-) 

 
 Ubree IRfcbarfc Wbalens
 
 TWENTIETH CENTURY SERIES 
 
 In the Midst of Alarms . . Robert Barr 
 The Devil's Playground . . John Maekie 
 The Face and the Mask . Robert Barr 
 The Phantom Death . W. Clark Russell 
 The Sale of a Soul . F. Frankfort Moore 
 Dead Man's Court . Maurice H. Hervey 
 Sinners Twain . John Maekie 
 
 Toxin Ouida 
 
 I Married a Wife . John Strange Winter 
 Diana's Hunting Robert Buchanan 
 Dartmoor .... Maurice H. Hervey 
 From Whose Bourne. . Robert Barr 
 The Flaw in the Marble .... 
 Vawder's Understudy James Knapp Reeve
 
 The Three 
 Richard Whalens 
 
 A STORY OF ADVENTURE 
 
 BY 
 JAMES KNAPP REEVE 
 
 Author of " Vawder's Understudy^ 
 
 Illustrated by E. Frederick 
 
 XonOon an& flew 
 
 FREDERICK A. STOKES COMPANY 
 
 PUBLISHERS
 
 COPYRIGHT, 1897, BY 
 
 FREDERICK A. STOKES COMPANY 
 All rights reserved 
 
 PRINTED IN AMERICA
 
 5140918 
 
 THE THREE RICHARD 
 WHALENS. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 I AM 'not intending to trouble you 
 with much ancient lore, but to get as 
 speedily as may be into the swing of 
 events that happened within my own 
 day, and within yours, if you are old 
 enough to have a brush of down upon 
 your lip. For I know full well that to 
 hark back into the dead centuries 
 where lie buried joys and strifes is but 
 dull business, and one for which we 
 get small thanks. I will even go a 
 step further, and say to you impatient 
 ones who read a story but for the 
 story's sake, that maybe you will not 
 be the losers if you chance to skip 
 these dozen pages, and so get directly 
 at the heart of things.
 
 2 Gbe ftbree IRfcbaro Woalens. 
 
 But, just as a horse limbers himself 
 along the quarter-stretch before going 
 to the pole, that he may take the track 
 the more surely and speedily when 
 fairly into the race, so will I here 
 make myself certain to go more 
 straight in that which follows, by a 
 brief prelude, which I will have as lit- 
 tle dreary as may be. 
 
 When a story is two hundred years 
 old, and has come down from genera- 
 tion to generation by word of mouth, 
 one can hardly vouch for the complete 
 accuracy of all its details. So I will 
 spare you much of that which seems 
 to be mere romance, or the candour of 
 which may even be questioned, and 
 tell you only so much as I know to be 
 true. Having given you this word to 
 attest mine honesty, I trust you will 
 let its very ingenuousness be but the 
 fuller proof of the artlessness of the 
 reciter. And if you are minded to 
 complain that it is all too little, I will 
 answer that the very brevity of the 
 tale is also my further voucher for a
 
 Gbree TRicbarD Wbalens. 3 
 
 true chronicler. For it would be but 
 a poor story-teller who could not hang 
 upon such a skeleton of fact as I have 
 here, fancy enough to please you all, 
 were he so minded. That I have had 
 the self-restraint to give you only 
 this unvarnished record, not running 
 hither and thither into devious by- 
 ways as another might have done, 
 should moreover commend me to your 
 good graces. Thus much you will 
 pardon me for having spoken in my 
 own behalf. Now to my tale. 
 
 It was well into the last decade of 
 the seventeenth century the golden 
 days for all such as would try the 
 hazard of new enterprise and adven- 
 ture by land and sea that one Richard 
 Whalen, a lad of good parts, and the 
 eldest son of an English family of 
 much repute, left his home suddenly 
 because of some boyish trouble, or 
 else that he was minded to see a 
 wider world than was bounded by 
 the shores of his narrow island, and 
 shipped as a sailor upon a vessel that
 
 3bree IRicbarfc lUbalens. 
 
 was bound for a voyage to the New 
 World a land whose wonders were 
 then ringing throughout the length 
 and breadth of Europe. 
 
 It is possible that the purpose of the 
 vessel upon which the youth shipped 
 was only that of honest commerce. 
 At least we will give him credit for 
 thinking that, for certain it is that 
 later he had need for all the lenient 
 judgment which could be accorded him. 
 But be that as it may, the ship pointed 
 her bowsprit as straight as the course 
 could be laid, for the West Indies : 
 cruised for a little time about the 
 Caribbean ; touched at the rich ports 
 that lay upon the east shoulder of 
 South America, and there both mas- 
 ter and crew let slip their holds on 
 conscience as they made discovery of 
 the more brilliant opportunities for 
 lawless gain which offered there 
 opportunities beside which the dull 
 round of honest trade seemed but a 
 thing for fools to follow. Still, let us 
 give them their due, for they were 
 honest men once ; and it has been
 
 Gbree Ricbarfc TlBlbalen0. 5 
 
 said, in extenuation of their espousal 
 of that life, that the election was 
 forced upon them of becoming pirates 
 themselves, or prey for other pirates. 
 And so, like wise men who knew that 
 all gold were dross to them if they did 
 not first save their own skins, they but 
 chose the lesser evil of the two as 
 who would not ? 
 
 Once in the swing of the new order 
 of things, our young Richard Whalen 
 developed so bold a front, such a 
 wholesome zest for his work, such zeal 
 to be at the fore in every enterprise that 
 promised either danger or doubloons, 
 that he speedily rose to be second in 
 command of the dashing privateer into 
 which the Dancing Nancy had been 
 magically transformed, and thence- 
 forth proceeded to make himself a 
 name that soon was spoken with bated 
 breath throughout all the cities of the 
 Spanish Main alike by armed and 
 tinselled braggadocio senors, and by 
 gentle black-eyed sefloritas. 
 
 With all his lawless life, young 
 Whalen retained a degree of British
 
 6 Gbe Cbree IRicbard Wbalens. 
 
 thrift ; and while his companions when 
 in port quickly made ducks and drakes 
 of the shining yellow pieces which 
 they had wrested from their rightful 
 owners without so much as " By your 
 leave, sir or madam," Whalen placed 
 his gains in safe hiding, whence they 
 might be gathered up when leisure 
 offered. 
 
 Such evil gains grow fast, and the 
 time was not long until he counted 
 them greater than he could have 
 hoped for by a whole lifetime of more 
 honest employ. And had not the 
 danger and the fascination of it held 
 him, maybe he would have been 
 minded to put this life behind him 
 long before he did. As it was, he 
 made an end of it after this manner : 
 as gold was not the only gain of these 
 wild rovers, it happened there one day 
 fell to Whalen's share a captive ; and 
 in her, this wild runagate found the 
 first living being who had ever fronted 
 him with a courage equal to his own. 
 
 You know his life had not been one 
 to teach him much of courtly graces.
 
 Cbe Gbree Ttfcbarfc TKlbaleng. 7 
 
 So he came to her in his rough fashion 
 and made as if to throw his arm 
 about her, and willy-nilly take a kiss 
 from the rich mouth. But, with a ra- 
 pidity and sinuous ease that was the 
 foil to his own uncouthness, she slipped 
 from beneath the great paw that had 
 barely touched her waist, and drew a 
 silver dagger from her belt. Where 
 this might have angered another, 
 or spurred him on to further rough- 
 ness, it only pleased our rover might- 
 ily. 
 
 " Tut ! put away that little toy," he 
 laughed ; " you might harm yourself, 
 or dull its tender point against my 
 thick hide, my pretty." 
 
 " Tis not meant for you, sir, but 
 for myself, if needs be ! " she made 
 answer, meeting his eye bravely. 
 " For myself unless you will return 
 me unharmed to my father. He will 
 reward you with that which will make 
 you a rich man, and give you no cause 
 to longer lead this lawless life." 
 
 The liquid glances from her dark 
 eyes, turned full upon him in spirited
 
 s 3be 3bree Rfcbatfc TOlbalens. 
 
 appeal, somewhat changed his jesting 
 mood. 
 
 " I have doubloons and pieces of 
 eight now," he said, angrily, " until I 
 am burthened with caring for them 
 among my fellow thieves. For they 
 but wait until my back is turned to 
 gather them for their own spoil. And 
 I fancy that had I much or little, there 
 is not gold enough left upon the whole 
 of this rich coast, to ransom you from 
 me now. And as for the life " he 
 scowled darkly, though not at her 
 " 'tis a good enough one." 
 
 But at his very word the pirate 
 paused, as though struck with a deep 
 thought. And in the instant turned 
 and strode upon the deck, as if he 
 held in his mind some deep purpose 
 that would not brook delay. The 
 master of the craft looked at him as 
 he came up, with an evil leer making 
 still more hideous his scarred and ugly 
 face a face in which uncounted crimes 
 were mirrored. His lips parted in what 
 was meant to be a smile, and his teeth 
 showed like a hyena's as he asked :
 
 be Cbree "Kicbatt) lUbalens. 9 
 
 "Well, mate, how like you your 
 prize ? " 
 
 Whalen made no answer for a mo- 
 ment, except that his scowl deepened 
 and his own face darkened with sudden 
 wrath as he looked upon the grinning 
 manikin before him. He went closer 
 to the captain and laid his great hand 
 heavily on the other's shoulder. 
 
 " Look you ! " he cried, in a voice 
 that he meant not for the captain's ear 
 alone, but that he purposed should be 
 heard from cabin to forecastle. " Look 
 you ! I have tired of this. I have a 
 mind now that I would like to see 
 English shores once more. I want 
 this ship." 
 
 " Is the man mad ? " asked the cap- 
 tain, blankly, startled by his shipmate's 
 manner more than by the mere words. 
 And then, recovering himself speedily, 
 he answered, with an assumption of 
 bluff courage that he tried to make 
 equal Whalen's own : " If you want 
 the ship, my man, why don't you take 
 her ? " 
 
 " As you say, then."
 
 io Gbe Ubree IRicbard TKHbalens. 
 
 And with the word the mate shot an 
 English blow at the other that laid 
 him flat upon the deck. Then, follow- 
 ing his sudden advantage, with foot 
 upon the captain's neck and pistol in 
 hand to forefend any attack upon him- 
 self, Whalen began to roar orders as 
 if there had never been any in com- 
 mand except himself. 
 
 " Bring irons, you fellow ! " he cried 
 to the bully who stood nearest him, 
 and who had watched in mute amaze 
 this rapid exchange of courtesies, and 
 of commanders ; ready, too, with a 
 shift of the wind to give his allegiance 
 to the one who held the upper hand. 
 " Bring irons," repeated Whalen, " and 
 put them on this man ! Don't stand 
 gaping, for I am master here, now ! 
 And, my mates," he continued, his 
 manner growing softly truculent, " if 
 there are any among you who would 
 rather not take my orders, you had 
 best jump over the rail and so save 
 me the trouble of shooting you." 
 
 His glance roamed about the group, 
 resting an instant upon each one,
 
 tlbe Sbree TRicbarO TSUbalens. n 
 
 ready for whatever might come. But 
 the men, hardened to such scenes of 
 violence, to changes of authority made 
 in the twinkling of an eye, and accus- 
 tomed to the law of might ; recognis- 
 ing the power of no arm but the 
 strongest, and liking Whalen, too, 
 rather better than the other, fell 
 readily into line to do his bidding. So 
 soon as they had the captain safely in 
 irons, they stood by quietly for their 
 orders from the new master. There 
 were some scowling faces when they 
 found they were to up sail and away 
 for the white cliffs of Dover. And 
 though they knew no prizes awaited 
 them there, so much did they fear the 
 swift retribution that Whalen would 
 have visited upon any malcontent, that 
 no demurring whisper was heard. 
 
 They delayed their swift course but 
 once. That was to make fitting final 
 end of their erstwhile master. When 
 the first land was sighted, upon their 
 new course land which Whalen made 
 out to be an uninhabited island lifting 
 itself above the blue water he ordered
 
 iz <Tbc brcc TrficbarD tUbalens. 
 
 the ship hove to and a boat lowered. 
 Into this the captain was marched, at 
 the pistol's point, and set upon the 
 barren sand. And with that generos- 
 ity that always played a fine second to 
 his grim humour, Whalen sent with 
 him a chest of gold proof of the 
 plethora of his own stores in place 
 of food or drink ; into which the un- 
 happy man might dip his blood-stained 
 hands, and revel like a miser until 
 death came to share the spoil with 
 him. 
 
 So wrapt was Whalen in fond con- 
 templation of the irony of this deed ; 
 so pleased was he with the mother- 
 wit that prompted him to the do- 
 ing of it ; so did he gloat in thinking 
 of the horror of those days and nights 
 that the other would spend there with 
 his gold, that it was not until the ship 
 was well upon her course again that 
 he chanced to remember a certain 
 thing which was no less than this : 
 beneath the unsuggesting sands of 
 that very island were cached some of 
 his own ill-gotten gains, put there
 
 Cbe Gbree Wcbarfc lUbalcns. 13 
 
 against the coming of this very day 
 when he should sail back to England 
 to live again the life of an honest man. 
 That this was the place, he now proved 
 by tracings upon his rough maps. 
 But he had enough and to spare, and 
 maybe was not minded to front the 
 skeleton that he knew would now be 
 grinning there. Nor would he let his 
 men know that he had paid so dearly 
 for his little jest. So he only laughed 
 and swore the more at the humour of 
 it, and ordered that all sail be clapped 
 on to bear them the more speedily 
 away. 
 
 When he had seen that everything 
 about the ship had been made tight 
 and trim, and every stitch of canvas 
 set to catch the last capful of wind 
 that would help them forward upon 
 their course, Whalen put himself man- 
 fully to the task of winning by fair 
 means the heart of his lovely captive. 
 And as he was no less ardent in woo- 
 ing than in war, no less direct in court- 
 ing than in fighting, the dainty citadel 
 was not so long in capitulating as you
 
 14 Gbe Cbree TRicbarD "Uflbalcna. 
 
 might have thought. The terms that 
 he offered for its surrender were so 
 fair that the lady sheathed her silver 
 dagger, wondering a little how she 
 could ever have thought it needed in a 
 contest with one so brave and chival- 
 rous as he. So great, indeed, was his 
 success in this to him novel enterprise, 
 that when at last English shores were 
 made she hied herself willingly to a 
 priest with him who was now doubly 
 her captor, and they two were made 
 one. And in the doing of it ended 
 that which was of most interest in the 
 career of this valiant courser of the 
 seas. 
 
 With this Richard Whalen and his 
 stolen Spanish bride we have now 
 little further concern. You have seen 
 what the man was a roystering, boist- 
 erous, headlong fellow not without his 
 saving graces, but never turning back 
 from that to which he had set his 
 hand. And perhaps you will have 
 learned from this, too, that in the 
 mingling of the blood of the fearless 
 Whalens with the hot blood of Spain,
 
 Cbe Gbree IRtcbarfc TiUbalcns. 15 
 
 there could come only a race of men 
 who were of dauntless courage and 
 untamed passion and strong purpose, 
 whether it led them right or wrong. 
 
 A last word, and we have done with 
 him. Legend says that these two 
 lived happily more or less for many 
 years, quietly in their English home. 
 And so great was their wealth that it 
 alone would have made them famous 
 for all the country round ; but to this 
 was added the strange tales of whence 
 it had come, and how, so that the won- 
 der grew with the telling and gave to 
 Whalen a marvellous repute. As to 
 their gold and treasure, it is but the 
 fact that so little inroad were they able 
 to make upon it that the son the only 
 child of this union, and father of the 
 race of Whalens to be was left almost 
 richer than themselves had been. 
 
 Now this long tale I would not have 
 troubled you with, but that it was 
 necessary for the easing of my own 
 task, and somewhat needful for a 
 proper understanding of that which is 
 yet to follow as you may presently 
 discover for yourselves.
 
 16 Cbe Gbtee IRfcbarfc 'GClbaiena, 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 ON a bright morning in mid-Octo- 
 ber two young men sat together at 
 breakfast in a well-appointed club in 
 the city of New York. Their sur- 
 roundings clearly indicated them as 
 men accustomed to the elegancies and 
 refinements of life ; in fact, betokened 
 them members of that much envied 
 circle who neither sew nor spin, yet 
 need not take thought of the morrow. 
 There was little similarity in their ap- 
 pearance, except that of dress and 
 manner which is common to all men 
 who are in the same walk of life. So 
 marked indeed was the difference be- 
 tween them that it may have accounted 
 in some measure for their friendship, on 
 the well-known ground of the attrac- 
 tion of opposites ; for one was tall and 
 strongly made, and so fair that it
 
 be Cbree "Richard "Uflbaicns. 17 
 
 showed him a man of the North, while 
 the other was slight and dark, and be- 
 low rather than above the medium 
 height. 
 
 The table at which they were seated 
 was in a bowed window that gave out 
 upon the avenue, just now brilliant 
 and sparkling in the mellow sunshine 
 and crisp with the air and movement 
 of early autumn. The pavements 
 were comfortably filled with well- 
 dressed men and women ; the latter 
 seriously intent upon the rite of shop- 
 ping, dear to all feminine hearts, and 
 the former equally employed in watch- 
 ing the trim figures and pretty faces 
 of the shoppers. Carriages drawn by 
 well-groomed horses, the sparkling 
 metal points of their harness catching 
 and reflecting the brilliant sunshine, 
 swung steadily up and down the broad 
 street. The trees in the park just be- 
 yond were taking on the gorgeous col- 
 ourings that prelude the dying year. 
 Some of the paths were already cov- 
 ered with the fallen leaves, and sweep- 
 ers were busied keeping them clean,
 
 is Gbe abrec IRfcbacD liUbalcna. 
 
 while loungers filled the benches and 
 sentimentalised upon the season's 
 changes. 
 
 The two men had been regarding it 
 all with the nonchalance born of that 
 long familiarity that sometimes breeds 
 contempt. It was because of this that 
 when the silence which had fallen be- 
 tween them was finally broken, it was 
 by words which voiced this thought. 
 
 " Vanity Fair ! " said the blond man, 
 the older of the two ; " a pleasant ex- 
 istence enough, as all these people 
 seem to agree. But do you know, 
 Carl, I am a little tired of it all ? A 
 change might be for the worse but I 
 fancy I should like to try a change of 
 some sort." 
 
 " You are not the last man I should 
 have expected to harbour that senti- 
 ment, Whalen," returned the other, 
 " but you are certainly the last whom 
 I expected would put it in words. 
 Isn't it better to leave the thought 
 voiceless and formless ? I thought 
 that you had long ago accepted the 
 inevitable, had recognised the fact
 
 be 3bree TRtcbaro XUbalens. 19 
 
 that you are but a cog in the wheel 
 called Society, and had given over the 
 effort to be anything else. And I am 
 not certain that any other game would 
 be worth the candle. What would you 
 have, if not this ? " 
 
 " I don't know I am not certain," 
 said the first speaker, slowly. " I 
 have been thinking, but I don't come 
 to any end. I believe I shall unbosom 
 myself to you, and let you help me to 
 decide." 
 
 He impatiently pushed away the 
 dishes that were near him, and of 
 whose contents he had tasted but spar- 
 ingly ; then he lighted a cigar, which 
 he watched with deep solicitude until 
 he saw that it was burning evenly. 
 There was an undercurrent of serious- 
 ness in his words and in his manner, 
 in striking contrast to his habitual 
 carelessness of demeanour, that caused 
 Carl Mowbray to look at his friend 
 questioningly. Neither of the men 
 had been accustomed to regard life as 
 much more than a holiday affair, out- 
 wardly at least, and it was in accord-
 
 20 Gbe Cbree TRtcbarfc TIClbalens. 
 
 ance with this view that he made 
 answer. 
 
 " If I help you to decide anything," 
 he said, " it will be in favour of that 
 trip I proposed. If you will only go 
 with us, Dick, we will have no end of 
 a good time. I have only asked the 
 men whom you like best " 
 
 " Thanks, but I can't do it, Carl," 
 was the quiet answer, given with the air 
 of a man who has made a firm resolve, 
 "I should fancy it capitally. You 
 know there is nothing I like better. 
 And I know, too, that you will have a 
 good party. But there will be no 
 cruising for me this season of that 
 sort, at least." 
 
 " I suppose you have good reasons," 
 said the younger man, complainingly ; 
 " but it won't be half a time without 
 you. I have a mind to give it up, too, 
 if you are certain you can't go." 
 
 " It is quite certain," said his com- 
 panion ; " but I shall be sorry to spoil 
 your fun." And then he added, as if 
 he had but just become conscious of 
 all that his friend had said : " If you
 
 Gbe Gbree l?icbar& lUbalens. 21 
 
 would do that if you could give it up 
 but I don't want you to go on a wild- 
 goose chase, just because I am going 
 to be fool enough to do it." 
 
 " Ah, now," said Mowbray, quickly, 
 " if you have anything else on hand, 
 anything worth while, that will take us 
 away from this" he gave a signifi- 
 cant gesture toward the avenue " out 
 of this round ? If you don't mind tell- 
 ing me, Dick ?" 
 
 " Yes ; I have wanted to. But I 
 don't like to bother you with my per- 
 sonal affairs. Still, it is not a very 
 long story if you care to hear it." 
 
 His manner was even more grave 
 than it had been, and he spoke hesita- 
 tingly, as if choosing his words, and 
 considering how he had best begin. 
 
 " I beg your pardon, Dick. I did 
 not mean to be inquisitive. Don't tell 
 me, just because I asked because you 
 think you must satisfy my curiosity," 
 interposed the younger man diffi- 
 dently, colouring as though he had been 
 detected intruding on the other's pri- 
 vacy.
 
 Cbrcc IRicbarD lUbalens. 
 
 Whalen touched his arm gently with 
 the hand that held the cigar. An al- 
 most imperceptible movement, that in 
 another man would have meant little 
 or nothing. But with Whalen, it 
 added emphasis to his words. 
 
 " I hardly think you need tell me 
 that, Carl," he said, smiling, to further 
 reassure his friend ; " still it is a matter 
 I would not speak of to any but you, 
 that I would not be quite willing any 
 other should have knowledge of." 
 
 He drew some papers from his 
 pocket, motioning to the waiter, as he 
 did so, to clear the table between 
 them. Then he unfolded the docu- 
 ments, some of which Mowbray no- 
 ticed were creased and yellowed with 
 age, continuing to talk quietly the 
 while. 
 
 " It is all about money," he said ; 
 " something that you and I have 
 not found it necessary to discuss very 
 often. I find myself wondering, now, 
 how the poor devils feel who have to 
 make this a matter for daily considera- 
 tion ? No, don't look at me in that
 
 3be Gbree "Ricbari) lUbalcns. 23 
 
 way," he laughed, seeing an expression 
 of concern on Mowbray's face. " I 
 have not been in Wall Street, and been 
 shorn there like a lamb. Neither have 
 I been plunging unusually hard at the 
 races. My vices do not lie in that di- 
 rection, as you know. I do not care 
 enough for money to gamble for it. 
 It is hardly so simple an affair as that 
 which troubles me now, although I 
 am afraid you may think I propose to 
 do some pretty desperate gambling 
 before we are through." 
 
 Talking was hard work, and he 
 rested from it and poured out and 
 drank a glass of water, and gave a mo- 
 ment of interested attention to the 
 bright scene before their window. An 
 observer would have said, from the 
 leisure of his movements, that nothing 
 very serious was the matter, after all. 
 But Whalen could not remember that 
 he had ever hurried in his whole life, 
 and there was no need to begin doing 
 it just yet. 
 
 " If it is a question of money," said 
 Mowbray, " why need you bother to
 
 24 Gbe Gbree TRtcbarO lUbalens. 
 
 go into details ? You know that mine 
 
 jg > 
 
 " Yes, my dear boy, I know that," 
 said Whalen, stopping him, and inter- 
 preting the unspoken words ; " but 
 wait until you have heard it all." He 
 drummed nervously upon the table 
 with his hand, and hesitated, as if half 
 disliking the task he had set himself. 
 " You know," he continued, finally, 
 " that I came into my money at my 
 majority. You know, too, that it was 
 left for me by my uncle Dick, when he 
 disappeared so mysteriously years 
 upon years ago. I have told you that 
 he was supposed to have been lost at 
 sea. But I have since learned that his 
 mysterious disappearance, his sudden 
 dropping out of the world, was inten- 
 tional, and not accidental ; and that, 
 though dead to the world which had 
 known him, he was yet for a long time 
 very much alive. However it was, and 
 whatever his reason for his strange 
 course, you do not need to be told that 
 he left me enough to make a man rich, 
 even beyond all the dreams of avarice.
 
 Gbe Cbrcc TCtcbarD lUbalcns. 25 
 
 He provided for me so liberally that 
 I have never known a want, have never 
 even had a wish unsatisfied, if money 
 could provide the means for accom- 
 plishing my desires. But the money 
 was not all that he left me. Besides 
 that was a document, sealed, and 
 only to be opened by myself when 
 I had reached the age of thirty. 
 This has always been a sort of night- 
 mare to me, and I have wished and 
 dreaded by turns to know its con- 
 tents. As the paper has always been 
 in my hands it has at times required 
 all the self-control of which I was 
 capable to prevent me from breaking 
 the seal. But I kept myself from it, 
 and preserved my self-respect. One 
 week since on the night when I was 
 thirty years old I read it for the 
 first time. You may read it now, 
 and it will tell you the rest of the 
 story better than I can find words to 
 do it." 
 
 His manner had become so grave 
 and he had spoken so soberly, that 
 Mowbray took the document which
 
 26 Gbe Gbree IRicbarD Wbalens. 
 
 his friend now handed him, almost 
 with trepidation. 
 
 " Do you want me to know it, Dick ? "" 
 he asked, before glancing at the writ- 
 ten pages. 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 Then Mowbray read, not without 
 some difficulty and occasional prompt- 
 ing from the other, for the ink had 
 grown dim with the passing of the 
 years since the lines were penned, this 
 which follows : 
 
 " MY DEAR NEPHEW, RICHARD WHALEN : 
 
 " When you read these lines I am now writ- 
 ing for your eye, it is my expectation that you 
 will have reached the age at which, if ever, a 
 man may wisely be left to choose his own 
 course. I say this is my expectation. For 
 while this paper will be in your hands long be- 
 fore you have reached the time that I have 
 named for the reading of it, I do not believe a 
 Whalen would be guilty of such a betrayal of 
 trust and confidence as the opening of it before 
 that time would prove. But if it be so that I am 
 mistaken in this, then read no further, but cast 
 this into the names, for my further words will 
 have no weight with you. But believing you to 
 be a true Richard Whalen, I write on in con- 
 fidence.
 
 Sbree IRicbard TKabalens. 27 
 
 " If I am still in the world as you read, I shall 
 be an old man. I have delayed forcing this 
 knowledge and choice upon you, in order that 
 you might choose with the mind of a man, and 
 not with that of a boy. For almost ten years, 
 when you have read this, you will have known 
 the pleasure and the pain of having had 
 at your command almost unlimited wealth. 
 Whether it will have brought you more of pain 
 or of pleasure for it must bring somewhat of 
 both will have depended more upon yourself 
 than upon it. Remember this 1 and if it has 
 been most of pain, then be brave enough to 
 place the blame where it belongs. If there has 
 been more of pleasure as I trust there has 
 been store the memory of it with miserly care, 
 for you know not what the future may hold. 
 
 " But do you know how these riches have come 
 to you f 
 
 " Listen. I will tell you. A long time ago an 
 ancestor of yours, and of mine, suddenly dis- 
 appeared, as I am about to do now. It must be 
 that it is in our blood to do some strange deed, 
 though I thank God that my purpose is not the 
 same that his was. He went wholly from the 
 knowledge of his people, for almost a score of 
 years ; and after that he came back, rich, browned 
 by travel, scarred by battle. There were dark 
 rumours of what his life had been, of how he had 
 gained his wealth. But in time he died and was 
 buried, and these tales died with him or were 
 forgotten, and his wealth came to the next of
 
 28 Gbe Cbree IRicbarO Titiibaicn0. 
 
 kin, and so for many generations we have rev- 
 elled in it, unthinking and uncaring. But 
 when it came to me in its turn, and in the course 
 of years and by many hands, there came with it 
 also the knowledge of how it had been won by 
 him. 
 
 41 My boy, it was the treasure of a pirate, a buc- 
 caneer, a man steeped in every crime, a robber, 
 a despoiler of homes, one whose hands were 
 red with blood. Its touch is poison, its pos- 
 session a taint, its use a crime but little less 
 than that which he himself committed in the 
 getting of it. I have been a greedy man as 
 were all the rest lusting after the things of this 
 world ; and so I have kept it, although I knew, 
 and tried to reason myself into a calm enjoy- 
 ment of that which it could bring. I have used 
 it to purchase every ^pleasure. But there were 
 the tears of women in every glass of wine that 
 it bought, and the very coals that burned in my 
 grate scorched before they warmed me, because 
 they were the embers of burning homes. You 
 may think this fanciful, and say it is but the 
 raving of a man who has become crazed by over- 
 much dwelling on these things. But remember 
 that it has been real enough to make me give up 
 all the ease and luxury that I have known and 
 loved through all my life, and to make me 
 a wanderer in the world. 
 
 " Now I leave to you this inheritance, because 
 it is not mine to do otherwise with, and I do not 
 know that the curse of it will pass to you. Un-
 
 Cbe Gbrce "KicbarD tUbalene. 29 
 
 til you read this you will know no taint in your 
 gold. If it has brought to you, in all these 
 years, neither trouble nor sorrow nor discontent* 
 if it has made these years of your life years of 
 unalloyed happiness, and if you do not fear the 
 fate that has followed the Whalens who have 
 revelled Jin this misgotten gold for almost two 
 full centuries, then rest secure in the belief that 
 through me the curse has passed from it. For 
 I go now to do penance for the wrong that has 
 been done by our blood. 
 
 " But whether it prove so or not when you 
 read this you will be a man, and can choose 
 your own course. Let not my words, but your 
 own heart prompt you. Yet let me tell you that 
 the worst that can befall me in my flight into 
 this unknown future whither I now go, is better 
 a thousand times than the torment I have en- 
 dured. Make not a foolish choice. I trust that 
 I am doing right in this, after having done so 
 much wrong. I have given you ten years in 
 which to taste the world, before putting to your 
 lips this cup of the knowledge of good and of 
 
 evil. 
 
 " Your affectionate uncle, 
 
 "RICHARD WHALEN."
 
 30 3be Cbree IRicbarfc lUbaicns. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 CARL MOWBRAY was a man of the 
 world, and not a sentimentalist. Yet 
 the direct and simple force of the let- 
 ter touched him, and it was only by an 
 effort that he lifted himself from the 
 dark abyss of its dreary despair, into 
 the bright and laughing world about 
 him. It was a long cry from this 
 morose, unhappy man, to the gay but- 
 terflies of the avenue without. The 
 sunshine glinted there even more 
 brightly than it had before, as it does 
 to one who comes into it from a cellar. 
 He felt cold, and shivered a little, and 
 poured himself a glass of wine, for its 
 warmth. He did not look at the other, 
 at first, for he knew without the inter- 
 vention of words, that this was a seri- 
 ous matter for his friend one not to be 
 lightly dismissed. He knew the set-
 
 Cbe Cbrcc "RlcbarD "uabalcns. 31 
 
 tied look, denoting resolute purpose, 
 that he should see upon his face ; yet, 
 after the manner of men of their class, 
 he felt about for some trite and com- 
 monplace thing to say. 
 
 " Even if this is all true," he ven- 
 tured, at last, " it is probably no worse 
 than the beginnings of the fortunes 
 with which other men are blessed or 
 cursed." 
 
 Whalen lifted his hand in quiet pro- 
 test. 
 
 " Perhaps you are right. But that 
 should not influence me. It appears 
 from this," (he touched the paper as he 
 spoke) " that it was clearly my uncle's 
 intention that I should start life anew, 
 after these ten years of a fool's para- 
 dise. The one loophole that he gives 
 me 'If it has brought you neither 
 trouble nor sorrow nor discontent, if 
 it has made these years of your life 
 years of unalloyed happiness, and if you 
 do not fear the fate that has followed 
 the Whalens who have revelled in this 
 misgotten gold ' I am afraid has 
 been closed. No man can honestly
 
 32 3be Ebree IRlcbarD TKHbalen0. 
 
 say the possession of wealth has given 
 him unalloyed happiness. I have not 
 fared better than other men in that 
 nor in anything. So I have been 
 trying, all these days and nights since 
 I knew it seems years instead of days ! 
 to make myself believe that I have 
 the courage to do this : to give it all 
 up and make a fresh start. I think it 
 is not that I am too much of a coward 
 to give up the old life, but I am fitted 
 for nothing else." 
 
 He smiled, a little mournfully, it is 
 true, toward his friend as he finished, 
 and stretched himself lazily, and looked 
 down with seeming contempt upon his 
 magnificent physique, that he was 
 compelled to acknowledge had fitted 
 him for nothing but a life of dawdling 
 ease. 
 
 Mowbray blew a wreath of smoke 
 into the air from his cigar, and watched 
 it with deep concern as it drifted 
 away. When he spoke, it was as 
 though the matter were of less impor- 
 tance than the smoke that had vanished. 
 But men of their stamp affect to spend
 
 Cbe ttbree "Rfcbaro Wbalens. 33 
 
 serious words only upon affairs that 
 do not touch their lives closely, and 
 Carl was a little ashamed that he had 
 let the words of the older Richard 
 Whalen impress him so deeply. It 
 was this that now led him to break as 
 far away from the dark side of the 
 picture as words could well carry him. 
 
 " No one need be a Spartan, my 
 dear fellow," he said, " to give up this 
 life that we are leading here. It palls 
 on one, in the course of time. I could 
 almost wish, for myself, that the old 
 buccaneering days were not gone. I 
 fancy that robustious ancestor of 
 yours had more fun than has fallen to 
 the lot of many of his descendants. A 
 life such as the Free Companions 
 led " 
 
 " I am afraid you are going to prove 
 a poor counsellor" interposed the 
 other. " Here I am about discussing 
 how I may rid myself of the gains of 
 one pirate, and not starve myself in 
 doing it, and you begin to hint of turn- 
 ing pirate yourself." 
 
 " I had not thought quite so far as
 
 34 3be 3bree IRtcbatfc TKHbalen0. 
 
 that," returned his companion, laugh- 
 ing ; " but it might not be such a 
 bad thing. Seriously, Dick, I am thor- 
 oughly tired of this sort of thing that 
 we have here. If we only had lived in 
 the old days, when men might start 
 upon adventure, or set out upon some 
 
 deed of derring-doe " 
 
 " It is possible that those days have 
 not quite vanished," said Whalen, 
 speaking with a quiet intentness that 
 made his companion start. " It is 
 curious how our minds should just now 
 be upon much the same thing. I do 
 not care to turn pirate, for it seems 
 there has already been one too many 
 of such gentry in the family. Still, as 
 regards this money, I do not mean 
 that my conscience would keep me 
 from the use and enjoyment of it, as 
 in the past, merely because it has been 
 a pirate's gains. All gold that men 
 use has felt the touch of some Judas. 
 Mine is neither better nor worse than 
 that of others. I do not want you to 
 think me better than I am. But my 
 uncle had a right to impose conditions,
 
 Cbree TRicbacD ittbalcns. 35 
 
 as it seems from this letter it was his 
 intention to do ; and I should obey 
 them, even though they are implied 
 and not commanded." 
 
 He paused, and smoked on silently 
 for a time, his companion waiting 
 patiently until he was ready to resume. 
 
 " There is one other thing in this," 
 he said presently, touching the letter 
 again. " My uncle says 'If I do not 
 fear the fate that has followed the 
 Whalens.' Perhaps you do not know " 
 he looked at Mowbray enquiringly 
 "that of each generation of Whalens, 
 one has died a violent death while 
 still a young man. In the last gen- 
 eration, it was my father. In this 
 generation there is none other but 
 me. Now I think you know that I am 
 not a coward. I am certain that I do 
 not fear death. But to give up life 
 for gold that were a miser's part." 
 
 " You do not need to tell me you 
 are not a coward," smiled Mowbray. 
 " I have known you too long, I have 
 seen you in too many places where 
 courage was needed "
 
 36 3be bree TRicbarfc 
 
 Whalen stopped him with a motion 
 of the hand, and harked back to the 
 matter upon which they had been 
 talking. 
 
 " This sort of thing," he said, indi- 
 cating his meaning by other papers 
 which he still held, " has always had a 
 fascination for me. As my uncle says 
 of his going away, the tendency toward 
 it must be in our blood. A long time 
 ago, when I was a boy, before I ever 
 knew or thought of this, I used to 
 read everything about them that I 
 could get my hands on. Every story 
 of the freebooters, every legend of 
 buried treasure, held a peculiar in- 
 terest for me, because I fancied I 
 should some day set about discovering 
 their haunts, and unearthing that which 
 they had hidden. And it would be 
 strange now," he continued, musingly, 
 " if I should lose the fortune of one 
 pirate, only to gain that of another." 
 
 He smiled at his companion again, 
 as though asking indulgence for so 
 whimsical a thought. But as he did 
 so he unfolded other of the papers and
 
 Cbe Cbrce TRtcbarO lUbalcns. 37 
 
 spread them upon the table for Mow- 
 bray's inspection. Some of them were 
 old and worn, as was the first he had 
 handed him, while one or two were 
 fresh and clean, and written in Whalen's 
 own bold hand. That to which he 
 now called attention contained a num- 
 ber of newspaper clippings, pasted 
 upon it in regular order, with mar- 
 ginal notes opposite each. 
 
 "To begin with," said Whalen, 
 " this, as you see, is a clipping from 
 the Herald. The date, you will ob- 
 serve, is nearly three years back. 
 Read it." 
 
 He rested his arms on the table 
 and watched the other's face narrowly 
 while he read as follows : 
 
 "Savannah, Ga., Nov. loth, 18 . An expedi- 
 tion is now being quietly fitted out in this city 
 for the purpose of proceeding to the Caribbean 
 Sea, and there search for an island upon which 
 treasure was supposed to have been buried by 
 the pirate Lolonius, in the latter part of the 
 seventeenth century. The island is described 
 in the old records as The Turtle's Back, but as 
 no island of that name is now known in the 
 Caribbean, the question of locating the treas-
 
 38 ttbe Gbree "KicbarD "Cdbalens. 
 
 ure's hiding-place is one of the greatest un- 
 certainty. " 
 
 Although Mowbray read the item 
 attentively, it was evident to Whalen 
 that he did not attach much impor- 
 tance to it. This was made more cer- 
 tain by his words. 
 
 " Expeditions have been fitted out 
 for like purpose," he said, "a hun- 
 dred times. And they have searched 
 all the land from the Isthmus to the 
 Bay of Fundy. But the treasure has 
 never been found. And this has made 
 me a little sceptical as to any ever 
 having been buried. That those old 
 fellows stole lavishly, there is no 
 doubt. But probably they spent with 
 the same free hand, and so had little 
 need of hiding any of their gold." 
 
 " Yes, I know," said Whalen, a little 
 impatiently ; " but I believe there was 
 some foundation for all these stories. 
 The trouble has been that most of the 
 searchers had no clue, beyond an old 
 wife's tale. I should attach no partic- 
 ular importance to this " indicating
 
 be Cbree IRicbarD mbalcns. 39 
 
 the paper Mowbray had just read 
 " but that once, when poring over an 
 old black-letter, I came upon this." 
 He took up another document and 
 read from it : 
 
 "And then Lolonius, having more of plate 
 and douploons in his ship than he dared longer 
 trust to the knowledge of the other rovers of 
 the sea who with him preyed along that Main, 
 he did set sail for a land which was in shape 
 like unto the back of a tyrtle, and did there 
 bury thirty thousand douploons and pieces 
 of eight, and so much plate that it lightened 
 both his ship and his cares. And because 
 Lolonius did there leave to the cruel fate of 
 starvation (so that they might never disclose its 
 hiding-place) the men who had holp him to 
 bury the treasure, his crew did call the island 
 henceforth by the name of Captive. And Lo- 
 lonius, and all his wicked companions being 
 soon thereafter killed in battle, as was their 
 meet and just reward, the place where it was 
 hid has not been found to this day. So that 
 beneath the back of the tyrtle yet remains that 
 which will tempt the cupidity of men for many 
 days, so that they will fit out ships and search 
 thereabouts for it." 
 
 "The old fellow who wrote that 
 seems to have been a prophet, at
 
 40 Cbe tlbree TRicbar? "Uabalens. 
 
 least, whether he was a true chron- 
 icler or not," said Mowbray. 
 
 Without answering this, Whalen 
 took up the sheet of clippings again 
 and read another item from the Herald, 
 bearing a date some weeks later than 
 the first : 
 
 " From wreckage which has recently come 
 ashore below Cape Canaveral, on the coast of 
 Florida, it is feared that the schooner Pelican, 
 which it will be remembered was fitted out at 
 Savannah to search for a treasure supposed to 
 have been buried by pirates in the Caribbean 
 Sea, went down in the storm of Tuesday night, 
 with all on board. This closes another chap- 
 ter in the tragic romance of the Buccaneers of 
 the Spanish Main, for we think it will be a long 
 day before other men will be so foolish as to 
 take up the hazard of this search." 
 
 " Now," said Whalen, not giving his 
 companion a chance to speak, "I 
 have it in mind to hunt up this island. 
 I had decided on it even before I had 
 read this letter of my uncle. I wanted 
 the excitement of it, and have been 
 foolish enough to think I might suc- 
 ceed where others have failed. Now 
 I have a further incentive to do it.
 
 Sbe Cbree IRicbatO Tldbalens. 41 
 
 I must have employment of some sort, 
 and I see nothing of more promise 
 than this, to which I can put my hand." 
 
 He spoke half seriously, half jest- 
 ingly, now, but Mowbray could see 
 that he was no less in earnest. He 
 went on, unfolding a map of the West 
 Indies and the Caribbean, upon which 
 he had made pencil tracings and va- 
 rious memoranda. 
 
 " As you will see from this," he said, 
 " here is an island that is called Cap- 
 tiva. There is a reason for each of 
 these names, strange as some of them 
 are, could we but trace it ; and this is 
 probably but the Spanish version of 
 Captive, the name given to the one 
 where the treasure was buried by 
 Lolonius' men. Whether this is that 
 island, we can only guess. But let us 
 suppose it is true, then this is The 
 Turtle's Back. This may be but a 
 faint clue, but I feel that it is a rea- 
 sonable one where all is guesswork 
 as I admit. I feel that it will pay to 
 follow this. If treasure is there it has 
 now no owner, and might as well be
 
 4P Gbe Cbree IRicbarD TJdbalens. 
 
 ours as another's. If it is not there, 
 then the exhilaration of the quest will 
 be something. I had meant to ask 
 you to join me. If you are so minded, 
 we will undertake this foolish business 
 together. It is somewhat the sort of 
 knight-errantry for which you were 
 wishing. Wait," he added, as Mow- 
 bray began to answer ; " I know 
 what you will say. That if the gold 
 of one pirate is cursed, this of another 
 will be no better ; so that I might as 
 well hold fast to that which I have, as 
 to give it up and take this instead. 
 But the difference is here. One was 
 had by sword and rapine by my own 
 blood and it has come to me with 
 conditions that I must observe. The 
 other is a true treasure-trove, waiting 
 for who will and who dares to come 
 and take it." 
 
 " I am afraid that is arrant sophis- 
 try," laughed Mowbray ; " but I am 
 ready for the enterprise, none the less. 
 I will go with you and see what the 
 chase results in. But I am almost 
 sorry, Dick, that we cannot go as true
 
 Cbe Gbree "RicbarO Tffilbaleng. 43 
 
 buccaneers. I am fearful that we 
 shall not get the sport from it that 
 they did." 
 
 " I am Richard Whalen," answered 
 the other, half mournfully. " I think 
 it is written that the lives of the men 
 of that name shall not be common- 
 place. You have enlisted for more 
 serious work than you now think." 
 
 Light and thoughtless as Carl Mow- 
 bray seemed, even to those who knew 
 him well; in spite of the fact that he 
 was a man of the world and careless 
 and nonchalant in his touch upon 
 every phase of the life that he lived ; 
 yet had he many sterling qualities 
 that endeared him to his friends, and 
 a most sound aptitude for business, 
 when it came in his way. Chimerical 
 as he believed this errand to be, and 
 engaging in it only for love of his 
 friend, and that he had as willingly be 
 upon that matter as upon any other, 
 he now suggested to Whalen that it 
 would be well to observe due caution 
 in all their steps. If they proposed to 
 find this island, with the definite pur-
 
 44 3be Gbree IRicbarO tUbalcns. 
 
 pose of securing to themselves what- 
 ever of value might be discovered 
 upon it, the part of wisdom would be 
 to make certain their title to it at the 
 outset. Otherwise they might have 
 greater trouble in holding their treas- 
 ure than in the mere finding of it. So 
 Whalen, admitting the truth of what 
 he said, but having no mind for such 
 dry details, put these matters in the 
 hands of his friend, with instructions 
 to do whatever he thought best, while 
 he himself matured the plans for their 
 expedition. Together they studied 
 the maps carefully, after which Mow- 
 bray at once set on foot an investiga- 
 tion, which disclosed the fact that the 
 island of Captiva was one of a small 
 and presumably worthless group which 
 had come into possession of the United 
 States by some former treaty with 
 Spain, and which had then been 
 promptly lost sight of by every one, but 
 the records of which remained in the 
 archives of the government. But even 
 when they were unearthed at Wash- 
 ington, Captiva was valued so lightly
 
 Cbc STbrcc "Ktcbarc) tUbalcns. 45 
 
 that it was willingly made over to the 
 two friends by the commissioner in 
 whose charge it was, upon the pay- 
 ment of a merely nominal sum. And 
 the latter wished them joy of their 
 purchase in a manner that clearly in- 
 dicated his opinion that a fool and 
 his money were soon parted, and that 
 they would find little of either joy or 
 profit from their new possession. But 
 Mowbray was a man who knew how 
 to keep his own counsel ; and having 
 no mind to be laughed at for a vision- 
 ary, he invented the fiction that they 
 proposed to engage there in the busi- 
 ness of mining phosphates, rich de- 
 posits of which it was well known had 
 recently been discovered upon some 
 of the other islands of that sea. He 
 even went to the length of having an 
 elaborate report prepared by one 
 Joyce, supposed to be a mining ex- 
 pert who had been sent by them for 
 the purpose of making an investiga- 
 tion. 
 
 " Don't let them think we are such 
 fools as to be bound upon a treasure
 
 46 Gbe tlbtee TRtcbarfc Wlbalens. 
 
 search," he said to Whalen. " If they 
 think we have made a'.bad speculation in 
 phosphate lands, all right. Other sane 
 men have done the same. But I guess 
 we are the first ones of that sort who 
 have gone into this kind of thing. 
 And I am not quite certain even of 
 our sanity." 
 
 Whalen was too thoroughly in ear- 
 nest to appreciate the other's jesting 
 mood. 
 
 "Wait until we see what the end is, 
 Carl, before you decide as to that. 
 We may not get our treasure, but I feel 
 that we shall not return quite empty- 
 handed. It may be that there are more 
 things than gold hidden there." 
 
 Mowbray looked at his friend keenly. 
 
 " I don't think I quite keep up with 
 you, Dick. I hope you are not think- 
 ing of bringing away some dark- 
 skinned daughter of the isles, for a 
 prize, in case the treasure fails us ? " 
 
 To this Whalen answered, laughing : 
 "It might not be the worst place a 
 man could go for a wife. But wait. 
 We shall see what the end is, soon."
 
 3be Cbrcc TRicbarD ixibalcns. 47 
 
 And as we, too, must wait a little 
 upon the movements of these excel- 
 lent companions, we will employ that 
 enforced leisure by a glance at the 
 strange land toward which they are 
 about to journey, and the yet more 
 strange people who have made it their 
 home.
 
 48 3be Gbree "KicbarD 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 BINDER, the Austrian who had lived 
 upon Captiva Island for almost a 
 dozen years, had never paid much at- 
 tention to the inlet that crossed two- 
 thirds of its upper portion, thus very 
 nearly making two islands of that 
 which nature had intended should be 
 but one. True, he sometimes found it 
 a convenient shelter to run under 
 when the surf was high on the outer 
 beach ; but beyond this it had never 
 interested him much. As it was, the 
 island served his purpose ; and it 
 would have done so equally well had it 
 been either larger or smaller, had the 
 land been in two parts or a dozen 
 parts instead of one, so long as he 
 could have possession undisturbed. 
 But different men see things with dif- 
 ferent eyes. When the Marquis Guil-
 
 Gbree "RicbarO TKflbalcns. 49 
 
 laume de Poincy came to Captiva he 
 found this inlet the most attractive 
 thing about it. Not at first, however, 
 because he did not discover it at once, 
 and Binder was not the man to point 
 out things that another might find 
 with his own eyes. 
 
 You must not reason from this that 
 the marquis was dull, or slow of per- 
 ception. It was only because he 
 studied first the things nearest at 
 hand, that he did not find the inlet 
 sooner. The marquis was a scientist. 
 As plant collector and roaming bota- 
 nist for half the museums of Europe, 
 he had drifted down into this remote 
 sea in a little boat, in which, single- 
 handed, he had explored almost every 
 navigable water on the globe. Com- 
 ing upon Captiva, and finding Binder 
 encamped in a comfortable squatter's 
 cabin, he had felicitated himself upon 
 his good fortune and at once pro- 
 ceeded to make himself very much at 
 home. And when, a week after his 
 arrival, a great tide had come up in 
 the night and carried away the boat
 
 so be Gbree IRicbatD "Mbalena. 
 
 which he thought safely out of reach 
 upon the shelving beach, and so cut 
 off all present means of putting him- 
 self again in connection with the great 
 world, he had accepted the situation 
 with equanimity such as only a scien- 
 tist and a philosopher could have com- 
 passed. So long as he saw work 
 enough before him in his chosen field 
 to occupy the present and the imme- 
 diate future, he was content. Until 
 he had exhausted the resources of 
 this little island of the sea, he wanted 
 nothing of the larger world. 
 
 At first Binder was shy and reserved 
 with the volatile Frenchman, appar- 
 ently inclined to look upon him with 
 some suspicion, and not at all anxious 
 to be favoured with the continuance 
 of his society, so that he regarded the 
 loss of the boat as more of a misfor- 
 tune than did the owner of the craft. 
 But the bonhommie of the Frenchman, 
 his ready adaptability to all sorts and 
 conditions of life, and perhaps the 
 further fact that he seemed, like 
 Binder himself, only a bit of the un-
 
 vibe ttbree TRtcbarD "UHbalcns. s 1 
 
 classified drifting flotsam of humanity, 
 finally reconciled the latter to his 
 company. Indeed, in his quiet, unde- 
 monstrative way, Binder seemed to 
 take some interest in him, and in his 
 work. So for a time things went on 
 smoothly enough. De Poincy worked 
 steadily, and with all the enthusiasm 
 of his nature ; studying the herbage of 
 the island, collecting specimens of 
 every plant and flower that its luxu- 
 riant vegetation afforded, searching 
 diligently lest any unseen and hitherto 
 unknown varieties should escape him. 
 This through the day, from the rising 
 of the sun to its setting. At night 
 he still worked, classifying and ar- 
 ranging his collections with the minute 
 dexterity of a woman, placing them 
 between folds of heavy paper, and 
 when his supply of this was exhausted 
 using the dry palm-leaves instead. 
 And when this was done he bound 
 them all into compact volumes, mak- 
 ing the covers of the palm-bark, and 
 put them away for the time when 
 he should return to the world and
 
 52 3be 3bree IRicbarD "CUbalcns, 
 
 present them to his beloved muse- 
 ums. 
 
 But at last the resources near at 
 hand were exhausted and De Poincy 
 was driven further afield in his search. 
 And this brought him one day upon 
 the inlet in the upper portion of the 
 island, which so nearly cut the land in 
 two that he indeed thought, at the first 
 glance, that he had reached the limit 
 of Binder's province and that the in- 
 viting green bank opposite was not to 
 be arrived at dry shod. This, how- 
 ever, did not concern him so much as 
 did certain other things that greeted 
 his eye. 
 
 The savant looked about him with 
 wonder and enthusiasm. Here were 
 rich aquatic growths ; the most bril- 
 liant flowers; vines twisting and droop- 
 ing above the water from dense over- 
 hanging umbrage ; air-plants growing 
 in wanton profusion, their yellow and 
 scarlet flame peering at him from the 
 greener depths. All these told the 
 scientist, more plainly than words 
 could have done, that a richer soil was
 
 Cbc Cbree IRtcbarfc tabalcns. 53 
 
 beneath them than that which he had 
 been exploring. Even while he 
 gloated upon the beauty of these new- 
 found treasures, his keen mind was 
 seeking the cause which had produced 
 this wonderful effect. He knew this 
 was no chance growth. Nature did 
 not work in such hap-hazard fashion. 
 In ten minutes his trained perception 
 had told him that which the duller 
 faculties of the Austrian had over- 
 looked for as many years. He had 
 discovered that the vegetation upon 
 the immediate bank of the inlet pos- 
 sessed wholly different characteris- 
 tics from that which prevailed only 
 a few paces away. Twenty feet from 
 the bank were huge mastics, and 
 gnarled and twisted gumbo-limbo trees 
 that had the mark of centuries upon 
 them, reaching their tall tops high up 
 toward the blue sky ; while closer to- 
 the edge the growth was but the child 
 of a modern day, made up of cabbage- 
 palms and water-oaks, interspersed 
 with the tall and graceful bamboo, 
 and here and there a wild orange
 
 54 Gbe Gbree IRicbarO lUbalcns. 
 
 ladened with its golden, acrid fruit. 
 The line between the two epochs of 
 growth was too plainly marked to per- 
 mit De Poincy to suspect for a moment 
 that he saw here only some sportive 
 freak of nature, some vagrant mood 
 designed to puzzle science and to set 
 at naught his learning. He began to 
 look about for the cause, with the 
 methodical directness of a man who 
 was in the habit of going to the root 
 of things. Still the rare botanical 
 treasures that fronted him whichever 
 way he turned, made him pause more 
 than once in sheer amaze and contem- 
 plation at his own good fortune. 
 
 " Man Dieu!" he exclaimed, with 
 Tapture ; " this is to me a veritable 
 treasure island. What a fool I have 
 been not to look further about me than 
 I could reach my hand, before this ! 
 But still, there is time enough. No 
 one else will trespass upon me here. 
 I shall find now both my reputation 
 and my fortune. This will make the 
 name of Guillaume de Poincy known 
 at the Academy."
 
 Gbe Gbree "RicbarD lUbalens. 55 
 
 He fell eagerly to work, as soon as 
 he could calm himself sufficiently to 
 do so, and made a close and careful 
 inspection of the whole ground. While 
 he was engaged upon this task the 
 Austrian came up and stood for a time 
 contemplating him so silently that the 
 other was not aware of his approach. 
 When the Frenchman finally became 
 cognizant of his presence, he greeted 
 Binder excitedly. 
 
 "Ah!" he cried; "I have made a 
 discovery ! This is a wonderful place 
 your island ! " 
 
 He held his hands high above his 
 head, and waved them triumphantly at 
 Binder. In one he grasped a giant 
 fern, in the other the gorgeous bloom 
 of an orchid. But his enthusiasm 
 failed wholly to disturb the equanim- 
 ity of the other. 
 
 " Some one has been here before us, 
 Hans," he continued, bound upon in- 
 teresting his companion. " We are 
 not the first discoverers of Captiva at 
 least not of this part. There are 
 signs "
 
 56 3be Gbree "KicbarD lUbalcns. 
 
 The Austrian's stolidity had for- 
 saken him as if by magic. "What's 
 that you say, sir?" he demanded. 
 "Some one has been here, did you 
 say ? " He began to look about him, 
 as if he would at once discover the in- 
 truders. " How do you know ? 
 When ? " 
 
 He peered nervously into the under- 
 growth, as if half expecting some 
 enemy to start forth ; then at the soil 
 beneath their feet, to see if there were 
 other tracks than those made by the 
 Frenchman and himself. But finding 
 nothing at which to take alarm, he 
 turned to the other again and began 
 once more to question him. 
 
 De Poincy had been vastly surprised 
 at the sudden change in the Austrian's 
 demeanour, and wondered why he 
 should be so much concerned at the 
 possibility of some chance visitor hav- 
 ing found their island. He could not 
 understand why his companion should 
 be so disturbed at so simple an an- 
 nouncement as this which he had 
 made, and so gazed at him in amaze-
 
 Gbe Gbree "RicbarO lUbalcns. 57 
 
 ment, answering leisurely, and playing 
 with his impatience. 
 
 "By their tracks, Hans, by their 
 tracks. Although time has done his 
 best to cover them, they are still as 
 plain as the nose on your face. I 
 should say," glancing about with the 
 air of a man who wished to make no 
 hasty assertion, and who would be 
 sure before committing himself upon a 
 question of so great importance, " I 
 should say," he repeated, slowly, 
 " somewhat more than a century and 
 a half ago. Perhaps," he added, as if 
 thinking upon the matter deeply, and 
 weighing it from every standpoint, " as 
 much as two centuries since." 
 
 Binder growled surlily. " You gave 
 me such a fright. I don't fancy such 
 jokes," he said. 
 
 " Come," cried De Poincy, rallyingly, 
 "you "invited it. Why should you 
 care who has been here, and when ? 
 You haven't any treasure hidden here, 
 have you ? " 
 
 The suddenness with which Binder 
 started at this, made a strange
 
 58 Gbe Cbree IRicbarD Wbalcns. 
 
 thought come into De Poincy's mind 
 a thought none other than that he 
 had unwittingly come rather near the 
 mark with his question ; although 
 nothing could be further from the 
 opinion he had formed of the Austrian, 
 than that he was leading this hermit 
 life in a selfish search for some hidden 
 riches. While the Frenchman knew 
 there were many tales current of such 
 things among these unfrequented 
 islands, it had rather been his belief 
 that in the Austrian he had at last 
 found that which he had long hoped 
 to find a man who lived alone with 
 nature for nature's sake, and because 
 he loved nature more than men. And, 
 thinking him that, he could have for- 
 given him almost any eccentricity. 
 But he was afraid that he was to be 
 disappointed in him now, and that he 
 was to find him, after all, only like 
 other men. 
 
 Binder hesitated a little before he 
 answered, looking sharply at his com- 
 panion, and seeming to ask himself if 
 he could trust him with his secret.
 
 3be Cbree 'Kicbaro tQbalens. 59 
 
 So the two stood for a time peering at 
 each other, questioning each other 
 with their eyes, a suspicion of each 
 growing in the heart of the other. 
 With the Austrian, the dormant human 
 element in the man seemed to be 
 struggling to get the better of his 
 habitual self, of the reserve which had 
 been ingrained, doubtless, by his many 
 years of lonely life. 
 
 At last he said, briefly: "Come, I 
 will show you."
 
 Gbree 1Rtcbar> 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 As soon as Binder had spoken the 
 word, his hesitancy seemed to vanish 
 as if by magic. Without even waiting 
 for the Frenchman's assent, he turned 
 and led the way rapidly down to the 
 water's edge, where he drew a small 
 boat from its concealing canopy of 
 green foliage, and entering it motioned 
 silently to his companion to follow. 
 Taking the oars, he rowed swiftly and 
 still as silently down the inlet, be- 
 neath the branches of trees sweeping 
 so low that they were forced to stoop 
 to avoid being brushed from the boat 
 by them, until he reached a point 
 where a slight path was cut through 
 the dense tangle of the woods. 
 
 From the moment when he had 
 told De Poincy to follow, Binder's 
 eyes had hardly left the face of the
 
 Cbe Cbree IRtcbarfc tUbalens. 61 
 
 Frenchman. Even when he led the 
 way he had half turned and looked 
 upon the other as they went forward. 
 He seemed, with all the intentness of 
 his being to search the very soul of 
 De Poincy, as if to determine whether 
 he might safely trust him with the 
 secret which he was about to discover 
 to him. Yet he pushed forward, as if 
 anxious to reach the end of the mys- 
 tery before his mind should change. 
 The Frenchman grew conscious of the 
 manner of his companion, and his 
 mind reverted to the thought that had 
 crossed it, and he asked himself again 
 if he had some hidden treasure there. 
 Apparently Binder divined the ques- 
 tion, for he stopped and looked at the 
 other sharply, and made as if about to 
 speak. Yet he said nothing, but kept 
 steadily to his oars for they were in 
 the boat by this and when they had 
 reached the path he turned the boat 
 against the bank and stepped out from 
 it, and again motioned his companion 
 to follow. 
 Threading the path thus silently,
 
 62 Gbe abree "RicbarD TKHbalens. 
 
 they soon came upon a scene that 
 caused De Poincy to exclaim even more 
 vehemently than had his discovery of 
 the inlet. 
 
 Had he given his fancy the wildest 
 play, it could not have, conjured up 
 such a spectacle as now greeted his 
 startled vision. That which he saw 
 first was a small clearing, in the cen- 
 tre of which stood a cabin, roughly 
 but picturesquely built, sided and 
 thatched with the coarse serrated 
 leaves of the saw-palmetto, with which 
 the island abounded. Before it stood 
 two lofty cocoa-palms, like great senti- 
 nels, heavy clusters of the fruit hang- 
 ing below their broad leafy crowns. 
 At one side was a rose-garden, brill- 
 iant with tropic bloom and fragrant 
 with odours, wherein the vines ran 
 riotously ; upon the other, a grove of 
 bananas, bending with the ripening 
 yellow bunches, glowing like gold 
 against the background made by the 
 green leaves of the plants. Further 
 away, groves of younger cocoa-palms, 
 their smooth trunks standing like pil-
 
 Sbree "Rtcbarfc IWlbalens. 63 
 
 lars, supported an umbrageous roof 
 through which the light could barely 
 penetrate. Sheltered by these was a 
 grove of orange-trees, the glaucous 
 leaves shining in the sun, the luscious 
 fruit hanging temptingly ripe and ready 
 to the hand. Groups of a dozen other 
 tropical growths betokened the hand 
 of man in their care, rather than the 
 erratic course of nature. These de- 
 tails De Poincy was able to take in 
 almost at a glance, although his gaze 
 was enchained the while by something 
 vastly more startling the figure of a 
 young girl who was romping with a 
 couple of huge dogs before the open 
 door of the hut. 
 
 Almost before the men appeared in 
 the opening the dogs gave voice and 
 crouched as if ready to defend their 
 mistress. But at sight of Binder they 
 gave quick, short yelps of recogni- 
 tion, and went on with their play. 
 The girl, having noticed only Binder 
 at first, paused and was about to come 
 forward. But upon seeing that he 
 was not alone, she turned and was
 
 64 Cbe ttbree IRtcbarJ) TKflbalens. 
 
 entering the cabin when the Austrian 
 called to her to come to them, and she 
 at once obeyed. Binder watched her 
 as she advanced, looking also intently 
 at De Poincy, and did not speak again 
 until she was close upon them. Then 
 he said to her : 
 
 "This is a friend, Nonie. He has 
 been staying with me. That is why I 
 have not been here." 
 
 " I shall not like him, if he keeps 
 you away," she answered, looking 
 fearlessly into De Poincy's eyes. " I 
 am tired of being alone, with only my 
 dogs for company." 
 
 " Good heavens ! " exclaimed the 
 Frenchman, who had been too much 
 amazed for speech until now ; " do you 
 stay in this place alone ? " 
 
 "Why should I not?" she asked 
 in turn, an unfeigned surprise at his 
 question showing itself in both her 
 words and manner. " There is no 
 one upon the island but Hans and me. 
 And the island is all ours Hans' and 
 mine. Once it was all mine, but now 
 I share it with him he has been so 
 good to me."
 
 Cbree "Ricbarfc TUHbalens. 65 
 
 The girl drew herself up proudly, 
 like a princess, as she claimed sover- 
 eignty over the land. Then she went 
 closer to Binder and placed her hand 
 confidingly in his, and standing thus 
 gave De Poincy an opportunity to 
 study her. 
 
 So olive-dark was her skin that he 
 at first thought her a descendant of 
 one of the native races who had 
 made their homes among these islands 
 before the encroachments of the Euro- 
 peans had civilised them out of exist- 
 ence. But from the contour of her 
 face and the high intelligence denoted 
 by her clear eyes and broad brow, he 
 quickly determined that she was of 
 Caucasian blood. It was difficult to 
 even guess her age, for while her form 
 betokened the approach of woman- 
 hood, her frank and simple manner 
 was that of a child. So marvelous a 
 specimen of the human race, in so un- 
 expected a place, the scientist had 
 never before encountered ; and he was 
 about to pour out a flood of questions, 
 when Binder, becoming aware of his
 
 66 tlbe bree TRicbarfc "Cdbalens, 
 
 purpose, interrupted him by again 
 speaking to the girl. 
 
 " We may be about here often, now," 
 he said, "and I came up to tell you, so 
 that you would not wonder if you saw 
 signs of our having been around the 
 inlet." 
 
 " If you are here, will you not come 
 to the cabin and see me ? " she de- 
 manded. 
 
 "We shall be busy," answered the 
 Austrian, evasively, but with his pene- 
 trating, questioning glance again fixed 
 upon De Poincy. " I may not have 
 time, for awhile." 
 
 "When does he go away?" she 
 asked, nodding toward De Poincy, with 
 marked emphasis. 
 
 " I do not know. Before very long, 
 perhaps," said Hans. 
 
 " And then you will come again, 
 every day ? " 
 
 " Yes, as soon as I can," he answered, 
 much after the manner of one who 
 would comfort a child. 
 
 When they had turned to retrace 
 their steps, De Poincy once more at-
 
 Cbree Ricbarfc "Cdbalens. 67 
 
 tempted to question his guide, but the 
 latter stopped him, saying : 
 
 " Wait until we are home to-night. 
 Then I will tell you all." 
 
 Even with this assurance that he 
 should so soon be given the key to the 
 mystery of which he had been per- 
 mitted a glimpse, De Poincy could but 
 ill restrain his impatience. Perhaps 
 he could not wholly have done so, 
 were it not that the inflexible look of 
 determination upon the face of the 
 other a look which told plainly that 
 the man had come to some great re- 
 solve, and that not without a severe 
 mental struggle warned him that he 
 must use the utmost caution if he 
 would remain in the Austrian's good 
 graces. 
 
 So great was his curiosity that now 
 it would have been a serious blow had 
 he been deprived of the hope of hav- 
 ing it speedily gratified. This strange 
 vision that had been so suddenly and 
 so unexpectedly shown to him was 
 most puzzling. Rack his brain as he 
 would, he could arrive at no reasonable
 
 68 Gbe Gbree IRicbarD "GGlbalens. 
 
 explanation. Who was this girl this 
 island sprite ? What was she to Bin- 
 der? He could not even hazard a 
 guess. Her manner toward him was 
 so confiding, as though he might have 
 been an elder brother ; while the 
 Austrian's demeanour toward herself 
 was one of affectionate respect, as 
 though he had been specially appointed 
 to guard and care for her. He had 
 hardly the air of a servant, yet she had 
 somewhat the imperiousness of one 
 who knew herself to be mistress. As 
 he thought of the contrast between 
 them, he was sure they were held in 
 this strange companionship by no 
 bond of consanguinity. But beyond 
 this negative conclusion he could not 
 get. 
 
 While the girl and her surroundings 
 remained the absorbing topic in his 
 mind, his discovery of the inlet and 
 the curious growths he had found upon 
 its banks did not by any means pass 
 wholly from it. That alone would 
 have given him sufficient food for ro- 
 mantic speculation for one day. But
 
 ftbree l?icbar& Tldbalens. 69 
 
 with the girl, the lonely cabin, the 
 little tropic paradise in which it was 
 set, the gardens and groves, her rela- 
 tions to the Austrian these together 
 were almost too much for the French- 
 man to assimilate at once, and espe- 
 cially as he was compelled for the 
 nonce to keep silence regarding them. 
 It would have been some relief if he 
 could have talked about it all even if 
 he could have poured out part of the 
 great flood of questions that leaped to 
 his lips. But a side-glance toward his 
 companion, now and again, as he went 
 stolidly upon the homeward course, 
 told him plainly that to question now 
 would be the surest way of not finding 
 out that which he wished so much to 
 know. 
 
 It was a hard test for the small stock 
 of patience with which he was en- 
 dowed. Binder was even more de- 
 liberate than usual that evening. He 
 busied himself long with one thing and 
 another, smoking away the while at 
 the short black pipe that was his con- 
 stant companion, and making no move
 
 70 abe Sbree IRfcbarfc TKHbalen0. 
 
 to fulfill his promise. He seemed to 
 be pondering deeply, and De Poincy 
 began to feel some awe of this simple, 
 austere, self-contained man, who ap- 
 parently had in his keeping some 
 weighty secret. 
 
 It was not until the Austrian saw De 
 Poincy finally bring out his collections 
 and settle himself as if for the usual 
 evening's work at their arrangement, 
 that he at last broke the silence he 
 had kept so long. Then he came and 
 leaned against the table where De 
 Poincy worked, and standing there 
 smoked, and toyed aimlessly with the 
 other's plants, and told this story in a 
 dull monotone that was not once re- 
 lieved by any suggestion of interest on 
 his own part. But De Poincy worked, 
 and listened, and lost consciousness of 
 time and place as he became en- 
 wrapped in the tragic^ warp and woof 
 of the story that Binder was telling so 
 calmly.
 
 Cbree "RicbarO Tiabalcns. 71 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 " TWELVE years ago," said the Aus- 
 trian, speaking slowly and with a pre- 
 cision that showed the effort it cost 
 him, " I killed a man. It does not 
 now matter why, but both my reason 
 and my conscience justified me. Yet 
 I was forced to become a fugitive from 
 that which men have miscalled justice, 
 or else wear my life out behind prison 
 walls. If I had thought myself guilty 
 of any crime against mankind, I would 
 willingly have suffered such punish- 
 ment as the law allotted. I tell you 
 this only that you may know why I am 
 buried here why I have no longer any 
 part in the world, or the world's work. 
 In my attempts to escape I finally 
 reached the coast, and there found 
 that the officers were close behind me. 
 Tired of being hunted on land, I deter-
 
 72 ilbe Ebree IRtcbarfc TKUbalens. 
 
 mined to trust to the water. Having 
 some money, I bought a small sloop 
 one that I could handle myself, as I 
 was something of a sailor and laid in 
 stores to serve for as long a cruise as 
 might become necessary. 
 
 " I laid my course due south, and for 
 five days and nights sailed steadily 
 upon it, never swerving except to make 
 away from the land whenever it came 
 in sight. A stiff breeze was driving 
 behind me most of the time, and I 
 made good headway. At first the lone- 
 someness of it was horrible. But 
 after that wore away I ate and slept, 
 and began to enjoy being alone with 
 only the sea and the sky and the wind. 
 The thought came to me that I would 
 like to live so, alone, if I could find a 
 place, and never be troubled by men 
 any more. 
 
 " On the morning of the sixth day 
 the wind, that had thus far seemed my 
 friend, turned and began to drive me 
 toward the east. Before night the 
 breeze had changed into a gale, and it 
 came on to rain, and the night set in
 
 Gbe cbrcc "RicbarD lUbalcns. 73 
 
 black and ugly. I could see nothing 
 but the white foam dashing up, as I 
 cut billow after billow with the prow of 
 my boat. Often the waves broke 
 above me with such force that I 
 thought the boat would not outlast the 
 shock. At times the lightning flashed, 
 and I could then see a vast expanse of 
 rolling, plunging waters, in which it 
 seemed impossible my little craft could 
 live. I could do nothing except to 
 make everything tight and wait for 
 day, or for what might come in the 
 darkness. Long before the night was 
 done I had given up all hope of ever 
 seeing the day break again. The light- 
 ning ceased, and the darkness grew 
 impenetrable. I was not only alone in 
 the world, but there seemed no other 
 thing in it. 
 
 " It must have been somewhat after 
 midnight when I heard the roar of 
 breakers above the storm the dull, 
 booming sound, repeated with horri- 
 ble regularity, that no man can forget, 
 having once heard it, for there is no 
 other sound like it. It was so close and
 
 74 3be Cbree TCicbarD TJdbalens. 
 
 so loud that it frightened me. Even if 
 there had been time to prepare, I could 
 have done nothing. As it was, the end 
 came before I could think. I was 
 hurled through the breakers and upon 
 the shore just off yonder." 
 
 Binder paused, and with a slow ges- 
 ture motioned toward the beach in 
 front of them. Seen through the open 
 door of the cabin, it lay like a wide 
 streak of glimmering silver, illumined 
 by the starlight, against the dark blue 
 mass of the sea. With that before 
 him, De Poincy found it difficult to 
 conjure up the picture the Austrian 
 had drawn. 
 
 " Aye," said the latter, interpreting 
 the thought of his companion ; "it is 
 gentle enough now, and makes pleasant 
 enough music as it kisses against the 
 sand. But you will see it when it is 
 angry, and hurling wave after wave 
 shoreward as if it would beat the earth 
 back with them. It is then it will 
 take you or me, sir, if we get within 
 its reach, and flout us without mercy. 
 It is like a woman."
 
 Cbree TRfcbarfc TKHbalens. 75 
 
 There was no change in his voice as 
 he said this, but it caused De Poincy 
 to look up quickly and to study his 
 companion's face for some sign of pas- 
 sion. But its phlegmatic immobility 
 betrayed no token that he had ever 
 been touched by woman's love or 
 hate. 
 
 Wholly disregarding his scrutiny, 
 Binder continued in the same dull 
 monotone : 
 
 " It was like that that night. An- 
 gry and cruel. Wild and dark as it 
 was, I knew at the instant what was 
 coming. For the space of one single 
 breath I heard the roar of the 
 breakers, and could see the sharp 
 white line they made along the shore. 
 While I had no time for thought, in- 
 stinct, perhaps, guided me ; for I 
 grasped the tiller with both hands, to 
 keep her head straight for it, and then 
 braced myself for the shock. It was 
 not long in coming, for that was the 
 last I knew. It must be that the first 
 wave threw me upon the beach, and 
 that the next carried the sloop off
 
 76 be ftbree TRicbarD Ulbalens. 
 
 again, and washed me further up the 
 sands, beyond reach of the water. 
 When I came to myself the sun was 
 shining and the sea had grown calm 
 again and a little child was playing 
 in the sand beside me. The child 
 was the one whom you have seen to- 
 day." 
 
 At this, De Poincy was startled into 
 a quick exclamation. 
 
 " This girl," he said, " here, alone, 
 at that time ? " 
 
 " No," answered Binder, " not alone. 
 With her father she then lived in this 
 cabin, they two the only living beings 
 upon the island." 
 
 He paused again, and De Poincy 
 again began to question, the progress 
 of the narrative not keeping pace with 
 liis impatience. But the Austrian 
 stopped him with a gesture. 
 
 " Wait," he said ; " I will tell you." 
 
 He drew some quick whiffs upon his 
 pipe, to make certain the coals were yet 
 alive in it, and then resumed his story. 
 
 " How long they had been here," he 
 said, " I shall show you presently.
 
 Sbree Wcfcaro TOlbalens. 77 
 
 They lived as I live now. The old 
 man her father for he seemed old to 
 me, although his years were not many 
 more than mine are now, made me 
 welcome to what he had. That was 
 little, as what I have here now is little. 
 But that was, as this is, enough and 
 what more does man need ? I told him 
 my story, hiding nothing. And when 
 I had done that, he told me I should 
 remain and live with him. He said " 
 and at this Binder lowered his voice 
 and spoke reverently " that ' God had 
 sent me.' " 
 
 " And the old man ? " queried De 
 Poincy, as Binder paused once more 
 and began to smoke contemplatively, 
 this time seemingly forgetting there 
 was yet more to tell. 
 
 For answer his companion placed 
 before him a small memorandum, worn 
 with age. This had been carefully 
 ruled and dated, as though it had been 
 intended for the keeping of an elabo- 
 rate record. But De Poincy saw at a 
 single glance that few entries had been 
 made in it.
 
 78 $be Gbree IRtcbarfc IKttbalens. 
 
 The Frenchman had been profoundly 
 impressed by the unvarnished recital 
 of this dramatic tale, and now took up 
 the book with the feeling that some 
 great life's tragedy was about to be 
 unfolded to him. So it was with a 
 sensation akin to reluctance curious 
 as he was to know more of this strange 
 story that he opened the book and 
 turned to the first of the entries, and 
 read aloud as follows : 
 
 " ' I, Richard Whalen, aweary of the 
 world and carrying with me the heavy 
 burden of another's guilt, do regard it 
 as an act of Providence that I am cast 
 here upon Captiva Island (well named, 
 for willing or not we three are captives 
 here). With these two whom-I have 
 found in this remote place will I live 
 until death comes, striving by prayer 
 and an austere life to make some 
 amends for my past sins, and for the 
 evil that was wrought by my royster- 
 ing ancestor. So that, if it be God's 
 will, the curse may depart from the 
 gold which he won and which I have 
 used, and which I have now left be-
 
 3be Gbree TRicbarO THHbaleus. 79 
 
 hind me in this hope for my dear 
 nephew, of my own name the name 
 that has been cursed by it for two hun- 
 dred years. If my prayer is not granted 
 in this it were better that I had cast it 
 into the sea than to have left it to his 
 undoing.' " 
 
 Following this were a number of 
 blank pages, and these De Poincy 
 turned impatiently before coming to a 
 second entry. That, and the others 
 which followed, were in the order in 
 which they are given here ; but as most 
 of the dates were omitted, and some of 
 those which were given were evidently 
 incorrect, as if there had been some 
 confusion regarding the matter in the 
 mind of the man who wrote, it will be 
 impossible to give a perfect chronol- 
 ogy. Time, doubtless, became of very 
 little moment to these lives whose 
 hours were ticked away only by the 
 incessant beating of the waves of the 
 sea upon their sandy shore. 
 
 "It is curious," ran this second 
 entry, " what pranks chance doth work 
 us. This old man who saved my life
 
 8o Gbe Sbree "Ricbarfc TOlbalens. 
 
 (that is of so little worth to me) may 
 be one who has suffered through the 
 evil done by the first of the Richard 
 Whalens. His story is this : That be- 
 ing much impoverished, tho' of an old 
 and anciently rich family of Panama, 
 and having among his papers some ac- 
 count of how the gold and jewels of 
 his ancestors had been carried away by 
 the buccaneers at the sacking of that 
 city ; and further, that some part of 
 them were buried upon an island which 
 was then called The Turtle's Back, he 
 did set sail in a small boat, taking 
 with him a handful of trusty men and 
 his one child a daughter whom he 
 dared leave to the care of none else 
 to seek for the place where this trea- 
 sure did lie. And that having reached 
 this island of Captiva, which he did 
 think from his charts to be The Tur- 
 tle's Back, and having sought in vain 
 a long time for the treasure, his men 
 did finally become discontented and 
 went away in the sloop which had 
 brought them. But he refusing to 
 abandon the search, with the child was
 
 Gbe Cbree "KicbarO laabalciw. 81 
 
 left here alone, to live or die, as might 
 be the will of God. 
 
 " And now having heard this tale, I 
 cannot but believe that the troubles of 
 this venerable man, and of his sweet 
 child, have been wrought through the 
 direct agency of that thief, pirate, 
 murderer, and son of the Devil, the 
 first Richard Whalen. And for that 
 cause, if for no other, will I remain 
 and try to succour him in his old 
 days, and so perhaps undo a little of 
 the wrong that has been done by my 
 name and blood." 
 
 Then followed numerous entries of 
 slight importance, most of them de- 
 scribing the daily life of these cast- 
 aways ; recording the growth of the 
 fruits and other little crops that they 
 cultivated, and the satisfaction the 
 writer found in so simple and innocent 
 an existence. It appeared that after 
 he had come they began a more sys- 
 tematic effort to cultivate the island, 
 to grow the many luscious tropical 
 fruits that the soil and climate made 
 possible, and which already existed
 
 82 3be 3bree TRtcbarD Wbalens. 
 
 there in a half-wild state, and to make 
 their entire environment and the con- 
 ditions of their lives not only endur- 
 able but enticing. De Poincy gathered 
 that Whalen had been the prime mover 
 in this, and from references here and 
 there he believed that he had been 
 actuated thereto mainly by a desire to 
 please the daughter of the old man, 
 and to provide her with all the comforts 
 their little kingdom would permit. 
 He passed rapidly over these entries, 
 merely glancing at them to see that 
 no item of importance escaped him. 
 But presently he came to some which 
 contained references to the treasure, 
 which it appeared the old man yet 
 hoped to find, and upon these he 
 seized eagerly.
 
 Gbree "RicbarO "Cdbalens. 83 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 " THIS (the search for the treasure) 
 doth still possess him like a haunting 
 dream," wrote Whalen ; " and I almost 
 fear that the evil itching for it doth 
 even begin to affect myself, steeled 
 against all lust for gold as I had 
 thought me to be. It would be but 
 right and a strange rendering of jus- 
 tice at the last if I should be the in- 
 strument for the finding of it, and for 
 restoring it to him. Yet is this island 
 a large domain, and where hath he not 
 already made search ? I see the signs 
 of his patient delving on every hand. 
 And should it be found, what then ? I 
 am content to finish my life here. But 
 even were any of us not so, where is 
 the means for our departure ? We 
 have no boat that would live a day in 
 the open sea, and no sail has shown
 
 84 Gbe Cbree TRtcbarD "mibalens, 
 
 above our horizon in all the time that 
 we have been here." 
 
 But is no man proof against an 
 itching palm, or free from the curse of 
 the love for gold ? This is the ques- 
 tion that De Poincy now asked him- 
 self, for later was this entry : 
 
 " He hath also papers which show 
 how one called Lolonius did likewise 
 make rendezvous upon The Turtle's 
 Back. In such case, should we find 
 the gold, there would be no curse 
 upon it which I need fear more than 
 another. For I am not of his blood ; 
 however, that of some other evil-doer 
 doth run in my veins." 
 
 But this selfish and unworthy 
 thought seems to have passed. For 
 next he wrote : 
 
 " My friend is growing very old. 
 His days are almost numbered. And 
 before the tide has run in and out 
 many times, he will lay him down here 
 upon these sands and die. Then will 
 his quest be over, and the treasure for 
 which he has sought is not yet found. 
 I will then be alone with Nonie. It
 
 Cbe Cbree "Richard lUbalcns. 85 
 
 would be sacrilege that I, who have 
 the blood of the first Richard Whalen, 
 should mate with her, who I am very 
 certain hath suffered through his mis- 
 deeds. Yet I am the only protector 
 to whom she can look, and it may be 
 that in this I can make amend for 
 some of the evil that he wrought. She 
 is very beautiful." 
 
 At these last words the Frenchman 
 smiled wisely. But he said nothing 
 to Binder of the thought that flashed 
 across his mind, and went on with the 
 journal. These were the entries that 
 followed, in seemingly rapid succes- 
 sion : 
 
 " Yes, it shall be as her father 
 wishes, before he dies. I think she 
 has learned to care for me. Although 
 we have no priest, her father shall say 
 the words that bind us together, and 
 I shall call all heaven to witness that 
 I take her to be my wife as truly and 
 purely as though our vows were said 
 at the altar." 
 
 Further on was this : 
 
 " It is over. He was happy, in
 
 86 3be Gbtee IRicbarD iWbalens. 
 
 knowing that she was cared for. Now 
 may God so deal with me, as I with her ! " 
 
 After some time came this brief 
 song of praise : 
 
 " Unto us a child is born. We shall 
 call her Nonie. She is like her 
 mother." 
 
 And then this threnody of despair : 
 
 "She is dead my wife and my 
 love ! It is the judgment of God 
 upon me, because I am of the blood of 
 the first Richard Whalen, the Evil 
 One, and have dared link myself with 
 her. For my child, I will yet live on. 
 But if death should come to me also 
 here ? Will God then send a protec- 
 tor for her ? " 
 
 And this was the next : 
 
 " God has sent him." 
 
 And then the record closed with 
 these words : 
 
 " I, Richard Whalen, being about to 
 die, do bequeath Captiva Island and 
 the treasure which it may contain, in 
 trust for my daughter, Nonie, together 
 with the care of her, to Hans Binder 
 ^ man who, like those who have gone
 
 Sbree "RlcbarJ) THUbalens. 87 
 
 before him on Captiva, has suffered 
 from the misdeeds of others. As he 
 deals by her so may God deal with him" 
 
 When De Poincy had finished read- 
 ing these entries he put the book down 
 very gently, and the two men faced 
 one another for a long time without 
 speaking. The versatile and light- 
 hearted Frenchman was awed by the 
 majestic sadness of the words that 
 had been written by that lonely and 
 remorseful exile, and he appreciated 
 the gravity of the trust that had been 
 bequeathed to the Austrian. 
 
 He had no need to ask how this 
 trust had been fulfilled. That the 
 Austrian had given him this history, 
 had opened these pages to him so 
 freely, was in itself answer sufficient. 
 
 Binder had but a word to add, to 
 make the narrative complete, and this 
 he now gave. 
 
 " When I had buried him," he said, 
 " I took Nonie up to the inlet and 
 built the cabin there, and planted the 
 groves that you have seen. And now
 
 Cbree TRicbarfc IRHbalens. 
 
 you will understand why I was alarmed 
 at the thought that others had been 
 there." 
 
 At this he made final pause. And 
 to signify that his story was now 
 finished he took the pipe from his 
 mouth (where it had been held all 
 this time clenched between his teeth) 
 and knocked the dead ashes from it 
 upon the ground. 
 
 The presentiment with which De 
 Poincy had opened the book had been 
 amply made good. He had indeed 
 been brought face to face with one of 
 life's tragedies. The Austrian, seeing 
 him deep in thought, presently went 
 out ; and the Frenchman, left alone, 
 sat for a long while gazing out upon 
 the beautiful treacherous sea, watch- 
 ing the corruscating light as the waves 
 broke quietly upon the sand, and peo- 
 pling the beach again with the ghosts 
 of Captiva's past the two strange 
 men and the lovely woman who had 
 given up their lives upon it. From 
 that his thoughts went again to the 
 girl, living her strange and lonely life,
 
 Cbc Cbrce UicbarD Wbaletw. 89 
 
 and he wondered if she must follow in 
 the footsteps of the other to the very 
 end. And he then thought of what he 
 had seen that morning as he searched 
 about the inlet ; of the strange 
 growths, and their tale of men who 
 had delved there long before. And he 
 determined that the story they had 
 written there, he would read. 
 
 " It is her inheritance," he said, at 
 last ; " mayhap science can discover 
 some things that have been hidden 
 from those who only follow legend. 
 Well, we shall see." 
 
 With that he turned to sleep, with 
 the easy conscience of a man whose 
 soul is set on good resolves. And 
 when Binder returned to the hut, an 
 hour later, he found the Frenchman 
 slumbering peacefully upon his bed of 
 palm-leaves, and the moon, shining 
 down, shewed a happy smile upon his 
 parted lips which the simple Binder 
 took as a good omen, and said to him- 
 self that Nonie had found another 
 friend.
 
 90 Gbe Gbree TRtcbarD 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 A FEW days later than the time 
 when Binder was telling his story to 
 De Poincy, and the latter was reading 
 the journal of the dead Richard 
 Whalen and wondering what he might 
 do for his living daughter, two young 
 men were sitting in the office of the 
 superintendent of the steamship com- 
 pany at Port Tampa, discussing with 
 that official some maps spread out be- 
 fore them. 
 
 " Oh, yes, it will be easy enough to- 
 get to Captiva, if that is all," the su- 
 perintendent was saying ; " but you 
 will pardon me, gentlemen, if I tell 
 you honestly that I think you are on a 
 wild-goose chase. The island is there, 
 where you have indicated it on the 
 map. But it is clearly enough outside 
 the phosphate belt, as you may see by
 
 Gbe Gbrcc "RicbarD isabalens. 91 
 
 these tracings " he indicated a line 
 upon the map as he spoke " unless 
 some of our able scientists who have 
 been studying the question are sadly 
 at fault. So if you have bought it for 
 that purpose, I think you have simply 
 been putting money in a hole." 
 
 He looked keenly at them as he 
 spoke, as if half suspecting they had 
 not confided to him their whole motive 
 in seeking out the little-visited island. 
 He was a man well in years, who had 
 seen much of life on sea and shore, 
 and who had known of many wild 
 schemes cloaked under the guise of 
 practical and legitimate enterprise. 
 He liked the appearance of the men 
 before him, and would have been glad 
 to warn them from any rash venture. 
 Yet it was not his place to interfere, 
 more than he had already done by this 
 word of caution. 
 
 " But we have the report of a special- 
 ist," began one of his visitors, who 
 was none other than Mowbray, " and 
 he gives us every assurance " 
 
 " Probably after having examined it
 
 92 tlbe Cbree IRicbar? 
 
 from the same safe distance that we 
 are doing now," interrupted the super- 
 intendent, smilingly. "Still, if you 
 wish to go down " 
 
 "That we certainly do," replied the 
 one who had first spoken. " Do you 
 not say so, Whalen ? " 
 
 " I think so," was the quiet answer 
 of his companion. " Now that we are 
 started upon the thing we might as 
 well see it through. If the superin- 
 tendent will put us upon the track for 
 reaching this terra incognita, we had 
 best set forward as soon as we can." 
 
 "Very well then, gentlemen. I 
 shall be glad to assist you all that is in 
 my power, and I hope you will find 
 matters there to your liking. You had 
 better take our steamer down as far 
 as the Cuban telegraph station, and I 
 will wire orders ahead for a comfort- 
 able sailing vessel to be ready for you 
 there on your arrival. Our boat does 
 not go to Captiva, nor does any other 
 vessel of any sort. There is no har- 
 bour at the island, and after you are 
 once there you are not very likely to
 
 Cbree "Rfcbaro 'Gdbalens. 93 
 
 be molested, as queer stories are afloat 
 about the place, and sailors fight shy 
 of it. And, by-the-way," he continued, 
 as if the thought had suddenly come 
 to him, " you may find some one on 
 your purchase already, for I have heard 
 there is an old squatter on the island, 
 who is very jealous of his rights. I 
 hope he will give you no trouble ; but 
 if he attempts to, by claiming posses- 
 sion, you had better buy him off. The 
 courts are rather apt to uphold the 
 claims of these settlers, even though 
 they may have no legal nor technical 
 rights to stand on." 
 
 " But does no one ever go there ? " 
 asked Mowbray ; " no trading vessels, 
 no fishermen ? Surely this squatter 
 must have some means of getting in 
 touch with the world." 
 
 " No ; it is off the beaten track, and 
 the sailors are afraid of it. It is said 
 that it was once the haunt of buccan- 
 eers and perhaps they think their ghosts 
 still roam thereabouts. I have been 
 told that this fellow who is there has 
 no boat, nor any means of getting
 
 94 3be Hbrce TRicbarO TiUbalcns. 
 
 away, even if he should wish to. But 
 he seems content to live and die there, 
 if he can only be let alone. Probably 
 he is a little cracked." 
 
 At the mention of the word " buc- 
 caneers " the two friends had glanced 
 quickly at each other, and this had not 
 escaped the notice of the superinten- 
 dent, who laughed, when they had 
 gone, to think how easily they had 
 fallen into his little trap. 
 
 As his visitors left the office, the 
 official turned sharply toward a rough- 
 looking, black-browed fellow who had 
 been sitting near them during the con- 
 versation, but whose attitude betok- 
 ened not the least interest in it. And 
 in fact Manuel Garza, the well-known 
 Cuban smuggler and revolutionist, had 
 quite enough to think of just then in 
 his own concerns. These employments 
 to which he avowedly gave his energies 
 were bad enough of themselves. But 
 Manuel was more than suspected of 
 other trades not even so harmless as 
 these ; of robbery and outlawry on 
 sea and land, that if proven could well
 
 Gbe Gbree HicbarZ) TKlbalens. 95 
 
 have sent him to the gallows. But 
 thus far he had eluded the direct proof 
 of such crimes, although at times the 
 toils were drawn uncomfortably close 
 about him. Now he had been brought 
 before the superintendent on an unu- 
 sually serious complaint, and as he 
 knew that officer was not a man to 
 deal lightly with gentry of his stripe 
 when they fell into his hands, he was 
 endeavouring to prepare himself for 
 the worst that could come from the 
 interview. 
 
 " They tell me you have been up to 
 all sorts of deviltry again," said the 
 superintendent. " Smuggling arms 
 into Matanzas, where you and your fel- 
 lows hope to stir up another row, and 
 bringing sponges into Key West with- 
 out duty, is not the worst of it this 
 time." 
 
 He eyed Garza as he spoke, but 
 while the fellow shrank and cowered 
 under his gaze he yet began to pro- 
 test volubly. But the other stopped 
 him before he had uttered a dozen 
 words.
 
 96 Gbe Gbree IRicbarO TKflbalens. 
 
 " Never mind now. It isn't worth 
 lying about. You know I always deal 
 frankly with you, and I will admit that 
 I haven't any proof of this charge." 
 Here the man looked up, with a glance 
 of quick relief in his narrow cunning 
 eyes ; but they dropped as quickly 
 when they met the other's, and when 
 he caught the import of the words that 
 followed. 
 
 " No, not a bit of proof," repeated 
 the superintendent; "consequently I 
 am compelled to let you go, without 
 handing you over to the authorities 
 for that punishment that we both 
 know you deserve so well. But look 
 well to this, my man. I had them 
 bring you here that I might give you 
 this warning. I have told my men 
 not to bring you in again without 
 proof. I have told them, instead, to 
 hang you to the mast of your own 
 schooner, the very next time they 
 have reason to suspect you. This will 
 save time and trouble all around. We 
 intend to get rid of all scoundrels of 
 your sort. You can go now."
 
 Gbree "Ricbarfc IClbalens. 97 
 
 The fellow began to whimper at 
 this, for he knew the superintendent 
 to be a man who did not waste words 
 nor indulge in threats which he did 
 not mean to carry out. But he was 
 cut short and told again to go. So he 
 slunk away like an evil beast, and like 
 a beast cast back a malevolent glance 
 at the man whom he dared not openly 
 attack. 
 
 Two days after this episode, when 
 the friends disembarked from their 
 steamer at the dock of the Cuban tele- 
 graph station, they found the vessel 
 waiting there which the superintend- 
 ent had ordered for them. They were 
 well pleased at its appearance, and at 
 the manner in which the official had 
 kept his promise. The vessel was a 
 small trim schooner, having hardly 
 more room than was required for com- 
 fort, as they found upon inspection ; 
 but with the appearance of being 
 staunch and speedy which were 
 worthier considerations. The captain 
 was a cheery, talkative little man, and 
 had much to say to his passengers
 
 9S ZEbe ftbrcc IRtcbarD idbalens, 
 
 about their proposed destination. 
 They were not long in discovering 
 that he was hardly more sanguine 
 about the attractions of the island 
 than the superintendent had been. 
 
 " I've been sailing and trading here- 
 abouts a good many years," he said, 
 " and this is the very first time as any 
 one has wanted to go to Captiva, as 
 I've heard. 
 
 "Yes," he continued, in answer to 
 their questions, " it's a likely enough 
 place, although I hain't never been 
 just there, and so can't rightly say I 
 speak from my own knowledge of it. 
 It's kind o' lonesome like, layin' so out 
 o' the track ; and there's some hard 
 stories told about what it used to be. 
 Some pirates made it a kind of a hidin' 
 place, once, and some says they have 
 hanted it ever since. Howsomever, 
 I don't believe that, myself. There 
 ain't nobody there now but an old 
 Dutch settler, an' he don't make up to 
 no one. So traders has stopped goin' 
 there." 
 
 " Ah ! " said Mowbray, " so there is
 
 ttbe ttbree TRtcbarD llflbalcns. 99 
 
 an inhabitant. That seems encourag- 
 ing. A nice sociable companion he 
 will be apt to prove, from what the 
 captain says." 
 
 His remark was addressed to 
 Whalen, but the latter only nodded 
 and bent forward again to listen to 
 the captain. 
 
 "Yes," went on that worthy, remi- 
 niscently ; " Captiva's been settled, 
 after a fashion, for a good many years. 
 Th' was an old man with his daughter 
 there once. Spaniard, I guess. That 
 was a considerable time ago. Then 
 some other furriner jined 'em, gettin' 
 there / don't know how, I'm sure. 
 Then the old man died. Then this 
 Dutchman came, an* I guess he just 
 dropped down from the skies, or up 
 from the other place, for there wern't 
 no boat landed him. That's one of 
 the things that's curus, 'bout Captiva. 
 The way folks gets there. You gents 
 is about the first that ever wanted to 
 go in a reg'lar way, like flesh and 
 blood men." 
 
 Thus he rattled on garrulously, with
 
 Gbree "RfcbarD "Mbnlens. 
 
 his own version of the story Binder 
 had told to De Poincy, and that the 
 friends were to listen to once again 
 upon the very place that had been the 
 home of all this tragedy. Only once 
 did either interrupt the smooth flow of 
 his words by a question. 
 
 " But tell us, Captain," was Mow- 
 bray's single query, "how you know 
 all this, if no one ever goes to the 
 island?" 
 
 The sailor lowered his voice, and 
 looked about them mysteriously before 
 he replied. 
 
 " Manuel Garza," he said, impres- 
 sively. And then, seeing that the 
 name conveyed no meaning to them, 
 he added by way of explanation : " A 
 Spanish smuggler. Some say a pirate 
 and worse. He knows everything 
 that happens in this whole sea. I 
 think he is in league with the devil, he 
 finds out things so." 
 
 It was so evident that the thought 
 of this Garza was terror-inspiring, that 
 Mowbray turned his face away to con- 
 ceal the smile that came unbidden at
 
 3be Gbree TCicbarD IQbalens. 101 
 
 the captain's sombre words. He knew 
 enough of the singular credence that 
 sea-faring folk give to the most impos- 
 sible tales, that he did not for a mo- 
 ment think of arguing against the 
 captain's superstition. This, perhaps, 
 gave the other a ground for believing 
 that his hearers were as much awed at 
 this as himself. 
 
 A four days' run, with favouring 
 winds, should have brought them to 
 Captiva. But late in the afternoon of 
 the third day, and just as they were 
 congratulating themselves upon hav- 
 ing made so favourable a voyage, and 
 thinking that now they would soon be 
 at their destination, a slight rain began 
 to fall. The sky, which had been an 
 unclouded expanse of the clearest blue, 
 had been transformed into a dull grey 
 so imperceptibly that the change had 
 almost wholly escaped their notice. A 
 heavy fog followed close upon the 
 heels of the rain, and closed in about 
 the vessel like a white wall. 
 
 " A Scotch mist," said the captain, 
 trying to dispel the gloom that had
 
 102 be Gbree IRicbarfc "CUbalens. 
 
 settled over them all, by affecting to 
 regard it facetiously. " It's the kind 
 they make clothes of, over there." 
 
 But in spite of the lightness of his 
 words the young men could see a glum 
 look upon his weather-beaten face 
 that belied them wholly. The wind 
 had died out, and the boat made but 
 little headway, drifting along at a pace 
 that barely disturbed the calm and 
 smooth and tranquil waves that 
 washed with a gentle idle swish 
 against her prow. Through all the 
 long night they lay thus, the sea, the 
 sky and the boat enwrapped in a white 
 and impenetrable blanket, as much 
 alone as if the world was not, and they 
 only floating in void space. It was 
 like a phantom world, and they, in it 
 alone, voyaging toward the unknown. 
 The men were oppressed by the calm, 
 by the unearthliness of it, and talked 
 in muffled voices. The lank sails, as 
 they hung and flapped against the 
 mast, having no breeze to fill them, 
 were the nearest to tangible evidence 
 of life of anything about, so perfect
 
 Gbc Cbree "KtcbarO "Qolbalens. 103 
 
 was the silence upon the sea and in 
 the air above them. It was weird and 
 ghostly, this soft white fleece that 
 wound itself about them on either 
 hand. It weighed upon and oppressed 
 them. Even Mowbray's light heart 
 failed him, and he wished most ear- 
 nestly that they might have done with 
 it, and be upon their way and errand 
 once more. Whalen took refuge in a 
 glum silence that his friend did not 
 care to break, lest in so doing he 
 should arouse him to words which 
 would make their situation still more 
 unbearable ; for he had found in his 
 companion's nature a deep line of fa- 
 tality that at times made him heavy 
 and dark-spirited, and Mowbray did 
 not care to provoke his black demons 
 while he was having hard enough work 
 to keep himself away from their 
 clutches. 
 
 The night passed and the day broke 
 again, almost unnoticed, as not a ray 
 of sunlight penetrated the intolerable 
 mist. As the second day of the calm 
 and the ghostly silence wore on to-
 
 104 be Gbree IRicbarO 
 
 wards its close, the captain's face be- 
 came even more glum and anxious 
 than it had been. He walked rest- 
 lessly up and down the deck, and 
 seemed desirous for human compan- 
 ionship. 
 
 " We have plenty of sea room, have 
 we not ? " asked Mowbray, pacing the 
 deck with him, for the want of some- 
 thing better to do, and wishing im- 
 patiently that a wind would come up 
 to drive away the mist and the calm. 
 
 " Plenty, plenty," was the ready 
 answer, given with an attempt at 
 cheerfulness ; " but I don't like run- 
 ning in a fog. It's worse than any 
 storm, for that a man can fight against. 
 But no seamanship can serve in a fog. 
 There was Captain Manson, as capable 
 a man in the handling of a ship as 
 there was on the sea. He'd gone into 
 Havana Bay a hundred times, and 
 knew the road as well as he did to his 
 own locker. Well, he was going in 
 one day last spring, as usual. Morn- 
 ing a little muggy, but he picked up 
 the whistling buoy all right enough
 
 Cbe Cbree IRicbarO XUbalens. 105 
 
 and then made Morro Castle about 
 three miles off on his starboard bows. 
 Plain sailing enough after that, but 
 hang me if he didn't lay her on the 
 rocks an hour afterward, half a mile 
 to t' other side the Castle. No sir," 
 he concluded, with emphasis ; " I don't 
 like running in a fog ! " 
 
 His auditor, tiring of the monologue, 
 went to the side of the vessel and 
 stood there ; at first chafing impa- 
 tiently at their ill fortune and wishing 
 he possessed the power to whistle up 
 the wind, as he had heard of sailors 
 doing, and to whistle away the mist 
 at the same time. But finding this 
 thought profitless, he finally let his 
 fancy wander where it would ; and so 
 it ran ahead until he had conjured up 
 a wonderful vision of the sea-girt 
 island whither they were bound, and 
 of the stores of treasure that but 
 awaited their coming to leap from the 
 dark recesses where they had so long 
 been hidden. 
 
 He may have been standing thus 
 for an hour, indulging himself in such
 
 io6 Cbe Gbree l?tcbarD "WUbalens. 
 
 dreams, when he was startled by a 
 sudden cry from the lookout ; and 
 before the sound of it had wholly died 
 away, the schooner, which had been 
 drifting along so slowly that its motion 
 could hardly be felt or seen, came to a 
 full stop. There was no shock, be- 
 cause she had struck neither upon a 
 rock, nor on the sands of some fog- 
 veiled shore, but had simply driven 
 her nose very gently into a high wall 
 of yielding earth, which was so over- 
 hung with a dense mass of vines and 
 tropic foliage that the latter draped 
 the prow of the vessel and drooped 
 down upon the deck. All of this was 
 not discovered or fully realised upon 
 the instant that the schooner's course 
 was stayed. But when the captain at 
 last was fully cognizant of the situation 
 he was so astonished that for the 
 instant he quite lost the power of 
 speech. He rushed to the bows and 
 seized a handful of the green foliage, 
 to prove if it was real and no phantom. 
 And when the whole truth was made 
 clear to him the vivid terseness of his
 
 Gbe Cbrec IRicbarS lUbalcns. 107 
 
 language was such that it seemed 
 almost to cleave the fog and permit a 
 glimpse of their surroundings. 
 
 " I think we have landed in the 
 Garden of Eden," said Mowbray, se- 
 renely, reaching over the rail to pluck 
 some blossoms from the hanging vines. 
 
 " Landed in the middle of H ! " 
 cried the captain, wrathfully. " Do you 
 see that, sir ? " He waved his hand 
 tragically back to where the open sea 
 had been, but where the land now 
 appeared to encompass them as closely 
 as in front. 
 
 " Perhaps this is Captiva," sug- 
 gested Whalen, quietly. But the sug- 
 gestion only increased the other's ire. 
 
 " Captiva ! " He fairly roared the 
 word. " Captiva is leagues away at 
 the best. But I wish we knew where 
 we are." 
 
 " By-the-by, Captain," laughed Mow- 
 bray, his good humour wholly restored 
 by even this tentative sight of land, 
 even though it was as yet unknown 
 soil, " do you remember the story 
 you were telling me a little while
 
 io8 Gbe Sbree IRicbarO "WUbalens, 
 
 ago ? This seems to prove its applica- 
 tion." 
 
 " Oh, you may laugh," growled the 
 worthy skipper, not in the least in- 
 clined to do so himself, and so the more 
 irate at seeing that disposition in 
 another ; " you may laugh, but I have 
 to get this boat out of this internal 
 hole, whatever it may be." 
 
 " Better wait for morning, and have 
 daylight for finding where we are. It 
 is nearly night now," said Whalen.
 
 Cbrce TCicbarD "CQbalcna. 109 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 BUT when, acting on Whalen's pro- 
 posal, they had settled down into the 
 dull inactivity of waiting, and in guess- 
 ing what the coming day would reveal, 
 he was the first to begin chafing at the 
 restraint. 
 
 " 1 don't fancy these delays," he said 
 to Carl ; " I am anxious to be at our 
 island. I have a feeling that some- 
 thing beyond the ordinary is waiting 
 for us there. I should like to prove 
 whether I am a true prophet." 
 
 " Better be content with the goods 
 the gods provide," jested his com- 
 panion. " This is sufficiently out of 
 the ordinary for me, for the present. 
 If there is anything more strange to 
 come, you must give me a chance to 
 get nerved up to it by degrees." 
 
 The night was not one to persuade
 
 no a be Gbree IRtcbarD Ulbalcns. 
 
 them to late hours, and soon all went 
 to their berths, leaving a solitary 
 watchman upon deck. 
 
 When they came out of the cabin at 
 daybreak the fog had cleared and so 
 they were enabled to obtain some idea 
 of their immediate surroundings. The 
 schooner floated in a narrow channel, 
 in which there was apparently a good 
 depth of water. The banks were some 
 feet higher than the level of the tide, 
 and it was into one of these walls of 
 earth that the prow of the boat had 
 thrust itself. They had drifted in for 
 some little distance before thus being 
 estopped from further progress, as they 
 could determine from the sea being 
 hidden from sight by a bend in the 
 channel behind them. The heavy 
 growth of vine-encumbered trees pre- 
 vented them from seeing far inland, 
 so that as long as they took their point 
 of view from the schooner's deck they 
 were nearly in as bad a plight as 
 while in the midst of the fog. Never- 
 theless, the captain seemed to be able 
 to divine something of their situation.
 
 be 3bree "Etc bard "UHbalens. m 
 
 " We've drifted plum into the mouth 
 of a bayou, that we can't drift out of 
 quite so easy. That's plain enough," 
 he said, disgustedly. " It's too nar- 
 row to turn round in ; and the channel's 
 too narrow to sail out of, anyhow. 
 So, as we're here, I guess we'll have 
 to stay awhile." 
 
 " Well, it seems a good enough place 
 to stay," said Mowbray. " Let us get 
 ashore, Dick, and see what there is. 
 Perhaps we have discovered a new 
 world." 
 
 They swung themselves easily to 
 land from the bowsprit of their 
 stranded vessel, and went out along 
 the bank of the bayou until they had 
 passed the bend that hid the schooner 
 from the open sea. Then they were 
 in full view of the boundless expanse 
 of blue water through which they had 
 come to this curious port. Looking 
 back, they could see that the bayou in 
 which they had made such unlooked- 
 for harbor was one whose course was 
 full of tortuous windings. 
 
 " It seems a good hiding-place,"
 
 Gbree "RfcbarD Hflbalens. 
 
 said Carl. " If the captain cannot get 
 the boat out we may lay here for many 
 a day before we are sighted." Then, 
 looking along the shore below where 
 they could see the white surf breaking 
 upon the sands, he added : " It was 
 nothing short of a miracle that we 
 chanced to drift in here, instead of go- 
 ing ashore down yonder. And an 
 equal miracle that we have drifted in 
 so far. I should have thought we 
 would have stuck at the first turn." 
 
 " I am inclined to think it was more 
 than chance that sent us here," re- 
 turned Whalen. " But we came 
 ashore to see what we could find. 
 Let us look about." 
 
 " Oh, I don't fancy we shall find our 
 fortune in this spot," said Mowbray, 
 kicking a little contemptuously at the 
 sand as he spoke. " This," he contin- 
 ued, " is not of the sort that carries 
 gold nor pearls nor precious stones. 
 I do not think we shall find even phos- 
 phates here even if we were search- 
 ing for them, which I am happy to say 
 we are not."
 
 3be Cbrec IRicbarO 1Ubalcn. 113 
 
 He laughed a little at the recollec- 
 tion of the superintendent's well-meant 
 intimation that they were likely to find 
 themselves outside of the phosphate 
 belt. 
 
 They presently retraced their steps, 
 passing the schooner and going back 
 along the bayou to where it hid itself 
 further in the land. The wild beauty 
 of the forest now attracted them, and 
 they paused at every step to examine 
 and exclaim upon it. 
 
 "It is vastly better than the deck of 
 a schooner in a fog," said Whalen, 
 " but it is certainly curious that our old 
 duffer of a captain should not be able 
 to locate himself. And after boast- 
 ing, too, that he knew these waters so 
 well." 
 
 " Oh, he will say this isn't down on 
 the charts, or be ready with some 
 other excuse. Look out," he added 
 suddenly, hearing a low growl from the 
 underbrush, " we may find something 
 we do not like." 
 
 Both men instinctively sprang aside, 
 away from the point from which the
 
 H4 be Cbree IRicbarfc lUbalcns. 
 
 noise proceeded, placing their hands 
 at the same moment upon their pistols. 
 But before they could draw and fire 
 a huge tawny-skinned beast had flung 
 itself over the intervening growth of 
 cactus and Spanish bayonet, and fas- 
 tened itself upon Whalen. 
 
 Richard Whalen was as well fitted 
 by nature as any man could be for the 
 strange contest thus unexpectedly 
 forced upon him. Of almost heroic 
 mold, with muscles of steel and nerves 
 that nothing could daunt, without su- 
 perfluous flesh to encumber him, sup- 
 ple, quick of eye and hand, and of 
 a physical courage surpassed by no 
 man, he was an antagonist of whom 
 any foe, brute or human, would need 
 beware. But in the instant when this 
 strange, silent enemy leaped upon him, 
 he felt that he would have call for all 
 his powers. Throwing his arms out, 
 he caught the beast in its leap, fasten- 
 ing his fingers about its throat, and 
 thus preventing it from thrusting its 
 fangs into him. The suddenness of 
 the shock was such that it bore him to
 
 Cbree "RicbarD "QClbalens. 115 
 
 the ground, and there brute and hu- 
 man rolled about among the tangle of 
 creeping vines and rough saw-pal- 
 metto, Whalen the while desperately 
 endeavouring to sink his strong fingers 
 deeper into the animal's throat, and so 
 choke it into submission, and the 
 brute threshing and clawing at him 
 with tiger-like ferocity. Both fought 
 in a grim silence that made the combat 
 all the more terrible. Mowbray, re- 
 volver in hand, endeavoured to assist 
 his friend, but dared not fire for fear of 
 wounding him, so rapid were the gyra- 
 tions of the combatants. Finally, the 
 struggle having become comparatively 
 quiet for a moment, he saw his op- 
 portunity and was about to fire when 
 his pistol was suddenly struck from 
 his hand. At the same time a voice 
 cried sharply : 
 
 " What ! kill my dog, would you ? 
 Lion, come here, sir ! " 
 
 At the word the brute released him- 
 self from Whalen's hold and sprang 
 up, revealing a splendid mastiff, whose 
 tawny skin and the savageness of
 
 n6 ftbe Gbree "RicbarD Wbalens. 
 
 whose attack had made him easily 
 mistaken for a wild denizen of the 
 forest, in the excitement of the mo- 
 ment and the semi-darkness under- 
 neath the heavy tropic growths. 
 
 Whalen, as soon as he was on his 
 feet again, began to fleck the stains of 
 the combat carefully from his cloth- 
 ing, and to part his blond beard non- 
 chalantly, meanwhile regarding the 
 new-comer quizzically. 
 
 Surprises were in store for him that 
 morning. He now beheld a young 
 woman of comely form and feature, 
 dressed somewhat fantastically in a 
 costume composed mainly of skins of 
 animals and feathers of gorgeous 
 tropical birds. About her shoulders 
 she wore a flowing feather mantle of 
 marvellously fine workmanship and of 
 the most artistic blending of colours. 
 The slightly barbaric effect of her 
 dress was heightened by her own 
 brilliant hue, by her glowing eyes, and 
 by the masses of black hair that 
 fell unloosened to her waist. This 
 beautiful apparition looked angrily
 
 'I AM NOT A PRINCK8S,' SAID THK GIRL. 'I AM NONIE.'" Page llj.
 
 Gbe Cbrce "Rfcbaro lUbalcns. 117 
 
 from one to the other of the com- 
 panions, and imperiously repeated her 
 question : 
 
 " What ! kill my dog, would you ? " 
 
 As she turned from one to the other, 
 awaiting their answer, Mowbray began 
 to speak, rather shame-facedly. 
 
 " But your dog would have killed 
 my friend," he said. 
 
 At this the girl lifted her head with 
 a fine motion of disdain, and looked at 
 Whalen more closely. 
 
 " Kill him ? " she said. " I think he 
 looks as if he might take care of him- 
 self." 
 
 Whalen bowed gallantly. " Thanks, 
 Princess," he said; "but your dog took 
 an unfair advantage of me. He did 
 not announce his intention to do mor- 
 tal combat." 
 
 " I am not a princess," said the girl, 
 seriously. " I am Nonie. Lion is not 
 used to strangers." 
 
 At the mention of his name the dog, 
 who had placed himself beside his 
 mistress, began to growl and show his 
 teeth again.
 
 bree TRfcbarD TlClbatens, 
 
 " No ; so it would appear from his 
 conduct," assented Whalen ; " and I 
 should imagine that you are somewhat 
 out of the highway of travel here, so 
 that he has little chance to become 
 used to them. But may I ask if he has 
 any other acquaintances besides your- 
 self ? " 
 
 " Yes, he knows Hans. That is all." 
 " And who is Hans ? Your 
 brother ? " 
 
 " No, it is Hans Binder, who owns 
 the island with me." 
 
 Then she looked at the strangers 
 curiously, as though she were about to 
 take the questioning into her own 
 hands. But before she could begin to 
 do so, the noise of approaching foot- 
 steps was heard, and Binder himself 
 appeared, accompanied by De Poincy. 
 
 The Austrian seemed anything but 
 pleased at sight of the new-comers, 
 and stood silently regarding them 
 with a lowering face. De Poincy, how- 
 ever, hailed them most heartily, and 
 introduced himself at once. The 
 young men explained in turn that they
 
 3be Gbree TRtcbard lUbalens. 119 
 
 were unwilling intruders, and would 
 trespass no longer than the time 
 required by their captain to devise some 
 means for extricating his vessel from its 
 present extraordinary and unpleasant 
 position. The Frenchman laughed, 
 and thereby made himself Mowbray's 
 friend, as Carl told, not without some 
 humour, how they had drifted into the 
 bayou in the fog, imagining themselves 
 well out to sea until they had found 
 their boat securely anchored there. 
 
 " It will not be such an easy matter 
 to get out, I fancy," said De Poincy ; 
 " and it has always seemed difficult for 
 any who come here to get away 
 again." Then he recounted how he 
 had lost his own boat, and so had been 
 forced to remain and partake of Bin- 
 der's hospitality. "But I am in no 
 hurry," he said ; " I am quite content 
 to remain. I find so much to interest 
 me." 
 
 Whalen asked some question about 
 the bayou in which their boat was im- 
 prisoned, and the Frenchman answered, 
 
 " This is not, as you may have imag-
 
 Gbree TRicbarD TKHbalens. 
 
 ined, a natural bayou, but it is wholly 
 an artificial work. But it is so long 
 since it was cut that both the channel 
 and the banks have become partially 
 filled up, and so pretty nearly de- 
 stroyed the evidences of man's handi- 
 work. Still, the evidences are unmis- 
 takable, if you will look closely." 
 
 " This an artificial canal ! " ex- 
 claimed Mowbray, looking about him 
 in astonishment, and half incredu- 
 lously. " But by whom was it made ? 
 And when ? And for what purpose ? " 
 
 " Buccaneers," answered De Poincy, 
 sententiously : " but for what purpose 
 " He concluded with an expressive 
 shrug in the place of words. 
 
 " Come with me ; I will show you," 
 he added, a moment later. And with 
 the word he led the party further down 
 the inlet. 
 
 "See here," he exclaimed, pres- 
 ently, stopping and pointing to a cer- 
 tain portion of the banks ; " this has 
 been no light task, I can assure you ; 
 but it has proved the truth that my 
 first surmise was correct, the very idea
 
 Cbc Cbree "Rtcbaro 'CUbalens. 121 
 
 that came to me the moment I first set 
 foot where we now stand. I have dug 
 away the dtbris that nature has been 
 piling here for a hundred years and 
 more, and have uncovered the original 
 walls of the canal. A good piece of 
 engineering those old fellows did ! " he 
 concluded, admiringly. 
 
 It was indeed no small task which 
 De Poincy, with the somewhat grudg- 
 ing assistance of Binder, had accom- 
 plished in exposing a clear cross sec- 
 tion of the walls of the bayou or 
 canal, as it now more properly seemed 
 freeing them not only from the ac- 
 cumulated dtbris, but cutting away as 
 well all the newer growth that had 
 sprung up there since the soil had been 
 disturbed. In doing this he had come 
 upon the explanation of the greater 
 richness of this soil, and of the more 
 luxuriant vegetation that it had pro- 
 duced. The canal had been cut 
 through a strata of decaying bone, a 
 substance most rich in the elements 
 that contribute to all plant growth, 
 and this had furnished the food for
 
 122 Gbe Gbree IRtcbarO "UHbalcns. 
 
 the varied trees and shrubs and plants 
 that had been the means of first at- 
 tracting his attention. 
 
 The banks, as they now appeared, 
 truly deserved to be called walls, as 
 the Frenchman had named them ; for 
 they had been cut with the utmost 
 precision and exposed a clean, pearly- 
 grey surface that was in sharp con- 
 trast to the darker earth with which 
 they had been covered. From the 
 point of view of the scientist, or the 
 discoverer, or perhaps we might even 
 say the antiquarian, (although this 
 work was hardly of a sufficiently re- 
 mote period for that), De Poincy was 
 very well repaid for his labour. But 
 while from these standpoints he had 
 keenly appreciated the results of his 
 work, it was none of these that had 
 been the chief factor in urging him to 
 it, but rather the story that Binder 
 had told him that night in the cabin. 
 For he had then resolved that he 
 would do his best to prove the worth of 
 Nome's inheritance, and try if he could 
 not open the way to a better future
 
 Gbe Gbree Rfcbarfc Wbalens. 123 
 
 than this which had been in prospect 
 for her. However enticing a life on 
 such a little seagirt island might ap- 
 pear to the idealist, it had not much 
 to recommend it in reality to the 
 active and worldly-wise Frenchman. 
 
 While De Poincy had been enthusi- 
 astically explaining the canal, and his 
 work upon it, Mowbray had been idly 
 poking about in the pearly-grey dirt 
 beside it. 
 
 "Oh, I say," he exclaimed sud- 
 denly, calling Whalen's attention ; and 
 then, checking himself as he saw the 
 others also looking toward him, he 
 continued : " Pshaw ! it is nothing but 
 a piece of old bone. Belonged to 
 some monster of the Upper Tertiary, 
 I presume, and has been lying here 
 for thousands of years." 
 
 "You are not so very far wrong," 
 said the Frenchman, indifferently ; 
 " only a geologist might put it in 
 another way, and have said that this 
 was a portion of the highest land at the 
 time of the Flood, and that it was in 
 consequence the last to be submerged.
 
 124 Gbe Sbree TRicbarD TKflbaleng. 
 
 And that all the animals, except such 
 as went into the Ark, came to these 
 portions as a last refuge, and of course 
 were finally overtaken and died here. 
 It is their bones, the bones of millions 
 and millions of animals, that died 
 millions and millions of years ago, that 
 have made this grey formation, and it 
 is this, in turn, which has made the 
 soil so rich and the herbage so lux- 
 uriant. You will see that it is more 
 so here than elsewhere about us." 
 
 A glance of quick intelligence flashed 
 between the two friends, a glance in 
 which was mingled surprise at the dis- 
 covery they had so soon made, and of 
 amused wonder at the quips of chance, 
 that had kept up for them such an 
 unremitting series of surprises. For 
 here, where they had drifted by the 
 merest accident, they had come upon 
 that for which they were ostensibly in 
 pursuit, but which in reality had been 
 the very furthest from their thoughts. 
 This, at least, it was clear to them 
 now, was not outside the phosphate 
 belt, of which the superintendent at
 
 be Gbree IRicbarD THUbalens. 125 
 
 Port Tampa had spoken, even if their 
 own Captiva was. 
 
 Through Mowbray's quick brain 
 ideas were running like wildfire, and 
 he wanted to get away from the others 
 that he might think them out in 
 peace. He had the commercial in- 
 stinct, although his life had been such 
 that he had never needed to employ it. 
 But now a fancy seized him and held 
 him. 
 
 " Come," he said to Whalen, after a 
 little, " let us get back to the schooner 
 and see what plans the captain has 
 made for getting off."
 
 Gbe Gbree IRicbara lUbalcns. 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 THE skipper had by this time some- 
 what recovered from the wrath that 
 had possessed him at finding himself 
 and his vessel in so strange an anchor- 
 age, and having decided that the boat 
 could not be extricated without some 
 additional aid, and having no notion 
 where such was to come from, had set 
 himself to patiently await what events 
 might bring forth. Finding that the 
 fishing was good in the inlet, he and 
 his men had put their lines out and 
 were enjoying themselves at the sport 
 as if they had no more serious duty in 
 life. One of the men had also made 
 discovery of an oyster bed, and with 
 a small hand net had succeeded in 
 gathering a bucketful of the bivalves, 
 which he had just brought on deck. 
 The captain was regarding these
 
 Cbe Cbrcc TRicbarD XUbalens. 127 
 
 closely as his two passengers came 
 up. 
 
 " These look to me," he said, with 
 an air of profound conviction, " uncom- 
 monly like the pearl oysters we used 
 to get off Trinidad, sometimes. I 
 always thought I would like to go 
 down there and make a business of 
 pearl fishing. Maybe this is my 
 chance, now, without goin' so fur from 
 home. Suppose we open some of 
 these fellows and see what they have 
 inside their hulls." 
 
 With that he whipped out his knife 
 and rapidly split open a dozen or more 
 of them, throwing each down with an 
 exclamation of disgust at finding noth- 
 ing to reward his pains. But presently 
 this tone gave place to a note of the 
 most intense satisfaction, for he had 
 finally discovered a tiny pearl snugly 
 ensconced in the matrix just within 
 the lip of the last oyster that he had 
 opened. Upon taking it out they 
 found that though small the pearl was 
 a very perfect sphere, and probably of 
 some value. As both Whalen and
 
 128 abe Sbree "Rfcbaro TKIlbalens. 
 
 Carl joined in this opinion, the old 
 fellow's delight knew almost no 
 bounds. He danced about the deck 
 like a boy, holding his treasure high 
 above his head, and exclaiming upon 
 his good fortune. 
 
 "Ah, ha," he cried, "this just suits 
 me ! It is just as well as if we had 
 found your island. I think I'll stay 
 hove to, and fish for pearls awhile. 
 Maybe that fog wasn't so bad a thing, 
 after all. I s'pose you've no objec- 
 tion ? " he added, as an afterthought. 
 
 They certainly had no objection to 
 his disposing of his time as he might 
 choose, so long as it was a self-evident 
 fact that he could not get the boat to 
 sea again, and so he complacently went 
 on with his occupation. But pres- 
 ently he took a second thought, and 
 said, as if to convey a hint that he 
 should not expect his passengers to 
 take any part in this, nor in the possi- 
 ble profits of his venture : 
 
 " I suppose you gents can find some- 
 thing to amuse yourselves with, while 
 we're layin* here ? "
 
 Cbe Sbree "KtcbarD Id ba lens. 129 
 
 "Oh, yes. Don't bother yourself 
 about us," answered Mowbray. " Stay 
 here as long as you like, and fish for 
 pearls. We are all over our hurry now." 
 
 Then they left the captain alone 
 with his lines and nets, and went be- 
 low to talk over their own affairs. 
 
 " It appears," said Whalen, as soon 
 as they found themselves alone, " as if 
 we have really strayed upon the fabled 
 ' Treasure Island.' Phosphates and 
 pearls make a rare combination. Cu- 
 rious that we should have happened 
 upon phosphate deposits, which we 
 were but nominally in search of ! It is 
 quite possible that this may prove of 
 as much value as if we had reached 
 Captiva." 
 
 "And there is another element of 
 attractiveness here that you have not 
 named," laughed Mowbray. " Do you 
 so soon forget the dusky beauty who 
 cares more for her dog than for our 
 precious lives? " 
 
 " She must be considered," returned 
 the other thoughtfully, taking no no- 
 tice of his friend's jesting mood. " We
 
 130 ZTbe tlbree IRfcbarfc "Cdbalens. 
 
 must find out if she and the taciturn 
 Austrian are really the owners. It is 
 very evident that neither of them, nor 
 the wise Frenchman, even, has any 
 idea of the available wealth that is 
 right before their eyes. I wonder how 
 they happen to be here. We must 
 find out what rights they have, and 
 deal fairly with them. Still, it should 
 profit us well, in any event, as we are 
 the discoverers. We can doubtless 
 make a satisfactory arrangement with 
 them to open and work these beds, if 
 they are the owners. The phosphate 
 is wonderfully rich, and if the beds 
 prove to be of any extent they will 
 prove a fortune in themselves. They 
 almost drive the object of our expe- 
 dition out of my mind. It may not 
 be quite so romantic as finding trea- 
 sure of another sort, but it will lead to 
 the same end. And what I wanted, 
 after all, was money to which I could 
 feel I had a right, and in regard to 
 the disposal of which no one else could 
 dictate. This would be a legitimate 
 enterprise, of which we would have no 
 cause to be ashamed."
 
 Gbe Cbrcc TRicbarO TKlbalcna. 131 
 
 " You are getting mercenary, Dick," 
 said his friend ; " but I enlisted for 
 whatever might come up, and so I am 
 with you in this, although I confess it 
 does not suit me quite as well as a 
 little mild buccaneering would. But 
 let us begin by finding out where we 
 are. Doubtless one of the three in- 
 habitants is geographer enough to 
 inform us. Why did we not ask ?" 
 
 At this question Whalen broke into 
 a hearty laugh, a thing most unusual 
 with him. 
 
 " We are not very bright," he said ; 
 " that would seem to have been the first 
 thing to ascertain. But we were so 
 absorbed in what we had discovered 
 that we had no time to think of mat- 
 ter-of-fact details. But I presume 
 we can remedy that now, as soon as 
 we can find our new acquaintances 
 again." 
 
 This was no great task. De Poincy, 
 the Austrian, and Nonie had followed 
 them down to the boat to take a look 
 at the craft that had dropped so un- 
 ceremoniously into their Eden. They
 
 132 Gbe tlbree TRicbarD "Gdbalens. 
 
 had not progressed very rapidly, how- 
 ever, as there had been some discus- 
 sion between Binder and De Poincy, 
 as to the treatment that should be ac- 
 corded the strangers. Binder was for 
 ridding the island of them as quickly 
 as possible, and as De Poincy was 
 only his guest the Austrian had 
 rather the better of the argument. But 
 De Poincy was maintaining manfully 
 that the strangers should be made 
 welcome, for the reason, if for no 
 other, that Nonie should have some 
 chance to see what people who lived 
 in the outer world were like. The 
 girl sided with De Poincy, and as 
 soon as she had expressed her wish 
 Binder became submissive to it. 
 
 When the two friends had come up 
 with them, Mowbray put the question 
 at once. 
 
 " Can you tell us," he asked, " what 
 this land is ? The captain is at sea, in 
 more senses than one. We had sup- 
 posed we were on our way to Cap- 
 tiva, when we drifted in here." 
 
 " To Captiva ! " exclaimed Binder ;
 
 Gbe Sbree Rtcbarfc Tidbalens. 133 
 
 " what did you want there ? No one 
 ever goes to Captiva." 
 
 "So we have heard," was the an- 
 swer ; " but, you see, we wanted to be 
 different from every one else. First 
 of all, we wanted to find it. What 
 would follow, we have not yet deter- 
 mined. But my friend and I have 
 purchased it, although that seems not 
 to have ended the transaction." 
 
 " This is Captiva," said the Aus- 
 trian, slowly. " This land where you 
 now stand is Captiva Island. And if 
 you have bought it, you say truly that 
 the transaction is not completed. 
 Nonie and I own Captiva and we two 
 shall continue to own it." 
 
 There was that in his steady voice, 
 and the quiet determination of his 
 aspect, that said more for his courage 
 and the tenacity of his purpose than 
 much mere speech and the multiplica- 
 tion of words could have done. The 
 others found time to admire the man- 
 ner of the man, even while lost in 
 surprise at this new discovery that 
 they had come unwittingly upon the
 
 i34 tlbe Gbree IRfcbarfc Wbalens. 
 
 very place they were seeking and 
 even while they resented the threaten- 
 ing tone which was the undercurrent 
 of his speech. 
 
 Whalen was the first to find words 
 to answer, and he replied quietly, and 
 with all his innate courtesy, speaking 
 as much to Nonie as to the man 
 whom he fronted. 
 
 " Ah ! " he said ; " I think you must 
 be the one of whom we were told. 
 You have some sort of squatter's 
 rights here ? We will consider that. 
 We shall deal justly with you, my 
 friend." 
 
 " Yes, you will deal justly with me, 
 my friend," answered the Austrian, 
 the conscious repetition of the other's 
 words, and the half-mocking tone in 
 strange contrast to the immobility of 
 his face. " Yes," he continued, " that 
 is so. And you will go as you have 
 come, forgetting that you have bought 
 Captiva." 
 
 " That sounds like a threat," said 
 Whalen. " Let us talk this thing over 
 like men. Perhaps our coming may
 
 Cbe Cbree Ittcbaro Wbalens. 135 
 
 turn out not to be a bad matter for 
 you. If you have a better right than 
 we, I can promise you that it will be 
 respected. If our right proves to be 
 the better one, we shall look to you to 
 do the same." 
 
 Binder answered nothing to this, but 
 stood glowering at them as if he were 
 half minded to prove by a trial of 
 bodily strength as to whose was the 
 better right. Whalen caught the look, 
 and raised his hand warningly. 
 
 " Oh, no, my good fellow," he said, 
 " there can be no use of that. We will 
 reason this out like men, and I think 
 there will be no cause for any trouble 
 between us." 
 
 As Binder still made no answer, and 
 seemed undecided how to regard this 
 speech, De Poincy stepped forward 
 with the grave air of an impartial ar- 
 bitrator. 
 
 " That seems fair enough," he said, 
 to Binder ; and then turning to the 
 others he added : " This is not my af- 
 fair, except as I am interested in behalf 
 of my good friends here. But you
 
 136 ttbe ftbree IRtcbaro "flfllbalens. 
 
 must bear in mind that there are moral 
 rights, as well as legal ones. On that 
 ground I have no doubt that my friend 
 Binder will prove a most excellent case, 
 however much advantage you may 
 have over him in any other way. At 
 least, I can promise that you will hear 
 an interesting story, one that is far 
 stranger than the wildest imagining." 
 
 He turned from one to the other, 
 as if asking their opinion of what he 
 had said. Binder still stood his ground 
 stoically, waiting for the others to 
 speak. 
 
 " Yes," said Whalen, " that may be 
 quite true. There may be moral 
 rights, as well as legal. We will take 
 them into consideration. Let us hear 
 the story, of which you have spoken." 
 
 " It will be best to go to the cabin," 
 said the Frenchman. And he mo- 
 tioned Binder to lead the way.
 
 Cbe ttbree "RicbarO Wbalens. 137 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 IT was a strange group which gath- 
 ered there, these whom chance had 
 thrown together in so remote a nook, 
 and whose purposes seemed so much 
 at variance : the scientist, the men of 
 the world, the social outcast and exile, 
 and the beautiful untutored girl who 
 had never known other home or other 
 life than this. 
 
 As soon as they had come to the 
 cabin, Whalen began, with slight pre- 
 face. First he related to the others 
 succinctly the story of the purchase 
 of the island by himself and Mowbray. 
 He gave as a reason for it the supposed 
 deposits of phosphates, and told how 
 they had been laughed at for thinking 
 the island to be within the phosphate 
 belt at all. But he called the French- 
 man to witness how well their faith in
 
 ^bree TCicbarfc TKttbalens. 
 
 it had been warranted. He then told 
 them something of the properties and 
 commercial value of this material, so 
 that they might understand that such 
 an undertaking as himself and his 
 friend had been engaged in was per- 
 fectly natural, from the standpoint of 
 business men. This presentation of 
 their case was of course well under- 
 stood by Binder and the Frenchman, 
 but was very much of a mystery to the 
 young girl, to whom the ways of the 
 great world were almost as a sealed 
 book. Whalen went to much pains to 
 explain it all to her, and said to her 
 that he was merely a poor gentleman 
 of fortune, whose fancy had been at- 
 tracted by the enterprise, and that his 
 friend had only joined him in it from 
 good-fellowship. So that if any blame 
 attached for their trespass on Captiva, 
 it must be his alone. 
 
 After he had finished, the Austrian, 
 at De Poincy's suggestion, retold his 
 story, omitting no detail, and reading 
 the journal aloud, as the Frenchman 
 had read it before when they two were
 
 3be 3bree TRfcbarfc lUbalcns. 139 
 
 alone. The young men listened with 
 grave faces, and Richard Whalen with 
 an emotion almost beyond control, as 
 he learned that this was the story of 
 that other Richard Whalen who had 
 gone out from the world, and from all 
 its joys and sorrows so far as he could 
 accomplish that by severing himself 
 from human companionship leaving 
 him to carry the burden of the name 
 and the cares of the fortune which 
 could no longer be enjoyed by the 
 one who had held it. To think that 
 his uncle had come to this spot, and 
 had lived out his life here so calmly 
 not without some burden of sorrow, it 
 is true, for no man can get wholly be- 
 yond that while life and reason last 
 and that it was his daughter who sat 
 there opposite him, with only a dawn- 
 ing realisation of the great drama that 
 was playing about them : all this was 
 so far beyond his wildest dreams, was 
 so beyond the imaginings of romance, 
 that he could with the greatest diffi- 
 culty comprehend it all. But he ab- 
 sorbed and digested facts quickly, and
 
 i4o Gbe Gbree IRicbarfc TKflbalens. 
 
 when Binder had finished he turned 
 and spoke first to his friend. 
 
 "We were right, Carl," he said; 
 41 truly it was something more than 
 chance that brought us here. It was 
 the guiding of that destiny which never 
 errs. I have felt it. I am not ashamed 
 to acknowledge now that there is 
 something of the fatalist about me. It 
 is not of any use to try to shape our 
 ends. Some mysterious Providence 
 does that -for us, with a more far-see- 
 ing divination than the mere human 
 mind can compass." 
 
 He looked about the expectant 
 group, pausing a moment at each face, 
 but letting his eyes rest longest when 
 they met those of his new-found cousin 
 who was yet all unaware of their 
 relationship. Something in the look 
 which she returned pleased him ; for 
 he smiled a little, and felt a sudden 
 warming of his heart toward this child 
 of nature whose rights he had so un- 
 wittingly usurped. Presently he said, 
 quietly : 
 
 " I, too, have a strange story to tell.
 
 Gbe Cbree IRlcbarD Uflbalens. 141 
 
 Another, which does not concern my- 
 self alone." 
 
 And then he told once more the tale 
 to which Mowbray had listened when 
 his companion first proposed this un- 
 dertaking. And while Whalen talked, 
 the other contrasted in his mind the 
 two scenes, and almost wondered if 
 they could be the same men who had 
 sat together at the breakfast-table in 
 that window overlooking the brilliant 
 avenue, such a little time ago. This 
 was so different, and so much had hap- 
 pened since then, that he felt he had 
 never tasted life until now. 
 
 The others listened to Whalen's 
 story in a mute astonishment that 
 changed to awe as he went on. Ex- 
 cept that when he told them his own 
 name, the Frenchman could not re- 
 press an exclamation of rapture at the 
 dramatic climax. That the same man 
 had written the strange letter to him, 
 and the journal that the Austrian had 
 read, could not be doubted by any. 
 Nonie, as the whole truth dawned 
 upon her, sat looking at him with wide
 
 142 be 3bree TRicbarD idbalcns. 
 
 eyes. When he had finished there 
 was silence for a little ; and then Wha- 
 len rose and went to Nonie and took 
 both her hands in his own. 
 
 " You are my cousin," he said ; " it 
 was your father who left me all that he 
 had, and came away into this exile. I 
 think we shall be friends, shall we 
 not?" And then, smiling at her, he 
 added, " I am ready now to do as you 
 say about leaving the island but I 
 cannot forget it." He had turned, 
 and included Binder in this speech. 
 . " You have taken away all cause for 
 quarrel," said the latter, extending his 
 hand with ready frankness, as if to 
 make amends for his former churlish- 
 ness. " The island belongs to you 
 and to Nonie. I shall be the one who 
 will go away." 
 
 " No, indeed," answered Whalen ; 
 "you shall not go unless Nonie says 
 so, and we all know that will not be. 
 I think you have the best right here 
 of any, because of what you have done 
 for her. Besides, your work for her is 
 not finished. I have reason to think
 
 3be Gbree TCfcbarO TKlbalens. 143 
 
 there is room enough, and work enough 
 for us all, here." He paused a little, 
 and seemed considering how he should 
 best go on. " I have not told you 
 quite all my story, yet," he said, pres- 
 ently. " From my uncle's diary you 
 have seen that the old Spaniard, Non- 
 ie's grandfather, was driven here upon 
 a search for treasure. And it appears 
 that some search was made, during 
 the time that he lived here, but with- 
 out success. But after his death I 
 fancy that my uncle did not go on 
 with it very heartily. Now I have not 
 come here to dig phosphates, however 
 rich the field may be for that, but to 
 complete this still richer task, that so 
 many have essayed and failed at of 
 finding the buried treasure of Captiva. 
 Like my uncle, I have been thrown 
 upon this island by some inscrutable 
 power, not knowing that it was the 
 very place I sought. My friends, 
 there is the purpose of a Providence 
 in this. We have not yet seen the end 
 of the curious story the centuries have 
 been writing on the sands of Captiva."
 
 144 Sbe Sbree IRicbarfc TKIlbalens. 
 
 He spoke with so much earnestness 
 that his little audience caught some- 
 thing of his own spirit, and remained 
 awestruck and silent when he had fin- 
 ished. And certainly there was enough, 
 in this gathering here of the threads 
 of these various lives, in the connec- 
 tion between the two Richard Wha- 
 lens, and in the mingling of these two 
 strange tales, to move the supersti- 
 tious to a belief in some superhuman 
 agency. This thought was with them 
 all, and it was this which held them 
 silent. The Frenchman was the first 
 to recover himself. 
 
 "You have spoken truly, Richard 
 Whalen," he said ; " there is room and 
 work and reward here for all. Some 
 days ago, perhaps even while you 
 were planning this search, I came 
 upon the inlet into which you drifted 
 by chance, as you did ; or by the will 
 of Providence, if you like that better 
 not having known of its existence be- 
 fore. I saw at once that men had 
 been there, had worked, and disturbed 
 the soil. I looked about to see what
 
 Cbc Cbvcc IRtcbarD TJQbalcns. 145 
 
 their purpose had been, and then I 
 saw that the canal had been built 
 by human hands, and not by nature. 
 The reason for it is plain enough. 
 About that there can be no guess- 
 work, however much we may yet be 
 in the dark about some other matters. 
 It was built as a hiding-place by buc- 
 caneers. Many a galleon has run in 
 there, laden with its ill-gotten trea- 
 sure, to escape pursuit, or to rest and 
 refit for other enterprises. It would 
 be folly to doubt that where they hid 
 themselves, there also they hid some 
 of their treasure. That, and not my 
 passion for scientific research alone, 
 is what led me to uncover a portion 
 of those banks, as I have shown you. 
 When Binder placed this journal of 
 your uncle in my hands, it gave me 
 the key, and I then decided to do 
 what I could for Nonie." 
 
 " I trust that you will still give us 
 your aid," said Whalen ; " I see that 
 you are wiser in these things than I. 
 And a man who has reasoned so far 
 and so well, by the process of indue-
 
 M6 3be Gbtee IRtcbard lUbalens. 
 
 tion, will not have much further to 
 go along the same lines until he can 
 put his hand upon that for which we 
 seek." 
 
 " I shall aid you, with all my heart," 
 said the Frenchman, cordially, giving 
 Whalen his hand. " I could have no 
 more delightful task than to sift out 
 theories, and search out the fact which 
 I doubt not lies hidden at the bottom 
 of them. We will work together, and 
 prove whether or not Captiva is a true 
 treasure island." 
 
 " I think I have already proven 
 that," returned Whalen, indicating 
 Nonie, by a glance to where she stood. 
 "I should consider my effort well re- 
 paid, if we found nothing further. But 
 for her sake, more than for my own, 
 I hope we shall succeed. I can see 
 that there is much that may be done 
 that must be done for her." 
 
 After this they fell into a discussion 
 of the plans for their work, for it was 
 now definitely agreed that a systematic 
 search should be made for the treasure 
 which all believed the island to con-
 
 Gbe Cbree "RicbarO TXflbalens. 147 
 
 tain, and the methods by which the 
 interests of all could be harmoniously 
 combined, and their proposed work 
 pushed ahead to the best advantage. 
 In spite of the protest of the others, 
 Whalen insisted upon an understand- 
 ing by which each one should have 
 some part in whatever should be found 
 to reward their labors. It was decided 
 that Binder should continue as major 
 domo of the island, making it his duty 
 to provide for the material wants of 
 the little colony, and giving such assist- 
 ance as he might to the work in hand. 
 De Poincy was to continue his scienti- 
 fic investigations as he might choose, 
 but he was also to put his practical 
 and scientific knowledge at the dis- 
 posal of the others in their joint en- 
 deavour to uncover the treasure. The 
 division, in case they were successful, 
 was to be arranged as follows : One- 
 tenth to the Austrian, and the same to 
 De Poincy, in full payment for their 
 services. One-half the balance to 
 Nonie, as the virtual owner of the 
 island. And the remainder to be
 
 148 Gbe ttbree IRtcbarfc tUbalcns. 
 
 divided between Whalen and Carl 
 Mowbray, upon the original under- 
 standing that they were to be partners 
 in the enterprise, although Carl stoutly 
 declared he was having fun enough 
 out of it to pay him well, without 
 thought of further gain. 
 
 This business being completed, the 
 next thing to which Whalen set his 
 hand was to make over to Nonie, in 
 proper form, the entire property which 
 had come to him from her father. 
 This he considered a mere act of jus- 
 tice, although the girl opposed it as 
 strongly as she could and with all the 
 arguments that her limited knowledge 
 of life and of affairs could command. 
 In the discussion of this, and of all 
 other matters which came up in their 
 new-found relation, Whalen was more 
 than surprised to find in his cousin so 
 much intelligence, so much sensibility, 
 such fair and accurate ideas regarding 
 the great world which she had never 
 seen. She possessed more than the 
 rudiments of an education, and he 
 learned that both his uncle and her
 
 Gbc Cbrcc lttcbar& lUbalens. 149 
 
 grandfather, the old Spaniard, had 
 brought many books with them into 
 this strange retirement ; and from 
 these, as well as from the richly 
 stored mind of her father she had been 
 taught. In both Spanish and English 
 she was so ready that it was difficult 
 to say which was her native tongue. 
 And to these Binder, who was no mean 
 scholar, had added some knowledge of 
 German. So that while she was un- 
 schooled, she was yet far from igno- 
 rant, and Whalen quickly determined 
 that she would adorn the circle to 
 which she was fitted by birth, and into 
 which he meant to take her as soon as 
 this enterprise was brought to a con- 
 clusion. 
 
 After a long talk with Binder, 
 Whalen came to have a better appre- 
 ciation of the peculiar mania which 
 had possessed his uncle regarding the 
 source of his fortune ; and had he not 
 now found one who had a far better 
 right to it than himself, he would have 
 had perhaps no further scruples about 
 retaining it. He even began to doubt
 
 iso Gbe Cbree IRicbard lUbalciw. 
 
 if there were not some romance about 
 that portion of his uncle's diary that 
 spoke of his having been cast away 
 upon the island, and thought that he 
 might rather have chosen it volunta- 
 rily as a place of exile. That he had 
 brought there with him his most trea- 
 sured books, some scientific instru- 
 ments, and other things that a man of 
 his training and taste would naturally 
 have chosen for lightening the solitude 
 of his retirement, lent colour to this 
 supposition. All these things, he found 
 afterward, Nonie had carefully trea- 
 sured in her cabin by the inlet, and 
 they were such as suggested abundant 
 leisure in their selection. Studying 
 these, and thinking upon it all, he even 
 began to question if his uncle had not 
 been spurred toward Captiva by some- 
 what the same idea that had taken 
 possession of himself ? But to this, 
 there was now no chance of obtaining 
 answer, and soon they were so oc- 
 cupied with present interests that little 
 opportunity was had for reflections 
 upon the past.
 
 Gbe Cbrcc "KicbarD lUbalens. 151 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 THE search for the treasure was now 
 entered upon with a method and direct- 
 ness that forestalled, as nearly as hu- 
 man intelligence and endeavour could 
 accomplish that, the possibility of fail- 
 ure. The captain and crew of the 
 schooner were taken away from their 
 pearl-fishing and pressed into service, 
 with the promise of a rich reward if 
 their efforts were successful. The 
 astonishment of the captain, when he 
 learned that this had been the true 
 destination and purpose of the expedi- 
 tion from the start, was laughable in 
 its seriousness. 
 
 He entered into the work with a 
 good will. De Poincy planned the 
 operations, and Whalen and Carl 
 directed their practical execution. It 
 was the first definite labour to which
 
 152 a be Gbree IRfcbarO lllbalens, 
 
 either had ever given a thought in 
 their whole lives ; but they plunged 
 into it with the ardour and strength of 
 youth, almost more impatient to see 
 their theories vindicated than to realise 
 the material gain that would come 
 from the hoped for conclusion of their 
 efforts. But while they worked thus, 
 and gave their whole souls to this one 
 thing to which they had set their hands* 
 perhaps neither took more satisfaction 
 in it than they did in the long hours of 
 the brilliant tropic nights, when this 
 strange group of friends would sit to- 
 gether beneath the orange- and the 
 palm-trees and watch the stars, and 
 recount the curious chances that had 
 brought them to each other, and to 
 such a place. Often at these times 
 Nonie would sing to them some strange 
 wild song, self-taught, full of weird 
 melodies ; or De Poincy would tell, 
 with all of a Frenchman's vivacity, 
 some story of his wide wanderings ; or 
 the captain would recite some ghostly 
 tale of the sea. And then, to crown it 
 all, Whalen would tell some legend of
 
 Sbree Wcbaro THflbateng. 153 
 
 piracy or treasure-trove, perhaps some 
 story of adventure enacted long ago in 
 that very sea, and gleaned by him 
 from some old black-letter. But for 
 none of these did Nonie care so much 
 as for Carl's vivid and brilliant descrip- 
 tions of the life that he knew best, and 
 she least of all the life of the cities, 
 of the great pulsing heart of the wide 
 human world, that had been as yet a 
 sealed book to the girl, but which now, 
 hearing of, she longed to open and 
 read. 
 
 She had come to look upon Whalen 
 as her natural guardian, by reason of 
 this new relationship that he had dis- 
 covered between them, and it was 
 touching to see her timid dependence 
 on him, and her eager and complete 
 trust in him for the shaping of her 
 future. After listening rapturously to 
 Carl as long as she could induce him 
 to talk, she would turn to the other 
 and ask when she might be taken to 
 see all this with her own eyes. 
 
 " You shall go there soon, Nonie," 
 he would say ; " but we must first fin-
 
 i54 Gbe 3bree IRicbar? Ulbalcns. 
 
 ish our task here. You know I have 
 my fortune to make." He would con- 
 clude with a laugh, under which Carl 
 could detect a shade of serious mean- 
 ing. 
 
 " You know very well there is enough 
 for us both, without that," the girl 
 would answer, a little petulantly ; for 
 again and again had she urged him 
 that he should retain at least the half 
 of that which had so long been his 
 own. But he was steadfast in his pur- 
 pose. 
 
 At times De Poincy, watching both 
 men with his wise eyes, thought that 
 both cared more to be with Nonie than 
 to prosecute their search for the trea- 
 sure. Yet the work went on steadily 
 and methodically from day to day. 
 The Frenchman had explained that 
 it was his idea that the treasure if 
 treasure there was would have been 
 hidden close to the banks of the ca- 
 nal in order that it might have been 
 more quickly recovered when occasion 
 demanded. So a systematic uncover- 
 ing of the surface of the ground was
 
 Cbe Cbree "RtcbacO "CUbalcns. 155 
 
 undertaken, from the mouth of the 
 inlet to its furthest end, and so far 
 back from it on either side as De Poincy 
 had found any evidence of the disturb- 
 ance of the soil. In this undertaking, 
 which was one involving more labour 
 than any but the Frenchman had 
 thought, days passed quickly into 
 weeks. The first spur and excitement 
 passed away, and as the dull labour of 
 digging grew ever more monotonous, 
 and their search was unrewarded, the 
 captain and the crew of the schooner 
 began to complain. 
 
 " We shall be in a pretty pickle to 
 explain what we have been up to all 
 this time, if we ever get the vessel 
 back to her owners," said the captain 
 at last. " I, for one, think we would 
 have been wiser to go on with our 
 pearl-fishing. Then we would have 
 had something to show for it, and with- 
 out all this back-breaking work." 
 
 Finally he insisted on posting a look- 
 out each morning, to keep sharp 
 watch for any sail that might come 
 in sight, and to signal it to their relief.
 
 156 Gbe Gbree IRicbaro TMibalens. 
 
 Whalen objected to this, as he wanted 
 no visitors until their search was 
 ended. When they were quite ready 
 he doubted not they could find a way 
 to leave the island. But Binder only 
 shrugged his shoulders philosophically 
 at the captain's efforts. 
 
 "They will not come," he said, 
 quietly, out of the latter's hearing ; 
 "the sailors in these waters believe 
 the island is bewitched, and so keep 
 their distance. They think there is a 
 siren here who would lure them on to 
 destruction, if they but come within 
 sight or sound. We need fear no com- 
 pany." 
 
 " Then the myth of the Lorelei is of 
 some use," said Whalen. " So we will 
 let the skipper fly his signals to his 
 heart's content." 
 
 It was as Binder had said, for no 
 sail showed above their horizon. 
 Then as time went on and they met 
 with no reward for their continued 
 labour, and as hope began to grow 
 less even with the most sanguine, the 
 captain announced that he should make
 
 Cbe Sbree IRfcbarO Idbalens. 157 
 
 ready his largest boat and put off in 
 that, with his men, and make for some 
 point from which they could bring 
 help to draw the schooner out. And 
 for the comfort of the treasure-seekers 
 he added that he hoped they would 
 have a fine bill for demurrage to pay 
 the owners, in case they were ever for- 
 tunate enough to get back to port. 
 
 With the greatest difficulty he was 
 finally persuaded to delay his attempt 
 for another week, and to give his aid 
 heartily to the work for that time. 
 And he would not have yielded in this 
 had not Carl taken him privately aside 
 and promised him good compensation 
 and protection against all loss, whether 
 they were at last successful or not. 
 
 It was only a day or two after this 
 that De Poincy, searching with his 
 trained eye every foot of ground in the 
 hope that he might discover some new 
 clew, noticed that the soil at a certain 
 point gave unmistakable evidence of 
 later disturbance than at any other. 
 He called the attention of Whalen to 
 this, and urged that work be under- 
 taken anew at that spot.
 
 158 3be 3bree "KicbarD lUbalcns. 
 
 It was morning when they began to 
 follow this new indication, and the 
 Frenchman's enthusiasm and certainty 
 that they were at last upon the right 
 track soon communicated itself to all 
 hands, so that they worked with un- 
 wonted willingness. But when night 
 came, and Whalen sorrowfully told the 
 men to cease work and rest until the 
 morrow, no bit of evidence had been 
 found to corroborate the Frenchman's 
 prophecy. Then discouragement and 
 silence settled down upon the little 
 camp, such as it had not before 
 known. It was just as the word had 
 been given to stop, that one of the 
 men drove his mattock into the ground 
 with a force that was meant to em- 
 phasise his disbelief in the utility of 
 their undertaking, and found it caught 
 and held there by some substance 
 other than the yielding earth. 
 
 Mowbray, regretting more on his 
 friend's account than on his own, the 
 failure which now appeared almost 
 certain, was still watching every stroke 
 that the men made. When he saw
 
 Gbe Gbree IRtcbaro W.balens. 159 
 
 that something out of the usual order 
 had attracted the workman's attention, 
 he was beside him in an instant. Seiz- 
 ing another mattock, he dug rapidly 
 but carefully down until he could see 
 that the first tool had caught in a heavy 
 piece of wood. At first, this seemed 
 to be all. But with another stroke he 
 saw that this wood was of definite form 
 and shape. A little more, and that it 
 was the cover of a solid chest, which 
 was held together by metal bands. 
 
 Now all was excitement, where 
 apathy had been before. The men 
 clustered about, anxious to be of ser- 
 vice. As the brief tropic twilight died 
 wholly away and the night came on, 
 Binder quickly made some torches of 
 light pine and set them burning. 
 These threw a queer fitful radiance 
 over the weird scene leaving the 
 workers now in shadow, and again re- 
 vealing them in the full glare of the 
 light, but serving well the purpose of 
 enabling them to finish the removal of 
 the earth in which the box was im- 
 bedded.
 
 160 Gbe Cbree IRtcbarO TKHbalens. 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 As soon as the box had been 
 loosened the men lifted it up from the 
 pit in which it had lain, and Mowbray 
 struck the metal bands a few stout 
 blows, amid the almost breathless 
 silence of the group about him. No 
 word had been spoken, but all had 
 gathered close around. As the last 
 fastening gave way the lid of the chest 
 fell apart, and revealed such a sight 
 as fnone there had ever witnessed 
 such an one as even the most sanguine 
 of them had hardly dared to hope for 
 and such as they would never wit- 
 ness again in all the world. Full to 
 overflowing was the chest, with bright 
 gold pieces that shimmered and twin- 
 kled in the flickering lustrous glare of 
 the torches. Jewels, mixed in wanton 
 disorder among them, sparkled with a
 
 'IT WAS THE (JAIX AND MIDl.NliS OP SO.MK OLD BfCCAXKKK." Pat? l6l.
 
 Cbree IRtcbarb "uabatcns. 161 
 
 hundred tints and colours, matching 
 with their radiance the light from the 
 stars above. Beyond any question of 
 the most arrant doubter, this was the 
 very treasure for which they had 
 sought. It was the gain and hidings 
 of some old buccaneer, looted red- 
 handed from the rich homes of Panama 
 and Caracas and the many other ill- 
 fated cities of the Spanish Main, in 
 the old days when the first Richard 
 Whalen had adapted himself so easily 
 to the law that might made right. 
 
 For a little, each one stood gazing 
 at the chest, and at the wonderful 
 spoil it held, as silently as though they 
 stood about an open grave. Then, 
 when the full meaning and immensity 
 of the discovery finally burst upon 
 them, each manifested his apprecia- 
 tion of it in a different way. The 
 captain could only give vent to his 
 feelings through the medium of a few 
 round oaths. His men remained look- 
 ing at the treasure in gaping, wide- 
 mouthed wonder. Binder regarded it 
 with even more than his customary
 
 162 be Sbree IRicbarO Wbalens. 
 
 stoicism. The Frenchman with many 
 and varied ejaculations which testified 
 to a wise understanding of its material 
 value. In Nonie there was enough of 
 the barbaric element to be charmed 
 with the glitter of the gold and the 
 sparkle of the jewels, and she threw 
 herself upon it and plunged her bared 
 arms into the depths of the shining 
 mass and tossed the yellow coins about 
 her in wild profusion. Only the two 
 friends appeared to regard it as a 
 wholly natural and expected discovery, 
 a fitting conclusion to the whole affair 
 that had so long engaged them, and 
 they went presently very methodically 
 to the business of computing its value. 
 In this they were assisted by the 
 Frenchman, and they had wearied 
 even of handling such treasure before 
 they had finished with it. 
 
 With the acquirement of possessions, 
 the cupidity of man's nature however 
 dormant it may have lain for the 
 nonce rises and asserts itself. Neither 
 Mowbray nor Richard Whalen was 
 avaricious nor wont to be suspicious
 
 3be 3bree IRtcbarO lUbalcna. 163 
 
 of his fellows. And their experience 
 thus far had certainly given them little 
 cause to think that the colony on 
 Captiva could be the object of a free- 
 booting attack from the open sea. 
 Yet it seemed to them wise that this 
 sudden acquisition of wealth called for 
 more than their ordinary caution, and 
 that it should at once be placed under 
 their own careful guardianship ; and 
 that it might be so they set about con- 
 veying it at once to the cabin that had 
 formerly been Binder's but which had 
 been turned over to the use of the 
 two friends. 
 
 The grouping of the little handful of 
 souls had been re-arranged after the 
 last addition to its numbers. The 
 friends, as I have said, had taken pos- 
 session of the cabin that Binder had 
 occupied so long, and which was near 
 the shore. A little further inland a 
 new and more sumptuous one had 
 been built for Nonie, and furnished 
 with everything the schooner could 
 provide toward its comfort or luxury. 
 There, guarded by her two faithful
 
 164 Sbe tTbree "Ricbarfc Tldbalens. 
 
 dogs, she seemed to Whalen to be 
 more safe than elsewhere, as she was 
 almost within call from their own 
 cabin, and directly between that and 
 the one which De Poincy and the 
 Austrian had newly built for them- 
 selves, just beyond. While further 
 away, the captain and his men still 
 kept their quarters upon the schooner. 
 
 It was well into the night before 
 they separated. After such a day of 
 excitement, with such a conclusion, 
 there was much to be discussed by 
 them all, but especially by the two 
 moving spirits of the enterprise. So 
 Whalen and Carl talked long about 
 the final disposition of the treasure 
 and made plans that were far-reaching 
 into the future, sitting the while at the 
 door of their cabin where a long sweep 
 could be had toward the open sea. 
 
 The great moon rose slowly up 
 toward the zenith and made the night 
 rich with its yellow light. The host 
 of stars that had twinkled down at 
 them and had vied with the sparkle of 
 the gold and the jewels, died out un-
 
 Cbc Cbrce "KicbarO Wbalena. 165 
 
 der this more brilliant radiance and 
 left pale Luna to shine alone in the 
 whole vast apse. The calm lapping of 
 the waves made music on the beach. 
 All nature conspired to make the scene 
 one of perfect quiet, of calm repose, 
 yet by some strange quip the very 
 contrast of it with what had happened 
 there before took the thoughts of 
 both back to the days and scenes of 
 bloody rapine that had doubtless been 
 too often witnessed upon that very 
 shore. Could it be that the same 
 placid moon and the merry shining 
 stars had looked down too upon old 
 Lolonius and his pirate crew, and 
 upon that first Richard Whalen, be- 
 cause of whose evil deeds they were 
 here now ? It was this thought that 
 forced itself upon the mind of the 
 young Richard Whalen and led him 
 to voice it to his companion. 
 
 " We have had a full measure of 
 success," he said ; " more than would 
 have been easily believed, were we to 
 tell it. So far as the main object of 
 our expedition is concerned, we have
 
 166 Gbe Cbree IRicbarD imbalens. 
 
 come to the finish. And I am afraid 
 we shall have to be content with get- 
 ting their treasure, and without an 
 actual encounter with those bucca- 
 neers who left it here, and whom you 
 hoped to still find roving about. You 
 see, Carl, you have come into the 
 world too late." 
 
 " Yes," assented the other, lazily, " it 
 was dull work to dig the box out of 
 the sand, when we think they who 
 brought it here won it by sword and 
 blood. It was probably even buried to 
 the accompaniment of new-made skull 
 and cross-bones. I wonder we did not 
 find such relics upon the chest ! What 
 a difference," he went on, with more 
 animation, " between our schooner, 
 sailing down here so quietly that she 
 stuck her nose in the mud of Captiva 
 before we had even sighted the land 
 we were in search of, and those swift 
 galleons, with their boisterous, roy- 
 stering crews, sweeping along proudly, 
 a terror to the seas, pausing only to 
 hide in one place that which had been 
 stolen in another."
 
 3be Cbree "KtcbarC* lUbalens. 167 
 
 " You are quite right," said Whalen ; 
 " I can imagine how that life held its 
 charm. The freedom of it, the mas- 
 tery over others, the feeling that one 
 could let the human passions in him 
 have full sway to murder, rob, burn, 
 without the reproach of conscience ; 
 that, of course, was better than the 
 commonplace way in which we have 
 reached the same end the attainment 
 of the gold and the jewels." 
 
 "Oh, well," laughed Carl, "if you 
 are going to agree with me so readily, 
 I think I will turn in. And I would 
 advise you to do the same, for to- 
 morrow we must set our wits at work 
 to devise some means for getting out 
 of here, although I confess I am in no 
 hurry to leave the enchanted island." 
 
 While his companion was speaking, 
 Whalen had risen to his feet and was 
 now gazing intently out over the open 
 water. Beckoning to Carl, he pointed 
 to a distant speck that could be faintly 
 discerned for an instant, seemingly 
 upon the crest of a swelling wave, and 
 again was lost to sight in the hollow
 
 1 68 abe Gbree IRicbatD Wbalens, 
 
 of the sea. Once more it appeared, 
 and was again as quickly hidden. The 
 moonlight, bright as it was, still was 
 an uncertain aid by which to dis- 
 tinguish objects so far away. The two 
 watched this floating speck silently for 
 a long time. So faint was it that more 
 than once they thought their eyes had 
 deceived them, and that it was but the 
 reflection of the light on the dimpling 
 water. But at last, and at the same 
 moment, they turned toward each other 
 with the same word forming upon their 
 lips" A sail ! "
 
 Sbree "RicbacD TJClbalens. 169 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 As the two companions stood and 
 watched, it drew nearer and nearer, 
 growing swiftly larger and more dis- 
 tinct, taking on definite form and sub- 
 stance before their eyes, and keeping 
 its course steadily toward them. As 
 it came up from the misty distance 
 they could at first distinguish the sails 
 and spars, which caught the moon- 
 light and were silhouetted against the 
 background of the sky, and then the 
 dark mass of the hull, and finally were 
 able to make out that it was a vessel 
 of some size. She was schooner- 
 rigged, and had all canvas spread to 
 catch the light breeze. Thus she 
 made way with considerable rapidity, 
 although upon the shore the night 
 seemed very still, and soon every de- 
 tail could be observed. For an hour
 
 i?o Cbe abree "Ricbaro 
 
 they watched, and an indefinable fear 
 grew in the heart of each, so silently, 
 so steadily, with so set a purpose did 
 the stranger draw upon them. When 
 the craft at last was no more than a 
 mile away, Mowbray spoke. 
 
 " She will come ashore. If there is 
 a lookout, he should see the land. It 
 is light enough. Every man on board 
 must be asleep. If they strike, at 
 that speed, and carrying so much sail, 
 the vessel will go to pieces." 
 
 Before the other could answer there 
 was some visible commotion upon the 
 schooner. The sails began to rattle 
 down, and the boat lost its headway. 
 The sawing sound of the hawser as it 
 paid out, came to them across the 
 still water, and they knew that the 
 anchor was being let go. But there 
 was no sound of voices, no giving of 
 orders, so that it might have been 
 manned by a phantom crew, so far as 
 any life could be descried upon it. It 
 gave them an uncanny feeling, as 
 they watched, and brought to mind 
 the tales they had heard of the super-
 
 Gbe Cbree l?icbaro lUbaicns. 171 
 
 stitions held by the sailors about the 
 island. But presently the schooner 
 rounded to and showed them her bare 
 spars and sharp, clean outlines. Now 
 they could make out moving figures 
 upon the deck. Presently two boats 
 were let down from the vessel's side 
 and filled with men. Then came the 
 steady plash, plash of oars, at first 
 faintly, and then louder and louder as 
 the boats grew from the distance and 
 came nearer. The silence that the 
 people in them still maintained made 
 this waiting and watching almost in- 
 tolerable, as the suspicion merged into 
 certainty that it must be foes and not 
 friends whose coming they watched. 
 Friends would have sent some hail, 
 for by this the men in the boats could 
 see distinctly the two upon the shore. 
 Only foes would steal on so swift and 
 silent. 
 
 Whalen, at last tired of waiting for 
 them to make some sign, was about 
 to hail, when he heard a footstep be- 
 hind him and turned to see Binder 
 approaching. The quiet and stoical
 
 Gbree TRicbarD TlClbalens. 
 
 bearing of the latter had vanished, 
 and he was nervously excited. 
 
 " I don't like that," he said. " I 
 have been watching them a long time. 
 I have not slept to-night. I think it 
 would be well if they do not land. Re- 
 member what we have here." 
 
 " Yes, but it is impossible they 
 should know of that," was Whalen's 
 reply ; although the Austrian had only 
 voiced the fear that was half formed 
 in the minds of each of the others. 
 
 Binder significantly touched the butt 
 of a pistol that protruded from his 
 pocket. 
 
 " I think I would find out what they 
 want," he urged again. 
 
 " That will do no harm," said Wha- 
 len, turning to his friend, half ques- 
 tioningly. The other nodded his assent, 
 and Whalen called out stertorously 
 " Boat ahoy ! " 
 
 There was no cessation in the ryth- 
 mic music of the plashing oars, no 
 pause in the onward movement of the 
 boats that still drew toward them, les- 
 sening the distance to the shore with 
 great leaps at every stroke.
 
 Cbc Cbrce "RicbarD lUbalcns. 173 
 
 " Boat ahoy ! " shouted Whalen 
 again ; and after a moment of impatient 
 waiting he cried once more " Boat 
 ahoy ! " and then : " Tell us your 
 errand before you come any closer, or 
 we shall fire." 
 
 At this a voice from the boat which 
 was nearest them answered : 
 
 " We are from the schooner Ladybird, 
 and we are out of water. We want to 
 land and fill our butts." 
 
 After a hurried consultation with 
 his companions Whalen called again : 
 
 " Let one boat stop where it is. 
 The other may come on." 
 
 He judged there were not more than 
 six men in either, and felt there could 
 be no danger in permitting one to 
 come near enough for further confer- 
 ence. The three now waited, standing 
 close together, until the keel of the 
 boat grated on the sand. Then the 
 sailor who had spoken before stood up 
 in the stern and they could see that he 
 was a rough, uncouth fellow, with a 
 dark, brutish face, and a powerful 
 truncated body that would have done
 
 174 Gbe Gbree TRicbarD tabaicns. 
 
 no disgrace to any of the old bucca- 
 neers themselves. Yet when he spoke, 
 it was civilly enough. 
 
 "We are bound from Trinidad to 
 New Orleans," he said ; " three days 
 ago our water butts sprung aleak, and 
 we lost our whole supply. This is the 
 first land we have sighted, and we 
 started at once to look for water. We 
 are almost dead from thirst." 
 
 His voice sounded coarse and husky, 
 as if he did in truth speak with diffi- 
 culty, and it occurred to Whalen that 
 this might be the reason why they had 
 heard no orders shouted upon the 
 vessel. The thought threw him a little 
 off his guard. But Mowbray, keeping 
 his keen eyes alert while the attention 
 of the other was attracted by the 
 spokesman, saw that two of the men 
 had climbed quietly out of the boat and 
 were drawing closer to his friend. He 
 fancied there was something sinister 
 in their movements, and he dropped 
 his hand into his pocket and clutched 
 his revolver, at the same time mov- 
 ing nearer to Whalen, who had inad-
 
 Gbe Cbrec IRicbard tUbalcns. 175 
 
 vertently put some distance between 
 them. Binder equally alert, seemed 
 actuated by the same thought, and 
 took a step forward. The leader of 
 the boat's crew saw this, and at once 
 threw off all disguise. 
 
 " At them, men ! " he cried ; and 
 with the words he flung himself from 
 the boat and upon Whalen, simultane- 
 ously with the two others who stood 
 nearest him, while the balance of the 
 crew interposed so as to cut them off 
 and thus prevent Whalen's friends 
 from coming to his rescue. 
 
 Their action had been so sudden 
 that, though partially upon their guard, 
 neither of the three men had time nor 
 opportunity to fire upon their assail- 
 ants. But both Mowbray and Binder 
 now at once opened fire upon the men 
 who stood between them, and with such 
 good effect that they soon had a path 
 cleared to their companion. But in the 
 meantime the other boat had come 
 up, and the battle was now at the seri- 
 ous odds of a dozen against three. 
 Carl had seen the gleam of a knife in
 
 176 Gbe Cbree "RicbarO IWlbalens. 
 
 the hands of one of the men who had 
 attacked his friend, but the latter was 
 still upon his feet and sending sledge- 
 hammer blows at the ruffian who 
 crowded him so closely that he had no 
 chance to use his pistols in his own 
 defense. Carl fought desperately to 
 reach him, but could make little head- 
 way. Finding himself close to Binder, 
 he made a sudden rush which put him 
 back to back with the Austrian, and 
 with that position gained they were 
 able to use their pistols with more 
 effect, and with less danger of wound- 
 ing each other. 
 
 Now for a little time it was a pan- 
 demonium of swirling forms and swing- 
 ing blows, of gleaming knives and the 
 sharp crack of pistols, of cries and 
 curses on the part of the sailors and 
 of grim, silent, desperate fighting on 
 the part of the three who were strug- 
 gling against such overwhelming odds. 
 But at last the power of numbers 
 told, and they found the contest gra- 
 dually narrowing, themselves being 
 pressed harder and more closely each
 
 Cbe ttbree Htcbarfc TWlbalene. 177 
 
 moment. A little longer, contesting 
 step by step, struggling to the very 
 end, and the two friends, bleeding 
 from a dozen wounds, were made 
 captive, while the Austrian lay sense- 
 less upon the ground. Three of the 
 ruffians lay dead, within the space of a 
 dozen feet. 
 
 " Look you, my men," snarled the 
 one who seemed to command, as soon 
 as he could find breath to speak ; 
 " you will have to pay well for this. 
 Three of as good fellows as ever put 
 foot on deck, dead now because you 
 did not have sense enough to know 
 when you were beat. Now tell us as 
 quickly as you may, what you have 
 found on this cursed island. We have 
 waited and watched you until we are 
 tired. Tell us what precious loot you 
 have gotten for your pains, and where 
 it is hidden now?" 
 
 But the fellow little knew with what 
 manner of men he had to deal. While 
 they would have counted it an un- 
 worthy thing in them to have given 
 up their lives for the treasure, or be-
 
 i?s Gbe Gbrce TRtcbarfc Ulbalens, 
 
 cause of any miserable beggarly love 
 for gold, they would now have suf- 
 fered almost any torment before obey- 
 ing the behest of this scoundrel. Both 
 men shut their teeth, and struggled 
 fiercely against the cords with which 
 their arms and limbs had been tightly 
 bound. 
 
 " Come," said the ruffian, impati- 
 ently, touching first one and then the 
 other with the toe of his boot ; " it 
 will be better for you if you <lo not 
 give us too much trouble. This is not 
 a place that sailors much like, at the 
 best, and we have no mind to stay 
 until we may be set upon by some of 
 your men, whom you have hidden 
 somewhere about. Let us have what- 
 ever you have found here, be it much 
 or little, and we will be off." 
 
 It was in the nature of both men 
 that they attempted no subterfuge, 
 that it did not enter their minds to 
 deny the finding of any treasure. And 
 if they had thought of such a means 
 for ridding themselves of their unwel- 
 come companions they would have
 
 Cbe Cbree UtcbarD TOlbalens. 179 
 
 scorned to employ it, even in so des- 
 perate a case as was theirs now. 
 
 Finding that they would not speak, 
 much less do his bidding, the fellow 
 was looking about for some means by 
 which he might enforce his commands, 
 and was even fingering his pistols 
 impatiently again, when he was startled 
 by an apparition that suddenly made 
 toward him. Running, with feet so 
 light that they seemed hardly to touch 
 the ground, Nonie came out from the 
 fringe of palms that hid the inner 
 island from the beach and sped along 
 the sands to where the men were 
 grouped about the prostrate forms of 
 her friends. At seeing them lying 
 there she flung herself down beside 
 them with a cry of horror, and was 
 about to undo the cords that bound 
 them, when the leader, recovering in a 
 measure from his astonishment at this 
 unexpected vision, gruffly interposed. 
 
 " Not so fast, my lady," he said, 
 putting his hand upon her ; " get your 
 friends to have a little common-sense, 
 and tell us what they have found, and
 
 i8o tibe Sbree IRicbarO Wlbalens. 
 
 where they have made another hiding 
 of it, and they may soon enough go 
 free." 
 
 Nonie drew herself up and threw 
 the scoundrel's hand from her and 
 hesitated for a moment, looking from 
 one to the other of her friends for in- 
 structions. Both men exclaimed at 
 once against obeying the order. 
 
 " You had best do it, Missie," said 
 the fellow, raising his pistol omi- 
 nously ; " I shall not fool with them 
 much longer, if you don't." 
 
 " And you will let them go, if I tell 
 you ? " 
 
 "You can rest easy about that," he 
 laughed coarsely ; " we don't want our 
 boat bothered with any such luggage 
 as that. It would only be in our way." 
 
 " Then I will tell you," she said, 
 making quick decision ; and before the 
 others could again interpose she had 
 directed them to the cabin, and the 
 leader himself remaining behind to 
 watch over his captives had sent his 
 men to search where she said. They 
 soon returned, bearing the chest in
 
 Cbree IRicbard Vdbalens. 181 
 
 triumph on their shoulders. Their 
 master gave but one quick glance at 
 it. 
 
 " That is what we have been waiting 
 for, a good many years. I always told 
 you, my lads, that if any one dug it 
 up, they would do it for us. Into the 
 boat with it now, and we will see what 
 is inside of it later on. This pays us 
 well for the night's work, and fills our 
 water-butts finely. Now let us be 
 off." He spoke grimly, but at the last 
 laughed at his own jest, and then 
 turned to the men who were helpless 
 before him. 
 
 " Thanks for your lift, my mates. 
 This is a good turn that you have 
 done us. We have had our minds on 
 this for a long time, but not knowing 
 just where to look, we waited for you 
 to show us. Hearing that your boat 
 had come this way some time since, 
 we followed as speedily as we could, 
 and it seems we were just in the nick 
 of time. I was afraid that we might 
 be too late." 
 
 By this his men were in the boats,
 
 i8z Gbe Gbree "RfcbarD TOflbalcns. 
 
 and only waiting for the other to join 
 them before casting off. He took a 
 step toward them, as if about to do so. 
 Then he paused, and turning back 
 threw his arms about Nonie and lifted 
 her, shrieking, into the boat with him. 
 The two men on the shore made fren- 
 zied efforts to release themselves, that 
 they might go to her aid, but each 
 movement seemed only to make their 
 bonds tighter and they were powerless 
 to prevent Nonie from being carried 
 away before their eyes.
 
 Gbe Sbree TRicbatf> Wlbalcns. 183 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 AT first the girl struggled so fran- 
 tically that it seemed as if the boat 
 would be capsized, and it required all 
 the effort of her captors to keep the 
 craft upright, and to retain her in it. 
 She endeavoured to release herself, but 
 soon found this had only the effect of 
 making the ruffian hold her the more 
 closely, and to show her how futile it 
 was to pit her strength against his. 
 So after a little she decided to sub- 
 stitute strategy for force, as she had 
 no notion of being carried away to the 
 vessel, and so sat quietly in the stern 
 of the boat where she had been placed, 
 as if convinced of the futility of any 
 attempt to regain her freedom. As 
 soon as the fellow saw this, and saw, 
 too, that his oarsmen had put consid- 
 erable distance between themselves
 
 184 ftbe Gbree "Kicbarfc "Cdbalens. 
 
 and the land, he released his hold 
 upon her and gave his attention to his 
 men and to the course of the boat. 
 
 Nonie now waited, with all the self- 
 control that she could command, until 
 quite certain that he was paying no 
 further attention to her. Then, sum- 
 moning all her courage and strength 
 for the effort, she threw herself back- 
 ward with a sudden spring and disap- 
 peared beneath the water. 
 
 With a great oath the man was upon 
 his feet on the instant, and peering 
 anxiously down into the black depths. 
 But the momentum of the boat had 
 already carried them some distance 
 from the immediate spot where she 
 had gone down, and the water made 
 no sign to tell where she was hidden. 
 The sailors rested on their oars, or 
 rowed slowly in a circle, while he nar- 
 rowly scanned the sea all about. But 
 nothing was visible on the whole of 
 its smooth surface and he was finally 
 forced to conclude that she had gone 
 down forever, preferring death to cap- 
 ture ; so he gave orders to his men to
 
 Cbe Gbree "RicbarO TKHbalens. 185 
 
 dip their oars once more and row on 
 to the vessel. 
 
 Meanwhile, not a hundred yards 
 away from the boat Nonie floated, as 
 much at home in the water as upon 
 the land, keeping her body hidden be- 
 neath the waves while her mouth and 
 nostrils were just enough above them 
 to give her the air which would sustain 
 life until the danger of discovery was 
 past. Then, swimming quietly, she 
 managed to put more distance between 
 them, and when the boat had finally 
 gone on she struck out boldly and 
 swiftly for the shore. 
 
 The apprehension that had filled 
 the minds of the two friends as they 
 saw Nonie borne into the boat had 
 left them a prey to worse torments 
 than they suffered from their wounds. 
 Their utter inability to make any ef- 
 fort toward her rescue only made their 
 own position the more intolerable. It 
 would have been some satisfaction if 
 they could have fought for her, even 
 though against such odds that their 
 lives would have surely paid the pen-
 
 1 86 be Cbree "RicbarD XUbaiens. 
 
 alty. They kept their eyes fastened 
 upon the boat, and had seen the com- 
 motion and delay, but could not guess 
 its cause. And when they finally saw 
 the boats back at the schooner's side, 
 and could distinguish the preparations 
 that were being made to get the latter 
 under weigh, they almost abandoned 
 hope that they should ever see her 
 again. 
 
 It was as they were at the very 
 depths of this despairing thought that 
 Nonie reached the shore, and drawing 
 herself up out of the water like a 
 sea-nymph she sprang lightly along 
 the beach, calling out their names as 
 she ran toward them. To the two 
 friends it seemed that little short of a 
 miracle had happened. She set to 
 work at once, unfastening their cords 
 with a swift and gentle dexterity, and 
 giving an account of her own escape 
 as she did so. Then she began to 
 look carefully after their hurts. Bin- 
 der was not forgotten in this, and be- 
 ing soon restored to consciousness it 
 was found that he had been more
 
 Gbe Cbrec "RicbarD TZClbalens. 187 
 
 severely wounded than the others. A 
 pistol shot in his shoulder had torn an 
 ugly hole, which it required the united 
 surgery of the three to dress. Whalen 
 found himself cut in a half dozen 
 places, but no wound deep enough to 
 give cause for alarm, although he was 
 much weakened from the loss of blood. 
 Mowbray had escaped both knife and 
 pistol, but was bruised and sore from 
 the fists, kicks and clubs of their as- 
 sailants. 
 
 Looking seaward they could now dis- 
 cern the vessel spreading sail, and so 
 thankful were they at Nonie's escape, 
 and so glad to be rid of their unwel- 
 come visitors that at first none of them 
 gave thought to the treasure of which 
 they had been robbed. Binder was the 
 first to speak of it, and was answered 
 by a cry of dismay from Mowbray. 
 
 "Well," said Whalen, philosophi- 
 cally, " we can do nothing now. They 
 have the whip hand, and we are lucky 
 to get away with our lives. But I am 
 sorry, Nonie, that your fortune has so 
 suddenly disappeared."
 
 i88 be Gbree IRicbarD TSUbalcna. 
 
 " I have still Captiva," said the girl ; 
 " I can never be poor with that." 
 
 Binder at these words turned toward 
 her with a look of grateful apprecia- 
 tion. To him this search for the trea- 
 sure, this frenzied upsetting of the 
 established life of his beloved island, 
 had from the first seemed a very fool- 
 ish thing. He had borne with it, 
 because it had seemed to be for Nonie's 
 sake. But now that the gold was 
 found, and so quickly lost again 
 beyond possible recovery, he hoped 
 the interlopers would also go and 
 leave him once more in quiet posses- 
 sion. 
 
 With the dawn the knowledge of the 
 events of the night came to the others 
 upon the island. Great was the wrath 
 of the captain when he learned what 
 had happened. 
 
 " I thought once in the night that I 
 heard some row," he said ; " if I and 
 my men had taken care of the chest, 
 those fellows would not have gotten it, 
 I can tell you. And now how are we 
 to be paid for the time we have
 
 3be Cbree "RtcbarO Ddbaleng. 189 
 
 wasted ? " He was for at once mak- 
 ing some strenuous effort to get the 
 schooner out of the inlet, that he might 
 go in pursuit. But as he suggested no 
 practical method for accomplishing 
 that end, the others did not give him 
 much encouragement. 
 
 De Poincy was a wise man, as well 
 as a scientist, and so he took the mat- 
 ter philosophically. 
 
 "If I had been here," he said, "I 
 should probably have had my head 
 broken, and to no good end. It is just 
 as well that I was out of it." 
 
 There was now nothing to do but 
 make preparations for leaving the 
 island. A further stay would avail 
 nothing, as it was hardly to be sup- 
 posed that any other treasure yet 
 awaited the finding ; although De 
 Poincy did make a suggestion of such 
 a possibility, to which Whalen for a 
 little time seemed disposed to give 
 consideration. But his duties toward 
 Nonie finally decided him against it. 
 
 To Binder's consternation he found 
 that the preparations now begun for
 
 190 Gbe 3bree IRicbarO idbalcns. 
 
 leaving Captiva included also taking 
 away Nonie. This he had not before 
 thought of. But Whalen was stead- 
 fast in saying that it was his place, 
 as her only relative, to constitute 
 himself her guardian, and take her 
 into the world and to give her that 
 position to which she was entitled ; a 
 view of the matter in which Nonie 
 readily acquiesced. Having still the 
 fortune of her father, which he had 
 made over to her, enabled Whalen to 
 see his way clearly notwithstanding 
 the loss of the treasure. 
 
 The difficulty of getting away now 
 became a matter for the most serious 
 consideration. The schooner could 
 not be taken out of the inlet until some 
 other vessel was first brought to its 
 assistance. The schooner's yawl was 
 the most seaworthy craft at their com- 
 mand, but that was an exceedingly 
 frail thing in which to attempt so long 
 a trip as the one now before them. 
 Yet this had to be done, unless they 
 were all willing to wait indefinitely for 
 the chance of a sail coming that way,
 
 Gbe Gbree UicbarO TJGlbalens. 191 
 
 and their past experience did not en- 
 courage them to rely on that. 
 
 Whalen insisted that himself, in com- 
 pany with the captain, should make 
 the endeavour to get to some port from 
 which they could bring aid to the 
 others. So they fitted and provisioned 
 the boat and set out, with grave faces 
 behind them. 
 
 " We shall have a ship here in a few 
 days," said Whalen to Nonie, trying to 
 cheer her because she had looked so 
 dolorous at seeing him about to leave 
 her ; " then you shall set sail to see 
 the world, from which you have too 
 long been hidden." 
 
 The cruise upon which they were 
 starting was one replete with the pos- 
 sibilities of danger. Their craft was 
 small and insecure. They were able to 
 carry provisions only sufficient to last 
 them a week, at the very utmost. 
 They must lay their course by guess- 
 work, through a sea unfrequented by 
 vessels, so that there was little chance 
 of iuccour should they find themselves 
 in desperate straits. But for once
 
 192 Cbe ttbree TRicbarfc "Wflbalens. 
 
 fortune favoured them, which may have 
 been due to the fact that Whalen took 
 the direction of all matters into his 
 own hands, forcing the captain into 
 rather unwilling subjection to his 
 leadership. Thus, before the week for 
 which he had prepared was quite gone, 
 he had the intense satisfaction of being 
 seated once more in the office of the 
 superintendent of the steamship com- 
 pany, whose aid he and Mowbray had 
 invoked when starting upon their 
 expedition. 
 
 The superintendent welcomed, him 
 back most heartily, and listened atten- 
 tively to his account of their adven- 
 tures, the search for and finding of the 
 treasure, and its loss at last. His 
 attention deepened into the most 
 absorbed interest at the dramatic con- 
 clusion, and as he listened he nodded 
 his head wisely at some portions of 
 the story which seemed to be in 
 harmony with his own ideas, and at 
 others looked upon Whalen search- 
 ingly, as if to determine whether it 
 were all strictly true. At the ending
 
 3be Gbree IRicbarO TUIlbalens. 193 
 
 * 
 
 of the strange narrative he appeared 
 to be wholly satisfied as to that. 
 
 He remained silent, buried in 
 thought, for a little time after the 
 younger man had finished. His sharp 
 eyes, peering out from under shaggy 
 brows, searched the face of his com- 
 panion. At last he said : 
 
 " As far as the treasure is concerned, 
 it is a case of diamond cut diamond. 
 That you will have to acknowledge. 
 Those fellows learned of your purpose, 
 in some manner, and seem to have had 
 the good luck to strike just when the 
 iron was hot. Of course, that part of 
 it was pure chance. No," he went on, 
 in answer to Whalen's question, " I 
 do not think it will be of any use to 
 try to capture them. I might hazard 
 a guess as to who it was ; btt there 
 are so many lawless prowlers in these 
 seas that one cannot speak with much 
 certainty. But I will keep my eyes 
 open. They may be careless enough 
 to discover themselves to me. But, 
 my dear fellow," he added suddenly, 
 as if a new thought had just occurred to
 
 194 3be Gbree TRtcbarD "wabatcns. 
 
 him, " your voyage may not have been 
 as profitless as you now think." 
 
 " It has not been profitless," an- 
 swered Whalen, " for I have discovered 
 my cousin. That alone will outweigh 
 all .else. But beyond that, and as 
 regards any financial profit, I cannot 
 see much of a silver lining to the cloud 
 that these robbers have thrown over 
 our hopes." He looked questioningly 
 at the superintendent, wondering as to 
 his meaning. 
 
 " You forget," the other replied, 
 smiling, " that you tried to make me 
 think this phosphate, that you say you 
 unearthed in such abundance while 
 digging for the treasure, was the main 
 object of your expedition." 
 
 Whalen blushed at this, and began 
 to murmur some apology. 
 
 " Oh, it was quite right," said the 
 other ; " I did not tell my suspicions 
 to any one. In such matters it is 
 always wellto keep one's own counsel 
 yet it seems that some one must have 
 had at least an inkling of your true plans. 
 But about this phosphate," he con-
 
 Cbc Cbree "KicbarO Tidbalens. 195 
 
 tinued ; " perhaps you do not know that 
 while you have been digging away there, 
 after your Spanish gold and jewels, all 
 phosphate lands have been enjoying a 
 genuine boom ? If yours is as rich as 
 seems to be the case, your island still 
 has a buried fortune beneath its soil. 
 A representative of an English syndi- 
 cate is now here, buying everything he 
 can get his hands on. If you wish, 
 you can arrange with him to go over 
 and look at your find." 
 
 Whalen looked up, as if in a dream. 
 " The phosphate," he said, " I had for- 
 gotten all about. I knew its value, as 
 soon as we reached Captiva. So did 
 Mowbray. So, I think, did De Poincy. 
 But in the excitement of the search for 
 the treasure, and in its loss, we had 
 forgotten this wholly. I think you are 
 right and that the best part of our 
 venture may yet be to come." 
 
 Arrangements for a small steamer 
 to take them back to Captiva were 
 speedily completed. The Englishman, 
 to whom Whalen had been introduced 
 by the superintendent, went upon the
 
 196 Gbe Gbree IRicbarZ) "Odbalens. 
 
 same boat, and arrangements were 
 also made for getting the schooner 
 out of its predicament, as well as for 
 bringing away the balance of the 
 party. Immediately upon their arrival 
 the Englishman set about making a 
 careful examination of the deposits, 
 not only where they had been uncov- 
 ered in the search for the treasure, but 
 also wherever about the island he 
 found indications of the existence of 
 phosphates. So great was his surprise 
 at the richness and extent of the beds 
 that he could hardly conceal his desire 
 to obtain possession at once. Never- 
 theless, he made several attempts to 
 belittle their value, which had no effect 
 upon Whalen, who had taken the pre- 
 caution to learn all that he could 
 about the commercial aspects of the 
 case before returning. Finally all 
 subterfuges were abandoned and the 
 proffer made of the round sum of a 
 half million dollars for all privileges 
 in the deposits. This, after a confer- 
 ence with all his companions in the 
 treasure search, was accepted, with the
 
 Sbe Sbree "RicbarD "GClbalens. 197 
 
 provision that Binder should have the 
 privilege of remaining on the island, 
 and that its exclusive ownership 
 should revert to him after the mining 
 operations were concluded. All effort 
 to make the Austrian accept any share 
 of the purchase money proved futile. 
 His only desire was to remain among 
 and in possession of the groves and 
 the gardens that he had planted, and 
 that he had tended so long and with 
 so much care. And so they left him 
 there, contented with his lot, but hon- 
 estly mourning Nonie's departure when 
 the others bade a final adieu to Cap- 
 tiva, and to the romance that clustered 
 about it.
 
 198 3be Gbree IRfcbarO TUflbalens. 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 AT Port Tampa the party lost an- 
 other of its members, De Poincy leav- 
 ing them, richer by a handsome sum 
 than his profession of scientist would 
 ever have made him, for Whalen in- 
 sisted that the division should be the 
 same that had been previously agreed 
 upon in case the treasure was found. 
 It gave De Poincy much food for mer- 
 riment to think that the source of this 
 wealth, which came to them unsought 
 at last, had been recognised in the 
 very beginning, and driven out of their 
 minds by the will-o'-the-wisp of the 
 treasure search. It was indeed strange 
 to think how subsequent events had 
 wholly driven this prosaic matter from 
 their minds, and how they would have 
 left the island at last no richer because 
 of it, had it not been for the sugges-
 
 Cbc Cbrcc "KtcbarO lUbalens. 199 
 
 tion of the superintendent, and the 
 fortunate presence of the Englishman. 
 The two friends, remembering how 
 they had built their plans upon it, that 
 hour in the schooner's cabin, could 
 never cease wondering that it could 
 have been so wholly forgotten by them. 
 
 And now, all questions of money 
 having been settled, the problem of 
 Nonie's future arose before them. 
 
 In determining this, Mowbray be- 
 came again a person of foremost 
 importance. Carl Mowbray was a 
 fortunate man. To Whalen he seemed 
 more fortunate in this than in all 
 else that he possessed a mother and 
 sisters. And that they, while living 
 in and being part of the great world, 
 were not trammeled by fear of what 
 it would say, was also most fortunate. 
 To them Carl and his friend went with 
 Nonie, and with the problem of her 
 future. And Mrs. Mowbray, hearing 
 her story, took her at once to her own 
 heart and home and care. 
 
 " You may rest quite easy," she said 
 to Whalen, not very long after Nonie
 
 Cbree IRfcbarD TOlbalens, 
 
 had been installed in her home ; " you 
 have nothing to fear. Your cousin 
 will do you credit. While she has 
 lived out of the world, she has yet a 
 very just appreciation of it, and will 
 soon enough adapt herself to its ways. 
 It is really wonderful, to see how little 
 she is at a loss. And she is so sweet 
 and modest, it almost makes me won- 
 der whether the training of our boasted 
 civilisation is so vastly ahead of that 
 of nature, as we have been accustomed 
 to think. But heredity has something 
 to do with it." 
 
 And in truth, Nonie proved to be a 
 very wonderful person. This clever 
 and wise woman of the world procured 
 for the island girl the best tutors, the 
 best companions, and gave her every 
 advantage that had been bestowed 
 upon her own daughters ; and the 
 consequence was that Nonie rapidly 
 developed into a very perfect and pro- 
 per young woman, so that in a little 
 time there was nothing that would 
 have indicated to the most observant 
 that she had not always been accus-
 
 3be Cbree TRicbarD Wbalens. 201 
 
 tomed to the life in which she now 
 moved ; nothing, unless it was her 
 somewhat brilliant and unconventional 
 beauty, and the perfect freedom and 
 grace of her movements, the relic of 
 her untrammeled life. Mrs. Mowbray 
 grew more and more delighted with 
 her protigte and never tired of declar- 
 ing that Nonie was the loveliest girl 
 she had ever known. 
 
 After a time the years upon Captiva 
 became almost a dream to her, or 
 rather like a memory of one's earliest 
 and most remote childhood ; and had 
 it not been for the presence of Carl, 
 and of Whalen, who had been so in- 
 timately associated with a portion of 
 that time, she might have come indeed 
 to think that it was only a dream. But 
 they delighted in recalling the days 
 that had been spent there together, as 
 different for them from what they had 
 known before, as this was strange and 
 new to her. Carl even declared that 
 he was for going back and joining 
 Binder, and ending his days there in 
 idyllic quiet. But he was deterred
 
 202 be Cbree IRicbarfc nabalens. 
 
 from carrying this threat into execu- 
 tion by the charm that he found to 
 lie in the eyes of the girl. 
 
 The life of the city soon began to 
 pall upon the young men again, seem- 
 ing even more vapid and purposeless 
 than it had before their adventurous 
 expedition. They discussed more 
 than once the means by which the 
 monotony of it might be relieved, nad 
 just as they were trying most strenu- 
 ously to decide upon some plan for ac- 
 complishing that end, a letter arrived 
 for Whalen, from his old friend the 
 superintendent, which helped to settle 
 the vexed question. 
 
 " It has recently occurred to me," 
 wrote the official, " that I may have a 
 clue to the pirates who robbed you at 
 Captiva. If you care enough about 
 the matter to follow it up, and can 
 make it convenient to come here very 
 soon, we will consult about it and I 
 will give you all the aid in my power 
 toward overhauling them." 
 
 Whalen took this letter and went 
 eagerly to Carl.
 
 Cbe Gbrce IRtcbarD lUbalens. 203 
 
 " I have never been willing to let 
 the matter rest as it stands," he said ; 
 " I don't like to give up beaten. Let 
 us go down there and see what he has 
 to tell us." 
 
 " It will be a worse wild-goose chase 
 than the other was," said Mowbray ; 
 " I cannot think he has any clue that 
 would lead to much result." 
 
 " He is not the man to write this 
 letter, if he has not," returned the 
 other. 
 
 Whalen was anxious to start at once, 
 as the desire to be revenged upon 
 the ruffians had been burning con- 
 stantly within him, and he was vastly 
 surprised to find that Carl was less 
 eager than himself. 
 
 " Why, it is a shame for us to give 
 up so," he growled ; " if there is any 
 way of turning the tables, let us do it. 
 I am going down to] see what the su- 
 perintendent has to say, at least." 
 
 " I don't fancy being beaten, more 
 than you do," said Mowbray, quickly ; 
 "and I should like a chance to get 
 even with the beggars. But Dick "
 
 204 Gbe Sbree "RicbatD TKflbaleng. 
 
 He paused diffidently, and waited 
 for his companion's urging, before he 
 continued : " Have you thought," he 
 went on, finally, "that if we go down 
 there, and get into a row at sea for 
 that is what it would probably mean 
 we might both get bowled over?" 
 
 At this Whalen turned sharply upon 
 his friend, and gazed at him for a mo- 
 ment in undisguised amazement. Carl 
 saw the look, and flushed hotly under 
 it, and began to speak again. But 
 Whalen put up his hand protestingly. 
 
 " No, " he said, " I know you don't 
 mean it in that way. But if any other 
 man on earth, than you, Carl, had said 
 that, I should have fancied him a cow- 
 ard. But I will not do you that wrong.. 
 But, tell me, what has become of your 
 desire for a real brush with the buc- 
 caneers, that I remember you were 
 wishing for so earnestly, not so very 
 long ago ? " 
 
 " I don't think you quite under- 
 stand," said Mowbray, speaking slowly 
 and trying to choose the right words ; 
 " and it seems out of place for me to
 
 Cbe Gbree "KicbarD TKflbalens. 205 
 
 say it for you are Nonie's guardian, 
 and not I. But what would become of 
 her, if anything should happen to us 
 both?" 
 
 Whalen regarded his friend stead- 
 fastly for a little before he made an- 
 swer to this. But in that little he 
 discovered much ; for presently he 
 said, quietly and almost sorrowfully : 
 
 " I see I see how it is with you, 
 Carl. You care for Nonie." He 
 smiled forcedly, and waited for the 
 other to reply. 
 
 " Yes, I do care for her," said Carl, 
 bravely, meeting his companion's eye ; 
 " and I think you do, too, Dick. And 
 so it has come to this that the love 
 of a woman shall come between us." 
 
 " Ah ! no, no, no, Carl, not that ! " 
 cried Whalen, quickly, putting out his 
 hand to his friend. " Let us be men. 
 But, I confess," and he smiled mourn- 
 fully at the recollection of it, " I con- 
 fess that the magic of the long 
 moonlight nights on Captiva did work 
 a certain madness in my blood." 
 
 At this Carl forgot his own troubles
 
 2o6 Gbe brce TRicbarS lUbalcns. 
 
 for a. moment, in sorrow for his friend. 
 " Poor old Dick," he breathed, softly. 
 Whalen heard, and touched his hand 
 again with his own. 
 
 After this they were silent for a 
 time, each fearing to make matters 
 worse by voicing his thoughts. Mow- 
 bray was the first to speak. 
 
 "We will go," he said, "and see 
 what this adventure will bring forth. 
 Shall we start at once ? " 
 
 "To-night, if you are ready," an- 
 swered the other. 
 
 But in making ready, there was one 
 element to deal with which neither 
 had counted on. This was the parting 
 with Nonie. 
 
 With all the wilfulness of a wild 
 princess who had never been crossed 
 in all her short life, she stoutly in- 
 sisted that they should not go. There 
 was danger in the expedition. They 
 had no need of the treasure, even if 
 there was a chance for its recovery, 
 which she would not believe. Revenge 
 was a mean motive, unworthy of them. 
 With these, and many another like ar-
 
 3be Gbrce iRtcbarc* lUbalcns. 207 
 
 gument did she endeavour to beguile 
 them from their purpose. But when 
 she saw that in spite of all her plead- 
 ings they would still go, she retreated 
 with all her dignity. 
 
 " Oh, very well, then, if you prefer 
 that to me." With that she put out 
 her hand in farewell nonchalantly to 
 Mowbray, and tried to do the same to 
 Dick. But she broke down in the ef- 
 fort, and flung herself upon his neck, 
 and gave way to an abandon of grief. 
 But Whalen brushed her cheek lightly 
 with his lips and put her gently 
 from him with some soothing words. 
 Whereat Mowbray said to himself that 
 the game was all up for him, and tried 
 bravely in his heart to wish Dick the 
 happiness that he so well deserved ; 
 and he swore under his breath that 
 had the case been his, he would have 
 stayed in spite of all the treasure and 
 all the pirates in the southern seas. 
 
 During their long trip to the south 
 Whalen was very quiet and absorbed, 
 and spoke only once of Nonie to his 
 companion.
 
 2o8 abe abree TRicbarD 'Qdbalens. 
 
 " It would be better for her," he 
 said, " if she cared nothing for me. I 
 am afraid that the name of Richard 
 Whalen will handicap me. It is a 
 name that does not go with happy 
 lives." 
 
 " I am afraid that I should have 
 small chance," said Carl, ruefully, 
 " whether you were in the race, or out 
 of it. She let me go easily enough." 
 
 " I am not certain that I know just 
 what that meant," returned Whalen ; 
 " women are curious in their ways, 
 and I am not read very deeply in 
 them." 
 
 Notwithstanding this suggestion, 
 Mowbray refused to take any comfort 
 to himself by thinking they might both 
 have misunderstood Nonie, and that 
 her parting from him was but one of 
 maidenly reserve, while the affection 
 shown for Whalen was only that which 
 their cousinship warranted and made 
 proper.
 
 Gbe bree IRicbarO liabalens. 209 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 IT was after this conversation that 
 a little restraint grew up between 
 them, which both attempted most 
 heartily and loyally to be rid of. 
 They cared too honestly for each 
 other to be willing that even the love 
 of a woman should come between 
 them, and they tried to keep the 
 thought that it had from their minds. 
 But the situation grew strained, and 
 both were glad when they were at the 
 end of their journey, and found active 
 work there ready for them. 
 
 The superintendent greeted them 
 warmly. 
 
 " I think I know your man," he 
 said, " and I have an idea of how he 
 happened to guess you out. The day 
 you were first here, and while we were 
 talking about your expedition, I had a
 
 210 Gbe Gbree IRicbarD TKIlbalens. 
 
 fellow on hand who had been brought 
 in on a charge of smuggling, or other 
 crooked work. He was here, and lis- 
 tened to our talk. We had no tan- 
 gible proof against him, and I was 
 compelled to let him go, with a pro- 
 mise to hang him if I ever ran foul of 
 him again. When he heard you ask 
 for a boat to take you to Captiva, he 
 made up his mind that you were after 
 the fabled treasure of the island a 
 fable that every sailor in these seas 
 believed in, but which none of them 
 has had the courage to search out for 
 himself. He probably followed you as 
 soon as he could get the right crew 
 together to do his work, and it was a 
 mere matter of chance that he came 
 upon you just as he did. Now," he 
 continued, giving new emphasis to his 
 words, "we have something more to 
 go on. I have reliable reports that 
 this fellow, Manuel Garza, and his 
 crew, have been ashore at Jamaica, 
 and at Trinidad, and at San Lucia, 
 and that everywhere they are lavish 
 with their money. And the sort they
 
 Gbe Cbree "KicbarO TIClbalens. 211 
 
 are spending is not like any current in 
 those parts now." 
 
 The three discussed the matter at 
 some length, the superintendent giv- 
 ing them continually new proofs in 
 support of his theory that they were 
 on the right track, and so convincing 
 were these as to leave almost no 
 doubt that he had the right men in 
 view. 
 
 " Now, if you want to go," said the 
 superintendent, in conclusion, "every- 
 thing that the company can do to 
 aid you is yours for the asking. I 
 would have taken some steps before 
 this, but I thought you would like to 
 have their punishment in your own 
 hands, as you have the best claim 
 against them. You know the law 
 might be a little slow to act. I would 
 immensely like to go with you, myself, 
 for I owe them a grudge or two, on 
 old accounts, but I can't leave here. 
 One thing you must make up your 
 minds to if you come up with them 
 there will be a desperate fight. They 
 are not the fellows to give in easily."
 
 Gbree "Kicbarfc "Qdbalens, 
 
 " Faith," said Mowbray, laughing, 
 " you hardly need to tell us that. We 
 have had one brush with them. But 
 we will be ready for them this time. 
 They will not catch us asleep, nor 
 baying the moon." 
 
 The fastest steamer of the company, 
 a neat little boat of some two hundred 
 tons, was put at their service and 
 speedily fitted out with a picked crew. 
 Whalen was put in command of the 
 expedition, with Mowbray as lieuten- 
 ant, while a better sailing-master was 
 provided than the one who had piloted 
 them to Captiva in such hap-hazard 
 manner. 
 
 The steamer was headed at once 
 for Jamaica, where the men they were 
 in search of had last been heard from. 
 Here they learned that the man Garza 
 had recently put in, with his compan- 
 ions, and had spent some days in wild 
 orgies. During their stay they had 
 parted with much gold which excited 
 comment because of its strange and 
 antique appearance. Some of this 
 was obtained, and it left no doubt in
 
 Gbree "RicbarO TJQbalens. 213 
 
 the minds of the pursuers that it was 
 part of the contents of their lost chest. 
 They followed rapidly to the south, 
 hearing of them from point to point, 
 where they put in, and at last getting 
 so close upon the scent that a double 
 lookout was posted day and night for 
 the express purpose of giving quick 
 word if they should come within sight 
 of the schooner. 
 
 It was yet another week before they 
 found that for which they sought, and 
 every day they grew more impatient, 
 more eager for the opportunity of pay- 
 ing the fellow his just dues. It was 
 broad day when at last they were re- 
 warded by a sight that made their 
 hearts beat eagerly. Mowbray, stand- 
 ing beside the lookout, saw a sail 
 come in sight and draw toward them, 
 evidently not seeing the steamer. 
 Watching it anxiously, as he did every 
 sail that came above the horizon, he 
 gradually became cognizant of some- 
 thing familiar in the appearance of the 
 vessel. The daring way in which she 
 was handled gave him a reminder of
 
 214 Cbe Cbrcc IRicbarO lUbalens. 
 
 the night when he and Whalen had 
 watched the sail approaching Captiva. 
 He sent for the latter to join him, and 
 together they almost breathlessly 
 waited the closer approach of the 
 stranger. With their glasses they 
 were able to search her decks, and 
 were almost certain that their quest 
 was about to be rewarded. The vessel 
 was holding her course straight toward 
 them, and the word was passed to 
 make ready to attack. But just 
 as this was done, the schooner, 
 seeming to have become suddenly 
 aware of the proximity of the other 
 vessel, put sharply about and made 
 manifest her intention of coming no 
 nearer. 
 
 Whalen at once gave orders for put- 
 ting on all steam and giving chase. 
 Every man went to his post. The gun- 
 ner stood by the howitzers which had 
 been mounted in the bows, ready to 
 send a sharp message to the schooner 
 as soon as the word should be given. 
 Arms were brought up and distributed, 
 and grapnels placed ready in case they
 
 3be Gbrcc TCicbarD lUbalcns. 215 
 
 should come to close enough quarters 
 for boarding. 
 
 A prettier sight than a race at sea 
 is never seen. It matters not if the 
 desperate wage of life and death hangs 
 in the balance. With the blue water 
 beneath, and the blue sky above ; with 
 the sunlight flashing on the waves ; 
 with the breeze swelling every sail ; 
 with the spray thrown in swirling 
 masses as the ships glide on faster 
 and faster and faster it is a sight 
 to make one glad that he has lived to 
 behold it. 
 
 Whalen stood near the wheel, his 
 arms folded, his lips parted slightly, 
 his face smiling with the pleasure of 
 pursuit as he saw they were steadily 
 gaining. Perhaps there had entered 
 into him something of the spirit of 
 that other Richard Whalen, something 
 of the indomitable will with which he 
 had ever done the tasks to which he 
 had put his hand. 
 
 Once Mowbray spoke. " I am al- 
 most sorry the race is not more even,"
 
 216 tlbe Gbree TRtcbarfc TlClbalens. 
 
 he said. " Steam against wind seems 
 hardly fair." 
 
 " They had the advantage before," 
 answered Whalen, grimly ; " this only 
 helps make our account against them 
 more even." 
 
 When they had drawn near enough 
 to the schooner to make their hail 
 heard, Whalen took the trumpet and 
 called to them. 
 
 " Sail, ahoy ! " 
 
 Receiving no answer he said quietly 
 to the gunner : 
 
 "Give them a shot, and see if they 
 can understand that." 
 
 In an instant a puff of smoke had 
 leaped from the little cannon, and a 
 ball ricocheted across the water and 
 just beneath the schooner's prow. 
 But no notice was taken of it, and the 
 vessel swept gallantly on, carrying 
 such a load of canvas that it seemed 
 as if she could hardly stand under its 
 weight. 
 
 The steamer plowed swiftly in her 
 wake, gaining a little all the time. 
 Presently the two vessels were so close
 
 3be Cbree IRicbarD lUbalcns. 217 
 
 that the men could look across each 
 other's decks, and into the faces of 
 one another. No word was said now, 
 but the determination of each to do 
 battle to the very end was evidenced. 
 The schooner's crew stood ready, 
 bristling with arms, to repel the at- 
 tack for which the others were prepar- 
 ing. Inch by inch the steamer drew 
 upon its prey. The helmsman held it 
 true and steady to its course. Now 
 the prow of the one overlapped the 
 other's stern, and so for a moment 
 they swept on, drawing gradually side 
 by side, as if in friendly rivalry. The 
 helmsman turned his wheel ever so 
 little, and the two boats touched, and 
 there was an instant of confusion as 
 they rebounded from the contact. 
 
 Again they came together, and now 
 the grapnels were thrown out and 
 made fast, and, on the instant, the 
 men from the steamer began to swarm 
 over the schooner's side and upon her 
 deck. 
 
 Whalen and Carl led the attack, 
 thrusting themselves to the very front
 
 2i8 Gbe Cbree IRicbarO Wbalcns. 
 
 of the danger. And if in the former 
 there was now evidence of the old 
 freebooting strain of his ancestor, in 
 Carl's reckless daring was a quality of 
 courage equally to command the ad- 
 miration of their followers and to 
 strike terror to their foes. 
 
 At the schooner's rail they were met 
 by a volley from the pistols and mus- 
 kets of the pirates, but delivered at 
 such close range that more were burned 
 by the powder than harmed by the 
 bullets. Before a second volley could 
 be discharged the two crews were 
 fighting in hand to hand conflict, with 
 swords, cutlasses and dirks mingling 
 with clubbed muskets, and the occa- 
 sional discharge of pistols. There 
 was a grim determination about the 
 attacking party that warned the others 
 to be alert if they would save them- 
 selves from the most severe punish- 
 ment. So intent were all upon the 
 business of killing that they fought in 
 a kind of desperate silence that held 
 no time or place for shouts or cries of 
 encouragement, nor for heed to the
 
 <Jbc Cbtcc IRicbarD lUbalcns. 219 
 
 groans of the wounded, nor for much 
 attention to what any other was doing 
 but the one whose life was of most im- 
 portance to himself. 
 
 Whalen had quickly singled out the 
 leader of the rascally crew, recognis- 
 ing him as the one who had led the 
 fight against them on Captiva, and 
 fired by the remembrance of what 
 they had suffered at his hands, he cut 
 his way toward him with an energy 
 and fierceness of purpose that left his 
 path strewn with the victims of his 
 hand. Mowbray, seeing that his friend 
 was about to become detached from 
 the rest of his supporters, just as he 
 had been cut off that night on Captiva, 
 gave a rallying cry to their men and 
 closed in upon Whalen 's wake. But 
 not quickly enough did he sound 
 the alarm, for a moment later he found 
 that they two stood alone, the centre 
 of a wild, blood-hungry mob who were 
 intent upon their lives. Whalen, half 
 turning, saw his friend beside him, and 
 gave him a swift glance that told more 
 than words could have done of his
 
 abree IRicbarD TKHbalens. 
 
 affection and appreciation of his cour- 
 age. 
 
 " We are in a tight box," he said 
 grimly, watching the desperate faces 
 about them. 
 
 " Yes," answered Carl, quietly ; " this 
 seems a chance to win our spurs. 
 There are ten of the rogues for each 
 of us, if there is one." 
 
 Now came the contest between 
 skill and courage on the one side, and 
 mere brute force and stubborn fight- 
 ing on the other. With the two who 
 were holding their own against twenty, 
 every stroke of their swords was 
 made to count for a life. Now side to 
 side, again back to back, they kept 
 their assailants at bay while they 
 worked their path slowly step by step 
 toward that one whom Whalen's eye 
 never left. And when they had 
 reached him, Whalen threw himself 
 upon the other, and in spite of all the 
 strength and prowess with which the 
 ruffian defended himself, quickly laid 
 him bleeding upon the deck. 
 
 With the loss of their leader the
 
 Cbe Sbree "RicbarD THIlbalens. 22* 
 
 courage of his followers quickly ebbed. 
 The crew of the steamer had been so 
 busy in their work that now there were . 
 fewer of the pirates than there had 
 been, by half. And now they threw 
 themselves upon these with such fury 
 that the wretches cried for quarter ; 
 and throwing down their arms sub- 
 mitted to be bound, thus rendering 
 the victory complete. The fighting, 
 however, continued for a little in the 
 after part of the schooner, to which 
 the two companions had forced their 
 way, and where they were now joined 
 by others of their men. 
 
 And now, at the instant when vic- 
 tory was theirs, defeat came treading 
 upon its heels. While the fighting had 
 been so fierce and at such close quar- 
 ters, there had been slight chance for 
 the use of firearms, as there was quite 
 as much danger of wounding friend 
 as foe. But now that the deck was 
 becoming cleared, and that the con- 
 querors had relaxed a little of their 
 vigilance in the temporary exultation 
 of victory, a wretched miscreant, lying
 
 222 3be 3bree "RicbarD 
 
 at the last gasp of breath, drew his 
 revolver from his belt, and taking 
 careful aim at Whalen, sent the death 
 dealing lead surely to do its cruel work. 
 Carl saw, too late, the raised arm and 
 the flash of the pistol, and had but 
 time to drive his sword to the fellow's 
 heart, and then turn and catch his 
 friend in his arms as he fell.
 
 Gbe Gbree "Richard TKHbalens. 223 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 As Carl let his companion gently 
 down upon the deck, supporting his 
 head against his own shoulder, he saw 
 that the pallour of death was already 
 creeping over the noble face. He 
 put his hand upon his heart, to feel 
 its pulses. Whalen saw, and shook 
 his head feebly, and smiled at his 
 friend. 
 
 " It is not any use," he said ; " this is 
 the end, and it is just as well. This is 
 the way that a Richard Whalen should 
 die." The effort of speech exhausted 
 him and he rested a moment, and then 
 began again : " Nonie you will go to 
 her and take care of her." Then he 
 drew his friend's ear down close to his 
 lips, and whispered : " It was because I 
 was her cousin that she put her arms
 
 224 Gbe Gbree RicbarD 
 
 about me and let me kiss her. She 
 did not care for me in any other way. 
 I have thought it all out." 
 
 Carl did not dare trust himself to 
 words. He pressed the dying man's 
 hand in his own, and the other felt it, 
 and understood, and opened his eyes 
 for a last look at the man he loved. 
 " It is the end ; it is all right," he said : 
 and then, " Bury me here in the sea." 
 And with the word, one more was 
 added to the dead that made a charnel- 
 house of the schooner's deck. 
 
 Carl rose to his feet and looked 
 about him, dizzy and sick at heart at 
 this new misfortune that had come 
 upon him so suddenly. The glow of 
 adventure, the spur of danger, the joy 
 of the struggle that had sent the mad 
 blood coursing through his veins, had 
 gone, and in its place had come a 
 heavy heart that weighed like lead 
 within him, and the bright world had 
 grown dull and grey, and he felt him- 
 self alone in it. 
 
 His men, who had watched this clos- 
 ing scene, stood by with grave faces,
 
 Cbe Ebree "KicbarD IKflbalens. 225 
 
 respecting his grief. But the needs of 
 the hour were still with them, and there 
 was none but Carl to take the leader- 
 ship. One of the men approached and 
 saluted him, and asked for orders, and 
 so brought him back to the time and 
 the place. He looked about, and at 
 once took in the whole scene as he 
 had not during the excitement of the 
 fight, and saw what they few had done 
 against many. It was a wonder to 
 him now not that Whalen was dead, 
 but that any lived. He wished at 
 least that Dick might have known the 
 full measure and glory of their victory 
 before he went. 
 
 He roused himself and gave the or- 
 ders that were needed, quietly and 
 rapidly. Then he took that which re- 
 mained of his friend tenderly in his 
 arms and carried him upon his own 
 ship, and that night, when the stars 
 were out, and had cast their soft glow 
 and radiance over the sea as Dick 
 had always loved to see it Mowbray 
 said a prayer over the dead body of 
 his more than brother, and committed
 
 226 be Gbree "Kicbarfc Wbalens. 
 
 him to the grave that had been his 
 own choice. 
 
 So heavily did Whalen's death weigh 
 upon Carl that he had now no desire 
 except to get away from the scene of 
 this great tragedy. As speedily as 
 possible he put the steamer back to 
 port, with the captured schooner in 
 tow. Arriving there he went at once 
 to the superintendent, and gave him 
 an account of what had happened. 
 Tears were in the eyes of the rugged 
 old man, as well as in Carl's own, be- 
 fore he had finished, but he was not a 
 man to put his feelings much into 
 words. 
 
 " I have not searched the schooner," 
 went on Mowbray, " nor do I wish to. 
 It has cost Dick his life, and I want 
 nothing more to do with it. I wish 
 you to take it, as a prize for the crew 
 of our boat who fought so well, and 
 divide it and its contents between 
 them ; and," he added, " I know that 
 you will see that a right share goes to 
 the families of those who were killed
 
 Sbree IRicbaro Wbalens. 227 
 
 in the fight, and to the men who are 
 wounded. The prisoners I turn over 
 to you." 
 
 Then he went back to the North 
 and to Nonie. 
 
 When he came to her, weighed down 
 with the sorrow of his errand, not 
 knowing what words he would find 
 in which to tell her the awful story 
 that he must tell, he did not at first 
 lift his eyes to hers nor take much 
 note of her appearance. But, little by 
 little, he became conscious of some 
 change in her ; and then, resting his 
 gaze full upon her, the knowledge be- 
 gan to dawn upon him that this was 
 not the untutored girl of Captiva, the 
 Nonie who had been always in his 
 mind as she had been there, but a wo- 
 man, who had wakened to a full appre- 
 ciation of life and of the world. This 
 made his task easier, though he could 
 not have told why in words. He sat 
 down beside her, and told her quietly 
 and sympathetically of Whalen's death, 
 and that his last word had been of 
 her. He told of his splendid courage,
 
 228 abe Gbree IRicbarD Wbalens. 
 
 of the indomitable fire with which he 
 had fought, and of how calmly and 
 bravely he met death. 
 
 Her eyes grew dim as he told, and 
 she spoke gently and tenderly of him, 
 of his kindness to her, of all that he 
 had been to her ; and yet, while she 
 talked, a glad hope sprang up in Carl's 
 heart a hope that in justice to the 
 memory of his friend he tried to quell. 
 Still, he could not help saying to him- 
 self, "This is not love this is not 
 love. I was mistaken and Dick was 
 right." 
 
 He went away by himself to reason 
 it all out, to think out his course dis- 
 passionately. That he loved Nonie, 
 had loved her from the very first, 
 from those long moonlit nights on 
 Captiva, that he loved her only the 
 more now that he saw the splendid 
 womanhood into which the girl had 
 merged, he never tried to disguise 
 from himself. But he had believed 
 also that Whalen had loved her, and 
 that he had meant to make her his 
 wife. And knowing that his friend's
 
 vEbree "KtcbarO TKHbalens. 229 
 
 right was best, he had loyally endea- 
 voured to hide his own feelings from 
 them both. He had even thought to 
 forget it, amid the excitement and 
 dangers in which they had shared. 
 When he saw his friend die, he had 
 been filled with an unutterable sorrow 
 because the bullet had not found him- 
 self instead of the other. He thought 
 that would have been the best of all. 
 
 Even when Whalen, dying, said that 
 he had thought it all out, Carl could 
 not make himself believe that he had 
 discovered the truth. And now, even 
 if that was the truth, could he in loy- 
 alty to his dead friend ask Nonie to be 
 his wife, could he try to win her for 
 his own ? If he could not try to win 
 her from Dick while the latter lived, 
 could he now that he was dead ? He 
 dared not trust himself to decide this 
 question at once. 
 
 He went away, and sought in the 
 distraction of travel, and of new 
 scenes, to find the answer. He busied 
 himself with the settlement of Wha- 
 len's estate, and found among his
 
 230 Gbe Sbree IRfcbarD Idbalens. 
 
 papers such clear and ample instruc- 
 tions regarding every detail as forced 
 him to think his friend had foreseen 
 the ending of their last expedition. 
 Everything that he had was given to 
 Nonie, and the arrangement of these 
 matters called him to her again. 
 
 In her presence once more, it was 
 almost impossible to believe that this 
 was the one-time Princess of Captiva, 
 whose life had been so unconventional 
 and romantic. He found that she 
 had assimilated books and the knowl- 
 edge of schools with marvellous ra- 
 pidity. She had adapted herself to her 
 new life as though she had never 
 known any other. 
 
 He found men about her, courting 
 her favour. And it was to this new 
 Nonie, and not to the Nonie of Cap- 
 tiva, that he finally made proffer of 
 his love. This did not seem to him 
 Whalen's Nonie, 'but a bright, happy, 
 brilliant woman for whom he had a 
 right to contest against the whole 
 world. He told her this at last, 
 telling her, too, all his thoughts and
 
 Gbree WcbarD Uflbalens. 231 
 
 fears, all his fight to be true and loyal 
 to his friend. 
 
 At this she let herself be taken in 
 his arms, and laid her face blushingly 
 upon his shoulder, and whispered : 
 
 " It could only have been you from 
 the first. I think he knew." 
 
 And Carl felt a great peace within 
 him, as he understood now that it was 
 all as his friend had wished, for the 
 two whom he loved best of all on 
 earth, and for whose happiness he had 
 most willingly given up his life.
 
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