Ah! youth’s dreams of love and of the future are delightful beyond compare, and dazzlingly beautiful as the summer’s sunrise. Pity that the orange and crimson clouds do not last all day long; then indeed would life be worth living.

But poor Miguel looked forward to a handsome country church and a handsome manse in some romantic part of the country, where quiet and joy should ever dwell, and the presiding geniuses of which should be his dear old mother and Mina herself. No wonder he was so inexpressibly happy; that like birds in spring-time he was singing all day long, even while wielding pick and spade.

Poor Miguel! would his dreams or ours turn out to be true?

Our two excavators were strong young fellows, only one of whom, however, possessed much sense. This was George Winkey (this is not his real name). I somehow think that from the very first George smelt a rat.

But to hurry on. All the time we were filling up the hold of our little vessel with old bones, etc., we knew perfectly well where the pirate’s gold lay, and at last, choosing a time when the moon was at its full, we commenced this last excavation. We discharged one man now, saying our labours were nearly over. Pity we hadn’t discharged Winkey, as the sequel will show.

I must confess that I had grave doubts concerning the finding of that gold. Nay, more, I felt almost positive that the whole thing was a myth; or that if any gold had ever been buried at the foot of this old, old tree, it must have been found long, long ago.

But I would not say so to Miguel; I would not shatter his splendid hopes and his happiness. Nevertheless to Captain Reeves I did say one morning,—

“It will be very pitiful, my friend, but at the same time somewhat laughable, if, after all our trouble and outlay, we have to leave the coast with only a cargo of defunct Indians’ decayed skeletons!”

Reeves laughed, but at the same time he looked somewhat serious.

Both he and Miguel seemed extra hopeful, however, on the morning when Winkey turned the first sod. We allowed him to do the heaviest of the work, and get well down, severing the hard, entangled branches of the trees with the axe. When these were all out, and a very large hole made, we found the ground softer.

It was eventide now.

“We shan’t do more to-night, Winkey,” Reeves said; “but meet us on the beach to-morrow at eight, and we shall commence filling up this most unpromising hole again. Good-night.”

Away went Winkey, but I think he gave Captain Reeves a strange sort of look before he started, and that he smiled satirically, if I may so word it.

Miguel himself went with him fully a mile, quite into Ocean City in fact, where the young man dwelt. It was his pay-night, and he went under pretence of getting change. Miguel paid him in an inn, and made him drink several glasses of old rye whisky, leaving him apparently very happy and careless while discussing a fourth tumbler.

Meanwhile, to my astonishment, Captain Reeves, who was digging, had exposed no less than five iron boxes. I and he attempted to lift one; it was all we could do.

But it was getting rapidly dark now, for the full moon would not rise over the island until eight o’clock.

Then Miguel himself returned.

“O thank God!” he cried, rapturously, and verily the tears of joy were choking him.

“And you think,” said Reeves, “that Winkey, who I am certain is suspicious, is safe for the night.”

“I feel sure of it, uncle, for he could hardly stand when I left. The only fear I have is that he may let out our secret to-night.”

“Well, Miguel, now comes the tug of war. All that gold must be got off to-night, and we must weigh anchor before morning. I did think of waiting till moonrise; but after what you have told us, we had better begin at once.”

“I’m ready and glad,” I said.

“Here are a couple of revolvers, Miguel. Defend the gold against all comers until we return. Your duty is the most dangerous and difficult, but I feel certain you are not afraid.”

“I am not afraid, uncle,” was the calm reply.

The tree where the gold-hole was stood not over one hundred and fifty yards from the shore, and we were in our boat and speeding off to the yacht in five minutes’ time.

Our crew all told was but seven. Of these we took five, promising all that they should be well rewarded for their night’s work.

Biscuit-bags were brought on shore, and a rudely-fitted litter, on which two boxes could be conveyed at once, one man bending on to each of the four handles, and being relieved occasionally by myself, Reeves, and the spare hand. The bags were meant to cover the boxes.

I think the men suspected that they were carrying gold, and that they would have a share of it, for they worked like slaves.

The work was hard and tedious, however, but all the boxes save one were safely taken off before the moon had been well up above the waves and shining over the sea.

We were just getting this last box on board the boat, when to our great alarm we heard a confused hum of voices in the distance, and presently recognized that of Winkey.

“Hurry, men, hurry!” cried Reeves; “there is not a moment to lose!”

The box was hoisted in, and the boat, which had been drawn up to receive it, was quickly launched.

We were all in save Miguel, the young minister; when, headed by Winkey, who was in a state of great excitement, down rushed ten hulking roughs.

“Hold!” cried Winkey; “I command you to hold in the name of the State of Florida!”

As he spoke he seized young Miguel by the breast. But he had not reckoned on that young minister’s mettle, nor on the hardness of that good Scottish fist of his. It fell like a hammer, straight from the shoulder, and took effect between Winkey’s eyes. The fellow went down like a shot, and lay there stunned and insensible.

Then Miguel sprang into the boat, and away she dashed.

There was no wind, but steam was already up, and soon the yacht was moving fast away in a south-westerly direction from the shores of the beautiful island.

This was not our course, but from the gradually-increasing mob on the beach, we knew we should be chased.

Nor were we mistaken.

CHAPTER X.

AN ANXIOUS TIME—THE CHASE AND BATTLE—HOW ALL ENDED.

I for one, therefore, was not a bit surprised next morning at sunrise when told by Miguel that a small, wicked-looking, black steamer was bearing down on us, and coming up with us indeed, hand over hand.

“She’ll overhaul us in a couple of hours,” he said.

I dressed quickly and went on deck. Captain Reeves was already there, and all eyes were turned astern.

“The fact is,” he said, in answer to a question put by me, “we are short of coals, and the mate, thinking all was perfectly safe, had banked fires, and was dodging on under sail with the little bit of wind there was. Fires are only just stirred up, but that little fiend has the weather-gage on us.”

“It’s a private venture?” I said inquiringly.

“A private venture!” cried the mate angrily; “it is more—it is a piratical adventure, and I for one would counsel resistance to the last. So sorry the fault is mine. Well, we have two six-pounders. I’ll take the fault. I’m a good shot, and blame me more than ever if I don’t make her trip over the wreck of her own rigging.”

So the guns were loaded with ball and run aft all ready.

On came the black one; on went we. We had bags of lard and even a fat ham or two to pop into the fire when we wanted to fly.

By ten o’clock the enemy was near enough to hail us through the speaking-trumpet.

“Lie to at once, or we’ll grapple and board you. Don’t want any loss of life; but we are five-and-twenty strong, and each man has a revolver.”

The answer went from the speaking-trumpet of bold Captain Reeves,—

“If you come three fathoms nearer, we’ll astonish your weak nerves; we shall treat you as pirates, and sink you.”

There was simply an ironical cheer by way of reply.

“Get the fat in the fire now,” shouted Reeves to the engineer. “Get all pressure of steam up, anyhow. Now, mate.”

The first gun was run out and fired.

Brr—rr—rang!

Hardly had the smoke cleared away ere we could notice the consternation on board the black one.

The funnel was a wreck.

“Change your course and haul off, or we’ll give you another,” cried Reeves.

No notice was taken by the enemy.

The mate took very great pains indeed with this second shot.

It struck their foremast not a fathom above deck, and down it came thundering over the bows.

We saw we had the victory. I should be sorry to think any one was killed or hurt; but we gave them three cheers, and as steam was now fully up, we went tearing through the water, and in an hour’s time we were out of sight over the horizon.

A splendid, spanking breeze now sprang up, and in a few days we were able to take in coals at an island which for obvious reasons must be nameless.

We steamed away in the gloaming still south and by east, but as soon as night fell we altered our course to north-east by north, and were soon far away on the dark blue sea, and on our way to British shores.

We were all very happy and very hopeful now, but above everything it was a treat to witness the quiet joy of poor Miguel. Ah! youth is indeed a glorious time; but when he talked to us of his future, the young fellow’s face seemed really to be transformed, and to shine.

Then at all other times he was just his same old self, and the life of everybody on board. He was, perhaps, somewhat of a republican at heart; for he talked with the men as if they were quite on a

footing of equality with him mentally and socially, and he even played and sang to them, and kept them laughing of an evening until they used to declare that their very sides ached again. I am certain that there was not a single member of the crew who would not have fought for the young minister, as they called him, until blinded with their own blood, so much beloved was he.

And now, while sailing along on a gentle breeze and doing but little over six knots an hour—for so thoroughly were we enjoying the voyage that no one seemed to be in the least hurry to get back again even to bonnie Scotland—a day was set apart to count our coin.

It took us quite a long time. The gold was of the purest, and all was in Spanish doubloons.

It ran up to the very respectable sum of sixty thousand pounds. We took the men partly into our confidence, telling them that the money—we said nothing about the amount—had belonged to our ancestors, and therefore was ours; and that on the day when it was safely lodged in bank, the engineer should have a gift of one hundred and fifty pounds, the mate the same, and each of the sailors one hundred pounds. The announcement was received with a wild, ringing British cheer. Then things went on just as before.

Now there was more money buried in the island at the foot of another tree, but contrary to the account given by American papers, this did not amount to over ten thousand dollars; a goodly sum, however, for a man like Winkey to get his hands upon.

He was welcome to it as far as we were concerned. But the finding of it and the behaviour of Winkey afterwards make quite a little story all by themselves.

Winkey, it seems, had stolen a portion of our plans describing and locating the smaller portion of gold, which also lay at the foot of a tree. We had hardly sailed, it seems, ere he got hold of a certain Mr. Green (again the name is fictitious) and communicated the wonderful tidings to him. Then they employed another man to assist them to dig, and one night they all set out on their gold-hunting expedition. Their excitement was really feverish, and the old rye they consumed to banish nervousness only served to excite them more.

But it made them reckless.

Arrived by the weird old tree, they commenced operations at once, first with shovel and pick, and next with axes.

Gnarled and hard were the roots of that ancient king of the forest, and loudly rang the sound of the blows on the stillness of the night. Still they worked away with a will.

Not a great distance off from the spot where they were at work stands the farm of Mr. M. W. H. The unusual sound disturbed the good people there.

I quote from an American paper dated June 6, 1897, when I say:—

“Mr. M. W. H. lives within two hundred yards of the spot, and heard distinctly the noise of the axes. As this was unusual at such an hour, he and his son went out to investigate. They found the three men at work digging, but as they were on other property, decided not to disturb them.

“After hours of hard work, the treasure-delvers at last struck metal. Feverishly they cleared out the impeding earth, and speedily laid bare a much-rusted iron box. In a state of intense excitement they lifted it to the surface, and leaving the hole as it was hurriedly dragged it away.

“After going a short distance toward the city, they stopped for consultation. The third man was paid, and directed to go home and keep his mouth shut.

“Green and Winkey laboured painfully home with the box, and before morning succeeded in getting it into Green’s room.

“Here they hurriedly removed the lid, whose lock and hinge had rusted off, and there before them lay a fortune in Spanish doubloons.”

The fortune, reader, as I have already stated—knowing, as I well do, all the outs and ins of the matter—was not such a wondrous one after all. But as what followed forms a rather curious story of human credulity and over-confidence, I must tell it briefly.

To begin with, then:—Green and Winkey were of opinion that as soon as the owner of the property on which the old tree stood discovered the find he would claim the gold, so they decided that the safest plan was to get it away out of Fernandina with all speed. But as Green could not go from home just then, but had the utmost confidence in Winkey, it was decided that the latter should start at once for Brunswick, he—Green—to join him later on, when they could amicably divide the spoil.

This was playing at the game of confidence with a vengeance, and we shall soon see what came of it.

The baggage-master at Fernandina distinctly remembers checking the luggage, and wondering at the same time how a man in Winkey’s poor station of life came to have so many trunks. The fact was that Winkey had put the gold in several boxes, so as to distribute the weight, and thus evade suspicion.

And now Green lived for a time in a kind of fool’s paradise, building castles in the air both by day and long into the night after going to bed. He also threw out many mysterious hints to his friends, though he told them nothing definite. Only he wanted them to know that he would soon be far above poverty, and that he need trouble himself but little more about work or business either.

So Green sold out his business, and sold off all his possessions in Florida, determining to live elsewhere, and with his newly-acquired wealth act the rôle of gentleman.

He thought it strange, however, that he did not hear from Winkey.

Post after post, and never a single letter.

“Hope deferred maketh the heart sick,” and thoroughly alarmed at last Green hurried off to Brunswick. Never a Winkey was there, and from the information he was able to glean at the railway depôt the man must have gone on to northward; how much farther it would be difficult indeed to say.

No wonder poor Green was now heartbroken. All the gold gone—his business sold for a song, and very little indeed to live upon! It was terrible.

In his agony of mind he consulted a young lawyer.

This man, Mr. W. A. H., was smart enough. At first he would scarcely credit the story, but the testimony of the farmer and his son who had heard the gold-seeker digging, and that of the baggage-master who had checked the boxes, finally convinced him.

Green offered him twenty-five dollars for his assistance in tracing Winkey.

“If you be Green, I’m not,” said the lawyer. “Five-and-twenty dollars, indeed! How liberal you are! No, sir; I shall have one-half the gold, and nothing less, and an agreement must be made out to that effect.”

And so this was done.

But now comes the most curious part of the story. The man who had assisted in digging somehow or other had got Winkey’s address. It was almost indistinct as written, but “Fifth Avenue, New York,” could just be made out.

This the man gave to Mr. W. A. H., and he in turn gave it to Green, in whose honesty the lawyer had the utmost confidence. But it was necessary to success that Winkey be run to earth at once; so the lawyer dispatched Green to New York to find the runaway and confront him with a charge of roguery.

Probably Green was not so great a fool as he looked.

In all probability he found Winkey, and after a quarrel resumed partnership.

Perhaps this was so; but as Burns says,—

and the fact is that the clever but over-confiding lawyer has not up to the present date, July 15, 1897, heard again of either Winkey or Green. Very likely they are enjoying themselves together at some Continental or British watering-place.

While I write, it is a most brilliant sunny summer’s day, and only six miles from here Henley regatta is in full swing. When I finish this chapter I shall drive there, and it is just within the bounds of possibility that I might stumble across Winkey. I should know him at a glance!

* * * * *

The finding of our gold, or rather, I should say, the gold of Captain Keeves and Don Miguel M‘Lean, took place last December (1896). We succeeded in landing it easily, and had the whole melted down into bars, which were sold for their full value.

Captain Reeves still holds that beautiful and romantic villa of his far away in the wild, romantic north of Scotland.

He gives larger and nicer parties now than ever, for he dearly loves good company.

Poor Mrs. M‘Lean no longer lives in a couple of small rooms in the east end of the great Granite City. No; she has bought one of the most charming modern villas far out Rubislaw way, and many an old friend drops in of an evening to drink tea or stay to dinner whom she could not have asked or entertained in the days of her poverty.

Miguel does not now have to slave at harvests, nor to endanger his life at the herring fishery. He was down seeing me about a month ago, dear happy, hopeful youth!

He is as determined to be a clergyman as ever, and there is now no danger of his having to wait long for a living, because he knows of one—just the one he should like—for sale; that is, the gift is in the hands of a lord who is willing to part for a consideration.

In less than a month the heather will all be in bloom on the mountain sides; my guns are already ready, and my honest setter Dash is ready too. By the morning of the glorious twelfth Reeves and I will be on the hill. Bonnie little Mina will have her gun too, and I need hardly add that Miguel will not be far away.

I feel certain that in their case the stream of love will run smooth, and that their married life, when the time for marriage comes, will be a happy one.

That side by side their barks of Life may glide calmly over the sea of Time to a glad Beyond, is the earnest wish and prayer of

The Author.

THE END.

PRINTED IN GREAT BRITAIN AT
THE PRESS OF THE PUBLISHERS.


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