41 Lure O Gold 1904

The Lure o
Gold
we reported of him to the Captain. He wouldn t
keep
the gold where it could be so easily found, in case he
was actually charged with having
it
in his possession.
But I ll
keep a sharp lookout just the same. I think
it s only the natural selfishness of the beast that makes
him want to keep
his cabin from destruction. He s
that kind, you know."
As I went below, I brooded over the plain significance
of the ironic remark let
fall
by Max Fishley as to why
the passengers were working so hard. It emphasized
the strong feeling of distrust I had already entertained.
While there might
be an honest man here and there
among these disappointed miners and among the crew,
I had reason to believe that the rule of the rogue that
"finding is had been keeping" gaining steadily, until
at the present time my chances for the recovery of the
treasure were slimmer than ever.
The gold-hunt for it was plainly little else had
been led on by
all sorts of rumors and reports, among
them one that made it
clear that I had never had any
just claim to the treasure; and it
was argued that as it
had passed out of
my hands it was clearly the property
of whosoever should discover it. I heard one report
to the effect that the Captain had said the gold should
[208]