formerly been one of my father’s closest intimates, hut whose removal to this distant country had caused the acquaintance to flag. Mr. Winter insisted on supplying all my wants and on my making his house my home so long as I remained in Melbourne. There I met his daughter Florence. It is the same old story, Carl. I came, I saw, I loved. I had voluntarily exiled myself from feminine society for years, but Florence Winter might well have Inspired the enthusiastic love of a society-worn and misanthropic man. “Such was far from being ray disposition, however. A seaman's life makes one simple and sincere, and my heart leaped out to Florence the moment I saw her. She is a fairhaired little Saxon, with a blue eye, a tender lip, a neck like that of a Grecian goddess, and the most loving smile that ever mirrored a true soul and a devoted heart. I told her my love, and she promised to be my wife. I went at once to her father. He was much distressed when I made known my errand.

“ ‘A sailor should never be a husband, and you have no other means of living,’ was the substance of his objection. “Then I told my intended father-in-law of my discovery when on the island, and at last convinced him that there was something in it. Finally, the old gentleman, who is a widower, and fairly idolises Florence —one point on which we found ourselves fully in accord—said :

. " ‘Young gentleman, when you can comfortably support my daughter in a life ashore, you can marry her ; not till then.’

“I at once agreed to the condition, which was fair enough, of coarse; and within three days I again found myself on blue water, as first mate of the ship ‘Ava,’ bound for an English port, and here I am.” CHAPTER 111. “Your story is strange enough, in all conscience,” said I, with a long breath of astonishment ; “but I cannot help wondering why you did not send for your money, fit out your craft, and start from Australia instead of coming half way round the world to begin with ?” “A natural question, certainly,” was my companion’s response, “but one easily answered. I came home for two reasons. First, to find out where the island is ; and secondly, to get a suitable companion to aid me in the recovery of the treasure.” "But how do you expect to find the locality at home ?” I interrupted. “Laugh away, my dear fellow,” returned Harding, “but listen : About fifty years ago my grandfather was at this very island and saw the treasure. On his last voyage his ship took fire and they had to abandon her. As we subsequently learned from the sailor who, besides my grandfather, was the only survivor, they reached an island, where they renewed their supply of water, and then put to sea again. They wore finally picked up, but in a deplorable condition. All the men but two had either died of thirst or in madness flung themselves overboard. My grandfather and one other seaman were still alive. The former was brought home, but his mind was shattered by his sufferings, and very shortly after his arrival he died an imbecile. Among the papers found about his person was a hastilyscrawled memorandum, which I want you to examine.”

He took a water-stained scrap of paper from his pocket-book and handed it to me. It read as follows:

"Abandoned ship ‘Raven’ on July 9, 1835, in latitude SOdegrees south, longitude 60 degrees east. Sailed with steady wind, south-south-east, for two days, when we reached a small uninhabited island. HereT, by

accident, discovered a cave near the foot of a tree on the north shore, in which there was concealed a large quantity of gold. It will make mu a rich man if I can recover it.” The writing was badly blurred, and was covered with aimless marks and scratches, as though an attempt had been made to conceal or obliterate it.

“When my grandfather’s papers were examined, after his rescue,” said Harding, ‘‘this was found among them. It excited same discussion, but my father’s conclusion was that it was written after he had left the island, when his mind was deranged, and that it merely represented a vagary of an unbalanced intellect. When a boy I had hoard my father tell the story, but I gave little heed to the conversation. The moment, however, I struck the light in the cave and saw the money, it flashed upon me that I was on the very spot where my grandfather had stood years ago. I knew whore his papers were, and that this memorandum was among them. For that reason I was ready to leave the island without knowing its exact position, as I had the means of finding it. I came home to get that paper, I now intend to take a vessel to the latitude and longitude stated, head her south-south-east, and within two days I have no doubt that I shall sight the treasure island. More than that, I want you to take this voyage with me.’’ I could not repress an ejaculation of amused disgust. “Not much,” I broke in. “You don't seriously suppose I am going to undertake such a nonsensical bit of business, do you ? My advice to you, Jack, is to let your friends make an opening for you here at home. Establish yourself in business and”

“Advice,” said Harding, drily, “is something I didn’t call for. It’s a commodity for which I have no sort of use. I know what I am going to do. My plans are made, and I want no help on that score ; but I do need assistance in their execution. So I have come to you. I have bought a craft for the expedition, and she will be ready in less than a fortnight. But I do want you to go with me, Carl, if there is really nothing to prevent your going, I found out that you had no matrimonial ties before I came down to see you. You are just the man for an emergency, for you are cool and ready, as I know from our school experiences ; and I don't conceal from myself that my scheme involves some dangers and uncertainty.

“I have no question that I can reach the island, find the money, and stow it safely on board. Then comes the rub. I must have a friend on whom I can place implicit confidence to aid me in guarding the treasure and bringing it home. I can’t pick my crew, but must ship such men as I can get. The money may tempt their cupidity : if so, there will be trouble. I have already expressed my opinion of your courage, and I know your-.friendship. Besides, you understand something of navigation, and can be of much assistance in handling the vessel. I want you as my confidential adviser, guard, and support. It will, moreover, make a really delightful trip for you, will do you a world of good, and besides, Carl, we will divide the treasure, and you can make more money by our little outing than you can here, perhaps, in a lifetime. There’s hundreds of thousands of pounds hidden away there, if there is a pound. I will call to-morrow morning, and if you decide to accompany me, we will run over to take a look at the craft that is to carry us to the Southern Ocean. I must leave you now. Don’t say whether you will or won’t, today. Think it all over and with a hurried shake of the hand he was gone. CHAPTER IV. Before the next morning my decision was made. I would go. Of course it was inane folly to abandon my growing practice, together with the comforts and amenities of civilised life, for the deprivations and dangers [ of a long ocean voyago whose issue was dubious, to put it mildly. But, in truth, I found that my ill-success ’in love had wounded me more than I had known, and the thought of escape and of the forgetfulness which new scenes and adventures would produce refreshed me beyond measure. I found Harding at my office the following morning. He had been waiting for me some time. “You are going, ain't you ?” he said, heartily. “I can see your decision in your face. God bless you, Carl ! I should have been in something of a fix had you decided otherwise. But I felt that you would fall in with my plan. You came to mind as I was thinking about the recovery of the treasure on the passage home from Australia. But we are wasting time. I want you to come and see the vessel. I bought her two days ago. She isn’t very tidy as yet, but you can judge of her fitness for the expedition well enough. I was lucky in finding just what I wanted so readily. Her owner advertised her, was in a hurry to sell, and I got her at a low figure.’’

In due course we arrived a,t the port where the vessel was lying. Alongside the quay was the brig, which had evidently just discharged her cargo.

“There she is,” said Harding, “and though she isn’t a fancy yacht, nor a clipper, exactly, she’s just the craft for our purpose.” She was a vessel of some two hundred and fifty tons, with rounding bows and a rather capacious look ; but her sharp cut-water and graceful lines showed that speed as well as capacity had been considered in her construction. She was painted white.

with a light-yellow streak a few feet below the rail, and her bright copper showed high above the dirty water in which she lay so quietly: Her deck was flush, with a roundhouse forward. The most striking feature about the brig, on casual observation, were her spars, which were of unusual size, seeming entirely out of proportion to the hull sustaining them. It was plain that if the Manet’ —for so the brig was called could carry them, she could spread an immense amount of canvas and show a remarkably nimble pair of heels. I remarked to Harding the disparity between the rigging and the hull. He laughed a bit uneasily as he answered :

“That is the only objectionable thing about the brig. Loaded to the hatches, she can handle her spars to advantage, and make quick passages. As a merchantman she is perfect ; but since we are going without a cargo, she would suit me better with shorter masts and lighter yards. I have no doubt she will be a wet boat, and will tumble about a great deal in a gale. However, I shall ballast her heavily, and I know she is thoroughly seaworthy. She was formerly in the Pacific trade, and has often rounded Cape Horn. Come on board and look over our new quarters.” We easily swung ourselves down on the deck, and proceeded to the cabin which was comfortably furnished. Eight small state-rooms opened from the main cabin, showing that the vessel had been built with a view to passenger trade. The nautical instruments were new, and there wore a complete series of charts. She seemed a tight, snug little craft, and was apparently constructed with great! thoroughness and care. “How about the crew ?” I remarked, as we returned to the deck. “Seven men have teen shipped,” answered Jack. “Her full complement is ten, tut I don’t want a larger crew than is absolutely necessary. If I could ship a new crew at the island, I would take a larger one here, but the smaller the number the safer I shall feel when the treasure is once on board. I am looking for a first mate, but haven't found one just yet to my liking.” “Hullo, Tom !” he suddenly called out to a tall, athletic-looking man who just then appeared on the quay and was looking with interest at the brig. “How came you in this part of the world ?” “Sailed from Melbourne and arrived about the time you did,” was the laconic reply, as the stranger grasped the ratlines and dropped to the ‘Janet’s’ deck. He was a man of remarkable appearance. Admirable in build, with the lightness and agility of a cat, his whole aspect spoke of masterful strength and resolution. A heavy, drooping moustache concealed the expression of the mouth, one would imagine as somewhat sinister from the cold gleam of the pale-grey eyes. I judged him to be a Spaniard, tilt it afterwards appeared that his parents were English, though Australia was the place of his birth. Despite his noble appearance physically—for he was undeniably a handsome man there was something repellent about his air and personality the undefined and oftentimes unnoticed atmosphere which individuality creates before it reveals itself in acts and words. I noticed that Harding’s greeting was not particularly cordial, though he was evidently well acquainted with the man. “Mr. Morgan, this is my friend, Mr. Tremaine,” said Jack, as the stranger approached. He gave me a comprehensive glance . and nodded indifferently.

"I want to see, you alone for a few minutes, Harding,” was his first remark. "Suppose we step into the cabin ?”

"Excuse me a moment, Carl,” said my friend, in evident surprise at the request. "I must accommodate an old shipmate. Though , I can’t see what you have that requires so much privacy with me,” he added. "Come below and you’ll learn,”' was the apparently gruff response, but. the words were spoken in soeven a tone that I was in doubt whether they were insolent or merely playful.

(To be Concluded.)