ing to the cabin, they examined the bill of lading.

"Here it is, sir," Bob said, triumphantly. "Two hundred tons of
lead."

"Splendid!" the captain exclaimed. "That is a prize worth having.
Of course, that is stowed away at the bottom; and then she is
filled up with hides, and they are worth a lot of money--but the
lead, alone, is worth six thousand pounds, at twenty pounds per
ton.

"Is there anything else, Bob?"

"Yes, sir. There are fifty boxes. It doesn't say what is in them."

"You don't say so, Bob! Perhaps it is silver. Let us ask the
officers."

The Spanish first mate was called down.

"Where are these boxes?" Bob asked, "and what do they contain?"

"They are full of silver," the man said, sullenly. "They are stowed
in the lazaretto, under this cabin."

"We will have one of them up, and look into it," the captain said.

"Joe, call a couple of hands down."

The trapdoor of the lazaretto was lifted. Joe and the two sailors
descended the ladder and, with some difficulty, one of the boxes
was hoisted up.

"That weighs over two hundredweight, I'm sure," Joe said.

Illustration: They find Boxes of Silver in the Lazaretto.

The box was broken open, and it was found to be filled with small
bars of silver.

"Are they all the same size, Joe?" the captain asked.

"Yes, as far as I can see."

The captain took out his pocketbook, and made a rapid calculation.

"Then they are worth between thirty-two and thirty-three thousand
pounds, Joe.

"Why, lad, she is worth forty thousand pounds, without the hides or
the hull. That is something like a capture," and the two men shook
hands, warmly.

"The best thing to do, Joe, will be to divide these boxes between
the three ships; then, even if one of them gets picked up by the
Spaniards or French, we shall still be in clover."

"I think that would be a good plan," Joe agreed.

"We will do it at once. There is nothing like making matters safe.
Just get into the boat alongside, and row to the brig; and tell
them to lower the jolly boat and send it alongside. We will get
some of the boxes up, by the time you are back."

In an hour the silver was divided between the three ships; and the
delight of the sailors was great, when they heard how valuable had
been the capture.

"How do you divide?" Bob asked Captain Lockett, as they were
watching the boxes lowered into the boat.

"The ship takes half," he said. "Of the other half I take twelve
shares, Joe eight,