| Subject: The New World - Part #39 |
Author:
Wanda
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Date Posted: 20:12:52 06/24/03 Tue
PART #39
Bow began picking up the papers that were scattered all over the floor of the office, and stacking them neatly upon the top of the desk. He was surprised that one of the papers seemed to be a roughly sketched map. He stood studying the rough sketch and realized this was a map that revealed an area where he and Joshua had played as children. He wondered why Joshua would have a map of that area that led back into the swamp. He looked at the map a while longer, laid it aside, then went through the other papers that had been strewn around the room.
He found a log book that revealed the number of hours Joshua’s men had worked. From this ledger the payroll had been figured. The log revealed that no one had worked there for a period of two months. Bow decided he would take the book back to Catherine. He picked up the papers he had put on the desk, tucked them inside the log book, and then put everything into a bag.
Bow left the building, and walked toward his horse. He put the bag of papers in the saddle bag on the back of the horse, and rode in the direction of the swamp. He knew Joshua well enough to know that map had been sketched for a reason. Eventually he reached the swamp, and located a boat that was tied up in the brush along the edge of the water. Bow tied his horse to a tree; then stepped into the boat that would take him in the direction of the area pictured on the map.
After a period of time, Bow pulled the boat up to shore, and walked down what appeared to be a well worn path. He came to a building that had been constructed, causing questions to form in his mind. Why did Joshua have a building constructed out here? What was the purpose for the building? The area was quiet; no one seemed to be around, so he walked up to the door, pushed it open, and walked inside. Bow realized he had found the place where Joshua had stored all the stolen goods. He stood in the middle of the room, and realized there was much more here then what had been taken in the pirate raids. Where had Joshua gotten all these things? It became evident to Bow that Joshua had been involved in something big. There were many items made from silver, also trunks of fine European clothes, and boxes of jewels.
Bow wondered how many people were aware of this storage place that Joshua had managed to hide in the swamp. He thought of the map that he had found in Joshua’s office, and realized that most people would not have given that map a thought when they broke into the safe. Bow was able to figure out the rough sketch only because of his childhood experiences with Joshua.
For just a moment, Bow was tempted to try to sell the stolen articles to give Catherine some money for operating capital. Then he thought, “No, I have made a decision to live a life separated from this sort of thing, and I am not going to go back on that decision.” He decided he would ride back to the main house, and tell Catherine what he had found. Together they would decide what to do with the stolen goods.
When Bow got back to the main house, Catherine was giving instructions to the servants regarding the evening meal. Bow dropped the saddle bag on the floor of the living room, then he took the horse to the stable. Catherine watched him walking back toward the house, and saw he had a scowl on his face. When he entered the house, she said, “Bow, I don’t like the look on your face. What have you found?” He shook his head, reached down for the saddle bag, and said, “I’m afraid I don’t have good news for you Catherine. First of all, there were no workers at the saw mill. In fact, it doesn’t look like anyone has worked there for awhile. I did find that someone had broken into the office at the saw mill, and forced open the safe. I am assuming they were looking for money. Papers were scattered all over the room. I did manage to pick them up, and I have brought them back with me.”
Catherine could see that Bow was deep in thought. She looked at him and said, “Do you have any idea why the workers from the saw mill are no longer working?” Bow said, “I can think of one reason Catherine, and I may not be correct in my assumption. If Joshua had not been paying his workers due to the shortage of operating capital, they may have quit working. That might also account for the forced entry into the office safe. If he owed them money, they may have felt that was the way to get the money. I would rather doubt they found any money there.”
To be continued...
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