ng a little spare cash in hand, my
uncle undertook to dispose of half a dozen of the little bars of gold,
and the adventures were such that he came back to me to say that we
should have to be very careful.

"It would never do to attempt a passage in a Spanish vessel boldly, my
boy. The very sound of the word _gold_ seems to fill the people full of
suspicion, and the dealer I went to to-day has been questioning me in
all sorts of ways. He thinks, evidently, that I have discovered a rich
gold mine somewhere, and is boiling with curiosity to know where."

"And you did not tell him, Uncle," I said laughing.

"No, my boy; but seriously, we must not make these people suspicious.
We have to pass through their custom-house places if we go in the
regular way, and if we attempt that, depend upon it we shall be stopped,
and have to give the fullest of explanations as to where the gold was
obtained, before we are allowed to quit the country, even if we are
then."

"Depend upon it, Uncle, we should not be allowed to go then. How
vexatious!" I ejaculated. "After all this trouble it will be hard if
we are stopped now! We will not be," I cried, with a stamp of the foot.
"I have succeeded so far, and if I fail it shall not be for want of
foresight."

"What do you mean, Harry?" said my uncle, who seemed to be pleased with
my energy and determination.

"I mean, Uncle, that if the treasure is lost it shall be through storm
and shipwreck, not from the scheming of men. If they know of our rich
treasure they will plan to get it away from us. Well, we must scheme
harder to save it.

"Here, let's take Tom into consultation," I said after a pause, and Tom
was called in. "Here, Tom," I said, "we've got all the gold packed, how
are we to get it away?"

"How are you to get it away, Mas'r Harry?" he said, giving his head a
rub, not that it itched, but so as to clear his thoughts, I suppose.

"Yes. How are we to get it away?"

"Stick direction cards on, same as we did with the soap boxes at home,
and shove it aboard ship."

"To be stopped as something contraband. No, Tom, that won't do. They
would want to know what it was."

"Serve them same as we did the Injins," said Tom grinning: "pretend as
they are all forsles and stigmy tights, as you called 'em, Mas'r Harry."

"That may do for Indians, but it will never do for people who are
civilised. No, Tom, if you cannot give better advice than that, it is
of no use."

"That