omething about your crew.
What are they like, now?"

The Cap looks sort of puzzled.

"Why, they're all right, I guess," says he.

"Please don't guess," cuts in Auntie. "Are they all good, responsible,
steady-going trust-worthy men, on whose character you can absolutely
depend?"

"I couldn't say, madam," says he. "We don't get 'em from divinity
schools."

"Of course not," chimes in Old Hickory. "What we really want to know
is this: Do your men suspect what we are here for?"

The Captain nods.

"How much do they know--er--about the buried treasure, for instance?"
demands Old Hickory.

Captain Lennon shrugs his shoulders.

"About twice as much as is so, I suppose," says he. "They're great
gossips, sailors--worse than so many old women."

"Huh!" grunts Mr. Ellins. "And about how long have they known all
this?"

"I overheard some of them talking about it before we sailed," says the
Captain. "There were those new shovels and picks, you know; perhaps
those set them guessing. Anyway, they were passing the word from the
first."

Mr. Ellins shakes his head and glances at Killam. Auntie presses her
lips tight and stares from one to the other.

"This is serious," says Old Hickory. "Why didn't you tell us of this
before?"

"Why," says Captain Lennon, "I didn't think you'd like it, sir. And
I've warned the men."

"Warned them against what?" asks Old Hickory.

"Against showing their grins above decks," says the Captain. "Of
course, I can't stop their having their jokes in their own quarters."

"Jokes?" echoes Mr. Ellins.

"Jokes!" gasps Auntie.

Captain Lennon hunches his shoulders again.

"I thought you wouldn't like it, sir," says he; "but that's the way
they look at it. I've told them it was none of their business what you
folks did; that you could afford to hunt for buried treasure, or buried
beans, or buried anything else, if you wanted to. And if you'll report
one of them even winking disrespectful, or showing the trace of a grin,
I'll set him and his ditty bag ashore so quick--"

"Thank you, Captain," breaks in Mr. Ellins, kind of choky; "that--that
will be all."

You should have seen the different expressions around that table after
the Captain has gone. I don't know that I ever saw Old Hickory
actually look sheepish before. As for Auntie, she's almost ready to
blow a fuse.

"Well," says she explosive. "I like that! Jokes, are we?"

"So it appears," says Mr. Ellins. "At any