Show 1 r R 1 I I I I I w preposterous said CapT CapI Cap LAp T T I M n 1 that thieves could steal g with a full grown steam Td that too on an inland river rivert t hr hi j is just exactly what a gang r f pirates did dd In ln the case of or the 0 7 v jom Jn v a steamboat 1 t t r or Of n belonged to the government 5 ri rJ and anil which was employed with r i tot rat pat f of pf f the government fleet on Hi li river in looking after aCter J n keeping the channel clear 1 p p nt lights burning and andin androu ji in rou other matters that the thet t has hal assumed in connee 5 tit the navigation on that or r t 1 i 11 i Ii T i was a retired secret j f and I had bad known him himi r ln i u c He had no thought of bh H ns ing his hj reminiscences but when m uH i g gt t him under the influence of V it im fire tiro fir in his hie cozy parlor a pipe i 1 gli never more than two In 3 1 of his favorite sherry I IIa Ia ai ay gt got B t something that was worth ti uh h nn ne and I used to tell him so soA soI A I a the principals to the affairs 1 e bidden fj in the telling and the thel l f the events event was usually so far fara a F ay h did lid not object I prefer to tot toi i t i j i his hig i own wn words h ht at had been operated by the k nn ry nt t until it had been consid d l i u r cited for its needs and then thenis ItS is s sold to a curious old river man mani i 1 Hi Hank who employed it ita a J Trading radin boat towing a large flat fiat fiatt tit c t with it and picking up such odd f tow towing twing mg and freighting as 1 flir 1 iron in hs has way waya wayna na a j i h i the office omee of the surveyor of or orAs As tp to s s at t a certain Mississippi river 1 1 f day dav when came In to tois 4 f his is license renewed and the tho sur stir r 1 him to me He was wa a N 11 i if ar character and when It came the fee for the license e Par dr cir r forth a greasy pouch from indeterminate place pinel of conceal abut ib u his person and paid the i from mm a F 30 O 0 gold piece He 4 kid fyd H for fir nr his change in gold but as r r f happened to be none In the i just lust then he accepted the silver ij l Inn with some showing of or ir if i and bowed himself out of or the theT T 0 1 t f 11 he no had left the surveyor told i tnt tint Pa low was a miser and was piul to b he to worth many n ny thousands t dol ars His fortune so the river i said did was va concealed conce led somewhere f tout hour put th thE the boat Davy Jones Jonos and it itI iv as I thought to be all aU in gold as Par Parr v r Invariably had every Pery bit of or sliver siler d t f every ry bill that fell into his hands i ried ed into gold Id coins at his first n Ity i i h t t again until some ks later when h i h he came into my m 1 f f Jim and told me that his boat had hadu hadJ M u J stolen from the wharf the night toT Ir ro and he wanted me to find it d k vas ds as frenzied frenzi d with grief and cha in BId and swore with many black and winded oaths that he would kill kil thieves on sight if he could find i 1 I doubted if the case cafe was one jurisdiction but I wired the par paran urs an to the department at t Washing n nl nj received instructions to go on for the vessel l and endeavor to the rogues It seems that TV re 11 lead ad be bP been n considerable complaint 1 tip the port pert where I was then sta 4 l of or thefts hefts of goods and other hales cli t d 1 from steamboats and as the thea k sta a 8 attributed a gang of or river rier rat the chief thought it would be beS S d lob Jot to round up the gang and andi i J tn m where they would do no noT noa T a 1 HV offered to pay pa all an expenses i r told me that a friend of or his li 1 n a touching slouching fisherman named ir owned a fast cabin gasoline that would be put at my m disposal r d notice noU of or the theft of or the Davy DaY tn to points along the river and Its as I felt sure that the boat i j not remain long undetected if it itT T i d 1 jt itself tt lf at any port of or the Mss MIs Is irr aph h he p next morning when I opened my OJ i I found a dirty slip of or paper ng th the letters in my mail mall box Ex ns I lt i I discovered pencil writing if rr ari ad t after some difficulty I de der r T I this thi l message mf lp th da day Jones Jnes is up st francis River Riveras was Ms as mt nit signed and the writing qed i hv hat the author was in no noN noa N a s s s holar I was pondering over oer overn n Farow came cam In to tell me that launch was ready for my t tu whenever I wished to set out outa a d t r ally iHy all intended going on a av aF F v T I thought the boat boot would be 4 l j T in I a day or so but the anon anoni i iter r had put the idea Ides in my m at 01 i T ho the note tote to and anda a highly excited H ro re rt Just what I 1 fight ert rt ny tb d du do run out f C tIlt tho th swamps to pick the boat c W that they can find my gold goldi i 11 no nn gold aboard it but them theme X e r I think and 3 J r r th tho first time tried to toM torl tou u ti M rl d him about it and learned b that the St Francis isomer river rier a nt 11 the Mississippi from the he e iLl t Jo t J e a s short distance nce above d i and that the country It Ith Itu u h was wild lId and little in T Th it Mississippi was as at a flood s i t at this time and Parlo i Jt it tn the 0 th thieves ves r could run the boat fin ark k into to the woods through any an r ugh h and have hae ever eve every a pP or t rk ri 1 K the boat to pieces with r 1 f lw being ng disturbed or as a for setting out on the In Ino Inno th no St Francis In o pursuit of off 11 f l and he seemed to have ab f faith In the l I dirty note that pur to o iU feli ell where here the thieves had TT TOO tn for some O unaccountable s med to pin some faith to the thet thel n F fare I l arranged to leave c dit l It t PT oon on the launch and f Par to I lay y in n supplies of or sa and make T r I a ru a of several Teral days i out 1 kw and made rap rapT rapT r M n n the Hie river I r had d often otten haft M 1 lippl river during a flood npr r full A fUlly Its Ir until this nW trip down It hu r i Wo No Woi traveled r HIA to t C of n f a ra e aro i L run after nightfall and while I was more In favor faor of tying up he and assured me that traveling was absolutely safe f e and as they were ex river men and seemed to un the boat and the th river too I consented and turned In making malting a bed bedon bedon bedon on the locker seat of the forward cabin My M bed was a little cramped ramped and the situation was a novel one but I soon dropped to sleep and awake until it was broad daylight next morning and astrow had taken turns at the wheel and both had secured securer some sleep When hen I awoke a most agreeable odor of coffee and frying ham saluted my hungry nostrils was at the wheel and was pot pottering pottering pottering about a little oil stove stOC back in inthe inthe inthe the diminutive engine room just putting the finishing touches hes to an excellent breakfast to which we ye three did ample Justice It was wa a rainy rain foggy fogg day a and there was a stiff wind which kicked up good sized white caps all about our boat F I t tI ti ta I i a J Jp JL p L I I T t 11 11 PART oW o WITh We e were running up the St Francis river I was Informed and on glancing out I saw that we had indeed left the Mississippi both by b the narrowness of the stream and the color olor of the water The flood was out over the woods woo s at both banks and never neer a speck of land did we see during the entire morning We Ve ran in close lose to the willows and trees that stuck stuk up out of the water to mark the he the submerged banks of the stream and andI I was often orten made apprehensive of the boat oat coming to grief by b the swish of bushes and limbs against its sides and the he rasp p of submerged obstacles upon Its ts bottom But my companions reas reassured reassured me by b their confident attitude and I pinned my m faith to their knowl knowledge knowledge knowledge edge of navigation and they brought me through safely arel I must say sa In Jus justice ice tice U e to them The Interior of or the boat assumed a businesslike appearance after break breakfast breakfast breakfast fast when brought out three repeating rifles and set et about cleaning and oiling them When he had finished fin finIshed shed this suggestive task he offered one of them to me but I declined It as I had a heavy heaY army arms revolver In my holster that had been with me me so long and had proven so when sad necessity required Its Us use that I pre preferred preferred preferred to remain true to it The boat b t was kept close to the tho east ast eastern eastern astern ern shore line and my companions told me that they intended running up one side of the river 11 1 and down the oth other other er 1 Inspecting every possible break inthe In Inho Inthe the ho timber through which the Davy DR Jones could have haye been run and If It they the failed in finding it on the up Journey journe they the would run down the opposite side They felt fEIt sure sun of locating It then It was close to noon when we wo turned a sharp bend In the river which Par Parow low ow told me was thirty miles from the Mississippi On the farther shore there was a depression In the tree line which arlow Parlo said aId indicated that a slough or oread lead ead put out there and that ft If l It were re followed up one would probably find a alak alake lake lak back in the timber I looked at It curiously and was on the point of ask askIn askIng In Ing ng some som question when hen who was steering became greatly excited and called caned to his st He point pointed ed across the th river rIi r at the mouth of the slough and an l seemed to be endeavoring to show some object to his companion arlow saw it In an Instant In tant and the boats oats prow was headed for it I make out what they th had hM dis discovered discovered covered although I L strained trained my eyes ees as I asked what It was MU MUI pointed with his tong long lon skinny I arm at a tree limb which had been i brokon broken half haIr off ote near the trunk and andI I rc 4 r which dangled down hanging by bi a strip of or bark I saw even en at that dis tance that the break was white and fresh My ly companions seemed to at I tach the greatest weight to It ft for they gesticulated and pointed at it talking excitedly excited I all an the while VVe We were now approaching It closely and I suddenly saw grab up his rifle and point It at a streak on the trunk of the tree in which hung the Uie broken limb I saw what he referred to and as we Ten close lose beside It I saw sav that it i was a smudge of or paint and splinters of Cof wood as if something had rubbed against It Then I t realized the purport of these signs and did not need the excited ex excited excited cited explanation that the river men gave me mo We 0 slowed the engine down until Its muffled exhaust was scarcely audible and stealthily crept into the narrow slough gh that ran back into the timber The men were sure that some boat had rim nun 10 up this slough and J t felt that they were right and that It must be the vessel vesel that we were after after arter for forno forno forno no sane pilot would drive a boat Into such a channel unless he were endeavoring endeavoring endeavoring oring to find a place of concealment It was a tortuous course through the th forest by this narrow slough Blough or lead fringed with stately cypress trees stand standIng standIng standing Ing as straight as arrows Even Een my In Inexperienced inexperienced experienced eye could detect that the boat had surely surety passed along the chan channel channel channel nel ahead of us The drift was disordered disordered disordered dered and willows and saplings were ere broken off otc here and there thereAs thereAs thereAs As we proceeded the gripped their rifles nervously and peered ahead through the open w fn dow of the cabin with the baleful glare of panthers They swept every bit of or the tho channel hannel on both sides with eyes that overlooked nothing and at the discovery discovery discovery ery of or a new sign of the boat having passed that way they the would nudge I each other and exchange glances that boded no good for the thieves thle P was especially noticeable for the steely glitter gUtter of his eyes and I read murder in them as plainly as I have ever eer seen it itin ItIn itin in box car letters Jetters on the front page of or ofa ora ofa a yellow Journal We must have traveled a mile or more when Just as we darted around a clump lump of gf willows willos and saw a stretch of open water wafer loomed ahead there was a spiteful report far down the lake and anda a rifle ball baJI sung over our heads hads I 1 had been ben under fire before but it h d so suddenly that I ducked involuntarily But not so with and They seemed to hail hall the attack with a fiendish delight and I saw them stick their rifles farther out of or the open win window window in dow and sight carefully down the bar barrels barrels reb Our course was slightly and andas andas andas as the prow prove of the boat swung to the right in obedience o to the thc rudder I saw the Davy Da Tons tones tied up to a gigantic cypress tree at the farther side of the lake We headed directly direct for it and there were several more shots from its direction and one bullet plumped Into I the woodwork of the cabin and sent ent a shower of splinters about my ears I Over the bowed heads of the two river men I could plainly see the steamboat and on Its lower deck deek I saw sa three men each firing at us with a repeating rifle We e were now less than OO yards ards dis distant distant distant tant from them but neither of or my com companions companions companions had replied to their fire Our progress was slow as the sullen crunch crunching crunchIng crunching ing of or bullets through the woodwork and the splintering of glass s indicated As A coolly es If he giving some same direction about ab ut the running of ot the launch I heard mutter to his companion com anlon You take the one on your right side and Ill take care of the one on mine You say when hen immediately grunted his un understanding understanding and although he t say when he said gald something that caused two fingers to curl about two triggers There was a loud report from front their ri rl rifles rifles fles sounding like a single shot and I saw two of the men on the steamer crumple up like a sere leaf stagger a astep astep astep step or so and fall to the deck The ThO third man turned to run but he had only gone far enough to permit of at the flinging back of a lever and a hasty taking of sight before I 1 saw him pitch forward in response to a spiteful crack from rifle Id a got him If Ir you OU Was trow grunted in a way just as if he Ill had been shooting at squirrels squirrels or ducks instead of human beings It made me turn sick to hear them speak so lightly of killing three of or their fellowmen ft We ran alongside and one of or the Jumped out and made fast to the thc steamer looked ap apprehensively apprehensively apprehensively about the boat and I fol followed followed followed lowed his gaze which finally settled on the brick foundation for the boilers I Isa saw sa a glad light come into his eyes ees and somehow I Jumped junr ed to the conclusion conclusion sion slon that his treasure whatever it might be was as concealed In that brick brickwork brickwork brickwork work had not noticed this The boat was In the wildest confusion confusion confusion sion It was s evident that the thieves were literally following sug gug suggest suggestion gest on and picking It to pieces The stuffy cabin and squalid staterooms had been absolutely wrecked The mat mattresses mattresses tresses tr es were split open planking torn away aay and every Cry place of concealment laid bare Parlo grinned maliciously at the wreck of or his boat and I saw sa that he h felt the st satisfaction at atthe atthe atthe the knowledge of or the |