SERIAL STORY. HIDDEN GOLD.

Waikato Times, Volume 121, Issue 20277, 20 August 1937, Page 3

SERIAL STORY. HIDDEN GOLD.

By STANLEY PORTAL HYATT.

CHAPTER 11. A Woman With a WMI. j The Senhorita Eunice Louvela was tar more English than her name would ' have led a stranger to suppose. True, her father was the Commandant of •Machado, a wholly-detestable little Portuguese township, a hundred and —fty miles Inland from the East African ooast, but her mother had been the daughter of old Joseph Bowron, an English prospector, who had ended up as prime minister to a great native ohlef. When Mary Bowron had married Colonel, or, as he was then. Lieutenant, Louveia, she, herself, had barely been able to read or write, having lived practically the whole of her life amongst savage surroundings, with a parent who had come down almost to the level of the savages, but none the less she was the descendant of a great family, and, the Instincts of her ancestors survived. She had determined to give her daughter, her only child, what she, herself, had lacked—a good education. Joseph Bowron had left her several thousand pounds’ worth of Illegally-acquired cattle, and though •Colonel Louveia had done his best to obtain possession of the legacy, he had failed ignominiously, as he always did when he came Into conflict with his i wife, and the money had been spent In I sending Eunice, fTrst to England then to Paris. Sho had returned from the latter place at the age of twenty to find her mother dead, and to take complete control, not only of her father, but also of the district of which he was the national ruler. Everybody knew ‘The Senhorita’; in fact, the name had become almost an official title. Even the Govcrnor-*Gen-1 eral recognised her influence, if not her authority, whilst there was hardly a man in the country who did not bow ■ before her magnificent beauty. Her i father drank absinthe In the mornings, I red wine throughout the rest of the ! day, and left everything to her, being ; wise and understanding that she had ! ten times his ability. Company promoters, prospectors, concession hunters, all the nondescript crowd of adventurers which drifted up to the new land had long since learned to take | their petitions or their claims to the ! Commandant's daughter, instead of to I the Commandant himself .... The Senhorita lighted a fresh cigarette, then settled down again in the .long bamboo chair? which, as usual, was in the coolest and most shady corner of the verandah. “So liq will arrive hero to-night, Gerald?’’ she said. A tall man, with blue eyes, straw coloured hair, and a face yellow from much malarial fever, who was standing with his back to the verandah rail, nodded. “Yes. He’ll be up by to-night’s train. As soon as ho has made his report on the WLiiuPiolh,’ I shall go homo, to get my share >»s vendor of the mine?’’ “And then?" she looked at him keenly over the of the fan which, lor the moment, she had ceased to use. Gerald Parker laughed, “Then, of course, I shall come back to you, Eunice ... I shall bo a rich man when the Mammoth is floated into a company.” “Suppose hfs report is unfavourable • —surely you havo not forgotten Williamson, who was going to make the report; you remember what ho thought about the mine?” the girl shot the question out at him. The man shifted a little uneasily "John Seton’s report will be favourable. I will make sure of that.” She had only smoked a small portion of her cigarette, but sho tossed the remainder away impatiently, and took n fresh one out of her case, “you will make sure, you say, Gerald?” sho said slowly. “But you don’t know this John Soton yet. Still, supposing you do succeed—when will you be back here, in Machado, to mo?” Parker tried to laugh. “How can I say? There’re lots of things to be done. You must bo reasonable, Eunice. I’ll do the best 1 can, of course. It's no use threatening me.” The girl closed her fan with a snap, and stood up. “Did I threaten?” she asked In a voieo .which most men would have considered dangerously quiet. “What did I threaten? Are you already thinking of playing mo false, Gerald Parker?” Ho flushed, more from annoyance than wrath, annoyance at his own mistake. “I shall run straight. You had the agreements drawn too well to give me u chance to do otherwise, even if 1 had wanted to play you false." There was a fine scorn in her beautiful eyes now. “The agreements! I am not talking of money now, Gerald. It is oilier women ! am thinking of. If you play lue false “Well, if I do?” his voice was sul- j len. for. in some subtle way. her beaulyj j.eome.l suddenly to have lost its ap- 1 P*’al b* him. i The Senhorita laughed, softly—the, Portuguese side of her nature had come j uppermost. “If you do, l shall -find J you. That is all, Gerald . . . \nd now 1 i bear llio mail train whistling. John' Soton will board it. You bad better go and make bis acquaintance. Duly q'ho man turned and left her without a word of farewell, bid. as be passed through I lie gale of the house, llio, of vivid cursing. Gerald Parker had but a poor con- • trot over Ills own temper. I John Scion s journey to East Africa | had been uneventful, yet all through it the memory ~f that unknown voice on the telephone had haunted him. He 1 t.. the id. ntdy .o' tin* speaker, win* evi-d.-nllv knew. u<d o!ii> about Hie Main- I motlu but also about matters winch That' 'hint eoiie.-riiiug l.md \\h>mm had gone home, for as the mining eitMrs Drake had daughter to Hie peer. As for \\ liiiamsonj the expert whose place he was m!-' mdh and make a report. leaving problem. 'l'l.c ouli elk**'’' of that tele-

i phone message had been to set his nerves on edge, and make him morbidly anxious to get through his work and . 1 hasten back to England. Somehow, he | ■ seemed now, like Jocelyn, to be filled . with the premonition of impending 111i • luck. ; i The Mammoth was a bare twenty ’ i miles north of Machado. From the L | verandah of the hotel Seton could , j easily make out the huge grass-covered | kopje through which the wonderful | ■ reef of copper was supposed to run. , ! He stared at It for some time, then L 1 turned away with a sigh and entered I the bar. “I will send Jocelyn a cable when j ; I've finished there," he muttered. “It'll ,! case her mind —and my own.” J | The barman, an old acquaintance, ,greeted him cordially, jl “Back again, Mr Seton. eh? Glad to ' 1 ?f . e you. Do you find Machado much the . i same as ever?” ’[ John shrugged his shoulders. "As . I bad as ever, if that’s what you mean. i ’ 1 suppose it never will change, or rej ■ form.” | “Wait till we get some of our big , | copper mines going," the barman re- , j torted. I ; An old man, who had been sitting In I 1 the corner on a pile of whisky cases, I looked up suddenly. “What do you know about it?" he demanded, querulously. "I’ve been In 1 this district for twenty-five years. 1 . I was partner with old Joe Bowron, the . { Senhorlta’s grandfather—and I could . j tell you things which would make your ; • hair stand on end. Copper, bah I What’s J the use of copper? But gold—goldl" ( ho paused and shook his head solemni | ly. “Gold, I know richer reefs here i ! than men ever dreamed of, know them , j all.” . i “Why don’t you work them, then, ! Daddy?" the barman asked. -1 The other looked down at his own 1 . j tattered clothing. “Where am I going to get the capital? Besides, no comI! panv promoter is going to swindle me. ;! I know too much for that," then re--1 i fusing Seton’s offer of a drink, he , shambled out into the street. “Alad,’’ the barman tapped his own forehead expressively. “ *Mad Daddy 1 1 White’ they call him. No one else ever i j finds any of his wonderful reefs. He i j himself, declares he knows where to 1 1 look, by some kind of —what do you call it? —divination. Yes." A tall thin man, who had been lean- , ing on the bar, listening to the conversation, joined In suddenly. “He’s u. dotty old nuisance," lie said, “I ordered him off my property once, , and he didn’t like It," then he turned directly to John, "Aro you the Air ■ Seton who Is going up to report on the •.Mammoth’?’’ he asked abruptly. The engineer nodded. “Yes, that is so," he answered, a little coldly. 'When do you start? Aly name Is Parker. I’m Hie present owner; and I had belter go with you.” John Seton might look young, but he was not an easy person to bluff. “Thanks," he replied curtly, "I’m employed by the other side and I prefer to go alone I” Parker flushed. “Ilow are. you going to find your way about?" he demanded rudely. “You’ll want me. 1 thought tlial had been arranged." It was John’s turn to flush. “When I want your company I shall ask you for it," lie retorted. Daddy White, who had Just returned heard tho last words. “That’s right, l»d.” fie said, “That’s the way to talk to him, the dirty, claim-salting skunk." A moment later, Parker had struck the old man full in the Jaw, sending him staggering against the pile of whisky cases; then, without any warning, John himself look a hand in the game, and. Parker landed in the road, rather suddenly. 'He picked himself up, I cursing, seemed to lake measure of his , opponent, to decide that Seton was more than his match, then turned , abruptly and hurried down the street Aleamvhile, Daddy White had resumed his old scat. “Ah, you’re a good lad," ho said to , Seton. “A good lad, and handy with your fists. I won’t forget you. You may count on that. And now, I’ll have that drink you were talking of. I’ve no money myself.” A few minutes later, when the barman was busy with some other customers, Daddy leaned forward confid- ; entiaily. “So you’re tho man who’s going to report on the Mammoth. 1 wonder what you'll find. Look out for yourself, and keep your rltlo handy, or you may find what Williamson did.” Scion looked at him In amazement, “Williamson! What do you know about him? lie never went there at all." The old man laughed bitterly. "Didn’t he? lie came over the hills from the ■ north. I saw him with my own eyes, though lie didn't, sec me. Nor did the others.” j “What, others? Seton demanded. He ! was intensely interested now, for, : (hough the old prospector might have • delusions on the subject of bis gold j reefs, lie was sufficiently sane to be. worth listening to. especially in view of what that, voice oil tho telephone had | said. Daddy's next words made him even more than interested. ' “What others, lad? Why Hie Sen- ! lioriln, the. Gonminndanl's daughter, and that skunk Parker, l saw her first 1 riding; and then I saw Parker climbing i the kopje. But T never set eves on Wil- , liumson again, though 1 heard two ! shots." | The Commandant’s daughter! The I voice had mentioned ‘the lady.' had | warned him specially against her I (To be continued.)