exception to the rule. The few clothes it
contained were of the lightest sort, having been procured in warm
climates, and were well worn, in addition. The palms, needles, and shells,
and carving in whale-bone, had all been sold, to meet their owner's wants,
and nothing of that sort remained. There were two old, dirty, and ragged
charts, and on these the deacon laid his hands, much as the hawk, in its
swoop, descends on its prey. As it did, however, a tremor came over him,
that actually compelled him to throw himself into a chair, and to rest for
a moment.

The first of the charts opened, the deacon saw at a glance, was that of
the antarctic circle. There, sure enough, was laid down in ink, three or
four specks for islands, with lat. -- deg., --", and long. -- deg., --", written
out at its side. We are under obligations not to give the figures that
stand on the chart, for the discovery is deemed to be important, by those
who possess the secret, even to the present hour. We are at liberty to
tell the whole story, with this one exception; and we shall proceed to do
so, with a proper regard to the pledges made in the premises.

The deacon scarcely breathed as he assured himself of the important fact
just mentioned, and his hands trembled to such a degree as to fairly cause
the paper of the chart to rattle. Then he had recourse to an expedient
that was strictly characteristic of the man. He wrote the latitude and
longitude in a memorandum-book that he carried on his person; after which
he again sat down, and with great care erased the island and the writing
from the chart, with the point of a penknife. This done, his mind felt
infinitely relieved. Nor was this all. Charts purchased for the schooner
were lying on a table in his own room, and he projected on one of them, as
well as his skill would allow, the sealing-islands he had just removed
from the chart left by Daggett. There he also wrote, in pencil, the
important figures that we are commanded not to reveal.

The second chart was then opened. It was of the West Indies, and
particularly of certain keys. One of these last was pointed out in a way
to leave no doubt that it was meant for the key indicated by the pirate.
The same prohibition existing as to this key that exists in respect to the
sealing-island, we cannot be more explicit. The writing near this key
being in pencil, it was effectually removed by means of India-rubber. When
this was done, the deacon used the pr