f plain sailing. And the
glorious sea, too, had washed the fever from them; they were grown strong
and hearty once more. The singers sang, the fiddlers played, and Master
Jeffreys, Nick and Ned Johnson told their tales afresh. The generous
fellows remembered the brave lives that had been sacrificed to gain the
treasure they were going to carry off so easily. As far as the memory of
the survivors would allow, a list of Oxenham's crew was drawn up; their
homes, where known, were placed against their names, and it was resolved
that half of what they recovered should go to the relatives of the dead
men. Not one man murmured against the decision; it seemed to them the
right and proper thing to do: there were no craven or selfish hearts
aboard the _Golden Boar_.

And so the eager days sped on. No more possible prizes were sighted, and
the time came when keen eyes no longer looked seawards at all. The ship
was hugging the shore, and Nick Johnson or his brother spent hours at the
masthead searching for a familiar landmark. More than once was the
anchor dropped, and a boat sent up a promising creek in the hope that it
would prove the long-sought one. Failure after failure was reported, but
the search only grew the keener. The adventurers were determined to beat
every mile of the coast if necessary. At length came the joyous forenoon
when Nick gave a frantic hurrah from his lofty perch. Ho had sighted the
bare bluff, the wooded background, and the narrow, winding inlet. His
brother was quickly beside him, and almost immediately shouted his
reassuring opinion to the expectant company. The goal was reached at
last!

There was no need to send an exploring boat this time. Nick stayed where
he was, and Ned took the helm. A gentle breeze took the _Golden Boar_
into the sheltered anchorage. The trees encircling the little inland bay
shut her in just as the sun went down behind them. And the gallant
fellows--strange mixture of pirate and patriot--piously and
whole-heartedly bared their heads and thanked God for His bounteous
mercies!

Chapter XL.

A HAVEN OF PEACE.

The night passed; a night of happy contentment. In picturesque groups
on the deck the company slept, their eyes covered from the light of the
tropical night. The sentry tramped the deck, listened to the cries
from the forest and the salty pool, watched the fireflies as they
darted to and fro, and called out the hours and the state of the night