and
this deterred the rest. Not even by its warmth could they locate it. It
was overhead at noon and useless as a guide. In the early morning and
late afternoon, when it might have indicated east and west, its warmth
was overcome by the coolness of the breeze. So they steered on blindly,
close-hauled on the starboard tack, nearly as straight a course as
though they were whole men.

They took occasional deep-sea soundings with the brig shaking in the
wind, but found no bottom, and at the end of fifteen days a longer
heave to the ground-swell was evidence to Captain Swarth's mind that he
was passing Cape St. Roque, and the soundings were discontinued.

"No use bothering about St. Paul Rocks or the Rocas, Angel," said he.
"They rise out o' the deep sea, and if we're to hit, soundings won't
warn us in time. I take it we'll pass between them and well north of
Ascension." So he checked in the yards a little and brought the wind
more abeam.

One day Yank Tate appeared at the captain's elbow, and suggested, in a
low voice, that he examine the treasure-chests in the 'tween-deck. "I
was down stowing away some oakum," he said, "an' I was sure I heard the
lid close; but nobody answered me, an' I couldn't feel anybody."

Captain Swarth descended to his cabin and found his keys missing; then
he and the carpenter visited the chests. They were locked tight, and as
heavy as ever.

"Some one has the keys, Yank, and has very likely raided the diamonds.
We can't do anything but wait. He can't get away. Keep still about it."

The air became cooler as they sailed on; and judging that the
trade-wind was blowing more from the south than he had allowed for, the
captain brought the wind squarely abeam, and the brig sailed faster.
Still, it was too cool for the latitude, and it puzzled him, until a
man came aft and groaned that he had lifted his bandage to bathe his
eyes, and had unmistakably seen the sun four points off the port
quarter; but his eyes were worse now, and he could not do it again.

"Four points off!" exclaimed Swarth. "Four o'clock in the afternoon.
That's just about where the sun ought to be heading due east, and far
enough south o' the line to bring this cool weather. We're not far from
Ascension. Never knew the sou'east trade to act like this before. Must
ha' been blowing out o' the sou'west half the time."

A week later they were hove to on the port tack under double-reefed
topsails, with a cold gale of wind screamin