s bound
with iron bands. All the boxes were locked, and they were all bound with
iron bands.

"Come along this way," said Toby. "There's something more here."

Further along the wall, leaning against it, was a row of large
coffee-sacks, each bound around the mouth by strong twine. One of these
sacks Mr. Hanlon quickly opened. He tilted it over and poured out its
contents on the ground. The party of onlookers gasped with astonishment.

From the mouth of the bag fell pearl necklaces; diamond rings; ruby
rings; emerald rings; all kinds of rings; gold bracelets and chains;
silver forks and spoons; gold toothpicks; gold cups; silver vases; and a
great variety of other things of the same sort.

It was a moment or two before anyone spoke. Then the Churchwarden said,
"It's my opinion that this is pirates' treasure."

"Mercy on us!" said Aunt Amanda. "And they may be in here on us any
minute!"

Mr. Hanlon opened others of the bags. Each was filled with rare and
costly articles of gold, silver, and precious stones.

"Do you think it's really pirates?" said Freddie, in an awed whisper.

"Not a doubt of it!" said Toby, in a voice much lower than before. "Look
at this!"

He pointed to a placard on the wall above the sacks. The light was
almost too dim for reading, but the writing on the placard was very
large, and Toby, by standing on one of the bags, was able to make it
out. He read it aloud.

"Beware! Hands Off! Whoever Shall Touch
it He Shall Die by the Hand of Lingo!
With a Knife in the Throat! Long Live
King James and the Jolly Roger!"

"There a skull and cross-bones under it," said Toby. "Pirates, as sure
as you're born."

"We'd better be getting away from here," said Aunt Amanda.

"Better not speak so loud," said Toby. "How are we to----?"

"S-sh!" said the Old Codger with the Wooden Leg, in a frightened
whisper. "Excuse me--look--I saw something under the water-fall. What's
that?"

"Stand close back against the wall," whispered Toby, "and don't speak a
word."

They crowded back against the wall, alongside of the treasure, and
looked towards the water-fall.

A dark object was rising from the shallow water at the foot of the fall.
As they watched, another dark object appeared to come through from under
the fall and apparently from behind it; and this object rose also from
the shallow water near the foot of the fall, and took its place beside
the other. One after another, five