n'lass
an' grapplin'-irons an' mo' men. It will be de question if it pay."

"Couldn't us'es do it by ourselves?" Bascom pleaded. His whole little
self-dependent life had strengthened his tendency to look out for
himself. The more there were to work for the treasure the more there
would be to share it.

"No," said the Captain. "Tek a pile of men to raise dose cannon."

"Then," put in Bascom, eagerly--"then le's ask Captain Lazare an'
Narcisse to help. Me an' Narcisse was here together when I found 'em."

The Captain knit his brows and looked up the bay. "I guess dat a good
idea," he said. "Lazare prett' sharp, but dey won't be much chance faw
anyt'ing but straight wo'k. I see dey's a-raisin' sail on de
_Alphonsine_."

"I'll row across an' speak to him when he passes," said Bascom.

But there was no need; Lazare's schooner headed toward them from the
first. As it came slowly about and anchored close to theirs Captain Tony
gave Bascom a swift, inquiring glance, but Bascom shook his head. Then
he shouted cheerfully,

"Ho there!"

"It strange dat yo' are jus' wheah we come," Lazare said. "Did Bascom
fin' it too?"

"Find what?" said Bascom, on his guard.

"At de bottom, w'en yo' was divin'," continued Lazare, coolly. "Narcisse
he fin' somesing, an' I t'ought me I bettah jus' to come an' see w'at to
do 'boud it."

"Narcisse didn't find nothin'," Bascom exclaimed, hotly. "He didn't stay
under a second. If he thinks he found anythin', what color was it, an'
how did it feel? Was it dead? An' where did it come from?"

"I didn' want to drown myse'f like yo'," Narcisse answered. "I was faw
gettin' home and tellin'."

"No you wa'n't," cried Bascom, fuming. "You know you wa'n't a-studyin'
about nothin'. You didn't look like you'd ever seed anythin' in your
life."

"De way is," said Lazare, "dat de one was jus' as big a fool as de
odder. Dey both come 'long pertendin', instead of talkin' it ovah like
men an' agreein' to share it. Have yo' been down yet, Tony, to see w'at
yo' t'ink?"

"Yes," said Tony; "I been down. Us'es was sayin', Bascom an' me, dat
maybe yo'-all like to go in wid us raisin' dose cannon." Bascom pulled
his sleeve, but he went right on. "Dere may be a little money in sellin'
'em faw a show, an' den Bascom he say he want one on de _Mystery_."

Bascom looked relieved, and Narcisse disgusted, but there was nothing to
gather from Captain Lazare's face.

"Dat was w'at I t'ought," he said. "Dere ain't