LAND AND WATER 
March 9, 1916. 
it was a hunimin ; bird, and following this vision came a vat;iu- 
trace of perfuim- Irom the tree wilderness of the banks. Thf 
feeling passed from Houghton's mind, the warning was for 
gotten — the rivor had taken him in the toils of its fascination 
" The tide is with us," said Macquart. 
They had struck the reef opening' just at the turn of thr 
tide. And against the slackened current they now made 
way almost as well as in the open sea. 
CH.^FTKK XII. 
Tnii L.VGOON. 
TILLMAN was at the wheel and Macquart, calling Jacky, 
ordered him to take Tillman's place. Then he led 
the others a bit forward. 
" Now," said he, " here's the river. Have I spoken 
rightly ? Have I judged rightly ? I have brought you 
nearly to the spot and it all depends on the decision we take 
now whether we pull this tli ng through or not. 
" The village hes on the eft bank, maybe si.K or more 
miles up — say seven, the waterway is broad and we can get 
the Barracuda up easy enough ; well, we mustn't take her 
that far, we mustn't take her more than another mile or 
two up. We've got to tie her somewhere on the banks, some- 
where secure and hidden, and go on to tlie village in the boat." 
" Good Lord," said Tillman, " What are you saying ? 
Leave the Barracuda and maybe have her run away with ? " 
' i tell you," said Maccjuart, " It's not safe. You 
haven't thought the thing out as I have. If we tie up by the 
village what will hai)pen if there's a row ? It we have to 
escape in a hurry ? You can easily push a boat off, but you 
can't easily get the yawl away." 
" There's truth in what he says," put in Hull. " But 
who can we leave with her ? " 
Macquart shrugged his shoulders. 
'" Leave with her ? No one. There's no one here to 
touch her. Only the monkeys — they won't harm her." 
" And what are we to say to the chaps at the village ? " 
" Say that we have left our ship down th : river, that very 
fact will give us extra protection." 
" One moment." said Tillman. He drew Houghton 
aside and tlicy both went into the bow. 
" What do you think of this ? " said Tillman. " Is it 
some trick of Macquart's or what ? " 
" No, " said Houghton. " The chap's frightened right 
enough and he's thinking of his own skin. If these people 
in the village are the same as he left there fifteen years ago, 
and if that woman is still alive, and if they recognise him, well, 
you see, there'll be a sliindy right off —that's what it is. Bette.- 
do as he says ; he's pla\ing for safety, not against us." 
■' I'm your way of thinking," said Tillman. 
They turned aft. 
" Well," said Hull. " What have you decided ? " 
" Tie up," said Tillman. " It's the safest way, but the 
question is, where ? " 
■' O that's easily found," said Macquart. " You wait." 
About two miles from the mouth they opened what seemed 
the mouth of another ri\'er on the left bank and Macquart 
ordered the mainsail to be lowered and the boat got out for 
a tow. 
" It's a lagoon," said he, " as good as a harbour, nothing 
will touch her in there. She'd lie to the Day of Judgment, 
and they wouldn't find her then. Now, out with the boat, 
sharp, we don't want to drift." 
They lowered the boat, the tow rope was fixed, and 
Macquart was the first man into her. Tillman, Houghton 
and Hull followed him, leaving Jacky on board to steer. 
Macquart was right. Through the opening in the left 
bank the river bayed out into a la^'oon. A still sheet of 
water on which the columns of the NqKih palms lining the 
banks were reflected as in a mirror. The tropical forest 
festooned with lianas and wild convolvulus came down to 
the water's edge, .^t night and especially on a night of the 
full moon, this place would be filled with the chanting of 
birds, the girding and gugghng and yooping of monkeys. 
and the cry of prowling beasts. Now, in the full blaze of 
day, it was silent, with the silence of a room locked up from 
the world. 
Things like red moths were flitting hither and thither 
across the water surface just as you have seen the mayflies 
dit across a brook, Houghton glancing up from the labour 
of rowing saw that the moths were birds. Tiny red humming 
birds with needle-sharp bills, hundreds and hundreds of them 
dancing and flitting in the sunshine. 
When they had brought the Barracuda a hundred yards or 
so within the lagoon they boarded her and dropped the anchor 
in two fathom water. Then, taking to the boat again and 
armed with a sounding lead, they started out to hunt for a 
berth. 
They found an ideal one on the left hand side counting 
from the point of entrance. Here for the space of seventy feet 
or so the bank came down sheer to the water without any 
shelving and with a depth yf three fathoms, whilst the lower 
branches of the huge trees were sulhcientlv high to clear the 
main mast of the Barracuda if the top mast were struck. 
" We can moor lier to them trees," said Hull. " Yes, it's 
a Hkely spot and might 'a been laid out on purpose ; easy to 
get her in and easy to get her out, and no harbour dues. Now 
then, all aboard and let's get done v/ith it." 
They struck the topmast of the yawl, lowered the main- 
sail and "miz/,en. and havmg made everything snug towed her 
to the bank. It was after sundown when everything was 
complete and, tired out, they went down to the cabin for 
supper. 
Down below, it seemed to Houghton the strangest thing 
to be sitting there at table, landlocked and moored up to 
trees after the long, long weeks of sea tossing and the eternal 
noise of the bow wash and the boosting of the waves. The 
others did not seem to notice the change. 
Hull, who had re-taken charge of things, now that 
Macquart had finished with the piloting, was laying down tiicir 
future plans. 
" We'll lay up here to-morrer," said he, " to rest and 
stretch our legs, and the day after to-morrer, bright and early 
well man the boat and start for the village. Now it s in my 
mind when we've made good with the village people and 
tapped the cache and made sure the stuff's there, it will be 
best to bring the yawl right up. You see, if we leave her 
here, we'll have to bring the stuff down by boat-loads." 
Macquart, who had retired into himself all through the 
voyage as though the presence of Hull had paralysed his 
initiative, rose from the table, sat down on one of the bunk 
edges and nursed his knee. 
" Well, gentlemen," he said, as though he were addressing 
a meeting, "' I am not with Captain Hull. I believe I have 
some right to give an opinion, considering tjie fact that tlii-- 
expedition was originated by me ami that I alone have the 
key to the cache." 
Hull grumbled something unintelligible and Macquart 
went on : 
" Besides, I have thought the matter out most carefully 
and it is for your good, as well as my own, that I saj' the 
Barracuda must remain here right through this business." 
" O, she must, must she," said Hull. " Seems to me 
you're beginnin' to lay the law down. Mac. None of us is to 
say a word but take your leadin' like baa lambs. D'you 
think you're the only one of the lot oi us rigged with eyes an' 
understandin' ? I say that when we touch this stuff we'll 
bring the yawl up to load it and if the niggers gi\e trouble 
we'll hold them down with our guns, why, you blessed skrim- 
shanker, it'd take a dozen journeys up and down with a boat ; 
we'd have to go with the boat each journey, and who's to be 
left at the cache to protect the stuff ? " 
Houghton noticed all through this conversation thai 
Ivtac({uart's eyes were steadily fixed on Hull and that his face 
had been growing pale under its bronze. He had guessed 
the hatred that existed between the two men, but he failed 
to plumb the depth and intensity of the passion surging in the 
breast of Macquart. 
Leaving aside all old scores, Hull had got the better of 
him at the start of the expedition. Macquart, the cock 
of the walk and boss of the business, with two greenhorns to 
work for his ends and a sound boat under his feet, had suddenl>' 
found himself hampered and checkmated by the inscrutabK- 
Screed. 
Macquart was one of those men of whom we cm 
say only this, that their plans are never more dark than when 
they seem most luminous. He had felt Tillman and Houghton 
to be putty in his hands and Jacky a black pawn to !>(> played 
with as he chose, and though it is impossible to define his 
exact plan of campaign, already prepared no doubt on the 
night when he agreed to di\ide the treasure so generously 
with Screed, Houghton and Tillman, one may be sure of thi'-. 
that the division of tlie treasure had no part in it. Half a 
million in gold coin and bullion ! Screed two thousand miles 
away and only Tillman and Houghton to deal with and 
bamboozle — or worse ! All the elements lay here for a coup 
for a genius to pull off. and Macquart as will be seen — if not 
a genius, was at least a clever and astute man. 
Screed had fancied that the final disposal of the treasure 
would prove such an insuperable obstacle to villainy that 
Macquart would be driven to return to Sydney to " cash it.' 
Screed, the clever business man with no illusions and no 
behefs, had divined Macquart and his possibilities and had 
not felt quile sure that the latter would find the disposal of 
the treasure an impossible task, and so be driven back to 
Sydney. Not being quite sure, he plaved his trump card 
Hull. 
So it came about that Macquart, on the point of saihng, 
found suddenly dumped on him the big, strong man he feared 
and hated, the man who knew exactly what sort of character 
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