th' rest of his life in a
cell."

He kept them on a diet of crackers and corned beef and they never
opened their lips in protest. Every day they were brought up morning
and afternoon for drill. After this the three men divided the night
into the three shifts so that at least one of them was always upon
guard. But the men were thoroughly cowed, and evidently hoped, by good
behavior, to reestablish themselves before port was reached.

It was during these night watches that Wilson had many long talks with
Stubbs--talks that finally became personal and which in the end led
him, by one of those quick impulses which make in lives for a great
deal of good or wrecking harm, to confide in him the secret of the
treasure. This he did at first, however, without locating it nearer
than "Within five hundred miles of where we're going," and with
nothing in his narrative to associate the idol with the priest. Truth
to tell, Wilson was disappointed at the cool way in which Stubbs
listened. But the latter explained his indifference somewhat when he
remarked, removing the clay pipe from his mouth:

"M' boy, I'm sorter past my treasure hunting days. Once't I dug up
'bout an acre of sand on one of the islands of the South seas an' it
sorter took all th' enthusiasm, as ye might say, fer sech sport outern
me. We didn't git nothin' but clam shells, as I remember. Howsomever,
I wouldn't git nothin' but clam shells outern a gold mine. Thet's th'
way m' luck runs. Maybe th' stuff's there, maybe it ain't; but if I
goes, it ain't."

He added, a moment later:

"Howsomever, I can see how, in order to find the girl, you has to go.
The dago gent--if he lives--will make fer that right off. I've heern
o' women with the gift o' conjurin'--like seventh sons o' seventh
sons--but I ain't ever met with sech. I dunno now--I dunno now but
what I might consider your proposition if we comes outern this right
and the cap'n here can spare me. I can't say this minute as how I
takes much stock in it, as ye might say. But I tell ye fair, I'm glad
to help a pardner and glad to have a try, fer the sake of the girl if
nothin' more. I don't like ter see an older man play no sech games as
this man--who d' ye say his name is?"

"Sorez."

"Maybe we can find out more 'bout him down here. Anyhow, we'll talk it
over, boy, when we gits through this. In the meanwhile yer secret is
safe."

Wilson felt better at the thought that there was now someone with whom
he could