THE CURSE OF THE CARDEWS OR AFTER THREE HUNDRED YEARS.

King Country Chronicle, Volume III, Issue 141, 22 March 1909, Page 6

THE CURSE OF THE CARDEWS OR AFTER THREE HUNDRED YEARS.

(All Rfghtj Ileaerveo.)

By W. Ml HUAY ORAYDON. Author of "Ttip ninckmajlcrs." *"M#a|>in«f ilk' Whirlwind." "The Heir of the Loudoun*," Ktc. PART X. A little later, as the snn wo? Si>l«lii>g tin" ruggttl mount (tin »•• the caotwnrd, hu out ii|»m th« vrrnndah. Clad in firs*!' trhitf lin<?n and l»raad-rimmrd hat •>i |>nlnw»fto straw. with n flowint »•" as hi* throat. an«i n piMol lHn»i»t into th«» folds of hi* JwrorlM Miniiiirrliun'l. hn* iiiftil' 1 n pleasing mill htintl«<r>n(« > pirlurr. Ilis eyv » l>«r and hj» skin ibiiwhl anil rwt •l>. outwardly hj«» s»how»-d no "iC' <»( lhe ilrinnn 01 memory thai «r no gnawing at his vital®. Korgrt* iuln'i**. |*nce of miwl—th«se might !*• his in the futurr. though hr dn»l.t>«l il men a liieliinc would l>ririß Ihrm.

"The we*-ks ore pacing." hr r.rtrcti«l. sadly. "It was .lune then and now it i.<* August. And I knownothing—nothing. The woml would !*• rositT to lieor. ii the un-rt-rlninlv and suspen."m? nor,- at an end. I dare not ask for English

pa|>en*. and If Ferguson has received

»m he take* good care that tliey d»n"t set into my hand*. I imagine 'iiiih'limrs that he has learned all. and is loyally keeping mv ju-cret anil sparing iih< the knowledge."

Ths Muck cook anil two other house s-rvants were astir. l>ut the planter hail not ye| api»enreil. With his long whip tucked under his arm. fJeoffrry strode across ilie rstate — as was his custom at this early ciour—to the factory and pr-sses anil outbuildings, ami next to the quarters of the men, who were at their frugal breakfast of meal-cakes and molasses that preceded a heaviet men I lat»-r in the day. They were mostly coolies, with a sprinkling ol Chinese anil hali-caste Portuguese and 1 bitch. and having turned them all out like a flock of sheep, ami started them to work in the cam-fields. the young overwr left an assistant in charge and strolled caret 'sslv away.

The timl'er-line was close by. and iti «iiM»n as this hid him from view he i|iiirkcned his pace. Almost immediately- he was shut in by the ib>n«c and liingl'il forest. shrouded tn a twilight gloom cast by sago »n»l lernii and crab trees, cocoa ami .atfliogf palms, above which, twelve fe»*t in diameter and o hundred feel high, towered the silk cotton tree. He pushed on, glancing once or twice l»»-hind him. until lie came to a stream «f Water that flow«il silently past a n»nil«er of granite rocks hall-sinothered in vegetation. Choosing a triangular rlelt rear the top of ~ one of the largest boulders. he thrust the roll of v Tlow parchment «|»c|» into this hiding-place. anil blocked the mouth of it with a growing ivrn which he pulled up by the roots. "It is *af«* there," he thought : "and if ever 1 want il again. I •hall Iw able to find it without much difficulty. Hut lam not likely to resurrect it. When one has wn |lrit'9h tiuiann treasure-hunting don't sound a'* simple as it iliil in England. Without nmpl - means and lrii-.lv cotiirniM. anil n guide who knows the country, the chart is id no more value to nie than the parrhmeiit it is written on. And vet I cannot help Ic-ling—is it u f.remonition. t wonder f—that some day I shall '»■ lureil into the wd-derre-ss in que-t of the gold that was hidden three cent urn* ago by my ancestor ami Miguel "lorrnnn. l»oe» the Curse of the Cardews st ill cling to it—anil to me ? Time will tell.'* I Jet racing hw sle|»s. Cieoffrey wathed the men for a few minutes, and then went on |«> the hous-*. 'l"he table wa» laid for brwakfa-t In the filing room, which o»bnilt»'«l pl»'nty of air anil sunshin v . ami Ferguson, his back to the o|--n door, was *<"ut"tl lit his flat-top|««il writingcfeftk. lie swung round with a Jt-rk, lowering the newspa|«"r thpt lie h«id s*rn intently reading. His fare ■•lightly changed rolour. "I didn't hear >ou cone- In,'' he said. in a half-accusing tone. •Vou'rs I«ck ahead of lime, aren't t oil

*"l may have storted out toiler this morning." tJeoftrey replied. "Is then- a |*»st In?" he added, his im|«atience forcing the question. "Yi» : .llm Itichards left n packet of letter* here a few minutes ago. on bis way home. He has lieen Flow 11 to ine const." "Anil In? brought you a nsws- " rrwfous little news about il." grumbled Ferguson: anil flinging the ioumnl on the desk, he slid a couple »f areount-liooks over it. "Nothing lying." h«t went on. carelessly. "It's an old anyway. You can have it when I've finished, though ton had l«etter wait till l«»-nighl to re»i| it. when you frill In- alone, and won't know what to do with yourAlone f" echoed CJeoflrey. "Arc on going away 7" •■.lust as soon as I can get oft. >mt thai wtll lie inside of on hour," i.ir. i! Ferguson. "I must go down t... i;>-orgelown. There is a rise in i-.. sugar market, my agent writes . . and I want to •'«? «»n the spot , take advantage of It. I don't ~M,,srether trust Carter's judgment; hs»s lost ine ft couple of good ' wfien will you lw l»ack ?" ' ll> thi- enil of the week. I hopt*. \.>f wihrrying nlwut your responsiare Vou wil| lie able > manage all right during injr wtw Th re wonU lie any trouhJe about •h.,r." Ceoflrcy answered vaguely, v. if h his eyes on the d.-ak. V>»n will l»c lonely, of course,' 1 i Ferguson, who seemed to b® ■'i.|:ously avoiding his companions "'f know what that is : I •"■(v>l a do/en years of i>. norc or iHut breakfast is r--.nly and

wailing. Sit down. Hardingv, and •vi 'll get it over. I haw .some packin; to do afterwards. .Are the nx-ii "orfcing smartly?" "Tliey had a good start when 1 kit them." GcofTrey- replied. Muring the meal Ferguson was in (he In-st of spirits, and talked almost withoul stopping . CJeofTrcy listened in silence, nodding assent to hi.i employer's instructions.

"Will you drive?" he asked, as I hey both rose. "So, I sholl rid® Firefly. Do you mind bringing her round for me, Harilingc ?" As the Mack groom whose duty It was to look after the horses was within call, this request was somewhat unusual, and it so occurred to (Jeoffrey. lie went off to ".he stal>li*s. depressed by gloomy foreboilingx that were logii:isi ig to lake definite sha|H' : and when he returned with Firefly, the bay mare, Ferguson nas on the verand.th in midines-s to -tart. He stuffe-l l«is luggage into the saddle-bags, swung himself into the .stirrups, and gathered up the rein«.

-WVII. I'm off." he said. "1 won't Ik» away longer than I can help. There i> plenty of whisky and tobacco. Hnrdingc : don't spare cither. |{ •iiH*ml>er what I told you about lllnck Tom and Li Shen. There has l»en ba«l blood lietween them for a year—since the Chinaman informed' on 1 lie nigger for thieving—and they may take advantage of my absence to have il out. They will want c-lom watching." • I'll S--C that they gel il," promised <!«-ofTrey* CJood-bye, anil good luck." •"Same to you," replied Ferguson. ' Take care of yourself, old man." waved his hand, anil rode at a smart trot down Ihn win«linp road, where the overarching palm-tree* formed a purple shade. Thus they parted. with words of farewell lightly spoken anil lightly meant. A trifling journey to the coast for one, 1 few lonely evenings for the other —*o they regarded il : but it was

to l<e a far longer separation than •»lher ilreane-il of. I»a«s, and weeks and months, iraughl wilh such things as war boilv ami soul with marks that are carried to the grave, were to pass liefore they look upon each other's faces again. tJcofTrev stooil at the foot of the verandah, watching horse and rider until they were out of sight : and then, with an eagerness which he made no pretence at concealing, he turned and hastened into the bungalow. He went straight to the writing-desk, impatient to put hi? bands on the tiowspajHJr from England : but it was not there. II was not under llie books, nor in an> of the drawers, nor on the chairs or table. It was nowhere in tht room : and quickly satisfied of that, he anxiously searched Ferguson's lnrd chamlicr anil other parts of tht house. He returned to the living room with failure slatn|»ed on his flushed face. "He has taken it with him," he muttered, aloud. "He sent 111 c to the stables to get me out of the way. to give him a chance to slip the paper into his pocket. He meant that I should not sec it. And why ?'* • Seoffrey seldom or never drank anything during the day : but now. going to the cupboard, he Tilled a small glass with neat whisky and tossed It of! at a gulp. He lighted his pi|*\ ami let it go out lie-twrn-n his terth as he paced the floor with nervous steps. Suspicion grew stronger. In his hot wrath ami indignation, as he fitted together the links in the chain of ircath -n that was In-ginning to look so plausible, he forgot all that he owed to the man he was so ready to accute —to the ln-nefactor who had In-friended and trusted him in the dark hour of his need, and from whom he had ever since received nothing but thoughtful kindness. "I hate to lielieve it," he told hiois-lf. "bill everything points that way. 'The <ourney was only a pre? leM. The ncwspa|»er contained an account id tl>u 'l'll | and of my subsequent disappearance, with |h , i<ha|>* n personal d«wription ns well. Ferguson n-nd it. and with the help of the date In- was eisily assured of my identity. Ami now. knowing that 1 a/p wanted for shooting Itrinn. lie has gone down to fleorgetown to denounce me to the authorities Ifi* will fetch the police back with him. and I shall I*' nrrest<-»l and s-ni to Knifland for trial. My heavens, what am I to do ? Where run I go for sal -, y If Ferguson had li»-en anything bin a treacherous i»wa»d. he tvnuid at |ea>t have civen me a chance to esrn|»e. 1 •lioiildn't have Maineil him 101* turning rue adrift : but to IK-tray mi" under the gui*<c of friendship—il is the most di-honourable thing be ~ou|il have done."

CIIAI'TKIt XIV. BLACK TOM'S MADNESS. Since the morning he sailed out of Southampton Docks tSeoffrey had heard no English news and seen no English newspaper, for his briel slay at Georgetown—he was ther» jnly a couple of hours —had aflord.il no opportunity of cither. The lack of any knowledge to the contrary hntl gradually strengthened his conviction that Ilrian was dead, and that he himself was tinder the ban of the law : so he was now the more ready to lielieve in the dan?«ir his<> imagination had created ami in (.he treacherous motive of Ferguson's journey to the coast. It did not occur to hint that the consequences of shooting a man in a duel that had been forced upon him might lie lens serious, even by English law. than he supposed : nor did He take time to consider how unlikely it was that the kindly Scotchman, who was frank and openhearted almost to a fault, could plot such a base and inhospitable act. Not these questions jH-rplexei him : It wps what chance hp had of retaining the freedom ho had thought to be assured. "I shall l<c caught if I venture neat Ihc Seaports," he told himself, "and in the three other directions there ii only the tracking wilderness, with its poisonous fevers, and deadly lieasts and reptiles, and savage trilics of Indians. It must be that I'm afraid. Hut there Is no Immediate hurry ; I have a couple of days yet In which to decide what to do." For an hour and more he sat In Ferguson's l''c cosket chair, ohond<»n<"d to 'he most dismal reflections, nnd imding no roy of ligbt

iii the dark clouds that threatened to deprive him of the little comfort li<- had saved from the wreck of his foi l une.s. At length he ren>. n:Vred his neglcct<-d duties, and, rising hastily, he set ofT for the seen'. of *th-» day's labours, glad of something to distract his mind. lie was to have plenty to occupy him, as it happened, for what Ferguson had warned hiin against was even then coming to a head. He had passed the men's quarters, and was making his way through a grove of plantation, where he heard a sudden clamour in front of him. ITc quickened his pace, and soon encountered a man running towards him. It was Dirk Ruysdul, the voung Dutchman who acted as as-sistant-overseer, and his hot and breathless appearance, his look oi frightened concern, told that something was seriously wrong. "You're needed badly," ho gasped. "Ho quick. Ifardinge. Those twe are fighting like mad dogs—lllack Tom and l.i Shen. The Chinaman will he killed."' "And you let it go on?" exclaimed Geoffrey. "J didn't think y«ji, were n coward, Dirk. Where is \our whip ."'Hie nigger snatched it from HIV." "And the others—what are th.y doing ?" "They're afraid to interfere." sai«. Itm sdel. "I couldn't get one ol them to move." "They'll move for me, I'll warrant," vowed Geoffrey. The insula ordinate rascals ! Come along. Dirk." "You'll want a revolver, sir. 1 am not allowed to carry one." "And I left mine at the bungalow," Geoffrey exclaimed, as he claj>-jM-d ft hand to his empty kumiuerbund. "It is on the table. Fetch it as quickly as you can. I think I'll be able to manage without it, though." "You'll get hurt if you are not careful, warned Kuysdel : and hj« sped away in the direction of tht hmis\

Armed only with his whip. Cs«'nf-fn-y went on alone. A short disianct brought him to tin* edge of tin can«-fn-ld. ami within full vi«*w ol a thrilling scnc that was taking place not twenty yards off —a seeni that instantly roused him to hot anger ami indignation. All work was suspended, and the coolies ami other labourers were standing in a ragged cordon, in the middle oi which Mack Tom. a gigantic negro noted for his surl.v and ilangcrous disposition, was furiously lashing the Chinaman with the heavy whij: he had seized from the sulj-over-&vr. The blows were falling hard and fast, and poor Li Shcn, who was anything but a fighter, was crouching on the ground with his hands raised to protect his hratl and face. He xvas more dead than alive, and his limbs were streaming with blood ; buV his pitiful supplications and yells of agony had no effect on his enraged assailant. The negro's eyes rolled in a frenzy and he foamed at the lips# He plied the instrument of torture with his full strength. " You yellow pigtail, you tell li<\s and get iiic I>eat he was shouting at the top of his voice. "Xow it my turn. How you like it ? Want more, eh? Me kill you, Li !" "Stop thaC, you black scoundrel cried Geoffrey, as he thrust the coolies aside and sprang into the ring. The same instant his whip sang vcngcfully through the air am) raised a weal on the bare back oi the negro, who turned with a scream of rage to see who had dared to interfere with his sport. The discovery, instead of soliering Mack Tom, further inflamed his passions. Again the lash stung him. and with that he delivered a return blow, cutting Geoffrey across the shoulder. Then. l>ellowing like a bull, he lowered his head and ran full tilt at the young overseer, bulling him in the stomach with such force ns to hurl him to the ground. "Ynu stay there —no get up," he »elled. "Mc finish beat Chinaman now anil he glared a menace at the still hesitating coolies. The negro was ns good us his word. He was again plying the lash upon Li Slicn, who had failed to u«je his brief advantage to e.--••n|*\ when Geoffrey succeeded in i-e----gaining his feet. Though suffering intense pain and scarcely abl-j to breathe, he was far from vanquished, Sp.rvh was almost impossible, and finding that his g«-stun*s were of no avail with the eowardly labourers. he discarded his whip, snat:hed a fpade from the nearest cool|«\ and limped pluckily forward to renew the attack. Mack Tom «a* .•overtly watching him. "Von no have enough, eh ?'* he rhoutfd. "Me give you more. Mas*a Hardinge—worse this time." He dropped his own whip and picked up the spade that the Chinaman had been using. An instant later the two were at close quarters, and Geoffrey, hurt as he was. realised that he was in deadly peril. Hut he managed to strike a lusty blow, which, by good fortune, Interi-epled his assailant's weapon with a loro. that shattered the handle. Throwing aside the pieces, the negro dodged, closed as quickly, anil got a tight grip of Geoffrey's spade. A brief and desperate struggle, watched with excited clamour by the craven onlookers, terminated as wai inevitable, A fierce wrench disarmed the over-matched Englishman, and a blow Ix-tween the eye? sent him aprawlng on his back. Ht lay there helpless, in an agony o' dread, while the huge negro, his face as ferocious and merciless as o wild animal's, swung the iron missile high for the stroke with whicfc he fully meant to crush his fuller, enemy's skull. "Help Help Geoffrey cried, fajntly. (To be Continued).