Show TREASURE IF F THE SEA SEABY I BY wl wr u l ee l RY THUS FAR Ion on a raft tor four days Dick Dickis li is almost unconscious from and thirst when he scoops a Imps from the water and res re re- Js s Interest In living He badIa had bad Ia steamer bound from a South I In n port to the tho United States I dy of lien Pettigrew who was wasI I jg him to prison They became i y ed d when the steamer sank Dicks Dick's went down and only ho he surK sur sur- K pick ck sights sights' a sail on the horizon 1 P. P comes up and takes him t Captain of the dirty little ship I tan fl an looking evil looking The 4 f the crew are arc Dick DickTy Ty are little better than pirates I CHAPTER II U 1 concluded that he would be customer to deal with and much better to court his r 1 p than to provoke his enc eni en- en i c Burley the mate was nearl near- near l jell ll and powerful as the skip- skip Ut t t his black shiny face and limbs proclaimed the pure Negro gro ej he was eating and drink- drink plain and broke bce nc I ered tred ed y drift from he asked this his words singularly free freehe 4 j he e taint of his black ances- ances 1 s m nT the City of Bahia Bahia- Bahia d i d four days ago Dick red re- re w wig iPing his mouth Struck in ig g in the storm reef or anand an an- i lip hip and went down in half halt tr tir Four hundred bundred people 1 4 men women and little chill chil chil- g l was in the last boat that it and we capsized capsized Glory 1 1 t his eyes an Instant as asI J I hut rhut out the memory of it a ihie e opened them again Cap- Cap U was asking eagerly thin left Lots o o 0 wreck wreck- sE sEm m a steamer floats i jiing J ing g but the small boats re- re i. i jIck ick and they were filled J it ople breed half nodded his head Tittered something to his mate I lect that Dick could not notre e. e Le le re was this steamer de de- Tucu turning suddenly to toT toi T i What What latitude Jordan shook his head I ow ow Im I'm not a sailor Skippers Skipper's face clouded with and an ugly scar his J his s left cheek showed red with white Dick did not F looks of it S b b renegades he reasoned pelf elf lf Sea scavengers scavengers half half halfen i en en half halt pirates They'd kill f out out batting an eyelash If it it sir purpose q lanced past the semi-circle semi faces and he be saw the wide r g limitless sea The shock g adrift upon it for another wakened awakened his mind from its largy argy He had to stay aboard jer eer r until they reached shore another ship He smiled Jand and spoke slowly a minute captain Come of It Im I'm wrong I heard i 1 eless operator calling for forI ford I d giving the steamers steamer's im i'm fn m something of a wireless It was was was-it it was wasy was was- y and cocked his head heads j r s In the attitude of one reI re- re I something that eluded his i y I got it he added a at t later It was North latif lati- lati f and 80 or 81 yes ai-yes yes that ave ve been the longitude longitude 80 80 I Icks Ick's ck's eks surprise Captain Tucu abruptly Roncador Bank Burley nodded his head bled We can make it In ITS s. s One Danger pother dor idor Bank was a mystery to toi i hey ey seemed to know where wheres s js- js s s. s Perhaps after all that explanation of the queer ac- ac I The City of Bahia had the e reef hi In n the night of the nd md foundered as a a result of V can can make myself of service s ft they they will keep c me Dick t. t to tp himself Therefore I take inake myself indispensable 1 Lg sail 6 U with them Ill I'll know too tood d out things they'll want secret t. t Therefore Ill I'll be no oft aft in the end than now never ever put me ashore On Ak rk night Ill I'll disappear un- un hind ind nd stopped slopped abruptly He Hed ted d d out of his reverie by the theof of of the skipper in front of ofen hen en he looked up however railing in spite of the shock e rescued me in the nick of he said pleasantly B r hour in the water and lin n done for Im I'm mighty j 11 f 1 i ty Lin E Tucu nodded but made l ment mt Dick felt Celt that his S hanging by a slender The he indecision on the othe oth oth- e 5 was menacing but the vec e faded Cr from m Dicks Dick's lips Ups I w Hued cd easily SS We get to the spot where mf mer er went down I may het help p something ing of value Captains Captain's s 's face lace grew sudden sudden- i JO ly greedy and eager that he demanded stepping near near- er Smuggling you know Dick went on feeling his way carefully a lost art Its It's still He winked and grinned with the intent of simulating special knowl knowl- edge Tucu stepped closer and scowled but behind the scowl was an eager expectancy he demanded demand demand- ed thrusting his face close to Dicks That Isn't a fair question is it captain laughed Jordan If It I confessed to it you could could could-could- could oh well he added shrugging his shoulders I guess you wouldn't arrest arrest arrest ar ar- ar- ar rest me not me-not not if we divided the stuff he winked again anxious at heart but on the surface smiling and complacent Would the man fall for the bait The skipper was eyeing him half halfin in doubt half halt in eager expectancy All the avarice of his nature was In I 1 v 0 J I C ii J l lt t 1 r k I Ii i m S 1 I IS S 1 I The skipper was eyeing him halfIn half halfIn halfIn In doubt half in eager expectancy his eyes But he was slow and crafty not crafty not childlike like as his half halt brothers What Is it he grumbled checkIng checkIng checking check- check Ing his impatience Why specify retorted Dick half halt rising Its enough that its it's valuable valuable-a a rich haul A gleam of anger shot from theother's the theother's theother's others other's eyes To pacify him Dick added I picked them up In South America America America Amer Amer- ica at a big bargain If It I get them in the United States they'll be worth worth well worth well I cant can't get them through The City of Bahia's gone to the bottom So of course the jewels were lost too Captain Tucu Interrupted with an oath Yle t em aboard he growled Y didn't have sense enough to save em Dicks Dick's Proposition 1 Interests T Tucu Hold on captain If It youre you're goIng goIng gong go- go Ing ng to cuss me for a fool Ill I'll shut up and you'll never get a sight of the jewels I said they'd gone down with the steamer Wouldn't that be bethe bethe bethe the natural conclusion n of their owners owners owners own own- ers when they heard beard of the founderIng founderIng foundering founder- founder Ing of the City of Bahia Babia For all I know every mothers mother's son aboard except except except ex ex- ex- ex me was lost You couldn't expect me to save smuggled goods under such circumstances could you That lets me out as an agent for for tor for He smiled craftily craWly watching the expression of the half breeds face and eyes He was following him him him- nibbling at the bait bail Dick drew an unconscious sigh of relief They didn't go down then snapped Tucu Ye got Ye ye got em Dick chuckled at his eagerness If I had them he said easily you could take them Theres There's all allI I brought away with me He pointed to the collection of the things from his pockets he had spread out in the sun to dry The skipper scowled in perplexity His face assumed crafty suspicion as ashe ashe ashe he turned upon Dick with an ugly leer If It where they are he said slowly keep a whole skin by tellin me I aint time talk talks talks' where they are Sure captain captain or or pretty near it smiled Dick impudently I put them overboard with a string attached attached attached at at- to em and em and a float to the end Reckon I could pick up that floa float t. t He grinned allowing time for the Information to sink In the others other's brain and then continued glibly glibly glib glib- ly Its an old trick of course course- old as smuggling smuggling but but it generally works I had em ready to chuck through the porthole when we reached the Jersey coast expected coast expected to get the signal some dark night from a motorboat Easy wasn't it Captain Tucu was glaring at hin with greedy eyes ees his flat nostril dilated to their full expansion Th mottled complexion of his bis fac changed like the shifting of a cha melcon When the st steamer amer struck add added added added ed Dick lightly glancing seaward my first thought was of those pre precious precious precious cious gems If left in the they'd go down with the steamer I chucked out in time there was chance to salvage them So nod nodding nodding nodding ding I let cm go Where was this asked Tucu struggling t to appear calm Neal Nea the Roncador Bank Dick laughed a bit insolently ant anc shrugged his shoulders I won tell you captain Dick continue quietly unless we can come tc te some sort of a bargain What bargain y want the other slowly checking his an anger ger Half Halt Interest Interest no no three quarters You should be satisfied with that An if it not You dont don't get anything If It Irr killed or found missing suddenly jewels will remain a plaything foi fOl the fishes We could find the float by cruis In around replied the smiling smil smiling smiling ing cra Dick laughed again Not in a year of Sundays he replied Yot Yol dont don't think Id I'd make that float sc st spot it and pick it up Im I'm too old at the game Id I'd give you ou ten chances captain if it yoi yot were within fifty feet of it Why s II float that looks like a fish or bird 01 of even a jellyfish jelly could pass you a dozen times without exciting your yOul suspicion Dick could see that his bait was swallowed now hook sinker an and line Captain Tucu became suddenly sudden ly amiable He grinned good good na na Well go go shares h ht hE said Is It a bargain Sure If you play straight straight one one one- quarter to you and the rest to me meno meno meno me- me no double Never double crossed a friend was the purring reply Come Ir It r the cabin an an talk about It we get those Jewels afore night Later that day one of the forward called attention to something something some thing on the horizon Tucu seized seize a pair of old sea glasses and Inspected In n It In silence for a few mo mo- ments Then handing them to Black BlacH Burley he grunted What dYE dy make o 0 It The mate gave a short squint and exclaimed A uA schooner schooner- wrecked Yes its it's a derelict We can pick her up before dark Dick listening and watching drew a sigh of relief If It they had discovered a floating derelict they would sail out of their course to tc overhaul her That would give him hima a respite of a few hours bours or perhaps another night and day He heard with pleasure the orders or ders to alter the course of the lugger lug ger to bring her in direct line with the derelict Captain Tucu and Black Burley were aroused to keen excitement A derelict on the high sea might mean much to them If It abandond hastily by her crew the pickings might be beof beof beof of great value There was the cargo to consider If it not water water- soaked and ruined and the personal persona belongings of the crew and officers if it in the excitement of leaving they had not taken them away Finally there was always the possibility ol of salvaging the hull and towing 11 into some port to sell to the highest bidder If it the original owners didn't didn make a sUfI still offer for it it Derelict Schooner Changes Plans Altogether It was not an unprofitable able business It paid sometimes better than out and out piracy At Al such times the sea scavengers kepi kept strictly within the laws They knew knew the laws of sea salvage by heart I When the derelict finally assumed definite shape to the naked eye Dick became absorbed in studying It She was not waterlogged neither was she battered and broken below belo 1 decks Most of the damage seemed to be in the sails saUs and rigging This IbIs fact had not escaped the keen eyes of the skipper of the lugger and the nearer they approached the themore themore themore more promising appeared the prize they had bad picked up I IThen Then came a sudden guttural cry from rom one of the crew followed by bj wild gesticulations and a pointing hand There standing in the rigging rig I ging Bing waving and nodding at them was an old man hatless and nearly shirtless with bushy whiskers flopping flop ping up and down in the breeze Al At Alfirst Alfirst first they could hear no sounds coining coin com coining ing from his lips Ups but with a slight change in the wind the voice carried car ried vied to them For the most part it seemed like the wild incoherent gibberish of ot one demented Ahoy there mates It i ii 11 called What ship is s that Dont Don't recognize here her Never mind come aboard This is the Betty of Ne New London sound London sound of timber and fast I of heels heels makin twenty knots an hour Come aboard if it catch catchuse I us use Throw me line while I lull luf her quick her quick now Tucu and Black Burley stared at atthe atthe atthe the man in silence Then they glanc glanced ed at at each ther ether and reading each others other's thoughts nodded I I TO BE LIE CONTINUED IJ |