d to keep always a few men there for its
protection. Avery, however, disconcerted this plan, and rendered it
altogether unnecessary. While steering their course, he sent a boat to
each of the sloops, requesting that the chiefs would come on board his
ship to hold a conference. He suggested to them the necessity of
securing the property which they had acquired, and observed that the
main difficulty was to get it safe on shore; adding that if either of
the sloops should be attacked alone, they would not be able to make any
great resistance. That, for his part, his ship was so strong, so well
manned, and such a swift-sailing vessel, that he did not think it
possible for any other ship to take or overcome her. Accordingly, he
proposed that all their treasure should be sealed up in three
chests,--that each of the captains should have a key, and that they
should not be opened until all were present;--that the chests should be
then put on board his ship and afterwards lodged in some safe place on
land.

"This proposal seemed so reasonable, and so much for the common good
that it was agreed to without hesitation, and all the treasure was
deposited in three chests and carried to Avery's ship. The weather
being favorable, they remained all three in company during that and the
next day; meanwhile Avery, tampering with his men, suggested that they
had now on board what was sufficient to make them all happy; 'and
what,' continued he, 'should hinder us from going to some country where
we are not known, and living on shore all the rest of our days in
plenty!' They soon understood his hint, and all readily consented to
deceive the men of the sloops, and fly with all the booty. This they
effected during the darkness of the following night. The reader may
easily conjecture what were the feelings and indignation of the other
two crews in the morning when they discovered that Avery had made off
with all their property.

"Avery and his men hastened towards America, and being strangers in
that country, agreed to divide the booty, to change their names, and
each separately to take up his residence and live in affluence and
honor.... Avery had been careful to conceal the greater part of the
jewels and other valuable articles, so that his own riches were
immense. Arriving at Boston, he was almost resolved to settle there,
but as the greater part of his wealth consisted of diamonds, he was
apprehensive that he could not dispose of t