ere the
devil's sounding-stone was. There was indeed a superstition amongst
these poor people that Kidd had buried his money under a rock he gave
that name to; and that there was an agreement with his satanic majesty,
who was to stand guard over it, and allow only those who had the
talisman to lay hands on it. This talisman, it was also believed, would
open the devil's conscience, and cause him to lift the stone and unlock
the great iron chest containing the gold and silver. Loud noises, it was
said, were heard under the stone, which was the voice of the devil
rebuking the follies of the men who came in search of this treasure.
These poor people also believed that Kidd had murdered a woman in cold
blood, and buried her under the same stone; that she would come to life
when it was lifted; and that her ghost haunted the spot every night, and
not less than a score of Dutchmen had seen it. The more religious of
them declared that the ghost would hold communion only with a certain
priest, who came once a year, at midnight, to invoke in an unknown
tongue a blessing on her troubled spirit.

"The divel's soundin'-stone is it ye's wants?" ejaculated Mr. Brophy.
"Shure, it's beyant--a mile, about--perhaps two--perhaps not so
many--perhaps more. Much good may it do ye's when ye's finds it. An',
an', an', the ghost standin' there ivery night." Mr. Brophy resumed his
pipe, and after two or three whiffs resumed: "Ye's may dig holes till
yer childhers wears rags, as mine does, an' not a mouthfull uv bread in
the house, an' not a cint of Misther Kidd's money ye'd git. An' the
ghost standin' there, too!"

Being satisfied that these poor people had nothing to give them to eat,
the boatmen presented the woman with two dollars and what liquor there
was in their flask, telling her to spend the money in bread for the
children. This little act of kindness so softened the poor woman's
feelings that she invoked numerous blessings on their heads; adding at
the same time that it was more money than she had seen for a month,
though persons in search of Kidd's gold and silver had beset her house.

The men now returned to their boat, and breakfasted on what they had in
their haversack. And when it was nearly noon, and they were beginning to
get alarmed, Chapman returned, apparently in the best of spirits, and
accompanied them to a comfortable farm-house, about a mile up the bank.
Here they found Hanz, very contentedly smoking his pipe, in the comp