The evening world. Newspaper, August 17, 1916, Page 13

a eo¢ SAND-LOCKED BY HOLMAN DAY Three milli re, buried under only little sand and water; but diving for it brought adventures that will nting story are Wan the rs starthog reader bet he ete e oom ue + seamen tar tow radeship, | never bad @ greater hankering to etay alive She stuck \@ that knlekerbocker | ft costume of her forgetting half a wri, for ene the trick aboard the old Zisante as no girl im axirte could, and never Beeted « hand on her tripe to and from the lighter cloth with euch frank assurance Bhe wore rance| Chapter VII. Coetinard y forgotten aboard HM captain did know men for the fact if he did not know law that when one of the firemen rushed | “and he was @ man who Past Us a few minutes later he was * using language such as he would not had a mighty keen scent pa\y he been properly for @ crook’s trail, having minded that there wae @ lady in had @ lot of experience with crooka bearing | on the water front of Frisco He b he fremaa ie from Ripe deptha| . oe sp below decks, and was chasing the! Fubbed his red knob of a nose for jissian Finn's monkey. He was so some time, and listened, vited the customs n tuary of the wheelhouse, and called me along with them, ‘I know all about who has been talking this over with you, gents,” be told them. “1 reckoned be would make down the coast in that lifeboat he stole from mea. He stole that boat, he stole my men, be stole what he could lay his hands on here Then he in Intent on the chase that when the! fleeing monkey invades the sanotity of the upper deck the fireman cane along too. Four times tn traversing the upper deck the coal heaver was near enough to make @ crack at the monkey with! & grate bar, Finally the fugitive made the ensign mast by a rousing leap,| shinned up and bung over the dingy ided ball at the top, I don't under stand monkey talk, but I'm sure ty the yells he sent down were just as rofanity the fireman was Ho all oi » faro Lhe bg m © yoller-taced Fr ie F howllag up at him. He nover told the truth, he never ite there, my man," I called, \dealt square cards, he has always “that Kind of talk doesn’t belong up Sut a corner on every man he had } vo tha anlaya wit don’ Oo Ree ae one wasiness with. I don't want to 0% and blistering stare and came back you fooled. I'm tho captain of this toward the ladder. Sweat wae run- steamer. You can I'm something ning down through the soot on bis fed face, and that face showed that he n. Thi er and of o ma et is Is my partner and wag in no pleasant frame of mind, you can look at him and see that 1 followed him to the head of the he'a no crook. I'm going to get right ladder and stopped him just as he was on the first rounds. “What happened?" “We're Keeping up a Httle a#team for the derrick windlass and the pumps, and that gimilet-eyed, snub- nosed hellion got into the bunkers when | was on deck and turned on my wet-down hose, and shifted twen- ty tons of dust coal out of where It's all got to be shovelled back, I'm going down to write out notices for @ funeral, and, by Jabez, Til guaran- to have the corpse ready! Shifted twenty tons of coal!" said I, surprised. t must bave taken him some time. “I guess you don't know what can de done in fine coal with a stream of water when you bore it in,” snapped the fireman. bumpus wasn’t in there five minutes. He had laid in wait and watched mo sprinkle co. He turned her on full vent and bored. I'll get him, and I'll him good!” Ilis smudged face went out of sight down the lad There are some ideas in this life teal up on a man and whisper and keep whispering for a » Until at last he overhears s and toils, and in t ntion results. Then there are other ideas which march up toa man and hit him on the head, and after one second of a feel- ing ‘like he had ‘been atunned the eyes of his mind open with a snap. Twenty tons of coal shifted in five minutes by a monkey and a hose! The idea that hit mo was like a hammer blow. My head wasn't clea t ; I was dizzy; the detatis w hazy-—-but there was the idea hammering at me. It was such a glorious idea that I walked aft to that ensign mast, looked up, and took . banging the coins on the off my hat to that monkey, “Old chap, hen he swept the money come down here and shake. You are ittle suck and drove the sack a wonder! You have just given me a Hdown into the trousers pocket of one in physics that may be worth lof the officers. million dollars. If you ever “That's only want a favor, you just come and call at we'll dos cried Cap- on Ross Sidney, ain Peart, heartily, “We are here 1 did not sleep much that night. I ein watch us, gents, Rut was wrestling with a notion as the teh a fly-by-night like old chap in the Bible wrestled with t coyote who has been lying to the angel. And when morning came uu about us. Keep your eyes out—- | was positive that an angel of a no- land by us—-and you'll tion had come to me. 1 told Capt ok in your hat th Peart at breakfast that I was not nds to hold up. going down that day, But when he n's stake 1 turned a doleful look at me I grinned to the point, gents, Do you want to do business with a square man or a crook? You might as well be open with me. Men have to live down here fm Mexico, I know al! about this cus- toms business along the coast. You've got to do business to live.” ‘Toy blinked hard, but they did not . protest. “I don't know how much of a hot rock he dropped tn your hat, but I'm Prepared to drop in a bigger and a hotter one.” . “In one case you're doing business with a crook—a thief. He'll turn around and do you when he has used you. In this case now you are dea’- ing with a man who has a name along the Frisco water-front, who owns this steamer, and who is here to make a dollar for himself and for you, You are men with brains, and you can size up chaps protty well. i'll bet you didn't like the looks of that whelp with his cat's eyes and his mustache cocked up—come, now!" They blinked harder, The captain leaned to me and whis ered in my eur: “Run and tell to give every goll piece has got tn her pocket, Dig over your own pockets, ‘Tell the Joneses to dig. Bring it here, ‘I've got to keep ‘em on the run with conversation.” I returned with my collection, and Man the qaptain added the contents of his Arie she you posting 9 little forfeit i of the jue at him so amiably that he snapped 1) @ome and » thinking, perhaps, that he I He followed the the rail, was not seeing just straight, ook hands with them half a do “I'll have something to tell you mes, find they returned most urbane jater, captain. it'll sound better. te ins when they were rowed away. you When I have made certain that As soon as they were out of ear- ot the captain cursed them in hore we have got stuff aboard here to work out an idea.” ble fashion, and shook his cle’ That became my business after jst at them under pretense of WAY- breakfast—to hunt the Zizanla over “ing farewells ,, for certain mater 1 invited Capt “So that's what Fick done as aulek peart to come along with me, and as he got down coust to a port, hey? took two men for helpers. Cleaned us out of what he could lug, ~My first quest was for hose, The and then sent them cyigters here to Zizania carried canvas hose for fire finish the job, He prob¥ly thinks hy here and there in purposes, stacked {a going to make a clear field here for packs, It was not vime condition, himself by strapping us for every for the old Zisinia had been con- eent, and then setting the customs demned along with her equipment as an drop an= onto us as soon as he r hat so as to other hot rock into th raise us out.” “Don't those far as Government purposes went. We got that hose down and n ured it, and found rising 200 feet of stuff that was serviceal I needed 1 feel bound in any way after tuking that money from goo feet to cover the distance between us? L asked him. the 1h the wreck. I made “They fool hound till the next fel- jnquir Sea eRe saianin? Jow gets to ‘em, iny son, Do you see had a s for her two mast what we have got cut out for U8? and the sails had been unbeat son By the jimi up Judy, we've got tO time before, and were stored. Before get that gold-—and we've got to heep the day waa over M Number-one ahead of everybody else in getting Jones had men at Ww tting that that gold, because them custom house canvas and sewing it into hose of a blood -suckers going to stick to diameter to fit the fire hose. Of the juiciest crowd. I don't know what eour Me aaiin annie (BUR Tea kind of an outfit Mick proposes to obliged to do the best I could with dring back here, but he has got twens ¢he materials at hand. ty thousand dollars in his fist, and & ~qhat evening I called a conference man can do a lot of business with capt, ® Ne two taiea, and Ene twenty thousand dollars. And Wem gineer sh assembled in the wheel- we haven't got a sou marke! House, 1 explained as best 1 He stamped in wheelhouse, could what my preparatio shaking his fist and 1 1 those blinking walked up and deck i; thinking + t Ide ve sand below not cniv t Jown to ¢ As she had cone many times in in the party Who showed those past days of gloom and doubt, one glimmer of enthusiasm was Mr the girl came cut of her stat m Shank, And even he did not get up aad walked witu me, Mer cou and burrah, He nodded his bead “That wire-talled gas ¢ The Eventing World Daily Magazine. oe Your Vacation 0,06 0A DEA DA ULI NOW FoR AGP OL TE DOWN BY THE SEA TRA LA DEE DA Oy Ov & GEE 1 wieH 4 WAS GACK »™ THE OL’ {/ BURG, T'S | TERR BLE NOW I'VE GOTTA STAY IN BED A WHOLE DAY FoR GETTIN’ SON BURNED ee ee - BRUTAL, THE WAITERS IMPOWSIBLE. NOBODY WANTS TO KNOW ME, I'M HAVING THE TIME OF MY YOUNG LIFE, THE REMAINDER. THE MOSQUITOES | 9 yoUR VACATION THINK MORE OF THIS PLACE )NEVER HAD SUCH A PUNK TIME IN ALL MY LIFE, ) WISH 1 WAS HOME , gely, and admitted that “stranger things had happened.” “But you've got to use our steam donkey for your steam,” growled pt. Peart, “and you can't get the zania any nearer shore than this nout wrecking her, You're only planning on 300 feet of hose, “That's all I need, captain, Mr, Shank can build us a plunger pump with brakes, and we'll put the whole crew onto the beams, and have ‘em give an imitation of @ fireman's muster.” Shank nodded again, and al- hat “stranger things had been ments. I did not like the looks of the sea on that last day of our work. It jooked murky and slaty as the big rollers surged under us, and I re- membered that {t showed that color on the day when my friendly under- tow had helped me. I was tempted to go and Investigate, but 1 had seen the men from Fick's schooner go overboard, and I concluded to keep re, did not peep to see what was hap- pening in the neighborhood, It was a rather cheerful little group there in our pen. Even Number-two Jones was whistling in jig time, for fall the apparatus was fitiing together as slick as a echoolmarm’s band in @ fur mitten, And then in through the little door burst a human thunderbolt in the form of Capt, Vash Leart. He was bareheaded, and his gray Mr. lowed done.” The most I got out of Peart was the sullen statement that no matter what I did next, the situation couldn't be any worse than It was, The work went on the next day, and the day after and the day after that. It was slow bysiness building that hose so that it would be anyway watertight. And the wooden force pump took a lot of time in the build- hair was acruffed up like the bristling ing, rude affair though {ft was. It mane of a mad bulldog. He was not had a plunger—two ende of wood on able to manage words for about a minute, but he wasn't voiceless by any manner of means. He roared and leaped about and smote his fists to- an iron rod, and the brake beams were long enough so that a dozen men could get a clutch on them. I don't remember how much time gether, Fr we used up in getting our makeshift ‘They've got it!" he yelled, “They're apparatus into such shape as would getting it! I've seen ‘em pull two warrant its being used for the trial. boxes of it in over thelr rail, and I do remember this--and remember y're dancing jubilee around the it all too iii—before we w ‘} readiness for the test of the hi our pump another small achooner came rolling up the coast and an- chored well inside of us, even nearer the wreck than our Aighter from which we had been operating. ‘This was no customs boat, Within a fow hours we aboard the Zizanta knew that Keedy Fick was In com- mand of the new arrival, and that he hey're getting it—they've got It— and ali you're doing here is fooling witha damnation squirt gun that ain't no sense and no good-—and I told you so in the first place, Fick was right. I ought to have stuck to Fick, known Fick, He was a friend of mine till you came along and broke us up, I had promised my girl to him. He knows how to make money, blast your Yankee pelt! He's got some go to him, He ain't setting around darning second-hand canvas"—he kicked the hose—"when he ought to be up and about, doing real business.” He rushed at me and clacked his fists under my nose. “I'm all done with you! I'm go ing to Fick and crawfish and offor had brought two divers and was full of he pe and curses and brag. Chapter 1X. PERE Fick secured his men cand his craft we did not know-for sortal calls were him the steamer and my equipment not exchanged between the for a lay with him and his men. i sas can readily offer him my girl, You'll marry him tf n front of the min- * he informed hor, King his fista und T have to hold you ister by the ears whirling and be imagined, Dut we understoodsthat a lot can be accomplished in a few vk her nose, too, “Lve had nearly all the eeks ec a an has greed to pric Waka when 6 greed to prick iity notions and Jallygageing 1 pro- him, a grudge to settle and twenty poye to have, and what I say goes thousand dollars to baek him. after this, It's business from now on." Using Capt. Peart's long telescope He started to plunge back through Tha ceciiin dp T ne the door like a elown threngh a hoop T saw thom going down, They went couple of his men were holding @ together. Evidently Fick had con- h ne diver had failed, twice as good, and cluded that if two ought t Peart once be drink, T used it now when he succeed sober—and the grip held. f grabbed My equipment had been almost him and yanked him bh slammed ready when Fick ar 1, but now set myself aeanst tt another Consileration held ine back Tt called t the first 1 did not prot to let the other time [ had ever addressed her 80 crowd in on my now methods if [ familiarly, but that was no time for could help it, No matter what Capt. niceties, “Arie, It's no use to plead away from contact with them until I was ready for serious operations. 3 Ine! WELL How DID You ENJOY Y'SELF JAKE? Thursday. Augu ET | ' By Jack Callahan | THE GIRLS WERE ARE BEAUTIFUL, LIKE A RAINY AFTERNOON ee 2 WHY SON, | HAD THE TIME OF My LIFE, EVERYTHING WAS SPLENDID | HATED To COME BACK. the hands of that thief of # Fick. mustn't be done!” captain had found a olub and was coming at me. She put herself between us. He knew better than to raise his club against her, and he kept dodging back and forth to get past her. He paid no attention to her protests and ap- Deals, “Mr, Shank—Mr. Jones,” she cried, ake that club away from my father! He js not tn his right mind.” “It would be mutiny—mutiny and Btate prison,” stammered the mate. “Keep the others off and I'll do it,” I said in her ear, and I rushed past her, Peart struck at me viclously, but my rush had,taken him by surprise. I caught his arm and the stick and tore the weapon away from him, But to down him and subdue him was different proposttion—and a very husky job Bo made of \¢ for He was broad and sturdy; he wae sobor, and he was beside himself with rage.’ The spectacle of tha: gold go- ing Into the hands of Fick and his gang had made a lunatic of him for the time being, I got no help from the others, Men of the sea and ships, they had a wholesome fear of what would happen to mutineers when that matter came {nto court. I struggled with that old raseal until every mus- cle in me throbbet with the pain of tension, and | thought the blood would burst through my face. No matter whout the details of that long fight. But at last I got him down; I rolled him on bis face. I pulled bis hands together, kneeling on him, and the girl lashed his wrists together when Tappenied to her. She lashed his legs well, for 1 decided to take no han with him while he was tn that mood, When I got my breath T leaned over him and spoke my little ple “This is tough business for all of us, Capt. Peart, 1 don't know what may come out of It. I'm prepared to take my medicine if I've done wrong. Hut you have started {nto run amuck You ought to know what Fick ts by this time, He has done you once. He would do you worse the next time. If you weren't crazy right at this minute you'd realize it. I don't propose to stand by and see you heave your best It chance over the rail in any such fashion, I demand twenty-four hours to make good scheme, Twenty four ours—that's all. I know how those men got that gold. I got mine in the same way, Hut they won't get & more; I know conditions down there: You listen to T've been.all through it. me, I way! I'm going to take twenty four hours- and if I've got to keep you tied up while | operate, then tt's ted up you stay. I'll take all tho re sponsibility of this mutiny, men,” f tol the crowd on the lighter, (“I'm'a part ner in thix expedition with @ signed contract, Two four hours from now Vil hold out my hands and let you te me up if T haven't made good," That was pretty bold talk, and I'll Peart and hig associates thought of with your fa r. He's no better than confess that I did not know just where the feasibility of the schem had a tunatie right at this mome He's I was going to wet off But to let @ lot confidence in it and not going to throw everything away just Capt. Peart run away to that roge willing that a rival should know at the time when we have our best of a Fick t when I was on the eve enough about it to copy any plans, hopes. He's going to throw St into of my ex m1 to allow Peart to Therefore I set my crew at work . bul a Wall of boards about the “a lighter, leaving only a door for my pxit over the wanted to con teal Shep hetaiiine sto ¢ TAKE THE EVENING WORLD WITH YOU ON YOUR VACATION the d ail Manel at So that you will not miss any of the weekly novels and nae r Puree aw may continue to enjoy the daily magazine, comic and other 1 wa ) superin special features. Include them in your summer reading, tend the 1 ‘ the wall, ad t ectally to ov ulesbulng & Order The Evening World Mailed to Your Summer Address of the force pump its attach. st 17, THE PE OF JE 1916 A . ngp | oon } crime of which t) wing ready Mut it wae e bile 1 them 4 did not pay @ ivestiona et mmit theneelves ut od broken Bow too there were « . ated of five minutes I ow what was wanted We wust up & * eet out. We were there without thority) We were breaking laws, we © stealing other men 1 ried ‘to “a "i , not mine, the © attending ¢ 1 stared moments, and did quickly. I was rea quick thinking by that time, Capt, Peart the day be had not al. lowed me very much time in which to work out My mental problems, When | jumpod up and asked to be excused for & moment they emiled and eetiied back on the transom, Per- knaves for @ few ome tall thinking Y wetting used to haps they thought that | proposed to raise Fick out of the Kame. I found hong : inber-two Jones on ward the turn on us say that we must get off the coast,” I told him, “Fick bas bribed them over our heads, I tel) you, Jones, I'm go- ing to get that treasure! I've got to get it. Thies ten't mere brag talk You are posted on my plane, and you belteve in them.” “The scheme does look good to ma," adinitted the mate, “Lt those to Fick the; shoo us off—and they've told Fick, course, how to dodge her. Jones, those men have got to etay aboard the Zizania until | make my try to- day. And, by the gods, I'll bring up enough to show ‘em that we are the “We've got to Inaso those chaps and bitch ‘em to the stanchion in my stateroom, They've got to stay here Ull I test out that hose.” Jones was a cautious man, but he was a loyal one. 1 kept on urging and at last the battle light flickered in his stateroom, and fell on the men before ey could scramble to their feet, ‘They were wizened little chaps and hand over everything to that he-devil was too intolerable, “We'll take the captain back to the steamer,” I told the “Once more T tell you that I'll assume al! respon- sibility," “Til share tt with you,” sald the gir stoutly, “I'll stay with my father un- Ul he gets his reason back—and until you succeed,” she added; and then she Kavo ine the look that only lovo can send into a woman's eyes. Captain Peart seemed to have tost his voice. What had happewal to him Was too much Iiko a nightmare evi- dently to leave him words for com- ment. He stared at us and gasped like a fish newly heaved on deck, He did not resist nor talk when ho was lugged into the boat; be was silent when we carried him to his atat room on the steamer, The girl col stituted herself his caretaker and jailer, and his bonds were left un- touched. 1 was up and about at daybreak next morning. ‘Tho first thing | saw when I came on deck was a little schooner which was lying to a few cable lengths from us. She looked familiar, Evidently the folks on ooard her had been waiting for daylight, too, A boat was slit over the ral, Through the telescope I saw two men in uniform take seats in the stern sheets, I had not been mistaken when I found the looks of that schooner familiar, ‘Tho two men were those customs chaps who had visited us before, But they did not come di- rectly to the Zigania this time, ‘Chey rowed past us and proceeded toward Fick's schoo: 1 turned the tel scope and discovered that somebody in Fick's crowd was WikwaxKing flag furiously—« the custom men wore plainly interested in that signal, I saw something else through the glass, Taking advantage of the calm- er sea, for there had been a lull tn the wind in the night, Fick's divers were descending, and I could Imagine with what vigor their employer had been urging them to “follow their 1." That second taste of gold undoubtedly put him into @ fev- sh state of mind, Imoking out over that quieter mea, knowing What L had discovered in my experiences below, L had faith that freakish undertow had gone off to play elsewhere I worried a bit, it's true, but I was morally certain that no boxes of gold would assed up that day for Fick LT anaincane candle cad’ thodie t those ers exhaust themselves with their shovels, as L had done—as they had done who preceded us, I would so down after they had given up their Job that day, It occurred to me that they would be too much ex- hausted then to come down and pry into the secret of my apparatus, Hut another and a mighty strong consideration held n board the in t morning. | was sure that moon be receiving @ call we tied them without any trouble. Then | went below and leaned ovor the rail where their boat was tossing, “The gentlemen are staying here for nome business,” I told the two rowers, “They tell you to go back to the schooner and watt till they signal for you with our ensign.” They didn't look entirely satisfied, probably be~ cause the orders were not delivered by the officers themselves, but they rowed away after I had ordered them to fend off. I stationed two men at my atate- room door. I hunted up weapons and armed some of the crew. I ordered them to keep off everybody from the schooner until I returned from the Mahter, Then T ran down the ladder and Jumped Into the boat where my men. were walting for me. Chapter X. FOUND a noble surge run- ning under our lighter, but it was plain to be seen that there had been a change tn the mood of the old Pacific, Tho tur- bid ewirl of sand was no longer dark- ening the water. I felt that I had reckoned rightly in regard to that un- dertow. I found my courage better and my hopes high Fick's :nen. were atill down, and I could imagine them wasting their strength on the sand which had been packed back overnight. Our three hundred feet of hose had already been coupled in makeshift fashion, and the last work that morn- ing was to wrap the joints as best we could. Then I set the men at the brakes, and told them to “give hor tar," the old-fashioned band-tub foremen would y. The hose was strung about the deck of the lighter, After they pumped for five minutes the wind began to 00z@ out of those high hopes of mine. ‘The bose was not so tight as I had hoped. Wheezing little streams punc- tured it here and there, and the joints leaked much too profusely, From the end of our homemade nozzle of éheathing tron the stream barely trickled. I was dismusted—but [was not discouraged, Wah. I state this you may see how desperate | had become, [ was resolved to fight that thing through to the last ditch. I was determined to take that hose down and try tt out. I had the misty no- tion that the pressure of the sea on it might make some difference, that th wet hose might retain the water better, that after the plunger had ewelled @ bit wo might get more force. I went down! And T went prepared. I had piled the lead onto myself Around my body from hips to arm- pits Thad a canvas belt with five pockets, each pocket holding twenty- urt of tho ju nd five pounds of shot, of the old Zizanta from the cust at thought above the ankle te t from the f shot hold tion, ‘They elmet had com treasury thirty pounds, In addi re my and if they peeked around too regular breast and back weights. much they would find the captain of = ‘That is to say, when [ was rolled the expedition trussed up in his over the side of that lighter I, a one- stateroom and exploding with charges hundred-and-fifty-pound man, was against me. would come with welghted with about two hundred and ther “hot r which had been fifty pounds of metal Jropped in thelr hat by the prosper- 1 went with bare feet and bare ing Fick, hands, T knew ver did sue- there was only one station for ceed in boring tha Iding that s-I must be on the hose in my hand would hay t rve as hands for the purpose fecling out objects tried to # Fick's men had come up before I cama over the rail, as men who had gave the word to lower me, Number- @nd were now duly grateful without two Jones had peered through the COMPLETE By FERGUS HUME ' lace of a fortune in precious yetery was coupled that of @ nnocent were aceused, But, tn the end, both mysteries were solved. BEGINS IN NEXT MONDAY S EVENING WORLD NOVEL ACOCK WELS golden pea ok, jewel aude boarding, and had re bey bad come over the ening (reeeure, ane stamping up and down *) at Fick wae the eowardly tn ave driver wae apew out of himeeit der th my way toward Wreck. | wes loaded like ® pack 3 1 f of tremendous extra wt of tend I carried, But 1 wae every- thing which my judgment As needful for euocene | was obliged to @ Had 1 not seen the feline rag with Ld Vor there also? Yeo, all should be tonne yiny Alt Rose and Ay 4 used alike-—but we must go or else tu thoes tt ‘cna ee they would report, and a gunboat was htched : Hine whieh would be gent to drive us away yes, th thease teat and to confiscate our ahip Bo! onge wi to ng with 01 ae tree feet of line, it Pound . © 1 proposed to hav sending It back (o thet . or f dragging back the tong myself. | had had one experience tn serving as carrier and T did n peat the job, ebieeapideclle It was a bet gid struggie had. was tomned were oe tumbled. [ was banged at the w trout tance shed a divers work for BS fn Fy 3 ashe “meansens rface that he could not face them Just thew i dropped iny water hose, and went back fifty feet along the line. Past experience with the wetght of the surges had suggested another trick WitG which to Mmht the giant Pacife 1 had brought @ small anchor, and, With (his set into the sand as best I could do it, I anchored my life line, alr hose, and water hose about fifty feet from the wreck. I proposed to let the ocean wreak the most of its spite on the 250 feet between that an- chor and the lighter, & figured thi might be able to handle th feet, BO matter how ugly we I crawled back to the wreck found my bearings. There were the futile scratchings on the sand where othor divers had spent their en- ergy that morning, 1 inned—I couldn't help it. They had just had thelr own experience with the tricks ofa Pacitio undertow, ell, the great and aw: kas come for m beh sees: my scheme did not w. would become of men wheat wont back to the surface of the seat If my scheme did work, what was ing down there? I was pro- Posing to bore into that eand—to eink into It. No such plan had ever been tried by a human being up to that that would have time. Was I not digging my own grave? T eat down on the eand, Turk fashion, like a tailor on his table, Poin the noazle down, holding it against the sand, and the agreed-upon signal for water It took a long time in coming, and tt was an agony of waiting. Then at last I felt the hose swell under my arm. I preasad the no: harder against the sand. I cannot describe my delight. I felt that my dreams were coming true, for when I jammed the nozzle down I found t the sand was moving, That stream had merely trickled above the surface, but now @ pressure was oreated when I held the nogele hard against the bottom of the eea. Yes, the sand moved under me. It beg to boll up around me. It swept swirled in yellow clouds, I realised that I was boring a hole about as big a rrel, and into that hole I was gradually waning. I wae on my way! I did not know where I was going—but, bless the good Lord, I was on my way! The sand in that boiling water made all dark. Down and down I wont slowly, my bare et feeling my way. cended more rap- But though I di idly as the swirling motion increased, I felt no boxes. Had I, then, hap- pened upon @ atraggler among boxes of gold on my eariler ¢rigt? Had my rivals also found two more etrag@lers from the main treasure— loosened boxes which had been forced out of the chamber by the impact of the wreck on the bar, or had worked near the surface of the sand by the action of a sucking un- dertow? That conviction to mo. If it were true, {t meant that Fick's men were dumped if they stuck to shovels, Provided I could reach the treasure, and could keep my own system secret, I was headed toward a glorious victory, and could depend upon the ocean to keep off others—but way I headed toward victory? My feet touched nothing that had square corners And + to the best of my judg ment, I had already gone down at toast ten feet in that hole in the sand Down and down—five feet more, so I reckoned. Then my heart gave @ Jump. My feet had touched something It Was smooth and hard and flat, and spread under me horizontally. But soon discovered that it had too large & surface to be a box of ingots, I could not be r to feel it with my hands the rush of the whirlpool of sand and water about me, sweeping upward, would not allow me to force my helmet and the upper part of my body down against the tumult of waters. I must depend on my bare feet to tell me what I had struck, After a time I knew, It was boiler plate, I could feel the round heads of bolts, Whether this plate formed a bart of the treasure chamber or not 1 did not know, But it was an ob- stacle which must be passed, 1 turned my nozzle in front of me to clear the way. 1 wanted to reach the edge of that tron plate, In two ticks of an eight-day clock I was in @ mess that has been my nightmare ever since, I began to get @ thorough education in what sand will do under water when it is submitted to the force of a stream from a hose. Th ant I turned that hose nooale ‘of me the sand rushed in from ind, I was grabbed as tightly as sh the eight feelers of a devilfigh had encireled me. (To Be Continued.)