re us, and presently sank
half-reclining on some divan or deep settle midway of the room.

A hurried, anxious mumble seemed to show that the unfortunate Pedro made
his excuse; but she waved them away.

"_Messieurs_," she said--"_Senhores_--I must truly apologize to r'ceive
you so. My friend' have exceed' their instruction. I would not that they
should treat you with such rudeness. I would not have you sink us
_criminel_. Believe me--no!"

But, though she protested warmly, I could not observe any offer to
release us.

"And English too!" Her soft drawl was a caress. "See how _bete_ is that
Pedro--to sink he could make you tell anysing to a r-robber in the
street! Of course you would not tell! But me--I shall ex-plain so clear
and so simple; and then you shall understand. Attend me, please:

"There is a great treasure on the shore of these island. A gr-reat
treasure wrecked with a ship long taime bifore. Always, always it is
known--only where? Thad nobody can know! By Machico, they say--yes. But
z' waters by Machico are deep and cruel, and thad ship has went all to
li'l' piece' hundreds years ago; and only the gold--the heavy, heavy
doubloon gold--r'main down there; and to find it is not possible. So at
last thad story is nearly forgot! You see?...

"But listen now: Only three mon's ago a poor fisher boy finds a one coin
on the rocks. Somewhere--somewhere he finds it, and quick the news
shoots to Portugal, to Spain. My friends and me, we heard thad news. We
are very much excite'; for w'ere thad coin is--you comprehend--there
z'rest must also be! So we make a company among us; and me, bicause--oh,
bicause I am not quite unknown in several co'ntries and I have some
little hinfluence, it may be--I am bicome the Madame Presidente--ze
Number One. Yes.

"We hurry to Madeira. And what do you sink? Thad boy--thad poor fisher
boy--he don't know w'ere he find that coin! True, I tell you! We take
him here; we take him there--no good! He never can rimember w'ere he
found it. He is so stupid--a li'l' fool in the head, that poor Joao, who
now makes drinks in the Casino. _Pobrecito! Pauvre gars!_ And so our
treasure is lost again....

"Until you come along--you big zaintleman there. You are a stranger, a
foreign'--knowing nothing of all this. You take yourself for a walk by
the beach and, very first thing--what? You pick up another one coin of
this treasure! Ah, thad is so remarkable! Thad is a wonderful, truly!
But what can we