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Show ftqk op THE SEA rail's IVrA mGe."lvM uul&&i VS3v him, an' his daughter ain't said nothin' to ye." Dick was puzzled and mystified. He shook his head finally. "I don't know what you're talking about If there's any treasure on the schooner, schoon-er, I don't know of it." Tucu was unconvinced. "Y'lay there an' think about it. Mebbe y'll remember, or we'll find it." When he walked away In the gloom, Dick had ample opportunity to reflect There came to his mind vague remembrance that in his crazy chatter Captain Bedford had made reference to a prize a treasure treas-ure he had found. If Tucu believed there was any treasure hidden on the schooner, he would search for it, spend days overhauling every part of the craft. This would cause further delay, and time was precious. Any hour or day a ship might cross their path, and he might not be able to signal for help. He concluded finally to favor the idea that there was something of value aboard, and that Captain Bedford Bed-ford had hidden it. By pretending that he and Rose knew of its existence, exist-ence, but couldn't locate it, they would gain time. With two treasures treas-ures dangled before Tucu's eyes there was a possibility of eventually finding a way out of their troubles. When Tucu appeared a few hours later, with the first streaks of dawn breaking in the east, Dick's mind was made up. He met the eyes of the old renegade with a look of compliance. com-pliance. "Tucu," he said, "you've got me in your power, and there's no use r CLEANING eed possible and will pa r you can sell it whereve :e money having it eleanee tions. aling. ig plant of Utah Crop Im ion. : Seed Ccmpanj 'h 3rd West "alt Lake City 11, Utal fighting new deal"- ford has enou&. those smuggled ' .1.1 f0 cheap imitations." " "Thought y'said there wasn't none," growled the man, scowling hard at his prisoner. Dick smiled. "That was before I thought you knew," he replied. "I didn't want you to know of it. I thought I could get away with it That's why I didn't want you to board the schooner." "Y'wanted to get the treasure an' the girl?" "Wasn't any harm in that, was there?" laughed Dick. "You'd do as much if you had the chance." "Reckon I got 'em," leered the other. "No," slowly, "you haven't. You've got the girl, but you haven't got the treasure." "Reck'n one goes with the other. She'll tell when I want her to." "No, she won't," replied Dick boldly, "for she doesn't know where It is." "The hell she don't! Y're lyin' to me." "All right!" shrugging his shoulders. shoul-ders. "Don't believe me. Ask her!" The half-breed . surveyed him quietly a moment, and then became convinced nothing was to be gained by stubbornness. Threat of a Storm Forces Tucu's Hand . "If she don't know where it is, who does?" he demanded surlily. "Captain Bedford, of course. He hid it in one of his crazy moments. His daughter knew where it was before be-fore that, but now she doesn't know any more than you do. Her father's so crazy we couldn't get the secret from him. We were trying hard when you came aboard. If we found it we intended to escape in the small boat, and leave the schooner to you." "Y'ain't iyin' to me ag'inl" ejaculated ejac-ulated Tucu, eyeing his prisoner suspiciously. "When did I lie to you before?" The other growled savagely, and made oo reply. After a while, he asked: "What's this new deal y'had in mind? Spit it out." "I wanted your word you wouldn't hurt Captain Bedford's daughter," replied Dick slowly. "If you promise prom-ise not to harm her, we'll help you search for the treasure. If you find it we'll let you lake it, if you leavfe the schooner to us. You don't want that. She's no good, and wouldn't be worth towing to port." "Reck'n she ain't a bad prize." murmured Tucu reflectively. "We could get hr to land if another storm didn't come up." "I3ut another storm ,s coming." interrupted Dk-k. "You're sailor enough to know that Feel the air and that wind" Tucu studied the leaden skies. "There may bt another storm, an there may be only a little squall, ' he said. "I ain't sayin' which." "No, but you know which It is,' miled Dick. "It's a storm." Tucu glanced uneasily around a the horizon again. "Y'can't help any in searchin' thi schooner," he decided finally. "Bu y'can lie here an' watch us." "Then you don't agree to a nev deal?" "If we find the treasure you an the girl can have the schooner.' was the grinning retort. "Mebbi y'can ride out the storm an' to land I'll leave y'on It." "Then it's a bargain?" The half-breed regarded him slow ly before replying. "Yes." he said finally, "aftei y' show me where them smugglec jewels is. Reck'n that's fair." "You're not greedy, Captain Tucu are you?" laughed Dick. "You wan the treasure and the smugglec goods. What do I get?" "The girl and the schooner," leered the other. "And if the schooner goes dowr in the storm I lose both." "No, y'can swim fur it. Two or a raft's more comfortable than one, an that's the way ywas when we picked y'up." Dick nodded. He had gained his point. Nothing would happen to him or Rose while they searched the schooner for the mythical treasure. In the meantime, almost anything might happen a ship appear or a storm break. "We'll call it a deal," he said finally. . His ready compliance awakened the other's suspicion. ' "Y' got to help us in one way," he added. "You an' that girl's got f 1Yp us." j can we?" jjheedlin' it out of the cap-Jebbe cap-Jebbe he'll listen to his Cii" a i know about that; but I'll j. in p do what I can. Let me ' lor r is still suspicious, but as j fln0 otner way ne anally ''rant this request Vas rising in the east Evert was led tw of 1116 Lake12 caPtain'a cabin. Mr0nce into the cabin ter rlttle exclamation of de-a de-a sho',dark corner. Rose Bed-w Bed-w ing Sdorward to greet him. Mr. dn't kill you!" she ex-day ex-day ir.rly. "I was afraid they Mr. i and s a knock on the head, 1 I f??ber,amount to much." He WedId him. The cabin was it for his two captors 1 Carib on watch at the !"ucu hadn't followed wMC10011 advantage of the oppori..'' b explain the situation to her. The Caribs didn't understand under-stand English. ."Rose," he said eagerly, "Tucu believes your father's got some sort of a treasure aboard the schooner, and he's after it I told him I'd help him find it." Instead of meeting him with glad eyes, her face darkened. Dick had an uncomfortable feeling that she was searching him with eyes of suspicion. "I promised," he went on eagerly, eager-ly, "that we would help him search for the treasure." "You promised that?" she repeated, repeat-ed, slowly in a cold voice. Rose Is Angered at Dick's Agreement "Yes, to gain time," he continued. contin-ued. "While he's looking for the treasure we may plan some way of escape. Tucu won't leave until he's searched every part of the schooner, schoon-er, and that will take a day or two." She was quiet a moment her eyes vaguely restless and uncertain. uncer-tain. Dick had the impression that she was worried. "Why does Captain Tucu think there's any treasure on the schooner?" schoon-er?" she asked slowly. Dick chuckled. "From the ravings rav-ings of your father. He heard him chatter about the prize he'd picked up." "And do you think there's any?" she added. Dick was on the point of answering answer-ing negatively when a queer expression expres-sion in her eyes arrested him. He glanced soberly at her, and then instead in-stead of putting In a denial he countered coun-tered with the question: "Do you? Is there any treasure on board?" She remained noncommittal-glancing noncommittal-glancing from him to the two stalwart stal-wart Caribs, whose sleepy eyes indicated in-dicated no interest In the conversation. conversa-tion. Dick became suddenly disturbed dis-turbed in mind. If there was any particular sum of money or gold or anything else of special value, he had not improved matters by telling Captain Tucu he would help him in the search for it. In fact be fell that he had complicated the situation. situa-tion. From the accusing eyes of the girl, he began to feel guilty of having betrayed a secret. "I didn't know there was any-' thing. Rose." he said penitently. "I supposed your father's chatter was all moonshine. I am sorry if I've I've blundered." I (TO BE CONTINUED) THE STORY THUS FAR: Tbo crew of a imall lalllnr veisel In the Caribbean pick up Dick Jordan, drift on a rarL Dick realize! Ibat be ll iiwl men who are virtually pirates. Tbe eome npon a drlfUng. gcbooner, pparenUy a derelict Wben two persona per-sona appear on the wallowlne iblp Tucu, the pirato captain. If disappointed. Demented De-mented Captain Bedford invite! Tucu and bli crew aboard, but hi! daughter Rose turns them back' with ber automatic. auto-matic. Dick swims to the schooner and aids Rose In the battle. Tucn withdraws, with-draws, but Dick fears he will return dur-mt dur-mt the night. They keep watch anxiously. anxious-ly. A storm Is brewing and It obscures the moon. CHAPTER V Dick walked slowly forward again, keeping a more watchful eye In the direction of the lugger, and listening for any strange sound. The lugger was invisible in the gloom, and he knew the Caribs would creep upon them without detection until within a few yards of the schooner. The danger of a surprise was growing grow-ing with every minute. Four times he made his circuit and met Rose, who reported everything every-thing quiet and peaceful aft. Then on the fifth round, he was delayed a little by a noise in the water that sounded suspicious. He waited to verify It, and then resumed his walk more hurriedly. When he reached their meeting point, she was not in sight. He waited impatiently for her, but when she did not appear he grew anxious. There was a chance that his own delay had caused the trouble. trou-ble. She had not waited for him. Unwilling to go back until assured of her safety, he lingered until she appeared nearly ten minutes later. "I missed you," he exclaimed in a whisper, "and couldn't go back until I was sure." "You shouldn't have done that," she frowned. "Something may have happened forward while you were here." 1 "I'll hurry back," he replied In relief. "But wait for me on the next trip. I must know you're safe." She nodded, and Dick hurried to make up for lost time. In his haste he was careless and tripped along with more speed than caution. He was till thinking of the girl when a black shadow rose up to confront him. Startled, and not sure that it wasn't an optical Illusion, he paused instead of raising his gun to fire an alarm. That momentary hesitation was his misfortune. By the time he - was convinced a burly Carib was facing him on the deck of the schooner, two other dark forms had sprung out of the gloom back of him. Dick raised his gun to shoot, but a hand knocked it upward, while one of the long, powerful, hairy arms of Black Burley encircled his neck and crushed the wind out of him. - When Dick recovered, and his wits returned to him, the Caribs were in full possession of the schooner. He needed no further verification of this than his own helpless condition. Trussed up securely, se-curely, he was lying on his back, with his face turned up to the moonless moon-less sky. Storm clouds were scurrying scur-rying over bis head, and the treacherous treach-erous moon was still-lnvlsible. Dick Stalls, for Time By Bargaining A foot prodded him in the ribs, and a black face was thrust into his. Dick recognized the crafty one of Captain Tucu, leering with triumph. "Ain't dead, I see," the half-breed gloated. "Y'want to be careful next time how y'hit that deck. It ain't a soft pillow." Dick stared at him. "Where's Captain Bedford's daughter?" he asked. "Did she get hurt?" Tucu smiled cruelly, realizing he had another weapon of torture in his hands. "She ain't dead neither," he grinned. "We're keepin' her in th cabin me an' Black Burley.'' The Intended significance of the words aroused Dick to fury. "If you hurt her, Tucu," he said slowly, "or insult her you'll pay with your life. Ti 1 s war between you and me. Le.J; her out of it." "What'll y'do if I promise?" he asked, smiling warily. "Anything you ask." "Y'll stick to y'bargain, an' show me where them jewels was dropped overboard." "Yes." "Y'trled to trick me once," growled the other, "an ye'U do It again. Y'word ain't wurth nothin'. noth-in'. I'd cut y'throat If I thought" "No, I didn't trick you." Dick interrupted. in-terrupted. "I interfered only when you began war on a woman. That wasn't part of our bargain." The half-breed paused, watching his prisoner with doubtful eyes. "I wasn't makin' no war on women," he said finally. "Cap'n Bedford invited in-vited me aboard his schooner, an' that" "He's crazy, you knew. He wasn't responsible. The schooner was in command of his daughter." "He ain't so crazy that he don't remember some things," was the retort. "Soon's we can find that treasure he's picked up. we'll leave." "What treasure?" Captain Tucu winked and laughed. "Y'don't know nothin' 'bout it, r suppose 'Tain't likely y'heered |
