ve committed _murder_!"

"Murder, is it? Sorra a bit!" exclaimed the Irishman indignantly. "We
thried the two of 'em, and found 'em guilty, all in regular, proper
ordher."

"But," said I, "you have no authority or legal right to try men,
sentence them to death, and execute them. Whatever _you_ may consider
it, you will find that the law will regard it as wilful murder."

"The law?" ejaculated O'Gorman, with a contemptuous sniff. "Oh,
begorra, we'll take our chance of that! But we don't want any more
executions, Misther Conyers, so will ye help us to make a fair division
of our prize, that aich man may have his own and not be tempted to
shteal from another?"

"Are you making this request on your own account, or on behalf of the
rest as well?" demanded I. "Perhaps the others may be unwilling to
trust to my fairness."

"Oh, but they will," answered O'Gorman. "The proposal was mine, but
iverybody agreed to it."

"Very well, then," said I. "I am willing to undertake the job, and will
do my best to make the division an equitable one."

So saying, I went aft and explained to Miss Onslow that I was going
ashore for an hour or two with O'Gorman, to afford him the benefit of my
advice in a certain matter, dived below to my cabin for some sheets of
writing-paper, which I rolled up and put in my pocket, and then,
returning to the deck, descended the side and entered the boat.

On reaching the shore, O'Gorman led me at once to the largest tent,
where I found the entire remainder of the party seated in a circle on
the ground, with the chest of treasure-trove in the centre; they had
evidently so little faith in each other that each had deemed it
necessary to individually watch the chest in his own interest. The
incident would have been amusing but for the terrible element of tragedy
that had been imparted to it by the proceedings of the morning.

My first act, on entering the tent, was to provide, from my little stock
of writing-paper, fourteen pieces of exactly equal size and shape, which
I numbered from one to fourteen; afterwards folding the pieces
identically, so that the numbers written upon them were concealed, and
it became impossible to distinguish one piece from another. These
papers I put on the ground in one of the men's caps, mixing and
shuffling them all together; and next I called for a square of canvas.
They brought me a boat's lug sail, which I caused to be spread flat and
smooth upon the ground; a