o the shape of her hull, he had only put part of it aboard
her, leaving out about six tons, in place of which he intended to stow
the gold from the treasure-cave.) The little craft held her way for
quite an extraordinary distance--showing thereby in the most practical
of all ways the excellence and beauty of her lines--and when at length
she came to rest Nicholls let go her anchor and waved his hand by way of
a signal that all was well. Whereupon Dick and Simpson jumped into the
canoe and paddled off to fetch him ashore.

The moment had now arrived when it became necessary for Leslie to come
to some definite conclusion as to how far he would take these two men
into his confidence. He had watched them both with the utmost keenness
from the first moment of his connection with them, and everything that
he had seen in their speech and behaviour had led him to the conviction
that they were absolutely honest, loyal, and trustworthy. On the other
hand, he had heard of cases wherein men even as trustworthy as he
believed these two to be had succumbed to the influence of some sudden,
over-powering temptation; and there could be no question that a treasure
of such enormous value as that lying hidden in the cave constituted a
temptation sufficient to strain to its utmost limit the honesty of any
but the most thoroughly conscientious man. He therefore finally settled
the matter with himself by determining upon a compromise; he would take
Nicholls and Simpson into his confidence just so far as was absolutely
necessary, and no farther.

Therefore, when they all landed on the beach, after taking Nicholls off
the cutter, Leslie invited the two men to accompany him to the tent,
there to empty their last bottle of champagne in drinking to the success
of the new craft. And when this ceremony had been duly performed,
Leslie turned to the two men, and said--

"And now, lads, the cutter having been successfully got into the water,
I find myself in the position of being able to make to you both a
certain proposal and offer that has long been in my mind. When I took
you two men off your raft, and brought you ashore here in a dying
condition, that tiny craft that floats so jauntily out there on the
smooth waters of the lagoon was only in frame--a mere skeleton. But you
saw of what that skeleton was composed; you saw that it was made of
tough steel firmly and substantially put together with stout bolts and
rivets. And since then you h