, it seemed hard to lose it. They dug, and they dug, but
there was no sign of treasure. Another gun was heard.

"We must be away!" cried the leader. "Shoulder spades, and march!"

O'Grady, stopping behind, leaped into the hole and ran his sword up to
the hilt into the sand, but it met with no impediment. Again and again
he plunged his sword in all directions. He saw that it was of no avail.
"I must be out of this and run after the rest," he said to himself.
But to propose was easier than to execute. In vain he tried to get up
the sandy sides of the pit--he made desperate efforts. He ought not to
have stopped behind, and did not like to cry out. "Oh! I shall have to
take the place of the disinterred body, and that would not be at all
pleasant," he muttered--"One more spring!" But no--down he came on his
back, and the sand rushed down and half covered him up. He now thought
that it was high time to sing out, and so he did at the very top of his
voice. He shouted over and over again--no one came. His companions
were getting further and further off. He scrambled to his feet and made
another spring, shrieking out at the same time, "Help! help!"

Fortunately, Paul and Reuben were bringing up the rear, and Paul
happening to speak of Mr O'Grady, observed that he was not in front.
At that moment the cry of "Help, help!" reached his ears.

"It's Mr O'Grady," he exclaimed, and he ran forward to Mr Bruff and
obtained leave to go and look. Reuben and several other men had,
however, to go to his assistance to get poor Paddy out of the hole, and
pretty hot they all became by running towards the boats, so as not to
delay them. Nothing was said of O'Grady's adventure, and the captain
did not seem much surprised at no treasure having been found. A course
was steered for Jamaica, where the pirates were to be tried. The
_Cerberus_ arrived at her destined port without falling in with an
enemy. Numerous witnesses came forward to prove various acts of piracy
committed by the prisoners, the greater number of whom were condemned to
death, and were accordingly hung in chains, as the custom of those days
was, to be a terror and warning to like evil-doers, as dead crows and
other birds are stuck up in a field to scare away the live ones wishing
to pilfer the farmer's newly-sown seed.

The frigate having refitted in Port Royal harbour, was again to sail--
like a knight-errant--in search of adventures. It was not likely that