ived at the conclusion that they
had never been touched since Barber himself had left them to go in
search of the assistance he needed in order to secure possession of
their contents.

The discovery of the chests and, still more, the sight of their contents
was naturally productive of the utmost excitement, and, also quite
naturally, it at once roused all the greed that was latent in our
natures. So far as Enderby and I were concerned we were quite able to
control ourselves; but no sooner did the four Dagoes set eyes upon the
gold coins with which one of the chests was filled than they threw
themselves upon that chest, as starving wolves might throw themselves
upon a carcass, and proceeded to stuff their pockets with coin. This,
of course, could not possibly be permitted, and Enderby and I, drawing
our revolvers, compelled the quartette to replace in the chest every
coin they had snatched; but they yielded only under compulsion, and with
snarls, growlings, and muttered menaces which were only silenced by my
threat to maroon them on the spot if they showed the least sign of a
disposition to give further trouble.

The transfer of those eight heavy steel-bound chests with their contents
was a trying job, but nothing would induce the men to leave a single one
of them where they were for another night; they insisted on being
allowed to stick to their task until it was completed; and, by dint of
such strenuous effort as probably none of them had ever before exerted,
the task was completed a few minutes after sunset; following upon which
I caused the whole to be securely fastened up and struck down into the
lazarette. The forenoon of the next day was spent ashore gathering an
abundant stock of such fruits as the place afforded; and immediately
after dinner the jolly-boat was hoisted in, the anchor hove up, and the
_Yorkshire Lass_ stood out to sea.

CHAPTER SIX.

CAUGHT IN A TYPHOON.

Those who have never enjoyed the experience of suddenly coming upon a
treasure of enormous value, a substantial share of which one knows will
one day be one's own, will naturally suppose that the crew of the
_Yorkshire Lass_ would be one of the happiest and most contented little
communities on the face of the earth. And assuredly they ought to have
been, in so far at least as the prospective possession of great wealth
can confer happiness; for, little as any of us knew of the actual value
of the treasure we had so easily obtained, w