mmented Hiram,
admiringly, as the treasure-hunter started away, his cow's-horn
divining-rod in position. The members of Hecla fire department, glad
to feel land under their country feet once more, capered about on
the beach, surveying the limited attractions with curious eyes.
Zeburee Nute, gathering seaweed to carry home to his wife, stripped
the surface of a bowlder, and called excited attention to an anchor
and a cross rudely hacked into the stone.

"It's old Cap Kidd's mark," whispered Hiram to Colonel Ward. And with
keen gaze he noted the Colonel's tongue lick his blue lips, and saw
the gold lust beginning to gleam in his eyes.

Hiram was the only one who noted this fact: that, concealed under
more seaweed, there was a date whose modernity hinted that the
inscription was the work of some loafing yachtsman.

As he rose from his knees he saw Mr. Bodge pause on a hillock, arms
rigidly akimbo, the point of the cow's horn directed straight down.

"I've found it!" he squealed. "It's here! Come on, come one, come
all and dig, for God sakes!"

The excitement of those first few hours was too much for the
self-control of Colonel Gideon Ward's avaricious nature. He
hesitated a long time, blinking hard as each shovelful of dirt
sprayed against the breeze. Then he grasped an opportunity when he
could talk with Cap'n Sproul apart, and said, huskily:

"It's still all guesswork and uncertain, and you stand to lose a lot
of expense. I know I promised not to talk business with you, but
couldn't you consider a proposition to stand in even?"

The Cap'n glared on him severely.

"Do you think it's a decent proposition to step up to me and ask me
to sell you gold dollars for a cent apiece? When you came on this
trip you understood that Bodge was mine, and that he and this scheme
wa'n't for sale. Don't ever mention it again or you and me'll have
trouble."

And Colonel Ward went back to watch the digging, angry, lusting, and
disheartened.

The next day the hole was far enough advanced to require the services
of Imogene as bucket-lifter. That docile animal obligingly swam
ashore, to the great admiration of all spectators.

On that day it was noted first that gloom was settling on the spirits
of Mr. Bodge. The gloom dated from a conversation held very privately
the evening before between Mr. Bodge and Colonel Ward.

Mr. Bodge, pivoting on his peg-leg, stood at the edge of the deepening
hole with a doleful air that did not acc