"

Blythe spoke up like a flash.

"So have I, Jack. He was one of the sailors that took the _Santa
Theresa_. Quinn gave a list of them in his story. This fellow must have
escaped somehow when the ship was blown up."

"Or from the gig that set out to pursue the long boat. Perhaps when the
_Truxillo_ pounded the boat to pieces he swam to shore," I suggested.

"Yes, but Quinn does not mention that Bucks got ashore. That's funny
too, because he says that he was the only man from the _Santa Theresa_
left alive after Bully Evans was shot."

"That is queer. But it's plain Bucks _did_ escape. Don't you think it
might be this way? When he got to shore he ran forward to tell the four
who had landed with the treasure about the coming of the _Truxillo_. But
before he reached the top of the hill he heard shots and suspected
danger. So he stole forward cautiously and saw what had happened to Wall
and Lobardi. Of course he wouldn't dare show himself then, for he was
probably unarmed. So he kept hidden while the two survivors buried the
treasure."

"Of course. Like a wise man too," assented Tom. "And when Quinn and the
mate had pulled their freights he steps out and buries the gold in
another place."

"Probably he waited till the _Truxillo_ was out of the harbor," amended
the Englishman.

"Sure. But the big point that sticks out like a sore thumb is that Bucks
didn't fool Evans and Quinn, but us. The treasure's gone. That's a
rock-bottom fact," Yeager commented.

"I'm not so sure about that," I reflected aloud. "Look here. If Bucks
dug the gold up he had to rebury it somewhere. He had no way of taking
the doubloons with him. He couldn't have hauled the other boxes far.
Therefore, it follows that he buried them close to where he found them.
The one thing we don't know is whether he came back later and got the
treasure. I'll bet he didn't. The man was a common sailor and had no
means."

"Even if we give you the benefit of every doubt, the treasure is hidden.
We don't know where. In a year we might not find it."

"True enough, Sam. And we might stumble on it to-morrow. Look at the
facts. He was alone, probably superstitious, certainly in fear lest
Bully Evans might return and find him there. More than that, he had no
provisions. To get away and reach the Indians to get food would be his
main thought. It was a case of life and death with him. So you can bet
he chose easy digging when he transferred the treasure. That means he