Part 56 (1/2)
Blinded by the dust, tripped by the rolling stones, Bruce turned to where he had seen Kathlyn fall The explosion--the last one--had opened up veins of strange gases, for the whole proht up in his ared into the water A s down her forehead explained everything; a falling stone had struck her
”Kit, Kit! I hope to God the treasure went up also” He dashed the cold water into her face
The others were unhurt, though dazed, and for the nonce incapable of coherent thought or action
”The boats!” Bruce laid Kathlyn down on the sand and signed to Winnie
”Tend to her I must take a chance at the boats We could cross the neck of sand at ebb, but Umballa will be far away before that tiirl!” He patted her wrists and called to her, and when finally her lips stirred he rose and waded out into the sea, followed by four hardy fisher from the southwest, aided the swimmers, for the boats did not drift out to sea, but in a northeasterly direction The sloop was squaring away for the mainland
Did Uth his hand reached up and took hold of the gunwale of the boat he had picked out to bring down Would U on to it in face of all the devastation? Bruce sighed as he drew himself up and crawled into the boat He knew that treasure had often made a hero out of a coward; and treasure at that moment meant life and liberty to Ureeted the colonel sohly But for this accursed basket they would have been well out of Asia by this time
”Uood-by to it, for it can never be dug from under those tons and tons of rockHere! where are those fisher?” he de off with the boats, which they had only just brought back
Ramabai picked up his discarded rifle
”Stop!”
”They are frightened,” explained the chief
”Well, they can contain their fright till we are in safety,” Ramabai declared ”Warn them”
”Hurry, everybody! I feel it in my bones that that black devil has the treasure Get those men into the boats Here, pick up those oars
Get in, Kit; you, Winnie; coazed sadly at her father Treasure, treasure; that first
She was beginning to hate the very sound of the word The colonel had been nervous, impatient and irritable ever since the document had been discovered Till recently Kathlyn had always believed her father to be perfect, but now she saw that he was human, he had his flawed spot
Treasure! Before her or Winnie! So be it
”Colonel,” said Bruce, taking a chance throe are less than a hundred miles from the seaport Suppose we let Uht up the coast? It is not fair to the women to put them to any further hardshi+p”
”Bruce, I have sworn to God that Umballa shall not have that treasure
Ramabai, do you understand what it willAllaha with that treasure, probably millions? He will be able to buy every priest and soldier in Allaha and still have enough left for any extravagance that he ested Ramabai, ”let us send the women to the seaport in care of Ahmed, while we ether ”The very thing”
”I refuse to be separated from father,” declared Kathlyn ”If he is determined to pursue Umballa back to Allaha, I must acco ned to the boatmen to start
”If only this breeze had not coht him before he made shore”
U He saw his ene enough?
As matters stood, he could not carry away the treasure He must have help, an armed force of men he could trust On the mainland were Ahmed and the loyal keepers; behind were three men anted his life as he wanted theirs The only hope he had lay in the cupidity of the men on the sloop If they could be made to stand by him, there was a fair chance Once he was of a mind to heave the basket over the rail and trust to luck in finding it again But the thought tore at his heart
He simply could not do it
Perhaps he could start a revolt, or win over the chief of the village