arls, when they would either
desert or treacherously slay them. But, since meditation and idleness
could avail nothing, he rose from his couch upon the floor, and,
making sure that his loaded revolver was in place, he stole out from
among the palm trees, and began moving in the direction of the spot
where his treasures lay hid.

He did this with the utmost precaution, glancing in every direction at
each step, frequently pausing and changing the course he was pursuing,
and, in short, doing everything he could think of to prevent
detection. The full moon rode high in an almost unclouded sky, and the
air was as charming as that of Italy. The solemn roar of the ocean and
the irregular boom of the long, immense swells breaking against the
shore and sending the thin sheets of foam sliding swiftly up the bank,
were the only sounds that greeted his ears.

"That is wonderful!" exclaimed the searcher, for all at once he
descried a ship, under full sail, seemingly within two hundred yards
of shore. "If these parties hadn't arrived to-day this craft wouldn't
have come within a score of miles of us."

The ship looked like a vast bird, when with all sail set and her black
hull careening to one side under the wind, she drove the foaming water
away from her bows, and sped forward as if pursuing or fleeing from
some enemy.

Whether the watch saw the signal of distress in the moonlight, cannot
be known, but the vessel speedily passed on, and vanished in the
night, while Mate Storms, recalling his thoughts, and seeing no one
near him, moved directly to where he had deposited his riches such a
long time before, and to which he only made an occasional visit.

He had advanced too far to retreat, whether he was seen or not, and he
stooped down and began digging with his hands and sheath-knife. It was
only a short distance, when he struck something, and a moment after
drew up a small, strong canvas bag. Soon came another, and then a
smaller one, which contained the wonderful pearl that belonged to Inez
Hawthorne. They were all there, and had not been disturbed.

"Now, it only remains to keep these in my possession," was his
thought, as he straightened up and started to return. "I would give
half of them if they were at home and safe in the bank--Hello!"

Perhaps the vision of the sailor was unusually keen just then, for
when he paused with a start he caught sight of a shadowy figure, which
seemed to glide, without any effort of its own